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Tag: 2015

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Matthew Pennycook – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of protests at border crossings between Nepal and India on the supply of (a) fuel, (b) medicine and (c) blood to Nepal.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The current disruption in the Terai and at a number of border posts has affected the importation and distribution within Nepal of supplies of goods. This has included fuel, food and health commodities, such as vaccines and medicines. Acute shortages of diesel, petrol as well as cooking gas have been felt across Nepal for the past weeks. This has had an impact on movement around the country as well as distribution networks for key commodities.

    DFID Nepal is currently working with the Ministry of Health and Population, World Health Organisation and other partners to undertake a rapid assessment of the health impacts of the crisis, including the availability medicines and blood products at health facilities. DFID is also engaging with the Government of Nepal, as well as our development and humanitarian partners, to track the current situation. DFID continue to urge all parties to resolve their differences through peaceful dialogue as soon as possible and resolve the current difficulties.

  • Baroness Sharp of Guildford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Sharp of Guildford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Sharp of Guildford on 2015-12-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what cross-Government estimates they have made in 2016–17 departmental budgets for the extra cost of agency and contract staff of HMRC’s proposals on not allowing staff employed through agencies or contractors to claim tax relief on their travel and subsistence expenses.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    No cross-government estimates have been made for the extra cost of agency and contract staff in 2016-17 departmental budgets, following the restriction of tax relief on travel and subsistence for workers engaged through an employment intermediary.

    The changes are aimed at ensuring the tax system provides no individuals or business with an unfair advantage by preventing temporary workers, who are employed through employment intermediaries, and their employers, from benefiting for relief for home-to-work travel and subsistence expenses. This relief is not generally available to other workers who are employed directly or through temporary work contracts.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2015 to Question 5604, when he expects to provide a full response to the Law Commission’s report on a statutory definition of plying for hire for the taxi and private hire industry.

    Andrew Jones

    In its comprehensive review of taxi and private hire legislation, the Law Commission considered creating a statutory definition of plying for hire. However, after careful consideration the Law Commission recommended an alternative approach that would make it unlawful for anyone other than a local taxi driver to accept a hiring ‘there and then’.

    The Government is currently considering all the recommendations in the Law Commission’s report. The Government will formally respond to the Law Commission and announce its intentions once this scrutiny is completed.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-12-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints were rejected by the Financial Ombudsman Service on grounds of jurisdiction in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The issues raised are a matter for the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) who are operationally independent from Government.

    The questions have been passed on to the FOS. The FOS will reply directly to the Honorable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what procedures his Department follows when a jobcentre client requests a food bank voucher for the fourth time in any given year.

    Priti Patel

    The Department for Work and Pensions does not issue food bank vouchers.

    Jobcentre Plus holds details of local organisations to which its staff can signpost claimants experiencing financial difficulty.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the case of Ali al-Nimr.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    During his visits to the UN General Assembly in September and Saudi Arabia in October, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised Ali Mohammed al-Nimr’s case at a very senior level. This is in addition to the representations our Ambassador in Riyadh continues to make on this case.

  • 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 2015-11-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hypothecate revenue generated from Vehicle Excise Duty to local roads maintenance from 2017.

    Greg Hands

    All revenue generated through English VED from 2020-21 onwards will be used to fund the English strategic road network. This will ensure the Government can issue a second Roads investment Strategy for the period 2020-25, to follow the first strategy published at Autumn Statement 2014. Investment in our local road network will be set out as part of the Spending Review.

    In the period before 2020-21, VED revenues will continue to go to the Consolidated Fund which support general expenditure on public services including spending on local roads.

  • Wayne David – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Wayne David – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wayne David on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much was spent from the public purse on Christmas parties across the prison estate in each of the last five years.

    Andrew Selous

    This information is not held centrally.

    There are no centralised funds available for Christmas parties within the prison estate.

  • Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what role he expects the Single Source Regulation Office to have in the procurement of the Successor class submarine.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    All contracts related to the Successor programme that meet the conditions set out in Section 2 of the Defence Reform Act will be Qualifying Defence Contracts (QDCs) as defined by the Act and so subject to reporting to the Single Source Regulation Office.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) jobseekers’ allowance and (b) universal credit claimants have been (i) referred for an assessment of the their English language skills, (ii) mandated to undertake learning following such an assessment and (iii) sanctioned for failing to attend such learning sessions.

    Priti Patel

    In the 2013/14 academic year, there were 57,200 starts to English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training aims by JSA and ESA (WRAG) claimants, and 72,700 in total by all claimants (excluding UC) in England only. This includes starts to training as part of the English Language Requirements (ELR) policy. DWP does not currently hold data on the number of claimants starting ESOL under UC.

    DWP does not hold specific data on the number of sanctions for failing to attend ESOL training.

    Information on the number of starts to DWP-funded ELR training in Scotland Wales is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. DWP is exploring publishing these statistics in summer 2016 as an official statistics release in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.