Tag: 2015

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport.

    Tracey Crouch

    The Government supports the work ofUK Anti-Doping (UKAD)whichworkstirelessly to ensure athletes and sport are clean. Throughtesting programmes, intelligence sharing with law-enforcement agencies on supplying and trafficking,and its excellentathleteeducationinitiatives,UKAD is one of the world’s most highly regardednationalanti-dopingorganisations.

  • 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 2015-11-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they have made for the capital funding costs of new fluoridation schemes.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Since April 2013 Public Health England (PHE), on behalf of the Secretary of State, has recovered the operational costs of water fluoridation from local authorities served by these arrangements. The Secretary of State is required to meet the reasonable fluoridation capital and operating costs incurred by water undertakers in England and has the power to require local authorities to make payments to the Secretary of State to meet any such costs he has incurred. There are no proposed changes to the legislation affecting these arrangements.

    Funding arrangements for the capital costs of new fluoridation schemes in England will need to be agreed between local authorities and PHE, on behalf of the Secretary of State, as part of the preparatory work before the scheme can commence.

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

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of senior civil servants from her Department are from a lower socio-economic background.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education does not collect or hold socio-economic data about members of its Senior Civil Service.

  • Lord Turnberg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Turnberg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Turnberg on 2015-11-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK citizens there were over the age of 75 in each of the years between 1999 and 2015.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Lord Rooker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Rooker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to review the Teratology Society recommendation regarding mandating folic acid fortification in Europe.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    We have not formally reviewed the 2015 Obeid paper but officials are aware of its conclusions which are in line with information already considered by Ministers.

    The recommendation in the Teratology Society in essence repeats current advice on folic acid supplements. There are no plans to review this advice.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what safeguards his Department is putting in place to ensure the quality of university specialist mental health mentoring provision when the new single quote system is introduced.

    Joseph Johnson

    Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have clear responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support students, including those with mental health conditions. It is for the HEI to determine what welfare and counselling services they need to provide to their students.

    In addition, Disabled Students Allowances (DSAs) are available to meet the additional costs of study-related support needs, where the needs of the student cannot be met by the institution by way of a reasonable adjustment.

    A new quality assurance framework is being developed for support that is funded by DSAs, so as to provide assurance on both quality and financial matters. The quality assurance framework will be in place in 2016. All support workers will be required to meet quality standards in order to be funded through DSAs. Discussions with stakeholders regarding new mechanisms for the selection of non-medical help support providers are already underway.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made through the Permanent Mission to the United Nations regarding the incitement of violence in Burma against the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government supports the Special Rapporteur, Professor Yanghee Lee, and deplores the hateful and threatening language that has been used against her by MaBaTha monk Wirathu. We have also called for Burma’s Ministry of Religious Affairs to take action on the matter. I was able to convey my sympathy and concern to Professor Lee in person during her visit to London in March. Last week, we publicly reiterated our support for Professor Lee and her mandate at the UN General Assembly in New York, at a dedicated session discussing her most recent report on the Human rights situation in Burma.

    Unfortunately, statements like those of Wirathu are symptomatic of a troubling rise in intolerance, discrimination and hate speech in Burma. We have repeatedly raised our concerns over this trend, both bilaterally and in company with our international partners. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), did so with senior Burmese government ministers during his visit to Burma in July and, most recently, with Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin in September in New York.

  • Bob Blackman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Bob Blackman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2015-11-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will undertake an analysis of the feasibility of devolving property taxes to London linked to specific infrastructure projects.

    Mr David Gauke

    By 2020, local government will retain 100% of business rates and will have the power to reduce business rates. Directly elected mayoral authorities, such as the Mayor of London, will have the power to levy a small supplement on business rates to fund new infrastructure.

    In the last Parliament, the Government gave local councils greater power over council tax support schemes and the treatment of second homes and empty properties. The Government believes there would be difficulties in devolving other property taxes, such as Stamp Duty Land Tax and Capital Gains Tax, to London as this would create a distortive effect around the border, increase administration costs and complexity and expose local government to significant fiscal risk.

  • Christian Matheson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Christian Matheson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs lost in the steel industry in 2015 to date; what estimate it has made of how many jobs in that industry will be lost in 2016; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of Government support packages to help people who have lost or are likely to lose their jobs in that industry.

    Anna Soubry

    Statistics from the Iron and Steel Statistics Bureau show that between 1997 to 2010, 16,300 jobs were lost in the UK steel industry.

    These statistics also show in the last parliament, UK steel jobs remained stable at 18,900.

    In 2015, 2,100 direct jobs were lost as a result of the closure of the SSI plant at Redcar on 12th October 2015. On 30th October 2015, 452 immediate redundancies were announced by the Caparo Group. In addition since 16th July Tata Steel has announced proposals for up to 1,920 job losses across its Long Products and Speciality and Bar businesses subject to consultation and business review.

    We have not made any estimate of how many jobs will be lost in the steel industry in 2016.

    The Government is committed to supporting those made redundant move quickly into new jobs, for example through Jobcentre Plus’ Rapid Response Service. In addition, in view of the exceptional circumstances surrounding SSI’s closure in Redcar, Government announced a support package, worth up to £80 million, to help those affected and invest in the future of the Tees Valley more broadly. We have also committed up to £9m, jointly with Tata, to support Scunthorpe steel workers and the local economy. In both cases, we are working closely with local Task Forces to deliver support that will have the greatest long-term impact.

  • Bob Blackman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Bob Blackman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2015-11-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will undertake analysis of the feasibility of devolving skills and employment powers to London.

    Greg Hands

    The Spending Review confirmed that the Mayor of London will jointly commission employment support for the long-term unemployed and will work with government on shaping delivery and provision. The government is strongly committed to devolving powers and responsibilities to the local level and will continue to assess where appropriate the opportunities for future skills and employment support devolution.