UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2015

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Prime Minister’s announcement of 7 November 2015 on broadband access, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on a Universal Service Obligation for broadband; and whether Ofcom were aware of the obligation before it was announced.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    DCMS has been discussing the Government’s intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) with Ofcom, who will have a key role to play in providing technical and regulatory advice as the process moves forward. The Government will launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband USO by 2020,with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps, no matter where in the country they live.

  • John Healey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John Healey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the level of change of housing benefit for tenants in supported accommodation as a result of changes to housing benefit announced in the Autumn Statement 2015.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The introduction of Local Housing Allowance limits to social sector tenants in receipt of Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit will only apply from April 2018 where new tenancies have been taken out or renewed after April 2016.

    The Department is working on the exact policy design details for tenants in supported accommodation.

  • Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions she has had with her European counterparts about minimum EPC standards for the private rented sector.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property)(England and Wales) Regulations 2015 were made in March this year following a full public consultation, and establish an EPC minimum of E for domestic and non-domestic private rented sector properties from April 2018.

    Officials in the Department liaise regularly with the insulation industry, local authorities, and other stakeholders on a range of energy efficiency issues including the minimum EPC standards for the private rented sector. Discussions have also been held recently with French officials about domestic energy efficiency issues including minimum standards.

  • Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Article 2, section 1(b)(xiv) of EU Regulation 235/2014 and the Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education, what action they have taken, and what action they plan to take, ahead of the EU Referendum to ensure that (1) active and engaging European and EU citizenship education is integrated into every primary and secondary school’s curriculum, and (2) training for specialist citizenship teachers is included in initial teacher education, and in teachers’ continuing professional development.

    Lord Nash

    Schools are aware of their duties regarding impartiality and treatment of political issues. Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 require maintained schools to prevent political indoctrination and secure the balanced treatment of political issues. The new national curriculum includes an improved programme of study for citizenship education at key stages 3 and 4, which is organised around core knowledge and democracy, government and how laws are made and upheld. Pupils are also taught about local, regional, and international governance, and about the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations, and the wider world.

    The Government does not prescribe initial teacher training (ITT) content. However, all ITT courses must ensure that trainee teachers can meet the Teachers’ Standards. This sets clear expectations and defines the minimum level of practice expected of teachers in England. The standards require all teachers and trainees to have secure knowledge of relevant subject and curriculum areas and demonstrate a critical understanding of developments in them. Ofsted inspects the quality of ITT against the Teachers’ Standards and no trainee can be recommended for qualified teacher status (QTS) until they have met the Standards in full at the appropriate level. Schools and headteachers are best placed to determine which development activities will be most beneficial for their schools and we expect them to lead on the development of their teachers.

  • Nusrat Ghani – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Nusrat Ghani – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2015-11-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the cost to HM Revenue and Customs of administering and enforcing self-employed registration for students in full-time education earning less than the Personal Allowance.

    Mr David Gauke

    The information is not available. HM Revenue and Customs does not routinely record whether a student is in full time education.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether diabetes is defined as a disability, and if so, what assessment they have made of the impact of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on diabetics in the UK.

    Lord Freud

    Under the Equality Act 2010 a person has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Diabetes is a long term health condition and how disabling it is for people will vary depending on, amongst other things, severity and how well it is managed. The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. These are available on the Parliament website.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will review NHS diabetes dietary guidelines.

    Jane Ellison

    Current dietary advice to people who have diabetes is the same as for the general population – that they should enjoy a healthy, balanced diet based on the eatwell plate, the national healthy eating guide.

    In July 2015, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published its report on Carbohydrates and Health, a review of the latest evidence on dietary carbohydrates and health. SACN recommended reducing sugar consumption, increasing fibre consumption and minimising consumption of sugars-sweetened drinks.

    Following publication, advice on what constitutes a healthy, balanced diet was updated to reflect the Government’s acceptance of SACN’s recommendations. As part of this Public Health England is undertaking a review of the eatwell plate and the refreshed resource will be launched in early 2016.

  • The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the projected financial cost for this financial year of UK air strikes against Daesh in Syria.

    Earl Howe

    It is not possible to separate out the costs of military action in Syria from that of wider counter-Daesh operations, due to the inter-related nature of UK military activity. Based on current levels of activity, the net additional cost of increased UK activity in Syria is not expected to rise above the low tens of millions of pounds.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost of using external agencies for recruitment to senior Civil Service posts in his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Brandon Lewis

    The total sums spent on using external agencies for recruitment to senior civil service posts in DCLG are as follows:

    2010-2011 – £16,448.38

    2011-12 – £10,950

    2012-13 – Nil

    2013-14 – £14,200

    2014-15 – Nil

    2015-date – Nil

    These figures exclude Public Appointments and Cabinet Office recruitment but are inclusive of VAT.

  • Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide statistics detailing civil legal aid claims and grants by sector broken down by protected characteristics since January 2010.

    Lord Faulks

    Legal aid is a vital part of our justice system, but we cannot escape the continuing need to reduce the deficit. The Coalition Government reformed legal aid to reduce its cost and ensure the system commands the confidence of the public. As part of our public sector equality duty, the Legal Aid Agency has made it a contractual requirement that providers have an Equality and Diversity policy in place.

    The number of civil claims by sector broken down for protected characteristics are shown in the tables below for the period 2010-11 to 2014-15. Figures for grants or applications at this level of detail are not held for the Legal Help and Controlled Legal Representation categories of civil legal aid and so figures for grants have not been provided.

    The not for profit sector providers are shown based on the administrative system classification and all other providers are classified as solicitor firms. Where values for the protected characteristics are not held, unknown or the claimant has preferred not to state their answer, they are included within the unknown category.

    The MoJ routinely publishes statistics on client characteristics for each area of legal aid on an annual basis on the government website.