Tag: 2016

Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure an effective balance between its policies on tackling radicalisation and protecting people at risk of Islamaphobic attacks.

Sarah Newton

The Government is determined to tackle hate crime and extremism wherever it occurs.

The Government’s Prevent strategy, published in 2011, explicitly tackles all forms of terrorism. That includes protecting individuals who are at risk from far right and Neo-nazi extremism, as well as those vulnerable to Islamist extremism.

Prevent is about safeguarding people who are at risk of radicalisation. Prevent does not target a specific faith or ethnic group. Rather, Prevent protects those who are targeted by terrorist recruiters. Currently the greatest threat comes from terrorist recruiters inspired by Daesh. Our Prevent programme will necessarily reflect this by prioritising support for vulnerable British Muslims, and working in partnership with British Muslim communities and civil society groups.

The Prevent programme is implemented in a proportionate manner that takes into account the level of risk in any given area or institution. In some areas the risk of far right extremism may be significant and we would expect in those circumstances for Prevent activity to focus on the far right threat.

Far right extremism often brings with it the threat of anti-Muslim or antisemitic attacks. We have a strong record of action against Islamophobia and antisemitism and deplore all religious or racially motivated crimes.

We strongly condemn the increase in attacks on Muslims that have been seen in this country in recent years. We know the majority of people in United Kingdom join our condemnation, and we have seen great examples of individuals and communities standing together to tackle this hatred.

Muslims make an enormous contribution to British society. They are all too often the victims of hatred and intolerance in this country and overseas. This Government is determined to act to protect British Muslims.

The United Kingdom has in place one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to protect communities from hostility, violence and bigotry. We will keep it under review to ensure it remains effective and appropriate in the face of new and emerging threats. We also published a new Cross-Government Hate Crime Action Plan on 26 July which will drive forward action against all forms of hate crime, including anti-Muslim hatred. This will be taken forward in partnership with communities to ensure we target the harm that hate crime causes.

01/01/2023
Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to help reduce long-term unemployment.

Damian Hinds

The number of people in employment is increasing and the latest figures show that the employment rate has remained at the record high of 74.5%. There are more people in work than ever before (31.81 million) – up 106,000 on the quarter and 560,000 on the year.

The number of long term unemployment is 443,000 – the lowest level since 2008.

Universal Credit, the Work Programme and the Jobcentre Plus Offer, is reforming the welfare system to improve incentives and provide more effective support to those without work.

Work Coaches have the flexibility to offer all claimants a comprehensive menu of help which includes skills provision and job search support. All claimants who are long term unemployed can access the tailored, back to work support on offer from the Work Programme, which provides support for those who are more at risk of long-term unemployment.

An Employment and Health Related Service is being launched in 2017. The Work and Health Programme is a new programme that will harness the expertise of private, public, voluntary and community sector providers to deliver sustained work for disabled people, disadvantaged groups and the long term unemployed.

There is also to be a new Youth Obligation from April 2017. From day 1 of their claim, young people will participate in an intensive support regime equipping them with vital skills to not only find a job, but build capability to sustain work. After six months they will be expected to apply for an appropriate apprenticeship, a traineeship, gain work skills or go on a mandatory work placement to give them the opportunities they need to get on in work.

01/01/2023
Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Bahraini counterpart on the number of political prisoners held in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain – including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting which was most recently held in November 2015. If we have specific concerns around convictions or sentencing, we raise these with the Government of Bahrain as part of our wider dialogue on human rights and reform.

01/01/2023
Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and (b) the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about the planned cap on housing benefit for tenants in supported housing at the local rate of local housing allowance.

Alistair Burt

Ministers have not yet made any official representations to other Government departments about the proposed changes to housing benefit for tenants in supported housing. Neither has the Department made any formal estimates of the people likely to be affected by the proposed changes. However, discussions are ongoing at official level between Departments.

01/01/2023
Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of Syrian refugees in each local authority in the UK.

Richard Harrington

The Home Office holds this information in relation to those Syrian refugees resettled in the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. However, we do not routinely identify which local authorities are participating in this scheme. Participation is voluntary and it is often the case that local authorities do not wish to have their participation published. It is a matter for each local authority to decide whether they want to publish the fact of their participation and the numbers of refugees they take.

