The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-05-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what sanctions can be applied in the event of a breach by Govia Thameslink Railway of its remedial plan.
Claire Perry
The “Enforcement Policy: Rail Franchise Agreements and Closures” sets out what actions can be taken; a copy of this is attached.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-07-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the need for humanitarian aid and assistance in Yemen.
Rory Stewart
The United Nations’ 2016 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (YHRP), published in January 2016, reports that 21.2 million people in Yemen require some kind of humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs or protect their fundamental rights, particularly for food, water and sanitation, healthcare, and support to internally displaced people. The YHRP is currently 26% funded with donations of £351 million. The UK has so far committed to spending £72 million in Yemen over 2016-17. We continue to call on other donors to provide funding for the crisis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Government Actuary’s Department report, A cohort approach to social care funding, published on 15 September 2016, what assessment he has made of the potential effectiveness of his Department’s policies on meeting the pension and social care needs of the millennial generation; and if he will bring forward proposals for a cohort approach to social care funding in his Autumn Statement.
David Mowat
Social care continues to be a key priority for this Government. It is critical in enabling people with care and support needs to retain their independence and dignity. That is why we have already introduced landmark reforms to ensure people should not have to sell their home in their lifetime to meet the cost of care and we have set out plans to cap the amount that people will need to spend to meet their cost of care.
We are mindful of the changing demographic of our population and the evidence produced from the Foresight ‘Future of Ageing Population’ project and are looking in the longer term about how best to respond to the challenges ahead. Decisions about the Autumn Statement are a matter for the Treasury.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the situation in Gaza.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza. There is an urgent need for all the parties to reach an agreement that addresses the underlying causes of conflict in Gaza and to take the necessary steps to ensure Gaza’s reconstruction and economic recovery. Any agreement should ensure that Hamas and other militant groups permanently end rocket and other attacks against Israel; the Palestinian Authority resumes control of Gaza and restores effective governance; and that Israel lifts its restrictions to ease the suffering of ordinary Palestinians. Through the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism, over 96,000 people have now been able to buy materials to repair homes that were damaged during the conflict. The UN reports that more than 90 percent of damaged schools and hospitals have been repaired while repairs have either been completed or are ongoing on about half of all partially damaged homes. We continue to raise Gaza in our meetings with the Israeli government. On 10 September, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymead and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), emphasised the importance of improving daily life for the people of Gaza with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. On 24 November our Deputy Head of Mission in Tel Aviv met the Head of Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories’ Civil Administration department. He stressed the urgency of Israel coming forward with a transformative package for Gaza and the West Bank, setting out in particular our concerns about power supply and movement and access restrictions. We are also urging Egypt to show maximum flexibility in opening the Rafah crossing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-01-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much Fylde and Wyre Clinical Commissioning Group spent on contracts with Same Day Walk-In Centres in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.
Jane Ellison
The data requested are not centrally available. This is a matter for Fylde and Wyre Clinical Commissioning Group.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2016-02-24.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the uptake of the marriage tax allowance is; what steps he is taking to increase uptake of that allowance; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Gauke
400,000 couples have successfully claimed Marriage Allowance. HM Revenue and Customers is continuing to extensively market Marriage Allowance, including through print, radio and billboard advertising. Eligible couples who haven’t already claimed for the tax year 2015/16 will not lose out as they have until 5 April 2020 to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to announce details of the 2016-17 social work bursary.
Alistair Burt
The Department plans to publish details of the number of new social work bursaries that will be available in the 2016 academic year, by the end of May 2016. This will include details of the number of new bursaries allocated to each Higher Education Institute for both undergraduates and postgraduates.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish an annual report on the UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy in 2016; and when he expects the next five year report on that strategy to be published.
Jane Ellison
The UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Strategy (2013-2018) annual progress report, 2015, was delayed to give the Report a stronger ‘one health’ perspective and to better reflect progress across the four nations, which required additional analytical work. We hope to publish the report shortly.
The Department has just commissioned an independent scoping study to inform the evaluation of the current strategy which will inform any future strategy document.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the loss of local authorities’ access to housing benefit claim data on their ability to target services and support tenants effectively; and if he will make a statement.
Justin Tomlinson
Local authorities are the data owners of Housing Benefit data. DWP shares customer data with local authorities in order for them to assess claims more effectively and quickly and to help them to keep claims right. We have contingency arrangements in place, should those interfaces fail.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-07-21.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) internal and (b) externally commissioned research his Department has conducted on potential links between the levels of tax and illicit trade in the alcohol and tobacco sectors.
Jane Ellison
The government considers a number of different factors when deciding duty rates for alcohol and tobacco, including the impact on the illicit trade.
HMRC have published econometric analysis of cigarette and alcohol consumption, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-revenue-and-customs-research-working-papers.