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Tag: 2016

  • Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the capacity and the availability of seating for passengers on peak services on High Speed 1 trains between Ebbsfleet and London St Pancras.

    Claire Perry

    No such assessment has been made by the Department but franchisees have an obligation to minimise overcrowding. Therefore it is the Train Operating Company running the service that is responsible for what rolling stock it allocates to which service, both in type and in quantity.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish his Department’s senior officials’ business expenses and hospitality data for 2015.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    We plan to publish the department’s senior officials’ business expenses for the calendar year 2015 by the end of June 2016 and the senior officials’ hospitality data by the end of July 2016.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-06-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to improve the transparency of the negotiation process for UK tax treaties.

    Mr David Gauke

    The UK regularly reviews its treaty network and actively engages with developing countries. Discussions with Malawi over a new tax treaty began some years ago, and substantive agreement has been reached at official level. It is hoped that the treaty will be signed shortly. Although the UK’s starting point in negotiations is based closely on the OECD model double taxation convention, the Government recognises that developing countries will sometimes have different preferences, and treaties the UK has recently signed demonstrate that we are willing to accommodate at least some of those preferences as part of a balanced agreement. But the nature of the negotiating process is that it remains confidential to the two sides until the treaty is signed.

    By governing the taxation of cross-border income flows in a predictable manner and eliminating double taxation and excessive taxation, tax treaties promote international trade and investment, leading to sustainable tax revenues, which are vital in financing for development.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help local authorities utilise data from the transport sector to improve local road networks.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport recognises the importance of using technology and data to manage and improve local road networks.

    Whilst local highway authorities have always used technical data, including road condition survey data, to help them make informed decisions on helping to improve local highway networks, the Department continues to encourage highway authorities to utilise data from wide range of sources. The Department recently announced a £2 million fund to allow local highway authorities to capitalise on emerging technologies and deliver better journeys for all road users. Further details are available on the Department for Transport website at the following weblink:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/2-million-to-improve-roads-using-new-technology

    “

  • Baroness Kennedy of Cradley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Kennedy of Cradley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2016-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Fair Tax Mark for businesses.

    Lord Young of Cookham

    The Government has recently legislated for the publication of tax strategy by the largest businesses; promoting board accountability for tax, and encouraging transparency on approach to tax planning. In this context, the Government welcomes all business moves to improve transparency over their own tax affairs.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2015 to Question 19591, what alternative provision is available for bullied children who subsequently develop complex needs; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure government funding attaches to a child requiring alternative provision but lacking an EHC plan because the damage from bullying has caused a collapse in self-esteem and wellbeing rather than a physical medical condition.

    Nick Gibb

    Any pupil who can no longer attend a mainstream school due to complex needs, including those related to mental health issues, must be provided with alternative education. It is for the local authority to decide the most suitable provision and they are encouraged to take into account the views of relevant professionals, such as medical practitioners, as well as parents and pupils. Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 lays a duty on local authorities to arrange education for pupils of compulsory school age who would not otherwise receive it. Local authorities use a portion of their high needs budget to fund this provision. Schools are also free to use their budgets to commission alternative education for pupils who have complex needs they judge would be best managed with such an approach.

    The Department has issued guidance on alternative provision: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision. The Department has also issued guidance on the education of pupils with complex medical needs that cannot be managed in a mainstream school: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-for-children-with-health-needs-who-cannot-attend-school.

    “

  • Baroness Uddin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Uddin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Uddin on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that teachers, including refugee teachers, are paid appropriate wages and receive appropriate training and support in countries hosting Syrian refugees in the region.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK remains at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have doubled our commitment and have now pledged a total of over £2.3 billion, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

    DFID is not currently financing public sector teachers’ salaries directly in Lebanon or Jordan. However, we helped launch and mobilise international support for the No Lost Generation Initiative. As part of this support, the UK has allocated £115 million to provide protection, psychosocial support and education for children affected by the crisis in Syria and the region. As a result over 251,000 children have received formal and informal education inside Syria and in the region. We are working to ensure that each host government considers where and when they can employ and fairly compensate Syrian teachers under their national legal and policy frameworks for both education and jobs.

    In Lebanon, DFID is investing £21 million in the World Bank managed Emergency Education System Stabilisation Programme and an additional £1.3 million for the Research for Results: Lebanon Education System Improvement Programme. These programmes support the Government of Lebanon to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its education system including their public expenditure on teachers.

    At the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference we co-hosted in London, leaders came together to pledge more than $11 billion, the largest amount raised in one day for a humanitarian crisis. On education, the UK and co-hosts worked with donors and other partners to secure increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding commitments to ensure sustainability. Commitments made at the Conference will help to create 1.1 million jobs and provide education to an additional 1 million children.

    We continue to work with refugee hosting governments, in particular, to agree the policy commitments necessary to turn increased funding into delivery on the ground. This includes a regional policy dialogue on integrating refugee teachers into national education systems, where possible.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much his Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The cost of Employment Tribunals can be found within the HMCTS annual accounts published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/433948/hmcts-annual-report-accounts-2014-15.pd

    “

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    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, if he will make an assessment of the potential economic benefits to the Calder Valley of accelerating the upgrade of the M62 to a four-lane smart motorway between junctions 20 and 25.

    Andrew Jones

    The recent Budget announced that funding had been brought forward to enable Highways England to accelerate the smart motorway investment for the M62 Junction 10 to 12 scheme by two years, and to accelerate delivery of the M62 Junction 20 to 25 smart motorway.

    Design development work on these schemes is at the very earliest stage, and as such the analysis of the full economic potential of this investment is still being developed as part of the business case.

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which one of his Department’s assets Telereal Trillium are responsible for maintaining.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Since 1998 the Department for Work and Pensions occupies space provided through a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME Contract.

    Under the terms of this PFI Contract the Department sold all of its property assets and assigned all leases held to Telereal Trillium, and now leases back fully serviced accommodation from them.

    As such the Department does not own any assets that are maintained by Telereal Trillium.