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Tag: 2016

  • Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to simplify rail fares for journeys between London and Scotland and reduce the fare anomalies that lead to split ticketing.

    Paul Maynard

    Rail passengers should always be able to get the best deal and the industry must work harder to make this a reality. We are aware that there are a number of routes for which it can be cheaper to purchase two or more tickets for individual parts of the route than a through ticket for the entire journey. Anyone is entitled to purchase two or more separate tickets for their journey so long as the train they are travelling on stops at the stations indicated at the end of each ticket. Apparent anomalies in pricing that may be experienced on long-distance routes like London to Scotland, can sometimes be a result of competition on the railways encouraging one operator to reduce prices when competing with others on the route. Price competition on the railways can be positive for passengers. The Department would need to consider very carefully any action that removed this incentive for operators.

    Train operators are obliged to sell the most appropriate through fare based on the information the passenger gives them. This will depend on what time the passenger wants to travel and how flexible they need to be. The National Rail Conditions of Carriage, which form the basis of the contract you enter into when you buy a rail ticket, allow passengers to use combinations of tickets. However, it is vital that industry improve information available to passengers and I will be raising this with the Rail Delivery Group as a priority.

  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-10-24.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2016 to Question 48607, on equality impact assessments, if her Department will publish the Public Sector Equality Duty guidance circulated across Whitehall.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The Government Equalities Office issues from time to time guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty to Whitehall Departments. This is circulated with a view to enabling them to add any supporting documentation about their own processes before publishing the material on their intranets.

    The guidance was last issued in September 2014. The Department will publish that guidance in updated form on GOV.UK in due course.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many claims for statutory shared parental pay have been linked to adoption leave since 1 April 2015.

    Nick Boles

    The Government does not yet have any information on the take up of Statutory Shared Parental Pay. Information for the 2015-16 tax year will be available from May 2016, although it will also include claims for Additional Statutory Paternity Pay. Information is not held on the number of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay that are linked to adoption leave.

  • Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Prisk on 2016-02-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government is planning to introduce restrictions on the sale of UK property to investors living outside the EU.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government has no plans to introduce restrictions on the sale of UK property to investors living outside the EU

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2016 to Question 27250, what assessment has she made of the reasons for the 34 per cent increase in the number of TB restricted herds in Somerset in the year to November 2015.

    George Eustice

    It is not possible to be precise about the reasons for changes in the number of TB restricted herds in any county of England. This will be due to a multitude of factors, including increases in the amount and sensitivity of TB testing. Short term changes should be considered in the context of long term trends.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what sites are under consideration for the shore-based testing facilities for the power and propulsion systems for the T26 Global Combat Ship.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Shore-based testing facilities for the Type 26 Global Combat Ship power and propulsion system will be established at General Electric’s site at Whetstone, Leicester, and David Brown Gears Systems’ in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

    General Electric will supply the propulsion motor and drive system and David Brown Gears Systems will supply the propulsion gearbox.

  • 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 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, by what average proportion Care Quality Commission registration fees have changed in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Ben Gummer

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC’s income is made up of both fees paid by providers and grant in aid from the Department. Government policy requires that the CQC must increase the fees it charges registered providers so that it can move towards fully recovering the chargeable costs of regulating health and adult social care in England.

    The CQC has set a two-year trajectory to reach full cost recovery for all sectors with the exception of the adult social care domiciliary care sector, which will be subject to a four year trajectory and dentists who are already at full cost recovery. The Government has made available £15 million extra funding for general practice (GP) from April 2016 to reflect a number of increasing cost pressures, of which increased CQC fees are a part.

    The CQC has provided the following information. The CQC has revised the fees that providers will have to pay from April 2016. The table shows how close each sector is to full cost recovery in 2016-17.

    Average fee increase by sector inspected by the CQC1

    Sector

    2012-13 to 2013-14

    2013-14 to 2014-15

    2014-15 to 2015-16

    2015-16 to 2016-17

    Percentage of CQC costs recovered through fees in 2016-17

    NHS Trusts

    0%

    3%

    9%

    75%

    67%

    Adult social care – residential

    0%

    0%

    9%

    12%

    96%

    Adult social care – community

    0%

    1%

    9%

    72%

    44%

    Independent healthcare – hospitals

    0%

    3%

    9%

    12%

    96%

    Independent healthcare – community

    0%

    12%

    0%

    5%

    98%

    Independent healthcare – single specialty

    0%

    3%

    9%

    0%

    96%

    Dentists

    6%

    9%

    0%

    0%

    100%

    National Health Service GPs

    n/a

    2%

    9%

    255%

    56%

    ¹To establish the average percentage increase the CQC has compared the fees in each fee band by category and then taken the average increase per category. In most cases the increase is consistent for each band within the category.

  • Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the budget is of the Mk4A upgrade programme.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The UK currently fields the Trident Mk4 warhead as part of the Trident Strategic Weapons System. In order to ensure continuity of the Mk4-based capability, the Mk4A Arming, Fuzing and Firing system is a non-nuclear component being introduced into the UK Trident warhead to replace a similar component. The Mk4A programme will not increase the destructive power of the warhead.

    Approval to procure the new Arming, Firing and Fuzing mechanisms, to manage obsolescence in Mk4 and to adopt a Mk4A component was given in January 2006. I am withholding further details of the date of the Mk4A component’s entry into service, the cost of the Mk4A programme and the extension in operational life expected for the purposes of safeguarding national security.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 32920, where the allegations of fraudulent benefit claims are collected.

    Caroline Nokes

    There are a variety of ways that allegations of Benefit Fraud are received by the DWP including telephone calls to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline (NBFH), online and letter. Once an allegation has been received and, if it meets the required criteria containing enough information, a Fraud Referral Form (FRF) is completed which is then entered into the internal Fraud Referral and Information Management System (FRAIMS).

  • Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the renewable subsidies programme on household electricity bills.

    Jesse Norman

    Renewables subsidies are estimated to account for around 6% of an average household dual fuel bill of £1,029 in 2016.*

    * Source: National Audit Office analysis of Department of Energy & Climate Change data, July 2016. Figures in real 2011/12 prices.