The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alasdair McDonnell on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU on the functioning of the cross-border institutions established by the Good Friday Agreement.
Mr Ben Wallace
The Government remains and will continue to remain fully committed to supporting the principles and institutions established under the Belfast Agreement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Grocott on 2015-12-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 3 December (HL3732), when were the three occasions on which the House withheld its agreement to an affirmative instrument between World War II and 2010, and which instrument was not agreed to on each occasion.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston
The three occasions on which the House withheld its agreement to an affirmative instrument prior to 2010 were on 18 June 1968; 22 February 2000; and 28 March 2007. The instruments not agreed to were the Southern Rhodesia (United Nations Sanctions) Order 1968; the Greater London Authority (Election Expenses) Order 2000; and the Gambling (Geographical Distribution of Casino Premises Licences) Order 2007, respectively.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of (a) Uber vehicles, (b) black cabs and (c) private hire vehicles are wheelchair accessible.
Andrew Jones
The results of the Department’s taxi survey in 2015 showed that 58% of all taxis (Hackney Carriages) in England are wheelchair accessible. All 22,500 London taxis are wheelchair accessible as required by Transport for London’s ‘Conditions for Fitness’ taxi licensing policy. 175 authorities (61%) require wheelchair accessible vehicles in all or part of their taxi fleet.
We do not keep comprehensive statistics on the number of wheelchair accessible private hire vehicles, including those operated by Uber or any other private hire operators. However we do welcome initiatives by such operators to improve the service they provide to those who need additional assistance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-12-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to support self-employed people who are confused over their tax status or struggle to understand the tax system.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) provides business with detailed guidance and an online Employment Status Indicator to check whether they are employed or self-employed for tax, National Insurance or VAT purposes. This is available on the gov.uk website.
HMRC is working with stakeholders to improve the online tool. Customers needing further support can call the Helpline on 03001232326.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce times, (b) increase capacity and (c) increase the reliability of rail journeys between Eastbourne and (i) Gatwick Airport, (ii) Brighton and (iii) London; and if he will make a statement.
Claire Perry
A significant and wide ranging time table change will be implemented on the Brighton Main Line in December 2015. This is intended to improve service reliability and resilience for customers across Sussex, including Eastbourne customers travelling to/ from Gatwick and London. There are likely to be secondary benefits for the Coast Way East service between Brighton and Eastbourne.
As part of the £6.5bn Thameslink programme, the Government is making investments to improve the reliability and capacity of the Brighton Main Line. In the medium to longer term, a range of major infrastructure upgrades have been proposed by the rail industry to further improve reliability of the Brighton Main Line. These proposals are currently undergoing detailed development, with a view to Ministers considering the case for their implementation in the next 5 year railway funding period, which starts in 2019. Again, these upgrades would benefit customers across Sussex, including those in Eastbourne.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2015-12-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 1 December (HL3716), what legal redress is available to patients denied access to mental health care by public health authorities that fail to comply with the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 on equal priority for mental and physical health.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government is committed to achieving parity of esteem between physical and mental health and we expect people to have access to appropriate care and treatment based on their needs. We have implemented the first waiting times for mental health to improve access to mental health services. If individuals are dissatisfied with the services they are receiving, they may raise their concerns using local complaints procedures and if necessary with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of (a) employment and support allowance and (b) jobseeker’s allowance are taking adult education courses paid for by his Department.
Priti Patel
Benefit claimants who receive Employment and Support Allowance in the work-related activity group or Jobseeker’s Allowance may be required to participate in activity to improve their skills as a condition of receiving benefit. This policy is known as Skills Conditionality. The latest DWP data on the number of claimants referred to skills-related support under this policy is also available on GOV.UK:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rogan on 2015-12-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which members of the House of Lords and Commons attended the briefing on the Northern Ireland political agreement, by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers, prior to her statement to the House of Commons on 19 November.
Lord Dunlop
There was no briefing for Peers or MP’s prior to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s Statement to the House of Commons on Thursday 19 November.
An invitation to the briefing on the Northern Ireland (Welfare Reform) Bill held on Monday 23 November was circulated electronically to all Peers via the Usual Channels.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department has used benefit off-flow data in the last three years to calculate remuneration for jobcentre (a) managers and (b) advisers.
Priti Patel
Benefit off-flow data is not used to calculate increases to consolidated pay.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress his Department has made in helping improve digital skills in the workforce.
Mr Edward Vaizey
This Government is committed to improving digital skills in the workforce and creating a strong digital skills talent pool. Recent schemes include working with the Open University to create a free online course ‘Introduction to Cyber Security’, taken up by 70,000 learners, and reformed apprenticeships to provide employers with the digital skills they need in the workforce. From September 2015, 300 degree level digital apprenticesstartedtheir programmes – double what wasoriginallyannounced -providing the digital and professional skills that employers needand value.