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Tag: 2016

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many closed Child Support Agency cases with child maintenance arrears have been referred for arrears (a) cleansing and (b) validation between January and March 2016.

    Priti Patel

    (a) The table below shows the number of cases referred for arrears cleansing in each month from January 2016 until March 2016.

    Month

    Jan-16

    Feb-16

    Mar-16

    Number of cases referred for arrears cleansing

    32,720

    38,600

    29,820

    Notes

    1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.

    (b) There is no set separate validation procedure; it forms part of the cleansing process.

  • Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many educational schemes and programmes her Department has funded (a) in Syria and (b) for Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries in each of the last two years.

    Rory Stewart

    A table setting out education programmes financed by DFID in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon in 2014-15 and 2015-16 is attached.

    DFID also supports education for Syrian refugees in Turkey through our contributions to the EU’s Facility for Refugees in Turkey, not through bilateral programming.

  • Tom Tugendhat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tom Tugendhat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Tugendhat on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2016 to Question 45646, when her Department plans to complete the assessment of local needs and value for money to inform decisions on how to allocate remaining funding from the £700 million uplift to flood defence and resilience measures.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    The assessment of local needs is an ongoing process. The Environment Agency and other risk management authorities are responsible for maintaining up to date assessments of local flood risk. This information, together with an assessment of options to reduce risk in each area, provides an ongoing pipeline of potential works.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the number of political prisoners in Bahrain; and if he will make representations to the government of Bahrain calling for the release of such prisoners.

    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.

  • Lord Higgins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Higgins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Higgins on 2016-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether EU member states within the Schengen area are issuing a standard form of passport or other document to those they accept as asylum seekers or whether individual countries decide on the format to use; whether they have examined any sample of such document; and if so, whether they will place in the Library of the House any examples they may have.

    Lord Bates

    Under Article 25 of the Qualification Directive asylum seekers accepted as refugees in an EU member state will be issued a refugee status travel document, in the form set out in the Schedule to the Geneva Convention, for the purpose of travel outside their territory unless there are compelling reasons of national security or public order which prevent this.

    It is normal practice for member states to distribute specimen documents between states. All specimen documents are stored securely in the UK.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effect of UK policies on tax and overseas territories on the effectiveness of Government steps to tackle global poverty.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government is committed to tackling global poverty and to a fair and transparent global tax system.

    Following the lead taken by the UK in its G8 Presidency, each of the UK’s Overseas Territories with a recognised financial centre has committed to automatic exchange of information with over 90 jurisdictions worldwide. The Territories have also joined the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters providing a legal gateway for exchange of information with a large number of countries, including developing countries which have joined the Convention.

    The Government wants all countries, including developing countries, to be able to take advantage of exchange of information, both on request and automatically. The Department for International Development (DFID) funds the Global Forum and World Bank to support developing countries in implementing exchange of information systems, and last year the Government announced a partnership with the Ghana revenue authority to pilot the new standard on automatic exchange of information.

    The UK has also been at the forefront of recent international efforts to align the taxation of profits with economic activity through the G20-OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. This project, which involved tax officials from over 120 countries, represents the most comprehensive attempt to reform the international tax rules since they were first drafted in the 1920s. All countries will be able to benefit from these changes to the international tax system, but some will require additional support if they are to do so. International organisations are therefore producing practical toolkits to help developing countries implement BEPS standards and DFID is funding international organisations to assist developing countries in obtaining technical assistance on issues such as transfer pricing.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of primary school pupils have access to music lessons with a specialist music teacher within their school.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education does not collect data on the proportion of primary school pupils having access to music lessons with a specialist music teacher within their school curriculum. Schools are best placed to decide on the number and type of teachers they need.

    In 2016-17, we are investing £75 million in music education hubs to ensure all pupils aged 5-18 have access to high quality musical opportunities. Primary schools can access support from specialist music teachers through music education hubs. In 2013/14, Arts Council England data showed that 596,820 pupils learned to play an instrument through whole class ensemble teaching, up from 531,422 in 2012/13.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what warnings and advice they intend to give to the public, in the light of research on the severity of community-onset boils and abscesses in the UK, published in Epidemiology and Infection in December 2014 by Laura Shallcross et al.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Public Health England (PHE) is not planning to launch any new guidance or introduce warnings in light of the study referred to in the question and any public advice now falls within the remit of NHS Choices.

    PHE published national guidance for the diagnosis, treatment and management of PVL-positive strains of S Aureus (PVL-SA) infections, an element of this includes the management of skin boils and abscesses caused by PVL-SA. PVL-SA are strains of a bacterium called Staphylococcus aureus that can produce a particular toxin (Panton-Valentine Luekocidin or PVL). Such strains are strongly associated with skin boils and abscesses which can be aggressive and recurrent in nature. A copy of the Guidance on the diagnosis and management of PVL-associated Staphylococcus aureus infections (PVL-SA) in England is attached.

    PHE produced two leaflets called Patient Information Sheet – Staphylococcus aureus and Boils and Skin Infections: Information for the Public advising individuals on boils and abscesses caused by PVL-SA in response to particular “at risk” local environments and scenarios including schools, sporting groups and military recruits. The main advice in these leaflets is information as to where PVL-SA bacteria can be found, the infections it can cause and practical advice on how patients can minimise the risk of transferring the bacteria to others and experiencing repeated infections. Copies of both leaflets are attached.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the change in the value of the pound since following the EU referendum on private pension funds.

    Simon Kirby

    There has been some turbulence in financial markets following the vote to leave the EU, including a sharp adjustment to the price of sterling. However, markets have continued to function effectively, and we will continue to work closely with the Bank of England to provide stability and support to markets. HM Treasury does not make direct assessments of the value and funding position of private pension funds.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of falling milk prices on the UK dairy sector.

    George Eustice

    Although government cannot control market volatility, our aim is to give farmers improved tools to manage it. We have extended the period over which they can average their tax from two to five years. We are exploring opportunities for a dairy futures market as well as for better branding and labelling in supermarkets in order to improve profitability. We are also exploring opportunities to help farming businesses become more resilient and ready to take advantage of the growing demand for British dairy products both at home and abroad.

    According to the latest forecast of Farm Business Incomes for 2015-16, average incomes on dairy farms are expected to fall to £46,500. This reflects the impact of lower milk prices which started to fall in March 2014, and the reduced prices for cull cows and heifers. While the number of dairy farms in England and Wales has also fallen from around 13,500 in 2006 to 9,500 today, the number of dairy cows has remained almost unchanged, which suggests consolidation within the industry.

    We have seen an increase in the UK farmgate milk price for the second month in a row to 21.34p per litre in August 2016. The long-term picture for our dairy industry remains positive.