Tag: 2015

  • Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to ensure a more reliable train service is provided to Neston.

    Claire Perry

    After the Silk Commission recommendations, further powers in Transport are to be devolved to the Welsh Government. We are currently in discussion with the Welsh Government about the future of the Wales and Borders franchise, including the cross-border services such as those serving Neston.

  • 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 2015-12-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to establish an independent external assessment of the reasons for the failure of the contract for older people’s services in Cambridge and Peterborough; and what plans they have for a moratorium on further large-scale procurements until lessons from that contract have been learnt.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England advises that it will be commissioning an investigation into the circumstances leading up to the termination of the contract between Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group and UnitingCare Partnership LLP to deliver urgent care for the over 65s and adult community services. This will include the role of the Strategic Projects Team. NHS England is also considering how similar contracts will be managed and assured in the future.

  • Andy McDonald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andy McDonald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the document, Fixing the Foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation, Cm 9098, published in July 2015, if he will publish his Department’s analysis linking changes to tax credits with increased productivity.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Paper, “Fixing the Foundations: creating a more prosperous economy” focuses not on the link between welfare reforms and productivity but instead on how ‘a productive economy must make the most of its labour force and effectively mobilise people into jobs’.

    This governments tax and welfare policies are supporting this end.

  • Jo Stevens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jo Stevens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2015-12-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether employers that have offshored their company payroll will be required to pay the apprenticeship levy.

    Greg Hands

    Further details of how the Apprenticeship Levy will operate will be set out in the Finance Bill and draft clauses will be published early in 2016.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that public opinion is taken into account in its input to the BBC Charter review.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    A public consultation which began on Thursday 16 July and closed on 8 October received in excess of 190,000 responses. We are now in the process of analysing these responses.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to increase the level of home ownership relative to other EU countries.

    Brandon Lewis

    This Government is committed to increasing opportunities to help people achieve the aspiration of home ownership. Almost 270,000 people have been helped to buy a home since 2010 using government-backed schemes. In the Autumn Statement we announced that the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme will be extended for five years to 2021 with £8.6 billion of additional funding. This will assist the sale of up to 145,000 more new-build homes. We will also launch London Help to Buy in early 2016, increasing the equity loan in London from up to 20% to up to 40%, in recognition of the specific affordability issues resulting from higher house prices in the capital.

    The Autumn Statement also confirmed a total of £8 billion for over 400,000 affordable homes, including £4.1 billion for 135,000 new Shared Ownership homes. This also includes delivery of 200,000 Starter Homes at a 20% discount for young first time buyers, with £2.3 billion committed to supporting these. As well as reinvigorating the Right to Buy in 2012, we have secured a historic deal with housing associations to give their tenants the opportunity to buy their home with an equivalent discount to the Right to Buy.

  • Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to embed the Family Test into its policy making.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 16 November 2015 (PQ 15345).

  • Mark Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2015-12-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the number of communities of 5,000 people or more in England where there is no bank branch within a radius of three miles.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government does not hold the information requested.

    Banks and building societies need to balance customer interests, market competition, and other commercial factors when considering their strategy. Decisions on the opening and closing of individual branches are taken by the management of each bank on a commercial basis without intervention from Government.

    The Government welcomed the industry-wide Access to Banking protocol announced in March 2015. From the first of May this year, each participating bank has committed to carry out a number of steps if it is closing a branch, including the preparation of meaningful local impact assessments. There is a commitment to a review of the operation of the protocol after one year, and the Government looks forward to its conclusions.

    The availability of alternative locations for accessing basic banking services is also important. The ongoing negotiation between the banks and the Post Office to agree a standard set of services – to be made available to personal and small business banking customers at Post Office counters across the country – remains vital. The Government is clear that completion of these negotiations should be a priority.

  • Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Marie Morris on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether there are any vanguards in rural areas.

    George Freeman

    There are now 50 vanguards across England, the majority of which are in localities that span both rural and urban areas. These include Dorset, Northumbria, Cheshire, Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Somerset, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, West Yorkshire and Devon.

  • Vernon Coaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Vernon Coaker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many homes in Northern Ireland do not have broadband coverage.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Ofcom connected Nations report published in December 2015 reported 100% broadband coverage for all UK premises, including in Northern Ireland.