Tag: 2016

  • Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprenticeship starts his Department forecasts there will be in the construction sector for 2016.

    Nick Boles

    Apprenticeships are categorised according to the Sector Subject Area of the apprenticeship, not the industry sector of the employer.

    The Department does not produce forecasts for apprenticeship starts by Sector Subject Area. Apprenticeships are paid jobs and their availability is dependent on employers offering opportunities and hiring apprentices.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local authorities take Frontline participants on placement; and what plans she has to expand the number of local authorities involved in the Frontline programme.

    Edward Timpson

    18 local authorities in the London and Greater Manchester regions are taking Frontline participants on placement as part of the 2015 Cohort, these are as follows:

    Bexley

    Croydon

    Ealing

    Enfield

    Essex

    Hammersmith & Fulham

    Harrow

    Kensington & Chelsea

    Kingston

    Manchester

    Merton

    Richmond

    Salford

    Southwark

    Tower Hamlets

    Westminster

    Wigan

    Windsor & Maidenhead

    Frontline will expand to the North East as part of Cohort 2016. As a result, up to 29 local authorities are expected to take Frontline participants on placement; local authorities confirmed so far include:

    Bexley

    Ealing

    Enfield

    Essex

    Gateshead

    Hammersmith & Fulham

    Harrow

    Hartlepool

    Havering

    Hounslow

    Kensington & Chelsea

    Kingston

    Manchester

    Merton

    Newham

    North Tyneside

    Northumberland

    Oldham

    Redcar

    Richmond

    Rochdale

    Southwark

    Sunderland

    Tower Hamlets

    Trafford

    Westminster

    Wigan

    Windsor & Maidenhead

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-03-24.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that consumers have adequate advice and information about the benefits and risks of investing in a lifetime ISA.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government is committed to ensuring that people have access to affordable financial advice and guidance, at all stages of their lives. As announced at Budget 2016, the Government will take forward all the recommendations of the Financial Advice Market Review for which it is responsible, to support the development of a market which provides affordable, high-quality advice.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 57 of the Equality Analysis in the new contract for doctors and dentists in training in the NHS, published in March 2016, if he will implement the recommendation that a pro rata cash sum equivalent to a five per cent to 10 per cent pay enhancement should be paid to part-time doctors based on the proportion of full-time work for on-call that has been agreed in the work schedule.

    Ben Gummer

    Yes. This is explicit paragraph 11 of Schedule 2 in the Terms and Conditions of Service published by NHS Employers on 31 March 2016.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-06-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to provide any funding for a further assessment of the Redcar SSI site as recommended in the independent report, Tees Valley: opportunity unlimited, published on 7 June 2016.

    Greg Hands

    I welcome Lord Heseltine’s independent report on the Tees Valley following the closure of the SSI steelworks. As noted in the report, the Government is providing funding for an intermediate body to manage the site prior to the creation of the Mayoral Development Corporation, and is funding site assessments in 2016-17 in order to understand the scale and complexity of the SSI site. The case for any further Government funding will be considered in light of those assessments.

  • Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the size of (a) rail franchises and (b) the Govia Thameslink rail franchise on the efficient delivery of rail services.

    Paul Maynard

    We take a very large number of factors into account when determining the most appropriate way forward when franchises are due for renewal. We undertook just such an assessment when considering options for the most appropriate approach to providing passenger rail services during the delivery of the Thameslink Programme infrastructure and the introduction of new rolling stock. This included balancing the size of the franchise against the need to ensure effective coordination of all the services on the lines affected by Thameslink during the construction period. We of course always take into account lessons learned from practice when looking at similar decisions in the future.

    Regarding the size of the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise, as I made clear at the Transport Select Committee, it is unlikely the Department will wish to let such a franchise in the future. The size of the franchise is a factor in this assessment. However, I believe that with the measures recently announced this franchise should deliver a better passenger experience in the future.

  • Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-10-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 19 of the Children’s Society Report entitled the cost of being care free: the impact of poor financial education and removal of support on care leavers, published in 2016, what plans he has to better protect care leavers.

    Damian Hinds

    We are grateful for this report focusing on care leavers from the Children’s Society, and for their recommendations, which we will consider as part of our continuous review of sanctions policy to ensure the process functions effectively and fairly. I can assure you that where we identify an issue, we act to put it right.

    For care leavers, as with other claimants, the sanctions process encourages them to prepare for or find work, by meeting their agreed commitments based on their individual circumstances and capabilities, as set out in their Claimant Commitment. This includes both mandatory and voluntary actions care leavers have agreed to undertake. The consequences and implications of not meeting any agreed requirement are clearly set out and explained to them.

    A decision to apply a sanction is not taken lightly, and claimants are given the opportunity to provide a good reason for not complying before the decision is made.

    Our primary goal is to help care leavers get into work wherever possible and they receive tailored, locally-appropriate employment support at the earliest opportunity to achieve this.

    Care leavers, like all claimants, take ownership of planning how they will meet their requirements and ultimately secure employment. They will be supported by their Work Coach who will assist them in meeting their requirements through providing encouragement and direction, using a range of communication methods. Work Coaches support all claimants who require additional support to ensure that they fully understand what they have been asked to do to enable them to access DWP benefits and use our services.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they provided financial support to the exhibition Sand in My Eyes: Sudanese Moments at the Brunei Gallery, and what assessment they have made of whether that exhibition received funding from the government of Sudan or the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    We did not provide financial support to the exhibition Sand in My Eyes: Sudanese Moments at the Brunei Gallery, which is co-presented by the Brunei Gallery, SOAS and the Embassy of the Republic of Sudan.

    We are aware that the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs are supporting the exhibition, however no formal assessment has been made whether the exhibition has received funding from the Government of Sudan or the Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services.

    The human rights situation in Sudan remains of serious concern; HMG consistently raise our concerns with the Government of Sudan and armed opposition groups and, where relevant, in the UN.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish all agreements made to date with EDF energy over financing and borrowing arrangements for the proposed Hinkley C nuclear plant; and if he will ensure that agreements which relate to the differential financial arrangements depending on development of the Flamanville nuclear plant in France and the proposed Sizewell C plant are so published.

    Greg Hands

    The financing and borrowing arrangements for the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear plant have not yet been signed. These arrangements are commercially sensitive and will not be published. However, the Chancellor did announce in September 2015 an initial guarantee of £2 billion of bonds which must be repaid by December 2020 by the shareholders of the project company. There is no further obligation to issue guarantees after that date.

    It is the intention of DECC to publish the Contract for Difference following its signature, and this is the document that contains the reduction in the Hinkley Point C “Strike Price” from £92.50 to £89.50 – which is linked to a positive decision by EDF to proceed with Sizewell C.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications for consent determined by the Marine Management Organisation have required appropriate assessment of their effect on European wildlife sites since 2010.

    George Eustice

    The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) database was established in April 2011 and accurate data for marine licence applications determined by the MMO are limited to post 1 April 2011. However, I can confirm that since April 2011:

    • 50 fully determined marine licence applications have required an appropriate assessment;
    • 151 fully determined marine licence applications have required an environmental impact assessment;
    • 44 marine licence applications have been refused; and,
    • 3,849 fully determined marine licence applications have been approved, including 1,848 variations to an existing marine licence.