UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2014

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy that Work Programme participants should be eligible for the new enterprise allowance; and if he will make a statement.

    Esther McVey

    Work Programme Providers have the freedom to provide whatever support they think will be effective in supporting claimants into employment and self-employment.

    Work programme participants may be able to access a loan to support them in setting up a business through the BIS start-up loan scheme

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of homes in the UK served by fibre to the home broadband services.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Ofcom monitors and publishes broadband coverage data for the UK indicated in its 2013 UK fixed broadband market report that superfast broadband was available to 73% of UK premises. Ofcom did not, however, publish a separate figure for the number of homes with fibre to the home broadband services.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the perpetration of forced marriage becoming a criminal offence later in 2014, they have any plans to increase funding to United Kingdom charities helping victims of forced marriage and honour-based abuse.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The Home Office and Ministry of Justice have collectively ring-fenced nearly £40 million of stable funding up to 2015 for specialist local support services and national help lines to tackle violence against women.

    The Forced Marriage Unit has also allocated £150,000 to the domestic programme fund, which supports local forced marriage-related projects in the UK.

    We keep funding for the provision of national services under review. Decisions on how best to fund local services for victims of forced marriage are a local matter and it is the responsibility of the Local Authorities to identify any gaps in service provision and put in place appropriate solutions to address this.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will add a category of name of medal requested to the Certificate of Kinship Request for the Medals of a Deceased Ex-Serviceman/woman form.

    Anna Soubry

    The existing combined medal application and next of kin form contains a box where the applicant can specify which medal they are applying for.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many frigates (1) are deployed on operational tasks, (2) are fully stored, including complete ammunition outfit, (3) have a full complement according to the Type 23 approved watch and station bill, and (4) are in repair or maintenance periods.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    As of 3 April 2014 four Frigates are deployed in UK waters or overseas on operational tasks and six are engaged in training or work up periods. The remaining three Frigates are in refit. We do not release the details of the ammunitions carried by deployed ships as to do so would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. I can however, confirm that all Royal Navy ships deploy with the ammunitions and personnel required to undertake their operational tasking.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the estimated value of the land is for which academy trusts have a freehold interest.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    When community schools convert to academies, the freehold is retained by the local authority and a lease is granted to the academy trust. In some circumstances, where the school governors or supporting foundation already hold the freehold, my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, may allow publicly-funded school land to be transferred to an academy trust, which will have satisfied the Secretary of State as to its ability to operate a state-funded school.

    There are strict rules protecting publicly funded land used by academies, regardless of who holds the freehold. This is set out in published guidance, which is available online:

    www.gov.uk/government/publications/protection-of-school-playing-fields-and-public-land-advice

    A copy of the guidance has been placed in the House Library.

    The Department does not hold information about the average value of land used for academies on a freehold or leasehold basis. Information about the number of academies that occupy land on a leasehold and freehold basis is not held centrally.

    “

  • The Earl of Sandwich – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The Earl of Sandwich – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Sandwich on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans significantly to reduce the involvement of expert non-legal members in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber; if so, in the light of the volume of deportation appeals and of unrepresented appellants, what alternative provision there will be for expert advice in sensitive cases; and how they will ensure that the public interest is fully represented on panel hearings.

    Lord Faulks

    The panel composition for Tribunals within the unified Tribunal structure are matters for the Senior President of Tribunals under the Tribunals, Courts & Enforcement Act 2007. These powers are delegated where appropriate to Chamber Presidents of individual chambers of the First-tier and Upper Tribunals. The Senior President published a consultation document regarding the deployment of non-legal members within the Immigration and Asylum Chamber in November 2013. The consultation sought views on whether senior judges within the Chamber should decide on a case-by case basis whether a non-legal member should sit on a Tribunal panel “where the President of First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) or a Resident Judge has decided that there are strong public interest reasons”. The Senior President will publish a response to the consultation on www.judiciary.gov.uk. A copy of the consultation document published in November 2013 is available at the following link:

    http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about-the-judiciary/the-judiciary-in-detail/judicial+roles/tribunals/senior-president-tribunals .

    “

  • Christopher Chope – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Christopher Chope – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what environmental impact assessment the Forestry Commission has carried out in respect of the proposed corridor up to 65 metres wide through Hurn Forest for cables connecting Navitus Bay Offshore windfarm with the national grid.

    Dan Rogerson

    The Forestry Commission is fully committed to protecting and improving the nation’s public forests for the benefit of people, nature and the economy. It is not required to carry out a formal Environmental Impact Assessment in this case but it has considered the potential impact of the cable route and is working with the developer to ensure that the impact is minimised. Any woodland that is lost will be restored to heathland to improve the diversity of habitat, as well as opening the views and improving public access.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide a simple route for people to donate their universal benefits back to the state; and if he will make a statement.

    Steve Webb

    The majority of winter fuel payments are sent out automatically. However, people can simply return their winter fuel payment to the office that issues it. They can also write to the Department requesting not to receive a winter fuel payment for future years, either in advance of first getting a payment, or after they have received one or more payments.

    Anyone aged 75 or over is entitled to a free TV Licence for their main address. The free licence is not issued automatically and needs to be applied for. Once issued, licences are renewed automatically every year unless the customer does not have a National Insurance Number in which case TV Licensing will contact them to confirm their circumstances have not changed each year. An over 75 licence can be cancelled at any time and a paid-for licence requested.

    The concessionary travel benefit is optional. An eligible person can choose not to take up the entitlement. The National Travel Survey 2011 shows that in GB, 79 per cent of people eligible for an older persons’ bus pass held one.

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in the 70 to 79 age group have received a shingles vaccination since the vaccination programme began in September 2013; how many people he expects to take up the offer in the current cohort; when he expects that figure to be met; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    Provisional vaccine uptake data for England show that about 360,000 70 to 79 year olds received the shingles vaccine between 1 September 2013 and 30 April 2014. The actual number will be higher as about 20% of general practitioner (GP) practices are not able to automatically submit uptake information. If it is assumed that the non-reporting practices have similar uptake rates to those that have reported, then the estimated total number of people aged 70 to 79 years receiving the vaccine in the first eight months of the programme, would be around 450,000.

    This is the first year of this immunisation programme and there is no formal target for the number to be vaccinated. Eligible patients aged 70 and 79 who have not yet received shingles vaccine during the 2013-14 programme will continue to be offered vaccination under the national programme until 31 August 2014. It is not possible to predict how many will take up the offer of vaccination in this period, but Public Health England expects vaccine uptake to continue to rise, and we would encourage those eligible individuals to contact their GP to arrange their vaccination if they have not already done so.

    Further provisional cumulative coverage data will be published on a quarterly basis, with the final annual coverage data for the 2013-14 programme due to be published in autumn 2014.