Blog

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what effect the introduction of Universal Credit will have on funding for care available to older people with a disability whose principal carer is engaged in education for more than 21 hours per week.

    Justin Tomlinson

    People in full-time education, including those with caring responsibilities, are not normally entitled to benefits. Rather they are supported through the educational maintenance system, via its range of loans and grants. Support may also be available through local councils and health services.

    Students undertaking a part-time course have access to carer related benefits in the usual way.

    People with a disability can claim benefits in their own right in order to meet their needs. Depending on individual circumstances, such financial support can be through universal, extra costs benefits and/or means-tested benefits. Means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit, include an additional amount for people with a severe disability (currently £61.85 a week for a single person) which can be paid to a disabled person to help meet the costs of caring if their carer is not receiving Carer’s Allowance.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support is available to people earning less than £110 per week net who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

    Justin Tomlinson

    This Government recognises and appreciates the vital contribution made by carers.

    A variety of support is available to both carers and the severely disabled people that they care for. Support is both financial, including through the benefit and Tax Credit systems and the Universal Credit service, and in other ways through local councils and health services.

    Carer’s Allowance is designed to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. For this reason it is not available to people earning more than £110 a week net of allowable deductions and expenses.

    Carers earning more than £110 a week may be entitled to other financial support, such as Universal Credit or Tax Credits if they satisfy the qualifying conditions.

    People with a disability can claim benefits in their own right in order to meet their needs. Depending on individual circumstances, such financial support can be through universal, extra costs benefits and/or means-tested benefits. Means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit, include an additional amount for people with a severe disability (currently £61.85 a week for a single person) which can be paid to a disabled person to help meet the costs of caring if their carer is not receiving Carer’s Allowance.

  • Helen Hayes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Helen Hayes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2015 to Question 8870, whether the new life chances measures will monitor households where an adult is in work; and what steps he plans to take to measure the effects of welfare changes on child poverty for children in working households with low incomes.

    Priti Patel

    The Government is committed to working to eliminate child poverty and improving life chances for children.

    We are clear that the existing low-income measures do not drive the right action to tackle the root causes of child poverty. They simply deal with the symptoms.

    We are now setting out a new way to drive effective action and make a real difference in the lives of disadvantaged children. Our proposals in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill introduce new statutory measures of worklessness and educational attainment. For the first time, we are ensuring through legislation that Government action will be focused on these areas, where the evidence tells us we can make the biggest difference for our children – now and in the future.

    These measures will be reported annually, which means progress will be clearly visible for all to see. My Department will also continue to publish low-income statistics as part of the ‘Households Below Average Income’ publication.

  • Oliver Colvile – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Oliver Colvile – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what geological assessment his Department has made to ensure the stability of (a) the sea wall at Dawlish, (b) the cliff at Teignmouth and (c) the line between Newton Abbott and Plymouth.

    Claire Perry

    Network Rail is carrying out a further study to look at options to increase the long term geo-environmental resilience of the existing main line from Exeter to Newton Abbot. The study looks at the coastal and sea wall elements and the cliffs. It is due to be fully complete in April 2016 with an options assessment report available by the end of 2015. There has been no geological assessment of the rail route from Newton Abbot to Plymouth.

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the use of trams to increase low-carbon travel.

    Andrew Jones

    In the right circumstances, this Government supports light rail and other types of urban transit. They can play an important role in our local transport networks, help reduce congestion, reduce carbon emissions and increase low carbon travel. Introducing a light rail system is a local matter for the relevant local authority and Local Economic Partnership to consider based on their needs and funding priorities.

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the provision of bike racks on buses on the number of people using public transport.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government is keen to promote cycling, and I am aware that bike racks on buses are commonplace in some countries. Whilst we have not conducted any assessments on their role in increasing overall bus patronage, I would encourage bus operators to consider fitting such equipment where it is safe and legal to do so.

  • Keir Starmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Keir Starmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the proposed Crossrail 2 project; and what assessment he has made of the relationship between that project and the successful completion of work on High Speed 2 at Euston Station.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    A decision is yet to be taken on Government support for or investment in Crossrail 2.

    The current safeguarding direction represents the proposed route and includes an area north of the Euston Road, necessary if Crossrail 2 was to serve Euston Station.

    The completion of work on High Speed 2 at Euston Station is not dependent on the construction of Crossrail 2.

  • Keir Starmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Keir Starmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make provision for additional compensation schemes for people in (a) the London Borough of Camden and (b) other parts of London, supplementary to the existing High Speed 2 compensation scheme and similar to the additional support provided to people in rural areas affected by that project.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    HS2 property compensation schemes in urban areas already go well beyond what is required by law. There are no plans to extend the rural provisions to the London Borough of Camden or other parts of London.

  • Keir Starmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Keir Starmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the objection in the Euston Area Plan on prioritising local people’s needs adopted by the London Borough of Camden, the Mayor of London and Transport for London in January 2015 is not referred to in the Supplementary Environmental Statement for High Speed 2.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    HS2 Ltd deposited an Additional Provision (AP3) to the HS2 Phase One hybrid Bill and a Supplementary Environmental Statement (SES2) on 16 September 2015. AP3 and SES2 include revised plans for London Euston station.

    SES2 reports on the likely significant environmental effects of updated environmental information and changes that are new but within the powers already being sought under the Bill and within the limits described in it. Changes that go beyond the existing powers and limits described in the Bill are contained in AP3.

    The purpose of SES2 however is not to consider objections to the proposed changes; these are considered through the relevant consultation and petitioning processes.

  • Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by what criteria he judged the success of London International Shipping Week (LISW) 2013; and what criteria he used to judge the success of LISW 2015.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The success criteria used to judge the success of London International Shipping Week, both in 2013 and 2015, were:

    1. To establish LISW as a major global shipping event through which to showcase the UK’s maritime and marine sectors;
    2. To attract the attendance of senior international maritime leaders and influential stakeholders to enable the UK maritime sector and HMG to engage effectively and promote the UK’s maritime offering;
    3. To deliver a series of high quality events focussing on promoting London’s maritime offering in 2013 and “maritime thought leadership” in 2015;
    4. To enable high level interaction between senior HMG and UK industry with international maritime stakeholders reinforcing the fact that the UK remains a major maritime nation; and
    5. To raise the profile of the UK maritime sector both internationally and domestically.