The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the Apprenticeship Levy will apply to public and third sector organisations.
Nick Boles
The levy will apply to all UK employers. Employers with a pay bill of less than £3m will not have to pay the levy. This is more than 98% of all employers. These employers will continue to have access to government funding to support apprenticeships.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reasons school reserves are included in local authority balance sheet reserves.
Mr Marcus Jones
The reserves of local authority maintained schools are included in local authority balance sheet reserves. This is because those schools are subject to a level of local authority control. However the reserves of local authority maintained schools are ringfenced, which means that they cannot be diverted for non-schools purposes. The reserves of academies and free schools are not included in local authority balance sheet reserves.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what transitional arrangements are being made for local authority employees who administer housing benefit when responsibility for that benefit moves to universal credit.
Priti Patel
Any transitional arrangements are the responsibility of the Local Authority, but we will work with them to manage the impact of these changes in a way which minimises the need for any redundancies. Where this does not prove possible, after the exercise of all reasonable efforts to redeploy people, the Department has given Local Authorities a commitment that we will meet their costs of any residual redundancies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to implement the proposals in the Government’s report entitled Towards a one nation economy: A 10-point plan for boosting rural productivity published in August 2015.
Rory Stewart
Implementing the Rural Productivity Plan requires collaboration across Government.
We have already begun to implement the plan, for example announcing new Enterprise Zones in rural areas and small towns, assessing expressions of interest to deliver 30 hours of free childcare early implementers in some areas, including rural, from September 2016, and lastly, premises without basic broadband will have access to a subsidised satellite scheme by the end of December.
By investing in education and skills, increasing wages, improving infrastructure and connectivity, and simplifying planning laws for rural businesses and communities, we will help create thriving rural areas where generations of families can open and expand their businesses, buy a home and educate their children at first class schools.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-14.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effect of recent increases in household debt on economic growth.
Harriett Baldwin
Household debt as a proportion of income has fallen to 144 per cent in Q2 2015, from a peak of 168 per cent in Q1 2008. To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past we have created the independent Financial Policy Committee (FPC) within the Bank of England to ensure emerging risks and vulnerabilities across the financial system as a whole are identified, monitored and effectively addressed. Alongside this, the UK was the fastest growing economy in the G7 in 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the proportion of people in London who will be able to afford to (a) rent and (b) buy a home in 2016.
Brandon Lewis
My Department does not produce estimates on the proportion of people who will be able to afford to rent or to buy a home in London.
The Spending Review doubled investment in housing to more than £20 billion over the next five years to support the largest housing programme by any Government since the 1970’s, including:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-14.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to address the level of UK household debt.
Harriett Baldwin
Household debt as a proportion of income has fallen to 144 per cent in Q2 2015, from a peak of 168 per cent in Q1 2008. To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past we have created the independent Financial Policy Committee (FPC) within the Bank of England to ensure emerging risks and vulnerabilities across the financial system as a whole are identified, monitored and effectively addressed. The FPC recently re-affirmed its view that, given the actions it has taken, household indebtedness did not pose an imminent threat to financial stability.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people in (a) Feltham and Heston constituency, (b) Houndslow, (c) London and (d) the UK sought advice from the Family Rights Group in 2015.
Edward Timpson
The Department for Education supports the Family Rights Group (FRG) in providing a national helpline for England. Our grant agreement with FRG does not require them to provide us with data by ward or the wider UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will issue a response to the report entitled Halving the Gap by Lord Law of Dalton, Baroness Meacher and Baroness Grey-Thompson, published in December 2015.
Priti Patel
The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in Bill on 20th July and we will review all reports which relate to the Welfare Reform and Work Bill.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of reducing the work-related activity group employment and support allowance rate on the number of claimants who move into employment.
Priti Patel
The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in Bill on 20th July.
Ministers have considered impacts with regard to all relevant legal obligations when formulating the welfare policies announced in the Bill.
The intended impact of these reforms is to incentivise work and ensure work always pays.