Tag: 2016

Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-04-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many statutory instruments to vary fees charged by public bodies have been laid in Parliament under section 102 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1987 in each year since 2009-10; how many of those proposals have allowed public bodies to (a) increase fees, (b) levy fees to raise revenues in excess of the cost of the services that body provides and (c) levy fees to raise revenues below the cost of the services that body provides.

Greg Hands

The public record indicates that there was one statutory instrument authorised by parliament, laid under the authority of section 102 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1987, during the 2009-10 parliamentary session, and none in subsequent sessions.

This instrument allowed the former Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to take past deficits into account in setting fee levels under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, for the three years ending on 31 March 2013. Whether individual fee levels subsequently increased or decreased in any year would depend on the level of costs incurred by OFT in delivering the services for which fees were charged in those years.

A decision to levy fees below the costs of the service in any year would have been for the OFT to determine in proposing its fee levels for the subsequent years, and its sponsor department in agreeing how to fund any shortfalls.

01/01/2023
Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy towards the future of the European Youth Orchestra, and the role of the EU in its future.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

Last week the commission announced the continuation of the orchestra for a further year, until the end of 2016. British donors and foundations are prominent among its funders, reflecting the generosity of British philanthropy in the arts.

01/01/2023
Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of people in (i) Leeds North West constituency, (ii) the Leeds City Region, (iii) West Yorkshire and (iv) Yorkshire are paid less than the Living Wage Foundation’s living wage.

Chris Skidmore

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

01/01/2023

Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the contractual agreement between her Department and G4S Care and Justice Services (UK) Limited at HM Prison (a) Birmingham and (b) Oakwood, how many performance points have been incurred and for what reason those performance points have been incurred in each year from 2012-13 to date.

Mr Sam Gyimah

Well-run prisons are fundamental to the proper functioning of our justice system, and a vital part of our reform plans. Private providers play an important role in the prison estate. Performance of all providers is closely monitored and we will not hesitate to take action where standards fall short.

Prison Contracts set out a strict performance framework, consisting of prescriptive performance targets. Failure by the provider to meet performance targets results in performance points being applied.

Performance points are awarded according to the severity of failure. If the total number of points exceeds the agreed baseline for the performance quarter or year, financial remedies are applied against the Contractor in accordance with the Contract. In certain circumstances financial remedies can also be applied directly, without performance points being accrued. The amount of points awarded therefore cannot always be linked to the value of remedies imposed.

The number of performance points incurred at HMP Birmingham and HMP Oakwood for the reporting years 2012-2013 through to 2015-2016 are as follows.

Data for reporting year 2016-2017 is not yet available as it has not been finalised.

		2012-2013	2013-2014	2014-2015	2015-2016
		Points	Points	Points	Points
Birmingham	Failure to comply with procedures	0	248.9	25	103
Incidents	0	0	0	0
Failure to comply with prison regime	135	45.71	0	0
Oakwood	Failure to comply with procedures	7	1.5	0	0
	Incidents	0	0	0	0
	Failure to comply with prison regime	90	10	0	0

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01/01/2023

Christina Rees – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the findings of the report by Professor Walton, published in December 2015, that the current insolvency litigation regime returns £480 million a year to creditors, including £115 million a year to HM Revenue and Customs.

Dominic Raab

Since the passage of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) 2012, it has always been the government’s stated intention that the exemption for insolvency cases would be temporary. Commencement of Part 2 of LASPO’s conditional fee (or ‘no win no fee’) arrangement reforms for insolvency, was announced in December and will apply from April this year. The aim of LASPO’s reforms was to control the cost of civil litigation.

Ministry of Justice Officials discussed Professor Walton’s report with him, but the Ministry of Justice did not agree with his conclusions. Officials have also met representatives of insolvency practitioners who use no win no fee arrangements to fund these cases, as well as those who fund them in other ways.

01/01/2023
Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what definition is used by HM Revenue and Customs to define an EU migrant family, and for what purposes such classifications are used; and which other government departments use similar definitions and classification, and for what purposes.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

EU migrant family is not a technical term that HM Revenue & Customs use in their calculations.

01/01/2023
Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps is he is taking to support the youth work sector; and if he will take steps to support that sector through sustainable funding, investment in research and incentives to encourage volunteering.

Mr Rob Wilson

It is the responsibility of local authorities to decide how to allocate funding for youth services according to local need, through the existing statutory duty (Education Act 2006, Section 507B). Government launched the Delivering Differently for Young People Programme to offer practical support to local authorities in exploring innovative and sustainable models for delivering youth services. Government continues to support the Centre for Youth Impact to work with youth organisations to undertake research to measure impact and demonstrate value to funders and commissioners. We are also committed to expanding National Citizen Service, which many youth sector organisations help to deliver. Government is taking new steps to encourage and enable social action. This includes a further £15m investment in the next phase of the Centre for Social Action. We want social action to become a lifelong habit.

01/01/2023
Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the conclusion in the report from Sense, entitled Making the case for play, published in February 2016, that a misguided interpretation and approach to health and safety is creating a barrier to accessing play settings and activities for children with multiple needs.

Mr Sam Gyimah

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given on 11 April to PQ 32244, which I have also set out below:

The government recognises that play is essential for children’s development and this is covered in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework. Play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning, and the EYFS is clear that “practitioners must consider the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of each child in their care… to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development.” Health and safety should not create a barrier to accessing play activities for children with multiple needs.

The staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department. However, it is the responsibility of early years settings to provide play opportunities for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Ofsted conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards and assesses the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have SEND.

As you may be aware, the Childcare Act 2016 expands the free childcare entitlement from 15 to 30 hours for three- and four-year-olds of working parents. As part of the Early Implementer Package announced on Tuesday 2 February, local authorities involved will be using the opportunity to test and showcase how childcare can be delivered in a way that improves access for children with SEND. The department also launched a consultation on 3 April seeking views on key elements of the operation and delivery of the 30 hours and we specifically welcome views on provision for children with SEND. The consultation is available at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/30-hour-free-childcare-entitlement.

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01/01/2023
Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support Turkey joining the EU, and what pre-conditions they believe should attach to such admission.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government supports the process of Turkey’s EU accession, which remains the most effective means of encouraging reform, stability and democracy in Turkey. But as the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has made it clear that the question of Turkey actually joining the EU is ‘not remotely on the cards’, indeed that he does not believe it will happen ‘for decades’. Every Member State has a veto, at every stage of the process.

Turkey would need to undergo substantial reform before we could consider Turkish accession to the EU, particularly in terms of rule of law, freedom of speech, and socio-economic convergence with EU standards. Furthermore, the Government will not agree to any further EU enlargement without new arrangements for transitional controls on freedom of movement. We do not want to take the risk, as we did in 2004, of very large movements of people after a new accession. Under the European Union Act 2011, any new Accession Treaty would require parliamentary approval by primary legislation before it could be ratified.

01/01/2023
Calum Kerr – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Calum Kerr on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she will take to protect businesses in the digital sector as the UK prepares to leave the EU.

Matt Hancock

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with all of our sectors to make sure they have a voice as we prepare for negotiations to exit the European Union. We will continue to have regular engagement with organisations from across the digital sector to make sure their views and concerns are represented fully in our preparations for exit negotiations.

01/01/2023