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Tag: 2015

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 2.115 of the Summer Budget 2015, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of freezing local housing allowance on the availability of private rented accommodation for claimants in London.

    Justin Tomlinson

    No assessment has been made of the effect of freezing rates on the availability or affordability of accommodation for claimants in London. There will be measures in place to help support people who may be impacted. Each year, 30 per cent of the savings from this measure will be used to create Targeted Affordability Funding to help areas where rent increases are causing a shortage of affordable accommodation. In addition the Government has enhanced its package of Discretionary Housing Payment funding – £800 million over 5 years- which is designed to enable local authorities to protect the most vulnerable claimants and support households adjusting to Welfare Reform changes, including the freeze to LHA rates.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department will complete mandatory reconsideration of case reference number FBH 1826.

    Justin Tomlinson

    There is no record of a mandatory reconsideration being requested for case reference number FBH 1826.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the maximum gradients on the proposed HS2 line, and where they are located.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    In general the normal limiting gradient on the proposed HS2 line is 2.5%, which occurs at various locations along the route.

    However, there are a few instances of steeper gradients where there are physical constraints that do not allow gradients of 2.5% or less to be achieved, namely:

    – Between Euston Station and Euston Tunnels (3.4%)

    – In the Euston Tunnels before Old Oak Common (3.5%)

    – The east end of the Bromford Tunnel (2.9%)

    – The approach to Birmingham Curzon St (3.03%)

  • 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 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when both Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority will publish the financial performance data for the first quarter of 2015–16 for NHS foundation trusts and NHS trusts.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority published the financial performance data for the first quarter of 2015-16 on Friday 9 October.

    The information can be accessed as follows:

    – Foundation Trusts, a copy of the report issued by Monitor is attached; and

    – NHS Trusts, NHS Trust Development Authority has released the report on its website only which can be accessed at:

    http://www.ntda.nhs.uk/blog/2015/10/09/nhs-trusts-financial-position-for-q1-of-201516/

    “

  • Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people aged (1) 21 and over, and (2) under 21, are currently in prison for a terrorist offence; of those, (a) how many have been released on licence since January 2014, and (b) how many have undergone a programme of resettlement or deradicalisation; and what information they have on the effectiveness of resettlement or deradicalisation programmes.

    Lord Faulks

    As of Friday 23 October, there were 94 prisoners convicted of or on remand for offences under Terrorism Act legislation in prisons in England and Wales. Of these, 85 are 21 and over, and 9 are under 21. Of these 94 prisoners, 2 have been released and subsequently recalled to prison since January 2014.

    Of the 94, 46 prisoners have undertaken the Extremism Risk Guidelines assessment. These assessments only occur when a prisoner has been convicted and settled in to prison. The Secretary of State has asked the department to review its approach to dealing with Islamist extremism in prisons and probation. This will be supported by external expertise and will sit alongside the cross government work currently underway on developing de-radicalisation programmes.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel following the stop-work order issued by the Israeli Civil Administration in relation to the construction of a football field in the Muslim village of Wadi Foquin in the Bethlehem district of the West Bank.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While the British Government has not raised this specific case with the Israeli authorities, we frequently lobby the Israeli government on this issue more broadly: we urge them to take steps to enable Palestinian construction, most recently on 17 September with Deputy Head of Israeli Office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).

  • Lord Beecham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Beecham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 15 September (HL2049) which committed to helping to protect taxpayers from the rising cost of subsidising rent, what steps they are taking to achieve this commitment.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    We have included provisions in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill currently before Parliament to reduce social rents in England by one percent a year for four years from April 2016. We estimate that by 2020/21 there will be an in-year saving to the tax payer of some £1.4 billion, so helping to protect taxpayers from the rising cost of subsidising rents through housing benefit.

  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in considering whether to call in planning applications for schemes involving hydraulic fracturing that have taken longer than 16 weeks to be decided upon, they will count the 16 weeks from (1) the date the application was first received by the Minerals Planning Authority or (2) the date the application was registered; and whether, in either case, they will take into account (a) the timetable agreed between the applicant and the planning authority, even if that is for longer than 16 weeks, (b) delays caused by the failure of the applicant to provide the necessary information, (c) delays caused by defects in the application, (d) delays caused by amendments to the application, (e) an estimate of the additional costs likely to result from calling in the application, and (f) whether a call-in will result in a greater delay than allowing the planning authority to continue to deal with it.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    I refer the noble Lord to the written ministerial statements of 16 September, HLWS194 and HLWS195, which set out a number of measures to enable planning applications and appeals relating to shale gas and oil to be dealt with as quickly as possible.

    These include a commitment by the Secretary of State to actively consider calling-in shale planning applications. Separately, a scheme has been put in place to identify local planning authority underperformance in respect of their determination of oil and gas planning applications. The scheme uses the same threshold of underperformance set out in the document ‘Improving planning performance – Criteria for designation’, of 50% or fewer applications being made within the relevant statutory time limit, or such extended period as has been agreed in writing by the applicant. The statutory time limit applies once an application has been validated by the local planning authority. Where an authority is identified as underperforming under the scheme, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government will actively consider calling-in for his determination oil and gas planning applications that are validated by that authority, in accordance with existing policy.

    The decision on whether to call-in any application will be taken in line with current call-in policy. Any applications relating to shale gas that are called-in would be prioritised for urgent resolution.

    If the Secretary of State were to grant a planning permission in respect of a called-in application, then any details of the scheme that are the subject of planning conditions would need to be submitted to and approved by the relevant local planning authority.

  • Lord MacKenzie of Culkein – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord MacKenzie of Culkein – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord MacKenzie of Culkein on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the regulations governing ship registration in the United Kingdom with a view to increasing the number of ships in the world fleet on the UK register without reducing standards.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    There are no specific plans yet.

    The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is currently recruiting a new Director of the UK Ship Register (UKSR) for whom an early task will be to review current regulations in light of the aspiration to grow the UKSR, and make any appropriate recommendations.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning the right of return for Palestinians.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We continue to be clear with both sides that there must be a just, fair and agreed settlement for refugees as part of a negotiated two-state solution. On 10 September during the visit to London of Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), raised the need for the parties to return to negotiations.