UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2015

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on raising the upper trivial commutation limit for pensions above £30,000.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government currently has no plans to raise the upper trivial commutation limit for pensions above £30,000.

    The Government believes this is the appropriate level which balances providing individuals with flexibility without placing a significant administrative burden on pension schemes.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to help young people engage with the digital economy.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government’s Digital Engagement team works in partnership with more than 90 signatories of the 2014 Digital Inclusion Charter, which supports programmes to increase young people’s engagement in digital skills and the digital economy. We also support the ‘Your Life’ campaign which is helping to change perceptions of technology and other STEM subjects among all young people. A network of STEM Ambassadors from industry and academia actively work with schools to encourage young people to choose STEM subjects, and embark on digital careers.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 15281, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of teachers trained in the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    There are now more, better-qualified teachers in England’s classrooms than ever before. In November 2014 there were 454,900 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers, up 5,200 from the previous year and up 13,100 from 2010. A record 96.6 per cent of all teachers now hold a degree or higher qualification.

    Teacher vacancy rates have remained stable at around 1 per cent of all posts for over a decade, and retention rates have also remained stable over the same period. Approximately 90 per cent of teachers are in service in the year after they qualify, and 72 per cent of those who qualified in 2009 were still teaching 5 years later. Over the longer term, over 60 per cent of teachers remain in service 10 years after qualifying.

    Nevertheless, we recognise that teacher recruitment is a challenge as the economy continues to strengthen and competition for new graduates intensifies; this is particularly true in certain areas of the country. We are taking steps to attract more top graduates and career changers into the profession, particularly in those core academic subjects that help children reach their potential. This includes offering generous financial incentives, such as tax-free bursaries of up to £30,000 for top graduates in priority subjects such as physics.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Answer of 9 December 2015 to Question 18558, how many families in receipt of tax credits in 2013-14 who benefited from the income rise disregard saw their income rise by over £2,500 but no more than £5,000 during the course of the year.

    Damian Hinds

    As announced in the combined Autumn Statement and Spending Review, the amount by which a tax credit claimant’s income can increase within the year before their tax credit award is adjusted (the income rise disregard), will be reduced from £5,000 to £2,500. This makes the tax credit system fairer so claimants on similar incomes will receive similar awards. Currently two families on precisely the same earnings at the end of the year can receive significantly different awards.

    The change returns the disregard back to the level it was between 2003 and 2006 – something the tax credit system is now operationally better able to cope with now that it has more up to date information on people’s earnings through Real Time Information. HMRC are also making it easier to report changes quickly online, so that people will less often receive overpayments. Claimants can contact HMRC if they are suffering financial hardship and are having difficulty paying back an overpayment.

    The change will bring forward some of the benefits of Universal Credit so that the tax credit award reflects a claimant’s recent earnings and the system responds more quickly to changes in earnings.

  • Maria Caulfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Maria Caulfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Caulfield on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many student midwives were in receipt of a bursary in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; what the average bursary paid to a student midwife was in each of those years; and what the total cost to the public purse in bursaries paid to student midwives was in each such year.

    Ben Gummer

    The number of midwifery students who were in receipt of a bursary, the average bursary paid to those students and the total cost of all bursaries paid to student midwives in each of the last 10 academic years is shown in the following table.

    Year

    Number of Bursary Holders1

    Total-Amount Paid2

    Average amount paid per Bursary holder

    2005/06

    3,901

    £22,067,168

    £5,657

    2006/07

    3,812

    £21,787,618

    £5,716

    2007/08

    3,996

    £23,228,490

    £5,813

    2008/09

    4,265

    £24,373,689

    £5,715

    2009/10

    4,777

    £27,539,804

    £5,765

    2010/11

    5,218

    £29,854,947

    £5,722

    2011/12

    5,345

    £31,358,058

    £5,867

    2012/13

    5,448

    £33,344,511

    £6,121

    2013/14

    6,077

    £35,631,880

    £5,863

    2014/153

    6,305

    £35,591,467

    £5,645

    Source: NHS Business Services Authority

    Notes:

