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Tag: 2014

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been their response to the report by Amnesty International in June that the government of Burma has created a climate of fear by pursuing policies of surveillance, harassment and intimidation.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are increasingly concerned by limits to freedom of expression and assembly in Burma, and a tightening of the democratic space as the November elections approach. These issues have been well documented by Amnesty International and others. We have expressed our concerns to the Burmese authorities a number of times, including during the visit to Burma in July by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), and most recently, when Mr Swire met the Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin in New York in September.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what process his Department has for informing hon. Members of the announcement of area-based reviews of post-16 education and training institutions affecting their constituencies.

    Nick Boles

    The Joint Area Review Delivery Unit supporting the area reviews will arrange for Hon. Members to receive a letter informing them when a review is being launched in any part of their constituency, which will also invite them to give their views.

    Area reviews of post-16 education and training institutions are predominantly focused on general further education and sixth form colleges in order to ensure there is a high quality and financially resilient set of colleges in each area of England. Schools with sixth forms can opt in to a review if they wish to and the review’s local steering group agrees.

    Each review will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current post-16 provision in the area which will include the offer made by schools with sixth forms. Regional Schools Commissioners will sit on local area review steering groups and will identify any issues with school sixth form provision, particularly academy and free school sixth forms and University Technical Colleges, and feed these into the reviews. We expect Regional Schools Commissioners to take account of the analysis from area reviews in any decisions they make about future provision.

    The area reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. Existing government resources are being reprioritised to support delivery of the area reviews.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a distributional analysis of the effect of the changes to thresholds and taper rates for tax credits for each income decile.

    Damian Hinds

    The distributional analysis published at Summer Budget 2015[1] is the most comprehensive available, showing the cumulative effect of policies on welfare, tax, and public service spending measures since 2010.

    This analysis shows the proportion of spending received by households in each quintile has not changed since 2010-11: around half of all spending on welfare and public services is still going to the poorest 40% of households.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443229/PU1822_Distributional_Analysis.pdf

    Additional HMT analysis that fed into the published Impact Assessment[1] shows how the share of savings from the tax credit changes are distributed for each income decile on the income distribution for tax credit claimants. This has clearly demonstrated that tax credit claimants on the highest incomes – on average £42,000 a year – will contribute nearly 4 times as much as the claimants on the lowest incomes to the savings from this policy.

    [1] http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/Secondary-Legislation-Scrutiny-Committee/DraftTaxCreditsRegs2015-ImpactAssessment.pdf

  • Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2015 to Question 12065, which EU and US regulators and which representatives from the UK are assessing the Comparing Motor-Vehicle Crash Risk of EU and US Vehicles report; and whether that assessment will take account of the report’s finding that there is 33 per cent greater risk in front-end collisions of US vehicles compared to EU vehicles.

    Anna Soubry

    The report is being assessed by the European Commission’s Directorate General for GROWTH, and the US regulator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

    The report will help inform negotiations, but is the first side-by-side comparison of predicted risk for EU-regulated and US-regulated vehicles. It recommends further work to replicate results, identify patterns, and establish links between results, design and regulatory differences.

    The European Commission has commissioned its own research into vehicle safety and has published the findings so far on its website. Negotiators will look to use all of the evidence available to ensure we capture the trade benefits without compromising EU safety standards.

  • Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2015 to Question 12348, what estimate he has made of the number of families whose income will reduce as a result of the proposed changes to tax credits.

    Damian Hinds

    No such estimate has been made.

    This Government is committed to moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society. As the Chancellor has made clear, the Government will set out at Autumn Statement how we plan to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits, saving the money we need to save to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to promote the use of credit unions in the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for West Worcestershire (Ms Baldwin) on 2 November 2015, UIN 13524.

  • Norman Lamb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Norman Lamb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen the rights of people with learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department is currently preparing its response to the consultation ‘No voice unheard, no right ignored’. The consultation sought views on a range of issues, including possible legislation to strengthen the rights of people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health conditions. It expects to publish the response during the autumn.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend VAT relief to NHS pharmacies.

    Mr David Gauke

    NHS grant funding takes account of all costs incurred by pharmacies, including VAT.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to meet with his Argentinian counterpart following the recent presidential election in that country; and if he will reaffirm to the new Argentinian administration British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    As my hon.Friend will be aware, Argentina held an inconclusive first round of Presidential elections on Sunday. A second round is due to take place on 22 November. The Government would prefer a more constructive bilateral relationship with Argentina, however, we shall not renege on our commitment to the self-determination of the Falkland Islanders.

  • Peter Bone – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Peter Bone – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his current estimate is of when the (a) electrification and (b) improvement of the Midland mainline will be completed (i) in Northamptonshire and (ii) for the whole line.

    Claire Perry

    Electrification of the line should be completed north from Bedford to Ketteringand Corby in Northamptonshire by 2019 and the whole line north from Kettering to Leicester / Derby/ Nottingham & Sheffield by 2023.

    Network Rail is proposing that line speed and capacity improvement works forming the remainder of the improvement works to the line will be co-ordinated with electrification in order to minimise disruption to passengers on the route.

    Sir Peter Hendy has been asked to review Network Rail’s enhancement portfolio, so that works may be delivered over a more realistic timeframe. When we receive his report, expected later in the autumn, we will be able to announce more about the programme for the capacity and line speed works planned for the Midland Mainline.