Tag: 2016

Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naz Shah on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of additional breakfast club places which will be created by the £10 million increase in funding announced in paragraph 1.95 of Budget 2016 in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) Bradford.

Mr Sam Gyimah

The Chancellor announced in the recent budget that funding from the new sugar levy would be used in part to expand breakfast clubs in up to 1,600 schools from September 2017. We are currently refining the details of how this scheme will operate and further details will be announced in due course.

January 1, 2023

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many kittens and cats entered the UK under the EU Pet Travel Scheme in (a) 2015 and (b) each previous year since that scheme’s introduction.

George Eustice

The number of pet cats entering Great Britain from January 2004 to December 2015 under the EU Pet Travel Scheme is detailed below.

Year	Total
2004	7314
2005	8544
2006	9450
2007	9935
2008	11643
2009	6789
2010	7870
2011	8280
2012	14601
2013	14147
2014	15081
2015	21404

Kittens which are old enough to meet the requirements for the scheme will be included in these figures.

The statistics are provided by the carriers transporting pet animals on approved routes into Great Britain.

January 1, 2023

Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-07-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making in reforming benefit sanctions and in preventing hardship to children and other dependent family members.

Lord Freud

We keep the operation of the sanctions processes under constant review to ensure they continue to function effectively and fairly, to promote positive behaviours. Where we identify an issue, we act to put it right.

Following the recommendations from the Oakley Review and the subsequent report ‘Benefit sanctions policy beyond the Oakley Review’ by the Work and Pensions Select Committee, we have made a number of improvements to the Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) sanction systems, particularly around communications to claimants and safeguarding measures for those who maybe vulnerable.

We are now focussing our efforts on continuing with the current improvements in JSA and ESA, to ensure that all the agreed recommendations and improvements can continue to be delivered in Universal Credit.

We also have a well-established system of hardship payments, available as a safeguard if a claimant demonstrates that they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs, including accommodation, heating, food and hygiene, as a result of their sanction.

January 1, 2023
Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department plans to take to recruit and train more doctors.

Mr Philip Dunne

On 4 October 2016 my Rt. hon Friend the Secretary of State announced that the number of medical training places available to students each year will be expanded to ensure the National Health Service has enough doctors to continue to provide safe, compassionate care in the future. From September 2018, the Government will fund up to 1,500 additional student places through medical schools each year.

The ultimate responsibility for recruitment rests with NHS organisations as they are best placed to ensure they have the right staff, in the right place, at the right time to provide safe and effective care for their patients.

January 1, 2023
The Earl of Dundee – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Dundee on 2015-12-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of studies which show that children benefit most from home care provided by close family members rather than from that available in children’s day centres.

Lord Nash

Research suggests that children need secure attachments with adults in order to feel safe and happy[1]. Good home care can provide this support, which is a real benefit to children as they learn and develop.

There is also a wide body of evidence, including evidence from abroad, which demonstrates that early education delivered by childcare providers can play an important role in children’s early development and later attainment. For instance, the Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE 3-16) Project showed that children who had experienced a good home learning environment and attended a good quality childcare setting went on to obtain better grades in English and maths, and to earn more than those who received little or no pre-school experience.

Additionally, the ongoing Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) shows that the chances of disadvantaged children becoming high achievers by the end of primary school were doubled when they had attended any pre-school, compared to those of disadvantaged children who had not attended pre-school.

In recognition of the crucial role that parents and carers play in children’s development, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires childcare settings to form strong partnerships with parents. The EYFS also requires settings to allocate each child a key worker to help ensure that every child’s learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs.

[1] Early Years Learning and Development Literature Review 2009, and WAVE Trust report ‘Conception to age 2: the age of opportunity’ January 2013.

January 1, 2023
Baroness Kramer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kramer on 2016-01-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total cost of the advertising campaign for the National Living Wage.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The total budget allocated for the National Living Wage advertising campaign is £4.95 million. The campaign will run to the end of April and we expect to come in under budget.

The Government’s new National Living Wage is a step up for working people, so it is important workers know their rights and that employers pay the new £7.20 from April 1 this year. Britain deserves a pay rise and as a One Nation Government we are making sure it gets one. The campaign will tell people about their entitlements and is targeted at employers, and workers currently earning the National Minimum Wage.

January 1, 2023
David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people under the age of 18 were dependants of adults who had been granted leave to remain in the UK and had also had a no recourse to public funds condition attached to their leave in the financial years (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15.

James Brokenshire

Home Office Systems cannot be interrogated in a way that will provide any meaningful response to the question. A manual review of all applications submitted with dependants within the stipulated timeframe would be needed in order to provide an accurate response and this would incur a disproportionate cost to the public purse.

January 1, 2023

Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals of other EU member states were (a) refused and (b) granted entry to the UK through Regulation 11(2) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 in each of the last 10 years.

James Brokenshire

The Government has prevented EEA/EU nationals entry into the UK on public protection grounds in each of the last five years. The Home Office is unable to provide figures for refusals within each refusal category. Total refusals for each of the last ten years are provided in the table below.

Numbers of EU nationals granted entry to the UK through Regulation 11 (2) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 are not recorded centrally.

EU Passengers initially refused entry each year since 2006
Year	Total refusals
2006	1663
2007	973
2008	753
2009	618
2010	594
2011	688
2012	787
2013	1078
2014	1755
2015	2165

“

January 1, 2023

Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the state of UK relations with Iran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

16 January 2016 marked Implementation Day of the Iran nuclear deal which, along with the subsequent lifting of international sanctions, has the potential to represent a new era in Iran’s relationship with the wider world. Since the Foreign Secretary reopened our Embassy in August 2015, significant progress has been made in developing the bilateral relationship between the UK and Iran. We welcomed Foreign Minister Zarif to London on 4 February 2016, in what was the first bilateral visit of an Iranian Foreign Minister since 2003. We look forward to the Business Secretary leading a trade delegation to Tehran in May, building on previous visits by Lord Maude and Transport Minister Robert Goodwill.

January 1, 2023
Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to other EU member states at the Council of the EU on cessation of Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance II funding to Turkey in 2014-20.

Mr David Lidington

The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance funding is used to promote political reform and human rights, cut corruption and strengthen the rule of law and to bring Turkey – and other EU accession countries – up to EU standards, economically and politically. It has also been used to help Turkey respond to the migration crisis. It promotes cooperation on issues that matter to the UK, such as the rule of law, organised crime and migration. Improving the business environment in Turkey and other EU accession countries will lead to more commercial opportunities for British goods and investment.

As the Prime Minister has made clear, Turkey’s EU accession is not remotely on the cards for many years to come.

Turkey has to negotiate 35 different chapters. Since EU accession negotiations with Turkey started in 2005, only one chapter has been closed. Decisions to open chapters, to agree that conditions have been met and to close chapters all require the unanimous agreement of EU Member States. Once all chapter negotiations have been completed and closed, there must be another unanimous decision on accession. All 28 Member States then have to ratify an accession treaty, and the European Parliament has to approve the accession. Some EU Member States have already committed to undertake a referendum on Turkey’s accession to the EU. In the case of the UK, under the European Union Act 2011, ratification cannot take place without an Act of Parliament to approve the new accession. We can therefore ensure that our requirements are respected in any future EU enlargement.

January 1, 2023