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  • Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support an international enquiry into the events at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    This is a matter between the Sikh Community and government of India. The purpose of the Cabinet Secretary’s recent investigation and report on the Indian operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar in 1984, was to establish the extent of UK Government involvement in the Indian government’s plans for military operations, not the operation itself, or the actions of the Indian government.

  • Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the new Indian government to reopen investigations on the events in 1984 at the Golden Temple in Amritsar; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    This is a matter between the Sikh Community and government of India. The purpose of the Cabinet Secretary’s recent investigation and report on the Indian operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar in 1984, was to establish the extent of UK Government involvement in the Indian government’s plans for military operations, not the operation itself, or the actions of the Indian government.

  • Sarah Newton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sarah Newton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Newton on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost of administering the social care means test in England.

    Norman Lamb

    Access to State financial support for adult social care in England is means-tested and is not generally provided free of charge. In this way, individuals are expected to pay towards the cost of their care and support based on what they can afford.

    Adults with less than £23,250 in capital can seek help with the cost of social care from their local authority. Local authorities carry out a financial assessment to decide what an individual can afford to pay. Local authorities must take account of an individual’s capital assets and income, including income from Benefits and the State Pension.

    Information on the cost to local authorities of carrying out financial assessments is not collected centrally.

    In its 2011 report, the independent Palliative Care Funding Review recommended the provision of free social care at the end of life. A series of palliative care funding pilots were established to test the review’s recommendations, and these completed their work in March 2014. NHS England is currently analysing the financial data collected from the pilots. Once this analysis has been completed, a decision will be made on the issue of free social care at the end of life, taking into account this analysis and wider policy and financial considerations.

  • Sarah Newton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sarah Newton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Newton on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications for free social care were (a) approved and (b) rejected in England in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013.

    Norman Lamb

    Access to State financial support for adult social care in England is means-tested and is not generally provided free of charge. In this way, individuals are expected to pay towards the cost of their care and support based on what they can afford.

    Adults with less than £23,250 in capital can seek help with the cost of social care from their local authority. Local authorities carry out a financial assessment to decide what an individual can afford to pay. Local authorities must take account of an individual’s capital assets and income, including income from Benefits and the State Pension.

    Information on the cost to local authorities of carrying out financial assessments is not collected centrally.

    In its 2011 report, the independent Palliative Care Funding Review recommended the provision of free social care at the end of life. A series of palliative care funding pilots were established to test the review’s recommendations, and these completed their work in March 2014. NHS England is currently analysing the financial data collected from the pilots. Once this analysis has been completed, a decision will be made on the issue of free social care at the end of life, taking into account this analysis and wider policy and financial considerations.

  • Sarah Newton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sarah Newton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Newton on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the annual cost to the public purse is of processing applications for free social care in England.

    Norman Lamb

    Access to State financial support for adult social care in England is means-tested and is not generally provided free of charge. In this way, individuals are expected to pay towards the cost of their care and support based on what they can afford.

    Adults with less than £23,250 in capital can seek help with the cost of social care from their local authority. Local authorities carry out a financial assessment to decide what an individual can afford to pay. Local authorities must take account of an individual’s capital assets and income, including income from Benefits and the State Pension.

    Information on the cost to local authorities of carrying out financial assessments is not collected centrally.

    In its 2011 report, the independent Palliative Care Funding Review recommended the provision of free social care at the end of life. A series of palliative care funding pilots were established to test the review’s recommendations, and these completed their work in March 2014. NHS England is currently analysing the financial data collected from the pilots. Once this analysis has been completed, a decision will be made on the issue of free social care at the end of life, taking into account this analysis and wider policy and financial considerations.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Bridget Phillipson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles built by Nissan are in the Government car pool.

    Stephen Hammond

    There are 84 vehicles operated by the Government Car Service for ministerial use. None of these are currently built by Nissan. The Government Car Service trialled the use of a Nissan Leaf in 2012 and it operated the Nissan Primera within the ministerial fleet until 2005. The ministerial fleet is scheduled for review later this year.

  • John Mann – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Mann – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what account he takes of local referendums on the desirability of specific sites being allocated to new housing.

    Nick Boles

    This Coalition Government have given communities radical new rights to plan for their areas, deliver the development they want and control their future. Over 1,000 communities have applied for a neighbourhood planning area to be designated, and neighbourhood plans are receiving overwhelming support through local referendums. So far we have had 17 successful referendums on neighbourhood plans.

    A neighbourhood plan (including any specific sites within it) which has been supported by the majority of those voting in a referendum can form the basis for decisions on development in the local area.

    A neighbourhood development order, if endorsed by a local referendum, can also grant permission for specified developments in a neighbourhood area.

  • John Mann – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Mann – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what criteria his Department uses to assess the saleability of new houses when determining the potential for five-year housing supply.

    Nick Boles

    The National Planning Policy Framework requires local authorities to identify and update annually a supply of specific, deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years worth of housing against their housing requirements with an additional buffer of 5% (moved forward from later in the plan period) to ensure choice and competition in the market for land.

    Footnote 11 of the Framework sets out that, to be considered deliverable, sites should be available now, offer a suitable location for development now, and be achievable with a realistic prospect that housing will be delivered on the site within five years and in particular that development of the site is viable. Further guidance on viability is available at: http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/guidance/viability-guidance/

    “

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have successfully appealed refusals of employment and support allowance as part of (a) the periodic reassessment of existing employment and support allowance claimants and (b) the reassessment of those in receipt of incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance and income support.

    Mike Penning

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

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West of 21 March 2012, Official Report, column 705W on Atos Healthcare, on how many occasions a Jobcentre Plus decision-maker did not follow the advice of an Atos-approved healthcare professional when making a decision on the eligibility for employment and support allowance in each month since May 2010.

    Mike Penning

    The information requested is shown in the table below.

    The number of occasions where the JCP decision maker’s final decision was different to the advice given by the Atos healthcare professional – May 2010 to June 2013

    Month JCP decision differs from Atos recommendation

    May-10 900

    Jun-10 900

    Jul-10 1,100

    Aug-10 1,200

    Sep-10 1,200

    Oct-10 1,900

    Nov-10 2,600

    Dec-10 2,300

    Jan-11 2,700

    Feb-11 3,100

    Mar-11 3,700

    Apr-11 2,800

    May-11 3,100

    Jun-11 2,800

    Jul-11 2,100

    Aug-11 1,900

    Sep-11 1,600

    Oct-11 1,400

    Nov-11 1,500

    Dec-11 1,200

    Jan-12 1,800

    Feb-12 2,300

    Mar-12 2,700

    Apr-12 2,300

    May-12 2,600

    Jun-12 2,700

    Jul-12 3,200

    Aug-12 3,200

    Sep-12 3,800

    Oct-12 4,600

    Nov-12 4,700

    Dec-12 3,700

    Jan-13 4,800

    Feb-13 4,400

    Mar-13 4,000

    Apr-13 4,100

    May-13 4,900

    Jun-13 5,300

    Data sources:

    DWP’s benefit administration datasets covering new claims (starting from 27 October 2008); Atos Healthcare’s face to face assessment, ESA85 data and limited capability for work questionnaire, ESA50 data; and HMCTS’s appeals caseload data.

    Notes:

    1. These figures do not include work capability assessments completed on incapacity benefit (IB) reassessment claims.

    2. The table includes initial assessments only and the figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.