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Tag: 2016

  • Peter Aldous – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Peter Aldous – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Aldous on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with other Government departments on how supported housing will be funded under universal credit.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department is working jointly with the Department for Communities and Local Government to develop a workable and sustainable funding solution for Supported Housing. An evidence review is underway which will inform a subsequent policy review, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including Government Departments and devolved administrations.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on staff away days in each of the last six years.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are committed to developing their staff and equipping them with the skills and knowledge to carry out their work. Away-days, other similar team-based development activities and very occasional residential training all make a contribution to such development. This type of development activity is typically arranged by individual teams within the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies. No central records of these events are held, and to collect this information would incur disproportionate costs.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many visits her Department’s teaching blog has received on average each week since that blog was established.

    Nick Gibb

    The teaching blog has received an average of 758 visits per week, and 15,938 visits in total. The costs are only in staff time and image usage of £2.50 per image as the blog is hosted on the GOV.UK platform. The blog is run by the Department’s social media team as a small proportion of one member of staff’s overall workload.

  • Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June 2016 to Question 38925, what the planned opening date is for a reading room for hon. Members to scrutinise classified documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

    Greg Hands

    The UK remains committed to supporting an ambitious Transatlantic Trade and Investment deal which cuts regulatory and bureaucratic barriers without lowering standards, removes the remaining tariffs between the EU and US, and opens up opportunities for businesses.

    As hon. Members will have read in a letter from my noble Friend the Minister of State (Lord Price CVO) for Trade Policy on 11 October, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership reading room will be open from 19 October. This will allow all hon. Members and Peers to view documents that the European Commission and US have agreed can be shared with national parliamentarians on a confidential basis.

  • Richard Fuller – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Fuller – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to bring into force section 165 of the Equality Act 2010.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government is considering how best to address problems wheelchair users face when using taxis and private hire vehicles, including the possible commencement of Sections 165 and 167 of the Equality Act 2010.

    Both taxis and private hire vehicles are a particularly valuable form of transport for disabled people. We would strongly encourage all taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to assist wheelchair users, wherever possible, and would also strongly discourage the practice of making additional charges to assist a disabled passenger.

    Notwithstanding the status of section 165 of the Equality Act, disabled taxi and private hire vehicle passengers are protected from discrimination under the general provisions of the Act which prohibit any form of discrimination in the provision of good and services.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on universities of their financial liability for international students overstaying their visas.

    James Brokenshire

    There has been no assessment made as the Home Office currently places no direct financial penalties on sponsors whose students overstay their visa.

    Our system of sponsorship is based on two basic principles; those who benefit most directly from migration (including universities that bring in migrants) help to prevent the system being abused; and those applying to come to the UK to study are eligible to do so and a reputable education provider genuinely wishes to take them on. The ability to recruit international students is not an automatic right, but a privilege. It is right, therefore, that sponsors check that a student is genuine and that they intend to leave the UK, or switch into work route, once their visa has expired before offering them a place. Making sure that, at the end of their visa, students leave the UK at the end of their visa or remain here legally is just as important a part of running a fair and efficient immigration system as controlling who comes here in the first place.

    The Government has made clear our intention to use the introduction of exit checks to place more responsibility on sponsors for migrants who overstay. We are currently considering how to best deliver this commitment.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much money accrued to the public purse at the time of rail privatisation from land sold by British Rail to private freight companies.

    Claire Perry

    British Rail did not sell land directly to private freight companies but transferred land to the different freight entities within its own operations in advance of the sale of the freight business. It would no longer be possible at this point to extrapolate the land value from the company value.

  • Baroness Kramer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Kramer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kramer on 2016-04-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 7 April (HL7283), how many people have taken up the Married Couple’s Allowance in each (1) Parliamentary constituency, and (2) local authority area.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs’ plans for advertising Marriage Allowance evolved over time.

    HMRC does not hold data on the number of customers that have applied for Marriage Allowance by Local Authority or Parliamentary Constituency.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which NHS bodies will authorise Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprints; what role NHS Improvement will play; and if he will make a statement.

    George Freeman

    The NHS Shared Planning Guidance asked the National Health Service to develop proposed footprints for Sustainability and Transformation Plans by 29 January 2016, engaging with local authorities and other partners. The footprints were then reviewed by the national arm’s length bodies, including NHS Improvement, with regard to geography (including patient flow), scale, fit with footprints of existing change programmes, financial sustainability, and leadership capacity. There were one or two areas where further clarification was sought and, following further conversations locally, changes were agreed.

    The process for Sustainability and Transformation Plans is designed to bring together health and care leaders to support improvements in health and care based on the needs of local populations. It does not alter the existing accountabilities of clinical commissioning groups, local authorities and NHS provider organisations.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help prevent the hunting to extinction of endangered species.

    Rory Stewart

    The UK has been working through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to tighten controls ensuring that trophies of endangered species are only exported if the animals were hunted sustainably.

    CITES import controls are currently implemented at an EU-wide level. In light of growing concerns about the sustainability of the hunting of some species, stricter controls on the import of hunting trophies of six species, including lions and African elephants, have been introduced. On the advice of EU CITES scientific experts, Member States also prohibit the importation of a number of species from certain countries where there is uncertainty about sustainability, such as elephant hunting trophies from Mozambique and Tanzania.

    We continue to monitor the impact of trophy hunting and will work to put in place greater protection, including prohibiting imports, if this is shown to be needed. For example, I announced on 24 November 2015 that the Government will ban lion trophy imports by the end of 2017 unless there are improvements in the way hunting takes place in certain countries, judged against strict criteria.

    The UK is also pushing for tougher hunting trophy controls to be agreed at the 17th Conference of Parties to CITES in the autumn. A UK-led EU proposal aims to agree global guidelines to ensure that hunting trophy exports are sustainable, and agree clear criteria on when lion trophy hunting can be considered acceptable.