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Tag: 2016

  • Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Cox on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on recognising Palestine as a state since the House of Commons vote on this matter in October 2014.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Since the debate on 13 October 2014, neither the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) nor I have had any discussions with Ministerial colleagues on this subject.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the local government finance settlement 2016-17, whether he consulted the Office for Budget Responsibility on the distribution of the transitional grant.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Office for Budget Responsibility is concerned with national economic forecasting, while the Transition Grant is a subnational distribution. It was therefore not necessary nor would it have been standard practice to consult the OBR on this issue.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the purpose was of the HIV pre-exposure prophylaxsis stakeholder consultation in January 2016.

    Jane Ellison

    All specialised commissioning policy propositions go through a short period of stakeholder testing to check, amongst other things, whether all relevant evidence has been considered.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Europe of 8 June 2016, Official Report, column 137WH, when the cross-departmental programme expenditure funding to support Yemen’s national de-mining institution will be released.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK has thus far released £671,592 of funding from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund to UNDP, who manage the project rebuilding the capacity of Yemen’s national demining institution (YEMAC) and supporting mapping and clearance operations. This project, to which the UK will contribute a total of £1.05m, will reduce the physical and social-economic impact of mines and explosive remnants of war on people and communities. This is part of the UK’s wider efforts to help address Yemen’s urgent humanitarian needs and contribute to effective stabilisation – giving the nascent peace process a better chance of success.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on the renewal of the lease on the Chagos Islands that ends on 31 December 2016; and if he will make a statement.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The Government supports the US presence on Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory, and wishes it to continue. This presence is underpinned by an Exchange of Notes which will roll over automatically for a further 20 years if neither side decides to terminate it before 30 December this year.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities are properly funded to pay carers the national living wage.

    David Mowat

    Social care continues to be a key priority for the Government. This is why, against the context of tough public sector finances; the Government has taken steps to protect social care services. The Government is giving local authorities access to up to £3.5 billion of new support for social care by 2019/20. This should mean local government has access to the funding to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament. This will support councils to continue to focus on core services and to pay fees which reflect provider costs including the National Living Wage.

    The spending took into account a range of financial and economic factors, including projections and data on the National Living Wage from the Office of Budget Responsibility and Skills for Care.

    The National Living Wage is an important step in rewarding the valuable contribution made by care workers, who often fall into the lowest earning occupations. Out of an estimated 1.16 million workers in adult social care in England, up to 900,000 people are expected to benefit.

    Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities must have regard to fostering an effective workforce with the appropriate capabilities when shaping their local markets. The Act and its statutory guidance make clear that prices and fee rates agreed with providers must reflect these new duties, including the National Living Wage. The Department continues to monitor the whole of the market of care providers and engage with the sector to better understand the challenges they face and support local authorities who purchase services.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that benefit claimants who are sanctioned receive a written notification of the sanction before their benefit payment is withdrawn.

    Priti Patel

    We recently reintroduced automated sanction notifications (from Monday 23rd November 2015) to ensure that all claimants who are sanctioned receive a written notification of the sanction.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individual unique addresses asylum seekers were accommodated in by her Department in each constituency in the UK in each of the last six years.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Accommodation for asylum seekers is provided through third party accommodation providers under the COMPASS contracts. The Government does not retain information on the number of unique addresses as there is no direct contractual relationship between the Home Office and private landlords. The Home Office publishes quarterly data on the number of asylum seekers in Section 95 dispersal accommodation, by local authority. Data regarding the precise locations of asylum applicants cannot be provided at ward or constituency level as to do so would incur disproportionate costs and be precluded by the provisions of the Data Protection Act, given that individuals could reasonably be identified by such data.

  • Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the budget of the Conflict Security and Stability Fund will come from her Department in each year up to 2020.

    Justine Greening

    The budget of the Conflict Security and Stability Fund is allocated by HMT.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department were in receipt of Continuity of Education Allowance in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; and what the cost to his Department was of providing that allowance for staff based (i) in the UK and (ii) overseas in each such year.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The requested information is provided in the following table and I have added the figures for 2009-10 for comparison.

    Continuity of Education Allowance, Number of Claimants and Cost (UK and Overseas) by Financial Year (FY)

    FY 2009-10

    FY 2012-13

    FY 2013-14

    FY 2014-15

    UK Claimants

    5,020

    4,160

    3,600

    3,230

    Overseas Claimants

    1,000

    790

    700

    650

    Total Claimants

    6,020

    4,950

    4,300

    3,880

    UK Cost (£ million)

    93.2

    82.2

    74.3

    69.4

    Overseas Cost (£ million)

    18.1

    16.4

    15.0

    15.1

    Total Cost (£ million)

    111.3

    98.7

    89.3

    84.5

    Note: all numbers are rounded

    Continuity of Education Allowance was reviewed as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 since when improvements in governance have achieved a reduction of costs by around £30 million per annum along with an associated reduction in claimants. Work continues to further reduce the cost of the allowance.