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  • Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library HM Revenue and Customs’ full workings, including the methodology, modelling and assumptions, which underpinned the figures included in the Tobacco Levy Consultation, published in September 2015, on the tobacco levy yield after behavioural effects.

    Damian Hinds

    The response to the tobacco levy consolation included the HMRC costing note and the DEFRA review of HMRC’s methodology, alongside consultation responses and the government’s summary. Since the government does not generally publish analysis of polices that do not go ahead, the publishing of these documents goes significantly beyond usual practice. HMRC also publish a methodological paper on tobacco entitled Econometric Analysis of Cigarette Consumption in the UK. This can be found on gov.uk.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the National Living Wage on the provision of adult social care.

    Alistair Burt

    The new National Living Wage (NLW) will ensure that care workers are better paid for the vital work they do. The Government engaged with the social care sector, including care providers and the costs of the NLW were considered as part of the Spending Review. The overall costs to local authorities of providing social care were also considered.

    We recognise that demand for social care is growing and that councils will need to increase the price they pay for care to cover costs such as the NLW.

    The Spending Review settlement provides £3.5 billion of new support for social care by 2019/20. Councils will be able to introduce a new Social Care Precept, which will allow an increase of 2% above the existing threshold to be added to council tax, raising up to £2 billion that has to be spent exclusively on adult social care. By 2019/20 an extra £1.5 billion will have been made available to be included in the Better Care Fund. Taken together, the Social Care Precept and the Better Care Fund will mean local government has access to funding to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Church Commissioners

    Stewart Jackson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Church Commissioners

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent progress has been made on (a) residential development and (b) infrastructure planning on Church Commissioner land allocated as an urban extension by Peterborough City Council at (i) Paston Reserve and (ii) Norwood; and if she will make a statement.

    Mrs Caroline Spelman

    There are no further developments to report since the answer given by the Church Commissioners to question 16388 on the 20 November 2015.

    “

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications in which (a) towns, (b) cities and (c) regions for Tier 2 (General) restricted Certificate of Sponsorship have been rejected on the grounds that the job is in an establishment which provides a take-away service in each of the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    For the future, the Government intends that Tier 2 should be restricted to roles where there are genuine skills shortages or which require highly-specialised experts. We asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on how to achieve this, but with sufficient flexibility to include high value roles and key public service workers. The MAC has now submitted its advice and the Government is considering the report carefully.

  • Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to increase public awareness of the need for holidaymakers to take out travel insurance.

    James Duddridge

    I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 12 January 2016 to Parliamentary Question 21029. Encouraging the take-up of adequate travel insurance through our ‘Know Before You Go’ communications campaign which will remain a priority in 2016.

  • Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the official development assistance budget was given to the International Climate Fund in (a) 2012, (b) 2013, (c) 2014 and (d) 2015.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Details of the International Climate Fund (ICF) as a proportion of Official Development Assistance (ODA) are set out below for 2012-2014. Figures for 2015 have not yet been published.

    total net ODA

    total ICF

    percentage

    2012

    8,802

    488.15

    5.5%

    2013

    11,424

    769.01

    6.7%

    2014

    11,726

    880.11

    7.5%

    NOTES:

    • Total Net ODA figures are as reported in Statistics on International Development 2015
    • Total ICF spend figures are as reported by the UK to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the European Union’s Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism Regulation (EUMMR)
  • Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on reforming the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government strongly supports reform to strengthen the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). Ministers and officials have discussed EU ETS reform recently with counterparts in other Member States, as well as with members of the European Parliament, the European Commission and industry representatives. At the recent COP21 climate conference in Paris in December 2015 Ministers also participated in a session to promote the EU ETS and strengthen links to other national and international ETS.

  • Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many projects her Department is currently managing that have been developed with funding from the International Climate Fund.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change is currently supporting 21 projects through the International Climate Fund. The majority of these projects are managed by delivery partners such as multilateral development banks and involve donors additional to the UK.

  • Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much funding her Department received from the International Climate Fund in (a) 2012, (b) 2013, (c) 2014 and (d) 2015.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change was allocated the following annual budgets as its share of the International Climate Fund:

    2011/12 = £140m

    2012/13 = £240m

    2013/14 = £400m

    2014/15 = £220m

    2015/16 = £329m

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on the operation of the new arrangements for obtaining medical reports in road traffic claims of the changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015; and if he will make a statement.

    Dominic Raab

    The measures announced in the Autumn Statement build on the Government’s previous reforms including, in particular, the MedCo system for obtaining independent medical reports which remains integral to the Government’s approach to tackling abuses in the whiplash claims process.

    The Government will consult on the detail of the new measures in due course and the consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.