The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-10-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether on any occasion under-qualified pilots have been provided in the compulsory pilotage area at Londonderry Port.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Department does not hold this information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2015-10-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will initiate a review of the welfare support available to homeless people.
Priti Patel
There are no plans to initiate a specific review of welfare support available to homeless people as our ongoing policy work takes account of different vulnerable groups, including homeless people.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received regarding the report Unhealthy Attitudes published in July by Stonewall, and what steps they propose to take to improve training for health and social care employees about LGBT rights.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Correspondence has been received by Department of Health Ministers accompanying copies of the report Unhealthy Attitudes.
On 20 October 2015, NHS Employers, the Lesbian and Gay Foundation and Stonewall presented a paper at NHS England’s Equality and Diversity Council, of which the Department are members, calling for positive and robust leadership to promote LGBT equality in the National Health Service.
No other representations have been received about the report.
Health Education England (HEE) currently hosts training on equality and diversity through the e-learning for healthcare (e-LfH) portal. A review of the content is scheduled to take place next year. The package is available free to all NHS employed staff and allows all users to run reports on the HEE e-LfH Hub demonstrating their use and providing evidence for their clinical professional development.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for a sugar tax on sweetened drinks in order to tackle the rise in obesity.
Lord Prior of Brampton
There are no plans to introduce a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks. However, we keep all taxes under review, with decisions being a matter for the Chancellor as part of the Budget process.
Calorie reduction, including sugar reduction, is being considered as part of the development of the Government’s childhood obesity strategy which is due in the coming months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morris of Aberavon on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 20 October, what consideration they gave to discussing with the European Union the possibility of mothballing some of the steel plants recently announced for closure; what assessment they have made of the difficulties in mothballing a plant; and what estimates they have made, if any, about the costs of doing so.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The state aid rules on giving operating, rescue and restructuring aid to steel companies are unambiguously clear and all such interventions are prohibited. This includes Government financial support for mothballing of steel plant. Given the lack of ambiguity there has been no need to discuss these matters with the European Commission.
We know that the SSI Redcar plan had made losses of over £600m in over three years. When the company went into liquidation, the Official Receiver bought supplies to keep certain operations such as the coke ovens going in the hope of funding a commercial buyout. Unfortunately no commercial buyer could be found to maintain operations at the plant. While this was deeply disappointing news, with such large losses and debts, and the price of steel produces expected to stay depressed for some considerable time, it was perhaps not surprising.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more are ready to comply with the obligations of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (Transparency in Supply Chains) Regulations 2015.
Lord Bates
Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 is now in force. Many businesses called for this provision, we consulted on the turnover threshold, and then involved businesses in drafting associated guidance. Therefore, the Government is confident businesses will be ready.
We have also included a transition provision so that organisations will have time to consider the guidance before the first statements are due on or after 31 March 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2015-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the level of charges levied by funeral directors for their goods and services.
Nick Boles
The Department has not made an assessment regarding this issue.
If there is evidence of anti-competitive behaviour by funeral directors, this should be referred to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s independent competition authority, for consideration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2015-10-20.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, by what mechanism he proposes to ensure that additional business rate revenue in the North East is allocated to infrastructure investment.
Greg Hands
On 23 October the Government signed a historic devolution deal with the North East Combined Authority. As part of the deal, and subject to the passage of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill through parliament, a new directly-elected Mayor for the North East will be created. The Mayor will chair the existing North East Combined Authority. Powers and responsibilities will be devolved from central government to the Mayor and Combined Authority.
Full details of the deal are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/north-east-devolution-deal
A detailed implementation plan will be agreed over the coming months between central government and the North East Combined Authority.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-10-20.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to raise the income tax personal allowance during this Parliament.
Mr David Gauke
The government has committed to raising the income tax personal allowance to £12,500 by the end of this parliament, alongside our commitment to raise the higher rate threshold to £50,000. These changes will benefit over 30 million individuals.
Summer Budget 2015 set out the first step in meeting this commitment. The personal allowance will increase from £10,600 in 2015-16 to £11,000 in 2016-17, and £11,200 in 2017-18.
These changes will benefit over 29 million individuals and take 570,000 individuals out of income tax altogether by 2016-17. This will increase to over 660,000 by 2017-18. A typical basic rate taxpayer will see their income tax bill reduced by £905 by 2016-17, compared to 2010.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance his Department gives on the consequences to consumers of a data breach.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 is regulated and enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office which maintains guidance relating to the Act. Guidance on the consequences to customers of a data breach and the steps to take when informing customers about a data breach can be found at the ICO’s website https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/principle-7-security/.
It would be for the courts to decide how much compensation should be awarded to an individual who has suffered damage as a result of a data breach. The ICO’s website sets out guidance on compensation: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/principle-6-rights/compensation/
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