The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment of the Government’s plans to cap housing benefit for tenants in supported housing at the local rate of Local Housing Allowance.
Justin Tomlinson
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to the Honourable Member for Liverpool Wavertree on 11 January 2016 to question UIN 21145 .
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2016-01-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage zero-carbon housing; and if he will make a statement.
James Wharton
I refer my rt. hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 23 October 2015, PQ 12627.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals for a statutory duty for fire and rescue services to respond to flooding.
Mike Penning
The Hon. Member will be aware that the Prime Minister announced on 5 January 2016 that responsibility for fire policy was being transferred to the Home Secretary with immediate effect. I am, therefore, answering the Hon Member’s question as Fire Minister. As fire is a devolved matter in Wales, my response applies only to England.
Fire and Rescue Authorities are required to put in place integrated risk management plans, coordinated with the community risk registers produced by Local Resilience Forums. These documents should identify the full range of risks to which fire and rescue services should be able to respond. The effective response of fire and rescue services to the recent flooding demonstrates that the system is working.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those at the frontline involved in that response. The commitment and dedication they showed throughout the Christmas and New Year period in helping communities affected to deal with the largescale flooding and to rebuild their lives afterwards is a demonstration of public service at its very best.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will reconsider the decision that West Lancashire Borough Council be allowed the special levy contribution towards the operation of an Internal Drainage Board to take account of the recent flooding in West Lancashire.
James Wharton
The decision on whether to support the creation of an Internal Drainage Board is a local matter. We welcome the establishment of new Internal Drainage Boards where these are proposed and supported by the local community.
These are funded through drainage rates paid directly by agricultural landowners and special levies issued on district and unitary authorities. Local authorities take account of the need to pay levies as part of their annual budget setting process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps to introduce a single point of emergency contact during incidents of flooding to improve the co-ordinated response to flooding incidents where residents are currently required to contact the responsible agency based on the source of the flood waters; and if he will make a statement.
James Wharton
The Environment Agency’s Floodline number (0345 988 1188) already provides a single source of information and advice during flooding incidents and is available 24 hours a day. If there is a danger to life or a risk of injury, then residents should call 999 as they would with other emergencies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-08.
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps Anglican congregations within the Diocese of Blackburn have taken to help people affected by flooding that took place over Christmas 2015.
Mrs Caroline Spelman
The Diocese of Blackburn has been coordinating with its local Gold Command support centre and with Churches Together. Within Preston the Diocese and local churches have set up an emergency centre at the railway station. An additional emergency centre was also set up in Morecambe alongside smaller centres supported by the Diocese in Ribchester and Walton le Dale. In St Michael’s on Wyre the church has also been offering support to the army who were deployed in the parish.
These centres have been an invaluable support to local communities as a central hub for information and support. In addition local communities have been providing hot food and warm clothing to those who have been flooded out and to relief workers. Churches Together in Lancashire have been coordinating a wider response amongst local denominations and this has enabled many local churches to respond quickly and in those places where their help is most needed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-08.
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, which Anglican churches within the Diocese of Blackburn were damaged by flooding in December 2015; and what the extent of damage to each such church was.
Mrs Caroline Spelman
Within the Diocese of Blackburn seven churches and churchyards, the diocesan retreat house at Whalley Abbey and three Church of England primary schools were damaged by floodwater. Many have also found that the boilers and heating systems have been damaged beyond repair and extensive programmes of works will need to be undertaken to both dry the buildings out and restore or replace furniture, carpets and school materials.
Reports of damage are still being registered across the Dioceses of Blackburn, Carlisle, Manchester, West Yorkshire and the Dales and York. To date 129 church properties have registered substantial damage from the December storms with our insurers, though I expect that figure to rise. The Cathedral and Church Buildings Council of the Church of England will be working with the dioceses to develop robust disaster management and recovery plans and flood adaptation measures for churches and other buildings.
Within the Blackburn Diocese
|
Parish Name / building |
Grade or * listing / Status |
Type of damage |
|
St Michael’s on Wyre |
Grade 1 |
Water damage and damage to the boiler |
|
St Michael’s, Much Hoole |
Grade 2* |
Water damage and damage to the boiler |
|
St Mary the Virgin, Eccleston |
Grade 2* |
Water damage |
|
St Michael & All Angels, Croston |
Grade 2* |
Severe water damage |
|
St John the Evangelist, Lancaster (Incare of Churches Conservation Trust) |
Grade 2* |
Severe water damage |
|
St John the Baptist, Tunstall |
Grade 1 |
Damage to the boiler |
|
St Wilfrid’s, Ribchester |
Grade 1 |
Damage to the graveyard and loss of many burials and monuments |
|
Whalley Abbey |
Grade 1 and Scheduled Ancient Monument |
Major water damage to the Abbey building |
|
Kirkland & Catterall St. Helen’s CofE School |
Primary School |
Severe water damage |
|
St. Michael’s on Wyre C of E School |
Primary School |
Major water damage |
|
Whalley CofE School |
Primary School |
Basement flooded and water damage |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2016-01-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many businesses benefited from R&D tax credits in 2014-15; what the cost of R&D tax credits was to his Department in that year; and what the return on investment was of R&D tax credit expenditure for his Department.
Mr David Gauke
R&D tax credit statistics are published by HMRC each September, so the final figures for 2014-15 won’t be available until September 2016.
HMRC’s latest statistics for 2013-14 show that there were 20,100 claims to R&D tax credits in that year, and that the scheme cost £1.75bn.
In March 2015, HMRC published an evaluation of R&D tax credits. This evaluation estimates that for every pound spent by the government onR&Dtax credits, between £1.53 and £2.35 is additionally spent onR&Dby UK companies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Kendall on 2016-01-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people of each gender work in his Department.
Harriett Baldwin
Gender and Diversity information can also be found in the Annual Report and Accounts. Please see link below:-
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-treasury-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to introduce a pilot scheme to evaluate the potential use of social impact bonds for the provision of advice services.
Mr Rob Wilson
As part of the spending review we committed £80m to a new social outcomes fund to support the creation of locally developed social impact bonds focused upon tackling a range of social problems. We will set out the issues that this fund will focus upon when it is launched later this year.