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Tag: 2014

  • Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of breaches of traffic laws and regulations by bicyclists in each of the last five years.

    Lord Bates

    No assessment has been made of the number of breaches of traffic laws and regulations by bicyclists in each of the last five years. This information is not held centrally. It is important that cyclists follow the rules of the Highway Code. It is an operational matter for local Chief Officers to enforce the law.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications have been made to the forces help to buy scheme in (a) each region in England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each month since that scheme’s inception; and how many such applications have been successful in each of those areas.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Forces Help to Buy scheme was introduced in April 2014 and has been popular and successful amongst Service personnel and their families. To date, the scheme has helped over 5,000 military personnel purchase their own property, and a further 1,900 approved applications are awaiting the completion of the property purchase.

    The information requested is not readily available, but the following table shows the number of recipients, by English regions, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, where applications have been successful.

    Region

    Forces Help To Buy Recipients (Numbers)

    England –

    4,300

    South West

    1,100

    East Midlands

    650

    South East

    600

    Yorkshire and The Humber

    450

    North West

    450

    East of England

    350

    West Midlands

    350

    North East

    300

    London

    50

    Wales

    250

    Scotland

    400

    Northern Ireland

    50

    Note: Figures have been rounded

    The Forces Help to Buy demonstrates the Department’s commitment to strengthen the Armed Forces covenant, ensuring that personnel and their families are not disadvantaged by their service. By giving our Service personnel this extra help, those who aspire to be homeowners will be able to set down roots and get onto the property ladder, giving their families the domestic stability that many of us take for granted.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his proposals for a new junior doctors’ contract, what penalties would be enforceable against employers who fail to keep junior doctors’ hours within safe limits.

    Ben Gummer

    Safeguards will be significantly improved compared to the existing contract, with employers contractually required to ensure safe working including:

    – No junior will be contractually required to work more than an average of 48 hours a week;

    – Those who choose to opt-out of the Working Time Regulations (WTR) (legally allowing them to work longer) will be limited to an average of 56 hours a week;

    – The maximum number of hours in any week will be 72, less than the 91 currently possible under the WTR;

    – There will be limits of no more than four consecutive night shifts and no more than five consecutive long days; and

    – Employers will be required to take action where a junior is concerned about hours as part of an agreed system of work scheduling and review. In exceptional approved circumstances doctors would be compensated for hours worked outside their work schedule.

    Employment contracts are legally enforceable. There will also be external NHS review processes relating to the educational experience and the impact of working patterns on safe care.

  • William Wragg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    William Wragg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2015 to Question 901670, what recent reports he has received on the imprisonment of Karl Andree in Saudi Arabia; what steps he is taking to secure the return to the UK of Mr Andree; and what recent discussions he has had with his Saudi counterpart on improving extradition arrangements with that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Ministers and senior officials raised Mr Andree’s case with the Saudi Government repeatedly since he completed his sentence in August 2015.

    I am pleased to be able to say that yesterday morning the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, my righ hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) was informed that the public prosecutor is now in the final stages of completing the necessary processes that will lead to Mr Andree’s release and return to the UK. We expect this to be within the next week.

    In regard to extradition arrangements, Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

  • Dr Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Dr Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Poulter on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans her Department has to support electricity grid interconnections between the UK and other countries.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Electricity interconnection can lower consumer bills, improve security of supply and contribute towards decarbonisation.

    A number of interconnection projects are already progressing under Ofgem’s regulatory regime1, designed to bring forward interconnection investment in the interest of GB consumers. This includes projects to France, Belgium, Norway, Denmark and Ireland, which have been assessed by Ofgem as offering over £11.8bn in consumer benefits. The Government has also supported a number of mature interconnector projects to benefit from access to European grant funding as Projects of Common Interest.

    Together these projects represent billions of pounds of infrastructure investment and aim to more than double our interconnection capacity by the early 2020s. This will make Britain more energy secure and will help lower consumer bills.

    [1] Source, Ofgem: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/decision-roll-out-cap-and-floor-regime-near-term-electricity-interconnectors

    “

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

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

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, 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.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government is committed to continuing to support the credit union movement in making financial services more accessible.

    The Government has taken significant steps to support the credit union movement in Great Britain. These include increasing the maximum interest rate that credit unions can charge on loans from 2% to 3% per month; investing £38m in the sector through the Department of Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Credit Union Expansion Project; ensuring that universal credit and pensions payments can be paid into any credit union account; providing £500,000 to help armed forces personnel access credit union services; and launching a Call for Evidence which allowed all credit unions, regardless of size or influence, the opportunity to contribute their vision for the future of the sector to the wider debate.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

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

    To ask the Leader of the House, what steps he is taking to promote the use of credit unions in the work of his Office; and if he will make a statement.

    Chris Grayling

    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, to Question UIN 13524

    “

  • Lucy Powell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lucy Powell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on (a) how many staff will be employed on contracts to work at both the recently approved grammar school site in Kent and the existing grammar school that it will be annexed to and (b) how frequently staff will be expected to work on both these sites.

    Edward Timpson

    The expansion proposal from the Weald of Kent confirms that the school intends to provide students with a range of opportunities across the curriculum, utilising facilities on both sites. Extra-curricular activities and assemblies will also be shared across both locations.

    The proposal confirms that the expanded school will have the same leadership, governance, and management arrangements as the existing academy. A single governing body, one headteacher, and one senior leadership team (SLT) with whole school responsibilities will ensure that the current ethos, standards, and quality of learning would be secured in the expanded school.

    In addition to the headteacher and SLT, heads of department will work across both sites. All new staff contracts will include a requirement that staff may be deployed across the school estate, and all staff will attend training sessions at both sites.

    The frequency of movement will be in line with delivery of the curriculum.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2015 to Question 12704, what the income range is of the half of tax credit claimants with the highest income.

    Damian Hinds

    The latest information on the number of tax credit recipient families by range of income can be found in the published statistics https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-and-working-tax-credits-statistics-finalised-annual-awards-2013-to-2014

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  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the rising cost of motor insurance.

    Andrew Jones

    A combination of legislative changes and working with stakeholders on reducing the frequency and cost of personal injury claims resulted in a 14% drop in average insurance premiums between 2012 and 2014.

    This Government is determined to continue working with the insurance industry to tackle uninsured driving and reduce the cost of motor insurance.