Tag: 2016

  • Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Clegg on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on assessing the social and economic value of a pub to the local area; and if he will make a statement of the effectiveness of that guidance.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government has not issued guidance to local authorities on assessing the social and economic value of their local pubs. However, the British Beer and Pub Association estimate that each pub contributes £80,000 each year to its local economy and that the UK pubs industry as a whole supports 900,000 jobs.

  • Gordon Henderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gordon Henderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Henderson on 2016-06-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of correspondence not yet dealt with at the HM Revenue and Customs Stamp Duty office.

    Mr David Gauke

    This Government invested in HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Stamp Taxes business unit at Budget 2016 to increase capacity in relation to the new higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax on additional properties.

    In order to reduce volumes of correspondence HMRC is reviewing guidance to cover those areas where substantial correspondence has been generated.

    Additional resources have been put into call handling at HMRC’s Stamp Taxes helpline, providing an improved customer service and aiming to reduce follow-up correspondence.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s funding of free early education of the conclusions of the report of the Family and Childcare Trust, Driving High Quality Childcare: the role of local authorities, published on 11 August 2016, on the proportion of local authorities which use such funding to encourage graduate-led care.

    Caroline Dinenage

    We recognise that high quality childcare improves children’s long-term educational outcomes and helps close the gap in attainment between the most disadvantaged children and their peers. We want to enable all children, whatever their background and individual needs, to access high quality early education. Investment has an important part to play in achieving continued improvements in quality. We have committed over £1 billion more per year by 2019-20 to fund the early years entitlements – this includes £300 million per year from 2017-18 for a significant increase to the rate paid for the two, three and four year old entitlements.

    We know that high quality childcare has the most significant impact on those from disadvantaged homes. Therefore it is important that funding is targeted at those areas and children who need it most. This is why we propose an additional needs factor in the early years national funding formula, on which we are currently consulting. This will channel funding towards local authorities with a higher relative proportion of children with additional needs.

    Whilst we know funding plays a role in the quality of childcare, we also recognise the importance of the early years workforce in improving quality and delivering better outcomes for children. That is why we are committed to publishing an early years workforce strategy. The Government currently delivers early years initial teacher training places in England. We fund eligible graduates to undertake the training, and provide student bursaries. Information about training routes is available on the Get into Teaching website at: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

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  • Khalid Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Khalid Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Khalid Mahmood on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish an updated timetable on the development of the Institute for Apprenticeships.

    Robert Halfon

    The Institute for Apprenticeships will come into being in April 2017. We expect to publish further information about how the Institute will operate in due course.

  • Lord Wallace of Saltaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 7 July 2009 (WA 122), why the Background briefing on the Crown Dependencies on the Ministry of Justice website indicates that the maintenance costs of the Alderney breakwater form part of Guernsey’s annual voluntary contribution towards the cost of its defence and international representation by the UK” when the Ministry of Defence ceded responsibility for the maintenance of that anchorage in 1950.”

    Lord Faulks

    The background briefing paper to which the noble Lord refers correctly represents the current position. The United Kingdom is responsible for the defence and international representation of the Crown Dependencies, including the Bailiwick of Guernsey of which Alderney forms part. The Alderney breakwater was completed in 1865 to shelter Royal Navy vessels. In 1950 responsibility for its maintenance was transferred from the Ministry of Defence to the Home Office. The maintenance costs continued to be met by HM Government until 1 April 1987, when Guernsey assumed responsibility for maintaining the breakwater as part of its annual voluntary contribution towards the costs of defence and international representation undertaken by the UK.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of how many eligible pupils did not claim free school meals in each of the last three years.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Department only collects data on those eligible pupils who claim free school meals. To collect the data on pupils who did not claim free school meals could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 24 of the interim report of the Accelerated Access Review, published in October 2015, what steps he is taking to ensure that drugs that target the genetically validated targets (a) PCSK9 and (b) BCL2 are introduced into routine NHS care; and if he will make a statement.

    George Freeman

    The Accelerated Access Review, chaired by Sir Hugh Taylor, will make recommendations to government on reforms to accelerate access for National Health Service patients to innovative medicines and medical technologies making our country the best place in the world to design, develop and deploy these products. The terms of the reference for the review focus on faster access to innovations, which may include drugs that target genetically validated targets such as PCSK9 and BCL2.

  • Lord Mancroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Mancroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mancroft on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people diagnosed with hepatitis C are eligible for treatment under the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance for new direct acting antiviral drugs.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) modelling, NHS England has planned for 10,000 patients to be treated in 2016/17. No national registry exists for hepatitis C and as a result NICE estimates that the NHS should be treating 10,000 people based on the total number of people diagnosed with hepatitis C, their genotype, their treatment history and their disease severity, all of which impact on treatment eligibility.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has provided support to the US administration for its remotely piloted aircraft system strikes in Yemen.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The UK Government has not provided support to the US for Remotely Piloted Aircraft System strikes in Yemen.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether 77th Brigade’s full operating capability has been met.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Following its establishment in April 2015, 77th Brigade is planned to reach full operating capability in December 2019.