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Tag: 2015

  • Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2015-11-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what alternative options his Department offers to personal independence payment (PIP) applicants unable to travel to PIP assessment centres.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Claimants attending an assessment by public or personal transport can claim back their travel costs. Where public transport is unavailable or the claimant is unable to use it, the claimant can contact their assessment provider to ask if taxi-fares would be payable for their journey.

    Alternatively, the option of a face-to-face consultation in the claimant’s home is available if the claimant indicates that they are unfit to travel to a consultation or where travel would require high levels of support.

  • Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2015-11-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their aim to halve the number of unemployed disabled people, whether they will conduct a review into the way the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment for enhanced rate mobility is working; and on what grounds they would consider changing the PIP assessment for enhanced rate mobility.

    Baroness Altmann

    The Government is committed to giving all disabled people the opportunity to fulfil their potential and achieve their ambitions. Work is an important part of this, which is why the Government has committed to halving the disability employment gap, requiring us to transform policy, practice and public attitudes.

    Enhanced rate mobility payments within Personal Independence Payment are intended for those who face the greatest barriers to their mobility. We believe that the assessment criteria, which was designed in close consultation with disabled people and disability groups, achieve this by targeting support to those who need it most.

    We currently have no plans to review how the PIP assessment for enhanced rate mobility is working.

    Access to Work (ATW) provides practical and financial support with the additional costs faced by individuals whose health or disability affects the way they do their job. The type of support provided is tailored to an individual’s needs and can include travel to work, support workers and specialist aids and equipment.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of households with dependents under the age of 18 that will be affected by the draft Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2015.

    Damian Hinds

    This information is not available.

    This Government is committed to moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society. As the Chancellor has made clear, the Government will set out at Autumn Statement how we plan to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits, saving the money we need to save to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Gloria De Piero – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) 16 to 24 year old and (b) 25 to 30 year old homeless people have been temporarily housed in bed and breakfast accommodation by their local authority in each of the last five years.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The only age related information held for those in temporary accommodation is for households headed by 16 or 17 year olds. Figures for such households temporarily housed in bed and breakfast accommodation as at 31March for the last five years are as follows;

    2011- 160

    2012 – 150

    2013 – 100

    2014 – 60

    2015 – 50

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of permaculture techniques; and if she will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    Defra undertakes no specific research into the effectiveness of permaculture techniques, but the principles of permaculture are reflected in our current research programme. We are investing £4 million over three years in research through the Sustainable Intensification Research Platform to improve the environmental and economic performance of farming. This includes exploring integrated farm management techniques and landscape scale opportunities.

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what timetable he proposes for legislative reform of the regulation of health care professionals.

    Ben Gummer

    This Government is grateful for the work of the Law Commissions of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in reviewing the regulation of health and (in England) social care professionals.

    The Law Commissions made 125 recommendations to reform the existing complex and burdensome regulatory system. The joint four UK country response to the Law Commissions was published on 29 January 2015 which accepted wholly or in part the vast majority of its recommendations.

    The Department is currently reviewing how best to take forward the work of the Law Commissions. We hope to be able to provide an update on this work soon.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to increase the number of GPs; and what steps he is taking to ensure that employment terms and conditions for GPs encourage employment in areas with (a) an elderly demographic and (b) a high workload.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government has committed to increasing the primary and community care workforce by 10,000 by 2020, including an additional 5,000 doctors working in general practice. Health Education England, NHS England, the Royal College of General Practitioners (GPs) and the British Medical Association’s GP Committee are working together on a ten point GP workforce plan to boost recruitment, encourage experienced GPs to remain in the profession and support GPs to return to practice.

    GP partners are independent contractors rather than National Health Service employees. However, the funding that practices receive does take account of the age profile of its patients and practice workload.

    The Carr-Hill formula calculates the share of funding that each practice receives based on its weighted patient list size adjusted for several factors including age. NHS England is currently reviewing the formula and this is intended to adapt it to better reflect deprivation and other factors of the registered practice profile that impact on practice workload. Additionally, the changes to the GP contract for 2014/15 moved funding from the Quality and Outcomes Framework to core practice funding and a new Avoiding Unplanned Admissions enhanced service, which requires practices to proactively case manage vulnerable patients through developing personalised care plans, including identifying a named accountable GP and care coordinator.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many early conciliation cases processed by Acas in each quarter since October 2013 related to disputes regarding (a) non-payment of wages and (b) non-compliance with minimum wage legislation; and how many such cases (i) resulted in early conciliation and (ii) progressed to an employment tribunal.

    Nick Boles

    The information will take time to collate. When collated, I will place this information in the Libraries of the House.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many local authorities permit taxi drivers to charge for carriage of a wheelchair; and how many local authorities specify in their licensing rules that such charges may not be levied.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport does not hold information regarding individual licensing authorities’ taxi tariffs or licensing rules.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to improve employment support for people who are classed as economically inactive due to long term sickness or disability.

    Priti Patel

    In the Autumn Statement on Wednesday 25 November, the Chancellor announced a real terms increase in funding to help people with health conditions and disabilities including those in receipt of the support component of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), return to, and remain in, work.

    Government will be launching a new ‘Work and Health Programme’ – restructuring our current provision so that it provides the best possible support for people with health conditions or disabilities, including those classed as economically inactive due to long term sickness or disability.

    At least £115m of funding will go to the Work and Health Unit, including a work and health innovation fund to test new ways to join up health and employment to help people with disabilities and health conditions to return to and stay in work.

    Government will publish a White Paper in the New Year that will set out further reforms to improve support for people with health conditions and disabilities and further reduce the disability employment gap.