Tag: 2016

  • Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve access to public transport for disabled people.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government recognises how important improving access to public transport is for disabled people and is committed to making transport more inclusive.

    Since its launch in 2006, the £390m Access for All rail programme (which was further extended with £160m in 2014) has delivered accessible routes at over 150 stations. There are also 68 further projects at various stages of construction or development.

    We also recognise that positive interactions with bus drivers can make a big difference to disabled people’s experience of taking the bus. We are working with the bus industry and disabled people to design best practice guidance in delivering disability awareness training which, we hope, will help to give bus drivers the skills and knowledge to assist every disabled passenger.

    In addition, the Bus Services Bill will specifically allow enhanced partnership schemes to require all buses within a local area to provide audible and visual next stop information. Authorities using the new franchising powers will be able to place similar requirements on affected operators. The Government has also agreed to consider amendments on this issue which were tabled during the Bill’s committee stage in the House of Lords.

    The Government intends to publish an Accessibility Action Plan for consultation by the end of the year which will present its ambition for further progress on this important agenda.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2016 to Question 21322, which body is responsible for providing advice to UK banks and building societies offering mortgages on properties in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

    Harriett Baldwin

    There is no body with formal responsibility for providing advice to UK banks and building societies offering first charge mortgages on properties outside of the UK.

    The regulation of first charge mortgages in a territory outside of the UK is a matter for the legal and regulatory framework in that territory.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the effect on (a) the wellbeing and (b) access to employment and training of people who no longer have access to a motability vehicle due to moving from disability living allowance to personal independence payment.

    Justin Tomlinson

    We recognise that the transition from DLA to PIP can be challenging for individuals, which is why the Department worked closely with Motability as we developed our plans for the introduction of PIP. The Motability charity provides a one-off package of transitional support and advice to support customers who no longer meet the eligibility criteria for the Motability scheme. For most of these customers who entered into their first lease agreement with Motability before January 2013, Motability will provide transitional support of £2,000. This will enable many former Scheme customers to continue to meet their mobility needs by purchasing a used car.

    For customers who entered into their first lease agreement with the scheme after January 2013 and up to December 2013, Motability will supply transitional support of £1,000 to assist with mobility costs. Motability is also providing help with the cost of adaptations made to non-scheme vehicles and information on non-scheme motoring and insurance. The Scheme also offers customers an opportunity to purchase their vehicle after the end of the lease.

    Support with employment is available through the Access to Work Scheme, which is potentially available on application to anyone with a health condition or disability that affects the way they perform their job and who needs practical support above and beyond the reasonable adjustments that an employer has a duty to make under the Equality Act 2010. The type of support Access to Work provides is tailored to an individual’s needs and can include travel to work.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken is after a new (a) jobseeker’s allowance and (b) employment and support allowance claim has been processed to make a first payment to a claimant.

    Priti Patel

    The Department does not hold data on the time taken to make a payment.

  • Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is taking steps to increase the proportion of defence spending that goes to small firms.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a crucial engine for growth and innovation in this country. In 2014-15, the MOD spent almost £4 billion both directly and indirectly with SMEs, equating to around 19.4 per cent of our procurement spend.

    We are taking steps to increase the proportion of defence spending with smaller companies and have committed to ensuring that 25 per cent of our procurement spend, both direct and indirect, is with SMEs by 2020. To help achieve this challenging goal, the MOD last month refreshed its SME policy, reflecting three core objectives:

    • Engaging throughout the supply chain, not just with direct contractors;
    • Reducing bureaucracy associated with procurement; and
    • Making engagement more simple and straightforward.

    The refreshed SME policy can be found on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-policy-for-small-and-medium-enterprises.

  • Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which British Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies have been invited to the UK Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May 2016.

    Matthew Hancock

    It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of existing claimants of disability living allowance for children were re-assessed and awarded a lower rate of entitlement in the last three years for which figures are available.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not available. Children are given fixed term awards and it is the responsibility of the parent to make a new application once the award ends if the child still has additional needs as a result of disability. If a relevant change of circumstances is reported then the claim could be reassessed. Although data is held on numbers of renewals and supersessions we do not hold data on outcomes from these.

  • Angela Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Angela Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Crawley on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recipients of child maintenance have received an exemption from the application fee on the grounds of domestic abuse since June 2014.

    Caroline Nokes

    This information is only available from December 2014, and is routinely published in the Child Maintenance 2012 Scheme – Experimental Statistics. The latest publication includes information up to May 2016, and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme

    “

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many council homes were built in England in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    For completeness the numbers of local authority dwellings built in England over the last 15 years are shown in the table below.

    2000/01

    2001/02

    2002/03

    2003/04

    2004/05

    2005/06

    2006/07

    2007/08

    England

    180

    60

    200

    190

    100

    300

    250

    220

    2008/09

    2009/10

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    England

    490

    370

    1,140

    1,960

    1,360

    910

    1,360

    Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. These statistics are published both annually and quarterly.

    More comprehensive statistics on affordable housing, including private registered provider (housing association) houses, are published in the Department’s live tables 1006, 1006a, 1007 and 1008, at: http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

    “

  • Angela Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Angela Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Eagle on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what metrics of performance he used to measure the performance of the Government’s Productivity Plan, entitled Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation, published in 2015.

    Joseph Johnson

    Ultimately, delivering robust productivity growth is the key outcome of the Productivity Plan. Productivity, measured as output per hour worked, grew by 1.3% in the third quarter of 2015 compared to a year earlier. In the latest Inflation Report, the Bank of England increased both its 2016 and 2017 forecasts of productivity growth by 0.25 percentage points.

    In addition, many of the measures included in the Productivity Plan have their own individual delivery targets, such as the commitment to 3 million apprenticeships starts this Parliament.

    The select committee on Business, Innovation and Skills’ report into the Productivity Plan, published on the 1 February 2016, made a number of recommendations including on the use of measures of success. The Government will respond to the Committee at the end of March 2016.