Tag: 2016

  • Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the NATO Secretary General on North Korea’s nuclear tests in 2016.

    Alok Sharma

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) has not discussed this issue directly with the NATO Secretary General. At the NATO Warsaw Summit in July 2016, Heads of Government called on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) to immediately cease its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner. The Secretary General issued a statement on 9 September condemning the DPRK’s fifth nuclear test and called on it to fully respect its international obligations and commitments, including UN Security Council Resolutions.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of reinstating the qualifying age for pension credit to its 1995 timetable.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Pension Credit was designed to provide income related support for people without sufficient provision for their retirement and as such the qualifying age for both men and women has been linked to women’s State Pension age since its introduction.

    Our initial estimates of the cost of retaining the 1995 timetable for the qualifying age for Pension Credit were published in response to a question from Lord Boswell in 2011 Hansard vol. 725, column 1607, 9 March 2011.

    We have not formally updated this costing but we have reconsidered the evidence based on the latest information and our analysis indicates that the cost of breaking the link between the Pension Credit qualifying age and women’s State Pension age is likely to be significantly higher than previously estimated for a number of reasons including:

    – Women under State Pension age would be entitled to larger amounts of Pension Credit than the original analysis assumed.

    – This may incentivise more women to stop working and claim Pension Credit instead.

    In addition to the impacts considered above there would also be increased expenditure on other benefits, most notably Housing Benefit, localised Council Tax Support, the Warm Home Discount and Cold Weather Payments which were not included in the original figures.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the emergency response plans are in the event of Russia firing a nuclear bomb.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    We live in an unpredictable world and if a threat to the UK were to arise from a nuclear-armed adversary, we would seek to ensure that they were deterred from using nuclear weapons by convincing them that the costs to them of doing so greatly outweighed any gains they could hope to make.

    Other chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats are considered as part of the National Security Risk Assessment and this is reflected in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. The Government’s approach to preparing for emergencies is to prepare for the common consequences of a range of civil emergencies. This is supplemented with proportionate planning and capability building for the highest impact and most concerning risks, of which a nuclear terrorist attack in the UK is one.

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 22 September 2015 to Question 10382, which festival sites have now been assessed for business rates; and to which of those sites business rates will apply.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has been reviewing the rating of festival sites for business rates. Due to taxpayer confidentiality, we are unable to provide the names of both the sites which have been assessed and, of these, which are now liable for business rates.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps the Government is taking to strengthen the Northern Ireland economy.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The Government’s long-term economic plan is strengthening the Northern Ireland economy.

    Last year legislation was passed to allow the devolution of corporation tax rate-setting powers.

    This could bring benefits for an estimated 34,000 companies of all sizes in Northern Ireland.

  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the Post Office has spent on refurbishing or converting premises of franchise partners for Crown post offices that were franchised in 2014 and 2015 since January 2014.

    George Freeman

    Post Office Limited runs and manages its Crown post offices. Franchising of these offices is the operational responsibility of the Post Office.

    I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on these matters. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what framework determines what will be included in the 2021 census.

    Matthew Hancock

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the severity of sentencing on deterring assaults of police officers; and if she will take steps to ensure that people who assault police officers receive the toughest possible sentences.

    Brandon Lewis

    I want to be clear that an assault of any kind on a police officer or police community support officers is wholly unacceptable. Chief Constables, working with directly elected police and crime commissioners, have a duty to manage and support the police workforce effectively, ensuring the welfare of all officers and staff.

    The College of Policing develops standards and guidance for policing and works with forces to manage and prevent assaults.

    Last year we published figures on assaults on police officers for the first time since 2009/10 and developed this further in 2016. We continue to work with forces to improve the data.

    Sentencing guidelines already provide for assault on a police officer to be treated more severely in appropriate cases. The courts need to be able to take into account all the circumstances of each case.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many completed repeat assessments there have been of people with Parkinson’s disease by year of repeat assessment, since the introduction of employment and support allowance in 2008.

    Priti Patel

    The information available is shown in the table below. Repeat assessments are conducted to ensure that individuals receive the right level of support.

    Calendar years:

    Cystic Fibrosis

    Spinal Muscular Atrophy

    Parkinson’s Disease

    Multiple Sclerosis

    Other Rheumatoid Arthritis

    Oct-08 to Dec-08

    –

    –

    –

    –

    –

    Jan-09 to Dec-09

    –

    –

    –

    –

    –

    Jan-10 to Dec-10

    –

    –

    100

    700

    600

    Jan-11 to Dec-11

    100

    100

    300

    1,500

    1,500

    Jan-12 to Dec-12

    200

    100

    500

    2,900

    2,500

    Jan-13 to Dec-13

    100

    100

    400

    2,400

    2,500

    Jan-14 to Dec-14

    100

    –

    300

    1,900

    2,100

    Jan-15 to June-15

    –

    –

    –

    300

    300

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many projects planned for West Cumbria will be (a) part-funded and (b) wholly-funded by the EU.

    James Wharton

    The Department is unable to predict how many projects in West Cumbria will come forward for funding from the EU.