The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will exempt crisis, refuge and homeless accommodation from any extension to the Local Housing Allowance cap.
Caroline Nokes
I refer the Honourable Member to the Written Statement made today by the Secretary of State:
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Redfern on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in reducing the number of young people not in employment, education, or training; and how they intend to support local authorities in reducing that number during this Parliament.
Lord Nash
The number of 16- to 18-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs) is at its lowest level since 1994. This number has fallen by 51,900 since 2011. The government is determined to do more to encourage young people to participate in education and training, and to continue reducing the proportion who are NEET. That is why the government is investing £7 billion in 2015-16 to fund a place in education or training for every 16- to 19-year-old who wants one.
Under Raising the Participation Age (RPA), all young people are required to continue in education or training until at least their eighteenth birthday. The Department is working closely with local authorities to support and challenge them in implementing RPA and meeting their duties to track and support young people. This support includes collecting and analysing local authorities’ data and sharing good practice.
There are also a number of central initiatives which support local authorities in their work to reduce the number of young people NEET. These include a package to help improve the prospects of over 9,600 vulnerable young people through the Youth Engagement Fund and the Fair Chance Fund; the Youth Contract which continues to be available until March 2016 to support vulnerable young people; Jobcentre Plus pilots which are delivering in over 30 local authority areas to support 16- and 17-year-olds who are NEET; and provision funded by the European Social Fund which targets those who are NEET or at risk of being NEET. Broader work includes curriculum and qualifications reform, the 16-19 Bursary Fund, and improvements in the quality of careers advice and guidance.
These initiatives will help to continue reducing the number of young people NEET by removing barriers to participation and ensuring that young people are able to gain the skills and qualifications they need for their future employment or continuing education.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the effect of capping housing benefit for social tenant at the relevant Local Housing Allowance rate on the incomes of the tenants affected.
Justin Tomlinson
Capping high social sector rents at the relevant Local Housing Allowance rate does not come into effect until April 2018 and then only where a new tenancy is taken out or a tenancy is renewed after April 2016 and the resulting social rent charged exceeds the appropriate Local Housing Allowance rate for the size of household in the area at that time.
Because a range of factors will influence where and when a cap is applied, including behavioural responses from both claimants and landlords, it is not possible to assess the potential effect of the policy on the incomes of the tenants affected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether a distinction is made by the Government between Commonwealth Realm Orders and decorations where Her Majesty the Queen is Sovereign of the Order and an order where the Governor General as Her Majesty the Queen’s representative is the Head of the Order; whether there is a reciprocal recognition policy in place between each of the Commonwealth Realms concerning titular honours; and whether there has been any change in his Department’s rules on that policy in the last two years.
James Duddridge
The recognition of foreign honours is a matter for the Royal Prerogative and is governed by convention. The convention has not changed in the last two years. My Department does not set rules or regulations for these matters.
The main distinction between Orders of which Her Majesty The Queen is Sovereign and those where The Queen is not Sovereign is that The Queen approves and appoints recipients of all awards in the former and the recipients can apply to receive their awards at an investiture in the UK.
There is no reciprocal recognition policy in place between each of the Realms concerning honours and associated titles. Whether a title associated with an honour awarded by one Realm is recognised in a second Realm is a matter for the second Realm.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugee applications from migrants living in the Sovereign Base Areas started before 1 December 2008 had not been determined on 8 August 2014; how many such applications were determined as failed following the enactment of the Refugees (Amendment) Ordinance 2014; and how many migrants have been removed from the Sovereign Base Areas as a consequence of the enactment of that ordinance.
Penny Mordaunt
Thirty-eight refugee applications from migrants living in the Sovereign Base Areas before 1 December 2008 had been open but not determined on 8 August 2014. Delays in processing asylum applications were due to the migrants refusing to co-operate with case workers handling their claims. In 2003, an MOU was agreed with the Republic of Cyprus on the handling of illegal migrants in the Sovereign Base Areas. Under the terms of that agreement, all applications for asylum from migrants present in the Sovereign Base Areas at that time were considered by the Republic on behalf of the Sovereign Base Areas Administration by specialist staff of the Republic of Cyprus Asylum Service.
The 38 migrants were informed they were failed asylum seekers following their prolonged unwillingness to engage with Republic of Cyprus asylum case workers. The intent of the Refugees (Amendment) Ordinance 2014 was to regularise the residency status of failed asylum seekers residing in the Sovereign Base Areas, so as to grant them temporary residence until they could be returned to their country of origin or a third country. No persons amongst this group have yet been removed from the Sovereign Base Areas as a consequence of this ordinance. They remain liable for return.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the consultation on a national school funding formula will begin.
Mr Sam Gyimah
The spending review announced our commitment to making school funding fairer by introducing a National Funding Formula for schools. Implementing such a large scale reform of the distribution of over £40 billion of education funding is a detailed and complex issue, and one we must get right. It is paramount that we consult with the public and sector, and we will set out, and consult on, our detailed plans for a National Funding Formula in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent any person convicted of animal abuse from owning an animal.
George Eustice
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 already allows courts to make a disqualification order in respect of someone who has been found guilty of causing any unnecessary suffering to an animal. It is for the courts to decide whether to make such an order and, if so, for how long based on the individual circumstances of the case. If a court decides not to impose such an order, it must give its reasons in open court. I consider, therefore, that the courts have the necessary powers to impose appropriate penalties in relation to acts of animal cruelty
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of pharmacies in the UK in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.
Alistair Burt
The information requested is provided in the following table.
Number of registered pharmacies in Great Britain, both National Health Service and private, for each of the last 10 years
|
As at 31 December |
|
|
2006 |
12,545 |
|
2007 |
12,844 |
|
2008 |
12,958 |
|
2009 |
13,224 |
|
2010 (as at 31 October) |
13,465 |
|
As at 31 March |
|
|
2011 |
13,500 |
|
2012 |
13,850 |
|
2013 |
14,186 |
|
2014 |
14,306 |
|
2015 |
14,367 |
|
2016 |
14,397 |
Source: For the years 2006 to 2009 the data is taken from archived records of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. From 2010 to 2016 the information has been provided by the General Pharmaceutical Council.
Number of registered pharmacies in Northern Ireland, both NHS and private, for each of the last 10 years (as at 31 May)
|
2006 |
548 |
|
2007 |
530 |
|
2008 |
538 |
|
2009 |
539 |
|
2010 |
542 |
|
2011 |
543 |
|
2012 |
548 |
|
2013 |
548 |
|
2014 |
549 |
|
2015 |
552 |
Source: Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-06-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will conduct a review into the effect of the use of payment intermediaries on pay transparency before the end of 2016.
Nick Boles
This is a complicated issue and we are considering the most appropriate way to ensure more transparency.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2016 to Question 40370, when his Department plans to outline its new approach to the carbon capture and storage industry; and if he will make a statement.
Jesse Norman
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has a potential role to play in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK but its costs must come down.
We continue to work with industry to help develop CCS cost effectively and we will set out our future approach to CCS in due course.