    1 The figures relate to the number of students whose academic year fell within the period 1 September to 31 August. Includes nil award holders (European Union fees only students and students whose living allowance element of the bursary has been reduced to nil after income assessment)

    2 Includes the basic award and all supplementary allowances and one off payments.

    3 Figures are provisional and may be subject to minor change as a result of subsequent retrospective payments.

  • Steve Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how his Department plans to monitor whether income from the proposed two per cent rise in council tax intended to contribute to the social care levy is being spent on social care.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    I refer the hon. Members to information accompanying the provisional local government finance settlement 2016-17, which was announced by my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Greg Clark) 17 December 2015, Official Report, Column 1722.

    This is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/council-tax-in-2016-to-2017 and https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486708/Core_spending_power_supporting_information.xlsx

    “

  • Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of immigration detainees who are (a) foreign national offenders convicted of immigration offences, (b) foreign national offenders convicted of non-immigration offences and (c) other detainees were held in immigration detention for (i) 28 days or fewer, (ii) over 28 days but fewer than four months and (iii) over four months in the last year.

    James Brokenshire

    The below table provides details of immigration detainees detained at the end of June 2015 and is taken from quarterly published national statistics:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2015/detention

    Held 28 Days or Fewer

    Over 28 Days But Fewer Than Four Months

    Four to Six Months

    Six to Twelve Months

    Over Twelve Months

    Foreign National Offenders

    30% (263)

    41% (365)

    10% (84)

    14% (123)

    5% (49)

    Other Detainees

    58% (1502)

    35% (899)

    4% (114)

    2% (62)

    1% (27)

    It is not possible to provide a break-down of foreign national offenders convicted of immigration offences and foreign national offenders convicted of non-immigration offences. Such data is not aggregated in national reporting systems, which would mean these questions could only be answered through a disproportionately expensive manual case search to collate the data.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 2 July 2014, Official Report, column 676W on AWE, what his most recent estimate is of the (a) anticipated out-turn cost and (b) projected in-service date of each of the new build projects in the Atomic Weapons Establishment Site Development Context Plan.

    Michael Fallon

    The approved costs and in-service dates of the current new build projects at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, are shown below.

    In-service dates are shown in bandings to avoid prejudice to national security and defence. No costs are attributed to projects detailed in Table 2 as these have yet to be formally approved.

    Table 1 – Approved new-build projects

    Ongoing projects

    Function

    In-Service Period

    Approved cost £million

    Warhead assembly/disassembly – Mensa

    Manufacturing/production

    2016-20

    734

    Uranium components – Pegasus

    Manufacturing/production

    2016-20

    634

    Table 2 – Planned projects not yet approved

    Ongoing projects

    Function

    In-Service Period

    Salts Processing – Octans

    Testing/research

    2020-25

    Initiator system manufacture-Taurus

    Manufacturing/production

    2020-25

    Large Scale formulations-Scorpius

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

    Small Scale formulations-Cepheus

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

    New Plutonium (Pu) Facility – not yet named

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

    New depleted Uranium Facility

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30

    Assembly for Trials-Columba

    Testing/research

    2025-30

    High Explosive Climatic Trials

    Testing/research

    2025-30

    Non-Metallics & materials R&D-Libra

    Testing/research

    2025-30

    Chemical processing-Astra

    Manufacturing/production

    2025-30
  • Diane Abbott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Diane Abbott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) the amount of any underspend expected against departmental expenditure limits in the current fiscal year and (b) her Department’s latest forecast of total annually managed expenditure spend for this year is; and what the forecasts were for those sums at the time of the Summer Budget 2015 and March Budget 2015.

    Justine Greening

    The last main supply estimate was published in July 2015, and is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/main-supply-estimates-2015-to-2016.

    DFID is currently forecasting to fully utilise its departmental expenditure limits (DEL) and annually managed expenditure (AME) as allocated and approved by Parliament.

    “

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which form of transport she used to travel to the COP21 climate change conference in Paris; and for what reasons she travelled by that mode of transport.

    Andrea Leadsom

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 16th December 2015 to Question 19533:

    http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-12-10/19533/.

    “