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Tag: 2015

  • Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many officials in his Department worked at events scheduled as part of London International Shipping Week 2015.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Department for Transport (DfT) and Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) officials (excluding Ministerial Private Secretaries) worked at the following events scheduled as part of London International Shipping Week 2015:

    • At the joint Government/Maritime UK Welcome Reception at Lancaster House, 28 officials worked in a voluntary capacity (as the event took place outside of normal working hours) to support the event.

    • At the “Celebration of International Partnership” reception, jointly hosted with the Ministry of Defence, 13 officials worked in a voluntary capacity (as the event took place outside of normal working hours) to support the Royal Navy in delivering the event.

    • Maritime security officials within DfT organised two security-related seminars which involved 5 and 3 officials respectively.

    • The MCA organised a reception to promote the UK Ship Register, at which 4 officials worked.

    In addition, 4 DfT and MCA officials delivered speeches/presentations at HMG events during the week and DfT Ministers attending government and industry organised events were accompanied by a Private Secretary.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support to meet caring needs is available for older people with a disability whose principal carer is engaged in education for less than 21 hours per week.

    Justin Tomlinson

    People in full-time education, including those with caring responsibilities, are not normally entitled to benefits. Rather they are supported through the educational maintenance system, via its range of loans and grants. Support may also be available through local councils and health services.

    Students undertaking a part-time course have access to carer related benefits in the usual way.

    People with a disability can claim benefits in their own right in order to meet their needs. Depending on individual circumstances, such financial support can be through universal, extra costs benefits and/or means-tested benefits. Means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit, include an additional amount for people with a severe disability (currently £61.85 a week for a single person) which can be paid to a disabled person to help meet the costs of caring if their carer is not receiving Carer’s Allowance.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many income support advisers were employed by Jobcentre Plus in each of the last five years.

    Priti Patel

    The number of Income Support Advisers that were employed by Jobcentre Plus in each of the last five years is in the table.

    Period/Year

    Number of Income Support Advisors that were employed by Jobcentre Plus

    2011/12

    1,305

    2012/13

    1,088

    2013//14

    983

    2014/15

    1,172

    2015/16 (part year only)

    1,209

    1. The numbers for 2015/16 are for the period April to September 2015.
    2. The numbers of advisers are expressed as Full Time Equivalents.
    3. Source of management information: DWP Work Services Activity Based Management Tool.
    4. The management information contained within this document does not form part of any official statistics and is intended for DWP internal use only.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the variation in elective surgery rates among the most affluent and least affluent areas of England recorded in the recent survey by the Health Service Journal.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England has advised it is aware of the findings of the survey.

    The NHS Atlas of Variation in Healthcare, published in September 2015 by Public Health England, NHS England and NHS Right Care, aims to identify unwarranted variation, and the causes of variation, in the provision of health services. Linked to this, the NHS Right Care programme will advise local health systems on variation in elective surgery intervention rates and support them to look at reasons for this and identify any changes needed.

    The NHS Atlas of Variation in Healthcare is too large to attach to this reply, but can be found online at the following:

    http://www.rightcare.nhs.uk/atlas/RC_nhsAtlas3_HIGH_150915.pdf

    “

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are giving any assistance to Tristan da Cunha to save the critically endangered Tristan albatross.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    UK Overseas Territory (OT) Governments are constitutionally responsible for the protection and conservation of their natural environments. The UK Government cherishes the environmental assets of the OTs and we work in partnership with OT Governments to identify where our support can be most effective, including through access to expertise, technical advice and training and through the Overseas Territory Environment and Climate Fund (Darwin Plus). Through Darwin Plus, the UK Government has committed approximately £5.2 million since 2012 to help protect the natural environment in the OTs.

    House mice predation on chicks of the Tristan albatross is the main threat to the species. Before the launch of Darwin Plus, the UK Government had already committed over £500,000 to help eradicate mice from Gough Island, Tristan da Cunha. Through Darwin Plus, we are providing over £82,000 to assess the conservation status of the endangered Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross on Tristan da Cunha.

    Joint UK Government and South Atlantic OTs funding also supports a co-ordinating post based in the Falkland Islands to help meet obligations arising from the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels and to assist with the planning and implementation of albatross and petrel conservation work.

  • Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Greengross on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the total amount available under the Disability Facilities Grant fund in 2016–17.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Helping disabled people to live independently in their own homes for longer through adaptations remains a key priority for this Government. The Government will have invested just over a billion pounds into the Disabled Facilities Grant between 2011-12 and 2015-16. This has delivered around 200,000 adaptations to the homes of disabled people. Future funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant is a matter for the Spending Review.

  • Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of reduction in funding to English for Speakers of Other Languages Mandation Courses on the level of employment among people for whom English is an additional language.

    Nick Boles

    The decision to withdraw the 2015/16 English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Plus (Mandation) funding was taken in the knowledge that providers could use their adult skills budget to continue to provide ESOL training for jobseekers and therefore mitigate any adverse impact. Our data showed that the numbers of claimants being referred to ESOL Plus (Mandation) provision was significantly lower than originally anticipated.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the schedule of comparable programme objects in his Department’s publication, Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy, published in October 2010, what the total cost was of royal travel between May 2010 and May 2015.

    Greg Hands

    Information relating to the total cost of Royal travel is readily available in the annual financial reports. They include a full breakdown of costs for Royal Travel for each of the years in question.

    http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalHousehold/Royalfinances/AnnualFinancialReports/Annualfinancialreports.aspx

    The Statement of Funding Policy no longer contains information on Royal Travel costs.

    “

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to provide tax incentives for businesses seeking to enter the automotive and motor racing industries.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government provides generous tax incentives to help new and innovative businesses in the UK, including the automotive and motor racing industries. The rate of corporation tax is currently 20% and will be 18% in 2020, the lowest of any economy in the G20.

    The Government supports research and development (R&D) in the automotive and motor racing industries through R&D tax reliefs. At Summer Budget 2015, the Government also announced that it would increase the permanent level of Annual Investment Allowance to £200,000 which will further support investment in plant and machinery.

    The Government has also committed £86 million through the Advanced Propulsion Centre to secure Britain’s strength in the research, development and commercialisation of low carbon vehicle technologies.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Stewart Jackson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to assist local authorities to safeguard the residential amenity of urban residential locales with high numbers of private sector lettings; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    A local housing authority can, through licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation and other privately rented properties (selective licensing), impose conditions relating to the management of the premises so its use does not adversely impact upon its vicinity. Since 27 March 2015 an authority can make a selective licensing scheme in an area where (a) it has recently, or is experiencing, a high level of migration into the private rented sector and (b) the scheme will help preserve or improve the social or economic well-being of that area.