Tag: 2016

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the household median net income after the deduction of income tax and national insurance was for (a) all working-age adults, (b) working-age adults without children and (c) working-age adults with children, (i) including and (ii) excluding individuals in households without household earnings on the last date for which figures are available.

    Priti Patel

    Table 1: Median weekly household net income – including households without earnings, UK 2013/14

    Household median weekly net income

    All households with at least one working age adult

    £577

    All households with at least one working age adult and no dependent children

    £550

    All households with at least one working age adult and at least one dependent child

    £612

    Table 2: Median weekly household net income – excluding households without earnings, UK 2013/14

    Household median weekly net income

    All households with at least one working age adult

    £655

    All households with at least one working age adult and no dependent children

    £638

    All households with at least one working age adult and at least one dependent child

    £676

    Source: Family Resources Survey, 2013/14

    Notes:

    1. Net income includes earnings from employment and self-employment (after the deduction on income tax and national insurance contributions), income from benefits and tax credits, retirement pensions, private pensions, statutory payments, investments, royalties and income from any other sources.
    2. Net income has not been equivalised for household size and composition.
    3. Median calculations in Table 2 exclude those households with zero or negative net earnings (i.e. excludes those with losses from self-employment).
    4. The Family Resources Survey is a nationally representative sample of UK households.
    5. The figures from the Family Resources Survey are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the Family Resources Survey to former Government Office Region population by age and sex. Estimates based on survey data are subject to uncertainty due to sampling error and remaining non-response error.
    6. Data are rounded to the nearest whole pound.
  • Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many food problems were reported through the Food Standards Agency website in each of the last three years.

    Jane Ellison

    The total number of notifications received via the Food Standards Agency food.gov.uk online incident report form was:

    ― 453 in 2015

    ― 366 in 2014

    ― 357 in 2013

    The majority of these notifications are from businesses and local authorities.

  • 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 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department does not have any civil servants that are paid through limited companies.

  • Eilidh Whiteford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Eilidh Whiteford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disability employment advisers are employed by Jobcentre Plus.

    Damian Hinds

    The number of Disability Employment Advisers employed by the Department for Work and Pensions is 263 at July 2016.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Ofsted on sex and relationships education.

    Edward Timpson

    We want schools to provide all young people with a curriculum that equips them for success in adult life. High-quality sex and relationship education (SRE) and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education have a vital role to play in this.

    SRE is compulsory in maintained secondary schools. Academies and free schools do not have to teach SRE, but many choose to do so as part of their statutory duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.

    When teaching SRE, all schools, including academies through their funding agreement, must have regard to the Secretary of State’s Sex and Relationship Education guidance. The existing SRE guidance was last updated in 2000. We have received requests about updating the guidance which we will consider carefully.

    Schools and teachers have the freedom to design lessons that meet their pupils’ needs, taking account of pupil and parent views. Teachers are encouraged to develop their practice with the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals. Many of these specialist organisations have produced resources that can be used and adapted by schools.

    We hold regular meetings with Ofsted about a range of matters. As the Secretary of State said at the Education Select Committee hearing in September 2016, we need to look again at how schools deliver high-quality PSHE, including SRE. We are considering all the options, including the need for any statutory powers, and will come to a view soon.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will introduce a ban on unstaffed tanning salons in England similar to that introduced in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

    Jane Ellison

    The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 came into force on 8 April 2011 in England and Wales and the purpose of the Act is to prevent people under the age of 18 from using sunbeds on commercial premises, by making it an offence for sunbed businesses to allow people access under the age of 18 to sunbeds on their premises.

    Local authorities are responsible for enforcement of the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010. Authorised officers have the right to enter premises believed to be sunbed businesses to carry out inspections, whether in response to a complaint or to check awareness and compliance with the Act. Some local authorities require sunbed outlets to operate under license.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has prepared for government departments on implementing the Family Test.

    Priti Patel

    In October 2014, the Department for Work and Pensions published guidance for Government officials on how the Test should be applied when formulating policy. Produced in collaboration with third sector partners from the Relationship Alliance, the guidance outlines the basis for the Family Test and provides policy officials with information on how the Test can be applied.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 4.46 of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence Review 2015, how much additional funding the Government plans to provide for investment in (a) equipment and (b) training for the reserves; and when he expects such funding to be provided.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    As a result of the Government’s response to the 2011 Commission on Reserves and the 2013 White Paper we committed an additional investment in the Reserves of £1.8 billion over 10 years, and the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 confirmed our commitment to recruit and maintain a trained Reserve force of 35,000 by 2019. Our investment in the Reserves ensures that they have the same access to equipment and technology as their regular counterparts, and receive high-quality and challenging training. This year the Army is offering 22 bespoke overseas training exercises where Reserve and Regular units are paired together to improve interoperability and cohesion.

    We have been improving the offer we make to individual Reservists. They already receive pay for the days they train, an annual tax-exempt bounty for successfully completing their training commitment, along with medical assistance and access to welfare support for their families when on operation.

    In addition, since 1 April 2015 Reservists have been eligible for the new Armed Forces Pension Scheme for non-mobilised service, based on paid attendance. We have also introduced in the last two years an annual paid leave entitlement, occupational health support for injuries incurred during training, accredited training and access to Standard Learning Credits.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 1.287 of Budget 2016, where those centres of expertise will be located; what those centres will be responsible for; and how those centres will be funded.

    Mike Penning

    The MoJ National Programme will create substantial centres of expertise outside the capital so that we become a more nationally distributed department. We are currently developing options for how we will do this including the exact numbers that will be relocated to the regions and where they will be located.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average value was of payments made under the Financial Assistance Scheme to former members of Allied Steel and Wire pension scheme in each of the last six years.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.