Tag: 2015

  • 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.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason a representative of Northern Ireland was not present at the COBR meeting on 15 November 2015.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    As is the case with information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet Committees, detailed information about attendance at COBR meetings is not disclosed. As a general principle, where an emergency directly affects areas of competence of a Devolved Administration, then they will either be invited to attend or advised on significant developments.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with internet service providers on preventing sexual abuse, cyber bullying and social media abuse of young people on the internet; and whether that industry adheres to a code of good practice on such matters.

    Edward Timpson

    I co-chair the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), along with from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Home Office and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Internet Safety and Security. UKCCIS is a group of more than 200 organisations drawn from across government, industry, law, academia, and charity sectors that work in partnership to help keep children safe online. The four main internet service providers are executive members of the UKCCIS Board and the Board regularly discuss the best ways to prevent all forms of online abuse.

    Under the UKCCIS, the UK’s Communications regulator, Ofcom, is leading a working group to develop best practice guidance for providers of social media for emerging social media platforms to encourage responsible practice from industry, and ensure children using their services are able to do so in a safe and protected way. This guidance will be delivered shortly. All the key players are round the table in this important collaborative project, including Twitter, Facebook, Google, Ask.FM, MindCandy and Microsoft.

    The government will continue to work closely with social media companies to make sure they are committed to protecting children who use their platforms.

  • Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Matthew Offord – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has published for the aviation industry on the definition of liquid.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department for Transport has published guidance for passengers and industry on the GOV.UK website on the use of plastic bags to carry liquids through UK airport security. This includes advice on the nature of the plastic bag required. Many UK airports also provide guidance on their websites.

    The Civil Aviation Authority provides advice and guidance for airports on the definition of a liquid. The main regulation covering liquids, aerosols and gels, EU Regulation 185/2010 also sets out the rules and requirements.

  • Angela Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Angela Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the threat to human health and safety from poor canine welfare at breeding establishments; and if she will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    There are a number of diseases that can be passed between animals and humans (these are known as zoonotic diseases). Those affecting dogs include bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. One of the standard conditions of holding a dog breeding establishment is that all reasonable precautions must be taken to prevent and control the spread of infectious or contagious diseases.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK troops will be deployed to the UN Mission in Sudan and South Sudan; what is the timeline for their deployment; and what will be the distribution of their roles and responsibilities.

    Earl Howe

    At the UN General Assembly in September, the Prime Minister offered increased UK military support to UN peacekeeping activity in Africa. This offer includes episodic deployment of up to three hundred personnel to conduct key tasks to support the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Indicative tasks might include engineering, combat and advisory support. Planning is in hand now, in consultation with the UN, to determine the precise requirements and how we may best respond. We expect to deploy the first troops in mid-2016. We currently have three personnel deployed to UNMISS; two at the Force Headquarters in the capital, Juba, and one at Malakal, in the north of the country. UK has no plans to deploy troops to the UN (and African Union) Missions in Sudan.