Tag: 2015

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andrew Stephenson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reoffending rate is of ex-offenders who were granted release on temporary licence to undertake (a) voluntary work, (b) paid work or (c) an educational course.

    Andrew Selous

    The Government fully supports the use of release on temporary licence (ROTL) in appropriate cases to allow prisoners to take work, training and educational opportunities that cannot be provided in prison, as well as for maintaining ties with their families. ROTL allows suitable, risk assessed offenders to start to tackle key criminogenic needs before they are released. It would incur disproportionate cost to establish the re-offending rate for offenders who, whilst in custody, had received ROTL for each of the three specified purposes.

  • David Hanson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    David Hanson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people of what age and sex have died as a result of volatile substance abuse in each region of England and Wales in each year since 2013.

    Mr Rob Wilson

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

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to give refugees settled in the UK opportunities to improve their English language skills.

    Nick Boles

    Adults who are granted refugee status or humanitarian protection become eligible for skills funding through a provider’s adult skills budget, as any other English resident and are not subject to the normal 3 year qualifying period. Refugees are therefore eligible for full-funding for English Speakers of Other Languages, if they are in receipt of certain work-related benefits and are mandated to undertake skills training to improve their English in order to find work. If they are on other state benefits and are unemployed, they may still be eligible for full funding at the discretion of the training provider. If they are not on benefits, they can be co-funded at the discretion of the provider.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made by (a) his Department and (b) NHS commissioners to ensure NHS services in England are meeting the six inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) standards set out by the IBD Standards Board in the 2013 Board Report; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The six inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) standards were published in 2013 by the IBD standards group, an independent organisation made up of a number of clinical professional organisations and the charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK. The standards were designed to support clinicians, commissioning organisations in developing IBD services locally and may be considered, if appropriate, alongside sources of guidance, such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

    In February 2015, NICE published a Quality Standard (QS) for IBD. As part of the QS development process, the IBD Standards Group and other related organisations submitted evidence to help shape the four Quality Statements which constitute the QS. The NICE QSs are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners and providers the key elements of what a high quality service should look like in a particular area of care.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will include a commitment to extend the Open Contracting Principles to cover climate and development finance in the third National Action Plan.

    Matthew Hancock

    Our third Open Government Partnership National Action Plan (NAP), due for publication in 2016, is currently being developed through an open and collaborative process in partnership with civil society.

  • Rob Marris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rob Marris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2015-12-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HM Revenue and Customs plans to respond to the letter to that body from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 21 October 2015 on Tax credit application, our case reference ZA1147.

    Damian Hinds

    HMRC replied to the hon. Member’s letter on 16 December 2015.

  • Will Quince – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Will Quince – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Will Quince on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to revise the agreement reached with the National Housing Federation on right to buy to remove references to almshouses in the table of discretionary sales.

    Brandon Lewis

    Almshouses are exempt from the Right to Buy for council housing. This long-standing exemption will also apply to the extended Right to Buy for housing associations.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will revise the eligibility criteria for first time buyers under the Help to Buy ISA scheme to £450,000 in areas outside London where the average house price is above £250,000.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The government does not plan to revise the eligibility criteria for the Help to Buy: ISA scheme

  • Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-11-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to deliver a faster payments infrastructure.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Faster Payment Scheme (FPS) launched in 2008 and provides near-instant settlement for over one billion payments that consumers and businesses make every year.

    FPS is one of the eight payment systems regulated by the new Payment Systems Regulator – which the Government launched in 2015, equipped with powers to ensure that UK payment systems are competitive and innovative. A key part of the PSR’s work is to ensure that UK payment systems work efficiently to deliver benefits for the individuals and firms that use them.

    The Government is also working with the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Project Innovate – which looks to foster and support innovative financial technology (“FinTech”) firms, including firms that offer customers new and efficient ways to make payments in the UK.

  • 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 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on allegations of doping in athletics.

    Tracey Crouch

    Both my Department and UK Anti-Doping engage regularly with international counterparts to discuss a range of sporting matters, including tackling doping in sport.