Tag: 2016

Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Warner on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money has been passed to the Scottish Government under the Barnett formula for NHS Services in each year since that Government was established; and what proportion of that money was actually spent on NHS services by the Scottish Parliament in each of those years.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The mechanical application of the Barnett Formula ensures that the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly receive a population share of changes in UK government funding on the services for which they have devolved responsibility. In accordance with the principles of devolution and the devolution Acts themselves, it is for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their funding (from the block grant or taxes/borrowing) to public services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; and it is for the devolved legislatures to hold them to account. The Scottish Government’s new fiscal framework does not alter this.

01/01/2023
Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contracts (a) have been agreed and (b) are still to be awarded by Highways England for (i) routine highway services and (ii) specialist goods and services.

Andrew Jones

For routine highways services and specialist goods and services, Highways England has awarded several contracts that cover the whole of England. One recently awarded contract was in the Area 7, for the East Midlands and Lincolnshire:
- Maintenance and Response Contract- this was awarded to Amey Highways Ltd on 14th March 2016 and is now in mobilisation.
- Design Contract – this was awarded to Kier Highways on 10th March.
Contracts still to be awarded include:
- Construction Works Framework – Award is scheduled for early May 2016.
- Salt Saturators – Award is programmed for 15th April 2016.
- Salt supply – Highways England intend to use the ESPO framework which is currently being tendered for the supply of salt. ESPO is a public sector owned professional buying organisation and Highways England are scheduled to award a task order for the supply of salt in mid May 2016
- Structural Inspections – award is scheduled for early June 2016.
- Technical Surveys and Testing – this is the non-OJEU process and Highways England has published a Prior Information Notice (PIN) in the Official Journal for the European Union detailing how firms are to register. Responses are currently being assessed and then assessed firms will be invited to tender for specific pieces of work.
- Weather forecasting – this is currently out to tender, with the award date scheduled for mid-June 2016
The Asset Led Delivery Model that is being adopted in Area 7 will also be rolled out in Areas 1 and 2 covering the South West of England and in Areas 13 covering Cumbria and Lancashire. These contracts will not be awarded until 2017.
01/01/2023
Neil Parish – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Parish on 2016-04-27.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of fruit juice a drink must contain to be considered a pure fruit juice for the purposes of the sugar levy.

Damian Hinds

The levy will apply to soft drinks with added sugar. This will include any fruit or vegetable juice drinks that contain added sugar. Pure fruit and vegetable juices, and other juice drinks that do not have added sugar will not be liable.

01/01/2023
Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been awarded the enhanced rate mobility component of personal independence payment in each month since January 2014.

Justin Tomlinson

The available data on the number of claimants in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), by a range of breakdowns including award outcomes, are available from Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

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01/01/2023
Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 24 March 2016 to Question 31582, whether the Government has offered support to the government of Iraq on collecting forensic evidence of genocide committed against the Yazidis and other religious minority groups.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We continue to condemn in the strongest terms the appalling crimes that Daesh has committed in Iraq against Christians, Yezidis and other minorities, as well as the majority Muslim population.

On 21 July, The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), announced that the UK will work with international partners to drive a global campaign to hold Daesh to account for its crimes. Over the summer, Ministers and officials have been working with international partners, including the Government of Iraq, to establish the character and scope of this campaign. We will take forward action on it in New York later this month.

01/01/2023
Peter Bone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2016-10-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the change in the value of the pound on the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Simon Kirby

The UK has an inflation target, not an exchange rate target, and the Government does not express a view on the level of the exchange rate. Instead, the exchange rate is allowed to adjust flexibly in response to economic conditions and movements in sterling are determined by market forces.

The UK economy is fundamentally strong and is well-placed to deal with the challenges, and take advantage of the opportunities, that lie ahead. HM Government is not giving a running commentary on our exit negotiations.

01/01/2023

Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-11.

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the maximum permitted spending by each campaign will be during the final weeks of campaigning on the referendum on EU membership; and what steps the Electoral Commission plans to take to ensure that spending by each campaign is subject to the same limit.

Mr Gary Streeter

The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) sets out the spending limits that apply during the regulated referendum period at UK-wide referendums. The duration of the referendum period for the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union will be set out in secondary legislation.

PPERA does not set total spending limits for each of the referendum outcomes; rather it applies spending limits to individual campaigners that take part in the debate.

The Commission is already monitoring the campaigning activities of potential referendum campaigners so that it can identify any emerging issues and offer advice and guidance to those that intend to campaign at the referendum. Once the rules come into force, the Commission’s campaign monitoring will inform the use, if necessary and appropriate, of its enforcement and sanctioning powers where the rules are not followed.

For the EU Referendum, Parliament increased the limits set out in PPERA to take account of inflation. The limits for political parties that register to campaign in support of a particular outcome are allocated according to the party’s share of the vote at the last UK Parliamentary general election. Campaigners that do not register with the Commission are limited to spending £10,000. The new limits are set out in the table below:

	EU Referendum Bill spending limits for a referendum held before 31 December 2017	2015 UK general election vote share
Limits for designated lead campaigners	£7,000,000	–
Limits for political parties with:
>30% share of the vote	£7,000,000	Conservative (36.8%)
>20-30% share of the vote	£5,500,000	Labour (29%[1])
>10-20% share of the vote	£4,000,000	UKIP (12.6%)
>5-10% share of the vote	£3,000,000	Liberal Democrat (7.9%)
	£700,000	SNP (4.7%) Green (3.8%) DUP (0.6%) Plaid Cymru (0.6%) Sinn Fein (0.6%) SDLP (0.3%) UUP (0.4%) Plus all other parties that stood at least one candidate at 2015 UKPGE
Limits for other registered campaigners	£700,000	–

[1] Labour Party share of the vote is adjusted because votes cast for joint candidates are divided by the number of parties the candidate is standing for i.e. Labour / Co-op candidates (PPERA Sch14, para 1(4))

01/01/2023

Lord Lansley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lansley on 2016-02-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to make permanent the restriction on HGVs overtaking between Junctions 9 and 10 of the M11, following the trial.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

There are currently no restrictions on HGVs overtaking between Junctions 9 and 10 of the M11 and there are no plans to introduce restrictions. A permanent overtaking restriction on the uphill sections of the M11 between Junctions 8 and 9 is planned to be implemented in late 2016/17 subject to the completion of statutory processes and the availability of funding.

01/01/2023
Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many new apprenticeships were created in East London in 2015.

Nick Boles

Information on the number of Apprenticeship starts by region, Local Authority and Parliamentary constituency is published as a supplementary table (first link) to a Statistical First release (second link). Latest published data includes Apprenticeship starts reported to date for August to October 2015. Data up to and including January 2016 will be published at the same link following publication of the next Statistical First Release on 23^rd March 2016.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/493777/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

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01/01/2023
Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefits to the Calder Valley of a high speed rail link between Leeds and Manchester.

Andrew Jones

Since the publication of the March 2015 Northern Transport Strategy, the Government and Transport for the North have been taking forward a programme of work on an ambitious Northern Powerhouse Rail vision. Parallel work is also taking place to understand the capability of the North’s road network.

Detailed analysis has not yet been carried out on the potential benefits of high speed rail links between particular locations across the Pennines. However the recent Budget allocated £60million to help develop the options for a High Speed 3 route between Leeds and Manchester.

01/01/2023