Blog

  • Ian Austin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian Austin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have waited longer than the advised waiting times for (a) new passport applications and (b) passport renewals in the last year.

    James Brokenshire

    The information is not available in the format requested. Information can be
    provided for UK straightforward and non-straightforward applications as set out
    below for 2013-14

    Total number of UK applications received 2013-14 5,818,272

    Processed outside published turnaround times
    Straightforward (within 3
    weeks)
    401 (0.007% of applications received)

    Non-straightforward (within 6 weeks)
    29,331 (0.5% of applications received)

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2014-06-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to devolve Air Passenger Duty to Scotland.

    Nicky Morgan

    Beyond the powers in the Scotland Act 2012, the Government has no plans for further devolution of tax powers to Scotland until the referendum on Scottish independence has been settled

    Budget 2014 announced the reform of air passenger duty with the abolition of bands C and D from 1 April 2015. This will eliminate the two highest rates of air passenger duty charged on flights to countries over 4,000 miles from Britain, cutting tax for millions for passengers to travelling to China, India, Brazil and many other emerging markets. This will mean that flights to South Asia and the Caribbean will pay tax at the lower band B rate.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the extent to which there is a gender imbalance in the composition of Local Enterprise Partnership boards.

    Michael Fallon

    Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) board membership is a matter for LEPs themselves and they are best placed to ensure it meets the needs of their businesses and local people.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will meet the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland to discuss the proposed closure of (a) minor injuries units at Guisborough and East Cleveland Hospitals, (b) Skelton Medical Centre, (c) Park End Clinic and (d) Skelton NHS Walk-in-Centre.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    These are matters for the local National Health Service. The hon. Member should engage with the NHS at a local level.

    This Government is committed to devolving decision-making about local NHS services to local clinicians and communities. It is general practitioners clinicians, patients and local authorities who are best placed to determine the nature of their NHS services.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the quality of provision of primary care in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    No assessment has been made centrally. NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of primary care health services and for securing the best possible outcomes for patients.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to his Written Statement of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 1WS on higher education, what public consultation he has undertaken on the proposed changes to disabled students’ allowance.

    Mr David Willetts

    We are currently consulting with a wide range of stakeholders to help inform both the Equality Analysis and Disabled Students’ Allowances Guidance for 2015/16.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what adjusted change there has been in average gross weekly earnings of (a) full-time workers, (b) men working full-time and (c) women working full-time since January 2010.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of Scottish independence on businesses in the North East and Cumbria.

    Michael Fallon

    I have not made such an assessment. The UK Government’s Scotland Analysis Programme identified benefits for UK businesses from common rules and institutions that create a larger domestic market, reduce administrative burdens and encourage fair competition. Diverging regulatory regimes and new burdens created by an international border may affect the level of trade (£48 billion from Scotland to rest of UK in 2012, and £59 billion in the opposite direction) and the 30,000 people who currently travel freely between Scotland and North England each day to work.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the initial estimate of the additional costs of reverting to the fallback position of a hosting solution provided by Capita for the Recruiting Partnering Project increased from £47.7 million to £70 million; and who was responsible for these estimates.

    Anna Soubry

    My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Philip Hammond) set out on 14 January 2014 (Official Report, column 716) the cost of Capita providing a new Information Technology platform as part of the Recruiting Partnering Project. At the time, these costs were expected to be around £47.7 million directly linked to the change of hosting provision. Since this statement, the £47.7 million has reduced to £42.9 million.

    As previously stated by the Secretary of State on 14 January, there has been an additional cost of around £1 million per month to run the Capita system. This includes costs for additional manpower.

    The Recruiting Partnering Project remains within the overall agreed cost of £1.360 billion.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse to date is of the Recruiting and Partnering Project.

    Anna Soubry

    The cost of the Recruiting & Partnering Project to date (for the three years from March 2011-2014) is around £300 million. This figure includes the costs of the service provider, CAPITA and costs to the Ministry of Defence such as military and civilian manpower, Information Communication Technology provision and infrastructure.