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  • Nicola Blackwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Nicola Blackwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicola Blackwood on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much of his Department’s funding allocated in the Spending Review 2015 will be for research and development expenditure up to 2020.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

    Following settlement of the Cabinet Office Spending Review last week, the allocation of funds to individual workstreams, including for research and development, is underway as part of the department’s business planning process to be completed in the coming months.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many positions are being created within his Extended Ministerial Office in each pay grade.

    Matthew Hancock

    I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave her on 26 November 2015 to UIN: 10865-10866 and on 30 November 2015 to UIN: 17505.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Minister’s assessment is of morale in the civil service.

    Matthew Hancock

    It is a tribute to the dedication and work of individual Civil Servants that job satisfaction remains high and wellbeing has increased. It should be a source of pride that the Civil Service has successfully changed the way it operates and become more efficient – it is now delivering far more, for less, than it did before 2010.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what responsibilities the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has which relate to the Duchy of Lancaster.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is responsible to the Sovereign for the administration of the estates of the Duchy of Lancaster, in which he is assisted by the Duchy Council. The Chancellor also appoints various Duchy representatives on university councils, school governing bodies and charities in the County Palatine.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of replacing maintenance grants with loans on students from faith backgrounds which discourage the accrual of interest.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Government expects to publish an Equality Analysis of the changes to student support for the 2016/17 academic year alongside the regulations.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, on what timetable he plans to abolish university maintenance grants, including the timetable for laying associated regulations.

    Joseph Johnson

    New students starting full-time courses from 1 August 2016 onwards who would otherwise have received a grant will qualify for an increased loan for living costs. The total living costs support available in 2016/17 under the new student support arrangements for eligible students on the lowest incomes is increasing by 10.3% when compared with 2015/16.

    The Government expects to lay amendments to the Student Support Regulations covering student support for 2016/17 shortly.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what consultation his Department carried out with (a) students and their representative bodies and (b) other people and bodies before announcing that university maintenance grants would be abolished.

    Joseph Johnson

    I refer the Hon Member to my reply to the hon Member for Newport West to question UIN 11271.

    “

  • Rehman Chishti – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Rehman Chishti – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what (a) regulations and (b) guidance apply to Sheriffs breaking into commercial properties to recover debts.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The rules governing the power to enter a commercial property for enforcement by taking control of goods are contained in Schedule 12 to the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. Enforcement under a High Court Writ, which was the responsibility of Sheriffs, is now carried out by High Court Enforcement Officers pursuant to the High Court Enforcement Officers Regulations 2004. Paragraphs 14 to 30 of Schedule 12 (as amended by the Crime and Courts Act 2013) make provision concerning powers of entry for the purposes of enforcement, and paragraphs 18A and 19 make provision specifically in relation to the power to use reasonable force to enter premises at which the enforcement officer reasonably believes the debtor carries on a trade or a business. The Ministry of Justice has produced guidance, the Taking Control of Goods: National Standards, to support creditors and enforcement agents and promote minimum standards. It is available on the Gov.uk website.

  • Rehman Chishti – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Rehman Chishti – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the Government is doing to assist small businesses to recover debts.

    Anna Soubry

    Late payment remains an important issue for small businesses in the UK. The Government is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts.

    Through the Enterprise Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business Commissioner to help small business resolve disputes with large companies, tackling, in particular, late payment. The Commissioner will act as a disincentive to unfavourable payment practices, and build the confidence and capabilities of small businesses to help them to assert themselves in contractual disputes and negotiate more effectively with larger businesses.

    This is part of a package of measures to tackle late payment. We have also legislated for new transparency measures in the public and private sectors. This will allow full public scrutiny of payment performance.

    We have also strengthened the Prompt Payment Code to ensure it is a recognised and demonstrated beacon of best practice, and we recently consulted on proposals to give representative bodies wider powers to challenge grossly unfair payment practices.

    Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour. Once implemented, the Government is confident that these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK’s payment culture.

  • Nicola Blackwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nicola Blackwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicola Blackwood on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much of his Department’s funding allocated in the Spending Review 2015 will be for research and development expenditure up to 2020.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Spending Review announced that we will protect the Science Budget in real terms throughout this Parliament, with resource funding of £4.7 billion per year, while delivering on our manifesto commitment to invest in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale: £6.9 billion up to 2021.

    The Comprehensive Spending Review set out the high level budgets for my department. The total planned expenditure on research and development through to 2020 will be confirmed in due course following an internal allocations process.