Tag: 2016

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 39849, what his Department’s expenditure other than Network Rail expenditure was on the level crossing reform programme in the last Parliament; and how much such expenditure is budgeted in this Parliament.

    Claire Perry

    Capital expenditure on level crossings is a matter for Network Rail. The department does not hold a separate budget for this.

  • Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to amend the eligibility criteria for pension credit so that all men and women aged 60 and above can access that credit.

    Richard Harrington

    Pension Credit is an income-related benefit paid out of general taxation which targets help at the poorest pensioners. It is a condition of entitlement for Pension Credit that a person has attained the “qualifying age”, which is linked to the women’s State Pension age. This is the same age at which entitlement to Universal Credit ceases.

    Changing the eligibility criteria would mean displacing Universal Credit with Pension Credit. Universal Credit has much better work incentives than Pension Credit, and ensures that work always pays. Universal Credit also disregards pension pots in the means test, encouraging further saving, whereas Pension Credit takes pension pots into account and therefore provides no incentive to increase their size.

    For those with disability and care needs, the welfare system already makes provision through benefits and services based on needs assessment. This includes provision for those whose health condition means that it is difficult for them to remain in employment. The Government will be publishing a Green Paper on Work and Health later this year which will consider this issue.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much of the UK’s contribution to the EU budget through customs duties related to each (a) product type and (b) country in 2014-15.

    Damian Hinds

    To identify how much of the UK’s contribution to the EU budget through customs duties related to each (a) product type and (b) country in 2014-15 would incur disproportionate cost.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to ensure the powers of intervention over Local Government Pension Scheme funds’ non-financial investment policies do not conflict with (a) Article 18 of EU Directive 41/2003 and (b) Occupational Pension Scheme Investment Regulations 2005.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Department is currently consulting on proposals to amend the scheme’s investment regulations to allow the Secretary of State to make a proportionate intervention in the investment function of an administering authority if it has not had regard to best practice, guidance or regulations. The consultation was published on the basis that the scheme is consistent with the way in which Directive 41/2003 on the Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision Directive was transposed into national law, including the Occupational Pension Scheme (Investment) Regulations 2005. The consultation closes on 19 February.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many full-time equivalent staff from (a) police, (b) probation and (c) prison services employed in multi-agency public protection arrangements work in each responsible authority (a) on the last date for which figures are available and (b) in each year since 2009-10.

    Andrew Selous

    The Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) provide a statutory framework within which criminal justice and social care agencies are required to assess and manage the risk presented by sexual and violent offenders, with a view to reducing re-offending and protecting the public. MAPPA is not a statutory body in itself but is a mechanism through which agencies can better discharge their statutory responsibilities and protect the public in a co-ordinated manner.

    The Responsible Authorities – the Probation, Police and Prison Services acting jointly – have a duty to ensure that the risks posed by specified sexual and violent offenders are assessed and managed property. The work undertaken by the Responsible Authorities to manage these offenders can therefore not be disaggregated from the core business of agency management.

  • Sir Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Sir Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in NATO Transformation.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    Good progress is being made since Wales on transforming NATO’s ability to respond to the range of challenges the Alliance faces. NATO’s new political guidance gives the Alliance the flexibility to plan for and adapt to the threats that it may face, including from Cyber and Hybrid attacks. The Readiness Action Plan, agreed at the Wales Summit, established the NATO enhanced Response Force, which will enable NATO to respond quickly, efficiently and effectively to the evolving and emerging threats. In support of this, the UK will lead a multinational force that includes up to 3,000 UK personnel as Framework Nation for NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in 2017.

  • Nigel Mills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Nigel Mills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Mills on 2016-05-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times HM Revenue and Customs has been a creditor in the last five years.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is a creditor of anyone who has a tax debt. We do not have complete information about the number of debtors who have owed money to HMRC in the past five years.

  • Scott Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Scott Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Scott Mann on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to protect the armed forces from persistent legal claims.

    Penny Mordaunt

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave in the House on 18 April 2016 to Question 904485 to the hon. Member for Braintree (James Cleverly).

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made on ensuring that energy efficiency in the private rented sector is improved to meet new regulations regarding E-grade standards for properties to be let.

    Jesse Norman

    The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property)(England and Wales) Regulations 2015 requires that all landlords of domestic and non-domestic privately rented property in England and Wales ensure that, from 1 April 2018, their properties reach an energy performance rating of at least an E before granting a tenancy to new or existing tenants, unless a prescribed exemption applies.

    The Department has undertaken, and will continue to undertake, engagement activity with landlord groups to help them understand the requirements of the regulations. Officials are currently preparing guidance to assist non-domestic landlords in complying with their obligations under the regulations, and we will prepare similar guidance for domestic landlords in due course.

    The Department is also developing a landlord exemptions register, a requirement of the Regulations, which will be used by enforcement authorities to help target their enforcement activities, and which will allow landlords to register online any exemptions that apply.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will ask Ofcom to compare the predicted and actual proportion of BT’s ducts that are able to have fibre blown through them without further civil works.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    All ducts and poles in BT’s network beyond the telephone exchange are open to other providers, under the Passive Infrastructure Access obligation imposed by Ofcom, to provide primarily residential broadband services. In its Digital Communications Review. Ofcom is looking at the future role of passive infrastructure access in facilitating competition and innovation.