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Tag: 2015

  • Caroline Nokes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Caroline Nokes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Nokes on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of increasing free childcare provision to 30 hours per week on the number of nurseries which offer free childcare.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Introducing the new entitlement to 30 hours of free childcare for working parents will require growth in the childcare market and the government is confident this will be achieved. Since 2009, 230, 000 places have been created.

    It is of course essential that the funding for the entitlement is right to ensure that a sufficient number of nurseries are able to deliver it. The government has already committed to an increase to the average funding rate paid to providers.

    The government’s review on the cost of providing childcare will inform decisions on a rate that is fair and sustainable for providers. Findings from the review will feed directly into the Spending Review which will be published on 25 November.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect on UK citizens of the US proposal to tighten its visa waiver programme.

    Lord Bates

    We have a very close relationship with the USA and are confident the changes the administration is currently proposing will have minimal impact on UK citizens.

  • Oliver Colvile – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Oliver Colvile – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what progress has been made on the proposals for a Cardiff City Deal.

    Stephen Crabb

    Cardiff is one of Europe’s youngest and most innovative capital cities. Last week the Government received Cardiff Capital Region’s latest proposals for the Cardiff City Deal. We are currently considering the submission and will continue to work with the Cardiff Capital Region to progress the Deal.

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the Government’s response will be published to the Dowling Review of Business-University Research Collaborations.

    Joseph Johnson

    We are grateful for the insights and recommendations provided in Dame Ann Dowling’s Review of Business-University Research Collaborations. We recognise and support the conclusion it has reached and Innovate UK is already working to simplify its product offering. Alongside the recent Higher Education Green Paper and Sir Paul Nurse’sreport, it will now be taken forward in our review of the funding landscape to make it, as recommended by Dame Ann, more strategic, coherent and effective.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for social policy of (1) the February 2014 report Household Food Security in the UK: A Review of Food Aid; and (2) the 2015 book by Stewart Lansley and Joanna Mack, Breadline Britain.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The “Review of Food Aid in the UK” was a short, literature based study designed to improve understanding of food aid provision in the UK, who makes use of it, and why. It was not a complete assessment of food aid as it found a variety of types of food aid, with mostly community-led provision responding to local needs. The report concluded that there is a lack of systematic peer-reviewed research from the UK on the reasons or immediate circumstances leading people to turn to food aid. Research such as the Review of Food Aid in the UK report and other publications provide evidence that informs the formulation of social policy in the UK.

    The Government is committed to tackling poverty and social disadvantage in all its forms in every part of the country. Work remains the most sustainable way out of poverty and means for parents to provide security for their families.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints from workers were received by HM Revenue and Customs on non-compliance with minimum wage legislation in 2014-15.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker.

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforces the national minimum wage (NMW) legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It does so by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, and carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.

    I refer the honourable member to the answer provided at UIN 28587 for information on recovery of arrears and on the number of incidences of non-compliance on 26 November 2015.

    In 2014/15, HMRC issued financial penalties on 735 employers totalling £934,660 for non-compliance with NMW legislation.

    In 2014/15, HMRC completed 2,204 investigations as part of its duty to enforce minimum wage legislation.

    Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should contact Acas on 0300 123 1100. HMRC reviews every complaint that Acas refer to it but these may not always lead to an investigation. In 2014/15, HMRC received 2489 worker complaints via the helpline.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they have made to the urgent call from UN agencies for respect for health premises and the right to health care in Jerusalem for Palestinians after Israeli security forces stormed an East Jerusalem medical facility on 29 October.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we have not responded to this issue specifically, we are clear that medical staff should have the protection that allows them to do their jobs in safety. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv met Physicians for Human Rights on 9 November to discuss trends in human rights violations against medical staff. Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority on the urgent need to de-escalate the tensions.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on how many occasions a special adviser in his Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    As has been the case under successive Administrations, civil servants, including special advisers, may routinely accompany their Ministers on official visits.

    Information relating to Ministers’ overseas visits are published on my Department’s website, as part of the Government’s wider transparency agenda.

    All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

  • Lord German – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord German – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord German on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of the current range of vocational qualifications offered to those serving prison sentences in England and Wales.

    Lord Faulks

    The Secretary of State for Justice announced on 8th September a review of the quality of education in prisons, chaired by Dame Sally Coates. The review will examine the scope, quality and effectiveness of current provision. It will consider the scope and range of the current curricula and identify the most effective teaching and delivery models. Stakeholders are being consulted and a Call for Evidence has been issued. The review is expected to report in the spring of 2016. A copy of the terms of reference can be found at gov.uk

    The Welsh Government provides prison education funding to NOMS in Wales to commission services and these are aligned to the Welsh Government’s learning and skills outcome requirements. Vocational courses represent more than 80% of the prisoner education in prisons in Wales and take account of offender needs and labour market information to increase prisoners’ employment opportunities on release.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2015 to Question 17530, what information his Department holds on which foreign armed forces British military personnel were embedded within the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Michael Fallon

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 November 2015 to Question 17530 to the hon. Member for Coventry South (Jim Cunningham).