01/01/2023
Barbara Keeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barbara Keeley on 2016-03-21.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of introducing the national living wage into social care from April 2016.

Greg Hands

At the time of the Summer Budget 2015 the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated the costs of the National Living Wage to employers across the economy would be almost £4 billion in 2020, equivalent to just over 1 per cent of corporate profits.

It was in recognition of costs such as the NLW and growing demand for care services that the Spending Review announced we would be making additional funding available to local government for social care, worth up to £3.5 billion a year by 2019/20. This will support councils to continue to focus on core services and to increase the prices they pay for care, including to cover the costs of the National Living Wage.

01/01/2023
Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by when will 2015 payments to farmers from the Rural Payments Agency be completed; and when can farmers receiving a 50 per cent bridging payment expect to be paid in full.

George Eustice

As of 2 May, some 79,013 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) claims have now been completed. This represents 78,102 payments and 911 that resulted in no payments being due. Bridging payments were made by the end of April to those farmers not in receipt of their BPS 2015 claim payment in recognition of the cash flow pressures they are facing.

The Rural Payments Agency will continue to make full payments throughout the remainder of the payment window and anticipates completing this work by the end of June 2016.

01/01/2023

Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the largest financial contracts between the NHS and pharmaceutical companies were in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

Details of the largest¹ financial contracts between the National Health Service and pharmaceutical companies in each of the last five calendar years are given in the table:

Year	Supplier Name	Department of Health Tender Reference	Framework Agreement Title
2011	Gilead Sciences Ltd	CM/PHR/08/5000	Pharmaceuticals Antiretroviral pan-London April 2010
2012	Gilead Sciences Ltd	CM/PHR/10/5203	Pan London Antiretroviral
2013	Gilead Sciences Ltd	CM/PHR/10/5203	Pan London Antiretroviral
2014	Gilead Sciences Ltd	CM/PHR/10/5203	Pan London Antiretroviral
2015	Pfizer Limited	CM/PHR/13/5415	Branded Pharmaceutical Products – National (05-2014)

Source: Department of Health Commercial Medicines Unit

¹Based on pre-agreement estimated values for framework agreements for the use of hospitals in England.

01/01/2023

Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will increase investment in decentralised renewable energy in areas where it will benefit the world’s poorest people.

James Wharton

The UK Government is playing a leading role in improving energy access in developing countries, including through our Energy Africa campaign which is working with solar firms to help them access the finance they need to expand their businesses, create jobs and help reach millions of people in Africa without electricity access.

01/01/2023
Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what checks his Department and its agencies undertake to ensure public funding for new innovation facilities does not result in a duplication of existing commercial assets.

Joseph Johnson

All potential major capital projects are assessed against the additional value they add, including an evaluation of whether the research or innovation activity is already being undertaken elsewhere. The majority of decisions about which research investments to undertake are taken directly by Research Councils, based on rigorous criteria including peer review.

In respect of the establishment of Innovate UK’s 11 Catapult Centres, all candidate areas have undergone a robust evaluation by Innovate UK’s Senior Innovation Leads who have relevant domain expertise. In addition, facilitated workshops, with leading figures in the relevant industries – including business, academic and representatives from the public sector, are held to ascertain whether Innovate UK’s analysis of the market opportunities in this area is correct. Each candidate area is evaluated according to an agreed process to assess the size of the global market opportunity and the demand for a Catapult to help business build on their capabilities to commercialise innovation and realise this potential in the UK.

In setting up new Catapult centres Innovate UK take into account the option of working within or alongside existing physical centres in the UK either to avoid duplication or to achieve quicker delivery.

At a local level, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are responsible for identifying, assessing and approving Local Growth Funded projects. They do this in accordance with their strategic economic objectives and Local Assurance Frameworks which have to comply with the LEP National Assurance Framework. The National Assurance Framework covers value for money and states that methodology should be proportionate to the funding allocated and in line with established Government guidance including the HM Treasury Green Book.

01/01/2023