Tag: 2015

  • Steve Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much his Department provided to Croydon Council in Homeless Prevention Grant in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15 and (d) 2015-16.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    We have made available over £500 million to local authorities and the voluntary sector to tackle homelessness. Since 2010, this has helped local authorities to prevent 935,800 households from becoming homeless.

    Croydon Council received Homelessness Prevention Grant of £1,125,000 in 2012-13. From 2013-14 support for preventing homelessness has been included in the annual Local Government Finance Settlement, split between Revenue Support Grant and estimated retained business rates.

    In the following years Croydon Council’s level of notional grant was as follows: £945,000 in 2013-14, £931,000 in 2014-15 and £930,000 in 2015-16.

    Revenue Support Grant and retained business rates are not ring-fenced it is up to individual authorities to decide how grant funding should be spent in order to deliver local services.

  • Henry Bellingham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Henry Bellingham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Bellingham on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to amend the annual limit set on nurse educational places; and if he will make a statement.

    Ben Gummer

    From 2017 we are removing the limit on the number of students that can study nursing. This reform is expected to enable universities to provide up to 10,000 additional nursing and other health professional training places over this Parliament. This will open up opportunities for applicants which universities have previously been forced to turn down.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office on privatisation of Channel 4 in the last year.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Secretary of State meets regularly with the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office to discuss matters relating to DCMS policy. The government has made no decisions regarding reform of Channel 4. The government is considering a range of options as to how best to ensure Channel 4’s future sustainability while maintaining its ability to deliver against its remit, including options put forward by Channel 4.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to allow the free movement of citizens between the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government has no plans to legislate to introduce free movement between the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

    The United Kingdom’s existing immigration arrangements, do nevertheless reflect the case for promoting mobility between countries. This includes the Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme which allows 18-30 year olds from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other participating countries and territories to experience life in the UK for two years including the ability for them to work. We also continue to operate arrangements under which nationals of Commonwealth countries that have a UK-born grandparent may be admitted to work and settle in the United Kingdom through the UK Ancestry route. Also, citizens of Australia, Canada and New Zealand do not require a visa to visit the UK and the permitted activities of visitors include business related activities such as attending meetings and conferences, negotiating and signing business contracts and attending trade fairs for promotional work.

    We have also introduced new measures such as the registered traveller scheme which offers expedited entry to the UK through use of the e-gates at the border.

  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much public funding has been spent by Magic Breakfast in each parliamentary constituency to date.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Magic Breakfast currently receive central government funding from a contract with the Department for Education. The objective of the project is to set up and run 184 breakfast clubs in schools where 35% or more children are eligible for free school meals, to ensure that children are fed and are at school on time and ready to learn. Magic Breakfast are required to develop plans to enable the breakfast clubs to be self-sustaining beyond the contract period. The project is being externally evaluated.

    The value of the contract is £1.087m, of which £518,523 has so far been paid. This is the only central government funding currently provided to Magic Breakfast in England. Any funding in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland would be a matter for the relevant governments. The Department does not hold a breakdown of contract expenditure by parliamentary constituency.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders were given a fixed term recall for (a) breaching the terms of their licence, (b) committing a further offence, (c) a combination of breaching their licence and reoffending and (d) any other reason in the latest year for which information is available.

    Andrew Selous

    Any offender who is believed to have committed further offences whilst on licence is liable to be arrested and charged and, if convicted, given a further sentence. If the offence is serious, they can be remanded into custody until trial. Offenders on licence who are charged with further offences are also liable to be recalled, potentially to serve the rest of their sentence in prison, as they will be in breach of the requirement of their licence to be of good behaviour. If the offender is assessed as not presenting a risk of harm to the public they can be assessed as suitable for a shorter, fixed term recall. Those who have been charged with serious sexual or violent offences will not be considered suitable for a fixed term recall.

    In 2014, 7,486 determinate sentence offenders were given a fixed term recall for breaching one or more of their licence conditions. Of these, 3,166 had been charged with a further offence. We do not hold centrally data on the total number of these offenders who were subsequently convicted of these further offences.

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to his oral Answer of 22 October 2015, Official Report, column 444WH, what steps he has taken to assess whether British-manufactured arms have been used in a responsible manner in Yemen.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All export licence applications are carefully assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. A licence will not be issued, for any country, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that it might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law. We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen by all sides to the conflict and keep these under regular review. We have raised our concerns with the Saudi Government and have received repeated assurances of IHL compliance. We continue to engage with them on those assurances and urge all sides to investigate such incidents fully.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil servants in his Department are in the redeployment pool.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    There are currently 14 people in the Departmental redeployment pool.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had on preventing an outbreak of cholera in Syria.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK remains concerned about the possible spread of cholera from Iraq into Syria. Aid agencies inside Syria and across the region are in the process of finalising a cholera contingency plan to be implemented in the event of an outbreak and are proactively prepositioning supplies in relevant locations. The UK is monitoring the situation closely and is in regular contact with Health partners inside Syria, including the World Health Organisation and UNICEF.

  • 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 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people stopped claiming (a) jobseeker’s allowance and (b) employment and support allowance in the most recent month for which figures are available; and what proportion of such people ended their claim after moving into work.

    Priti Patel

    The available information which shows the number of off-flows from the Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimant count is published here:

    https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp

    Guidance for users can be found at:

    https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

    The available information which shows the number of off-flows from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is published here:

    http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/flows/flows_off/tabtool.html

    Guidance for users is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

    Individuals ending a claim for JSA are not required to inform the Department of their destinations and hence the destination information published on the NOMIS website is incomplete.