Tag: 2016

  • Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the independent testing of Vauxhall Zafiras meets the aims set out for that independent testing.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is working closely with Vauxhall to ensure it discharges its responsibility to conduct investigations into the cause of any vehicle safety defects, as set out in the Code of Practice on Vehicle Safety Defects.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academies each regional schools commissioner has issued with formal intervention measures in the last 12 months.

    Edward Timpson

    In the last 12 months Regional Schools Commissioners (RSC) took formal intervention measures in 116 academies and free schools; 66 academies and free schools were moved to a different trust or sponsor and 50 academies were issued with a formal notice.

    The table below shows the number of interventions in each RSC region in the last 12 months.

    RSC region

    Number of warning notices issued in the last 12 months

    Number of academies moved to different trust or sponsor

    East Midlands & Humber

    13

    18

    Lancashire & West Yorkshire

    2

    5

    North

    2

    3

    North East London & East

    8

    3

    North West London & South Central

    14

    2

    South London & South East

    7

    4

    South West

    2

    21

    West Midlands

    2

    10

    Total

    50

    66

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding the UK received from the European Regional Development Agency in (a) total, (b) each action region of the UK and (c) each local authority area in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

    Margot James

    The UK was allocated €7.8 billion from the European Regional Development Fund for the period 2007-16. This was broken down between the different parts of the UK for each year as follows:

    €m

    2007

    2008

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015

    2016

    England

    545.3

    515.9

    485.2

    453.0

    414.6

    427.7

    436.3

    Nil

    985.8

    507.8

    Wales

    177.9

    181.5

    185.1

    188.8

    192.6

    196.5

    200.4

    189.2

    193.0

    196.9

    Scotland

    80.5

    77.6

    74.6

    71.5

    68.1

    64.6

    61.0

    64.1

    65.4

    66.7

    Northern Ireland

    41.3

    42.1

    42.9

    43.8

    44.7

    45.6

    22.5

    41.4

    42.2

    43.1

    Within England, the European Regional Development Fund for 2007-2013 was administered on the basis of NUTS 1 regions (as defined by the European Statistical Office). The breakdown for each year was as follows:

    €m

    2007

    2008

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    North West

    156.8

    138.5

    119.5

    99.6

    78.9

    80.4

    82.0

    Yorkshire & Humber

    127.1

    110.8

    93.7

    76.0

    57.5

    58.7

    59.8

    North East

    50.5

    51.5

    52.6

    53.6

    54.7

    55.8

    56.9

    East Midlands

    36.1

    36.8

    37.6

    38.3

    36.5

    39.9

    40.7

    West Midlands

    53.8

    54.9

    56.0

    57.1

    58.2

    59.4

    60.6

    East of England

    14.9

    15.2

    15.5

    15.8

    16.2

    16.5

    16.8

    London

    24.5

    25.0

    25.5

    26.0

    26.5

    27.0

    27.6

    South East

    3.2

    3.3

    3.3

    3.4

    1.4

    3.5

    3.6

    South West

    16.8

    17.1

    17.4

    17.8

    18.2

    18.5

    18.9

    Cornwall & Isles of Scilly

    61.6

    62.8

    64.1

    65.4

    66.7

    68.0

    69.4

    For the 2014-2020 period, England’s share of the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund was allocated across Local Enterprise Partnership areas (see list of allocations at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/307492/bis-14-772-uk-allocations-eu-structural-funds-2014-2020-letter.pdf). Local partners decided how the total in each area should be split between the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will define the future (a) role and (b) powers of the Visit England Board.

    Tracey Crouch

    The VisitEngland Board will be an advisory body, responsible for advising the executive and board of the British Tourist Authority on how best to deliver and monitor English activity. The statutory duties and functions of the VisitEngland Board remain as set out in the Development of Tourism Act 1969 and it will remain a unfunded advisory non-departmental public body.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 24627, on mental health: tribunals, if he will make it his policy to record this information.

    Caroline Dinenage

    As noted in my response to PQ 24627, the Ministry of Justice does not hold this information and has no plans to record it.

  • Maggie Throup – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Maggie Throup – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maggie Throup on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support NHS England plans to provide clinical commissioning groups relating to the transfer of obesity surgery commissioning responsibilities from NHS England after that transfer.

    George Freeman

    Although the transfer is effective from April 2016, the handover process will be agreed between specialised commissioning and individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), in line with their preparedness.

    Specialised commissioning teams will continue to provide advice and support CCGs post-handover in line with the CCG’s need. CCGs already have mechanisms in place to monitor provider performance and quality through the existing quality assurance processes.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2016-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will conduct a revised impact assessment for universal credit on the effect of reforms to its design since 2012.

    Priti Patel

    Whilst there have been changes to Universal Credit since the impact assessment in 2012, these have not fundamentally altered the service, which remains on course to deliver stronger work incentives and simplicity in the welfare system.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2016 to Question 34222, on the humanitarian situation in Madaya, what estimate she has made of the number of civilian deaths due to blocked medical evacuations.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK condemns the blockage of medical evacuations from hard to reach and besieged areas inside Syria, which has led to unnecessary death and suffering. In March 2016, for example, three children and a young man in Madaya and al-Wa’er died after having their evacuations rejected by the parties restricting access to these towns. Access to healthcare and medical treatment is a fundamental human right protected under international law.

    Some progress is being made. For example, we are pleased by UN reports that nearly 500 people were evacuated for medical reasons from besieged areas on 20 April.

    However, more needs to be done to provide for all those in need in Syria. The UK is pressing for an end to the removal of medical equipment from convoys by the regime, the evacuation of critical medical cases and regular access to healthcare for besieged populations. We will continue to use our position in the UN Security Council and the International Syria Support Group to draw attention to the atrocities being carried out in Syria and press for urgent action, while maintaining the pressure for a political settlement to bring the suffering of the Syrian people to an end.

  • 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 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34939, on local housing allowance, when he expects to publish information on the proportion of local authorities that will receive Targeted Affordability Funding.

    Justin Tomlinson

    We plan to publish information about which areas and Local Housing Allowance rates will benefit from the Targeted Affordability Fund later this year.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people working for her Department or its executive agencies on a (a) directly employed, (b) agency or (c) outsourced basis are paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation; and how many of those people are employed on zero-hours contracts.

    George Eustice

    There are no direct employees paid less than the Living Wage in core-Defra, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Rural Payments Agency (RPA) and Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).

    There are 2 direct employees currently paid less than the Living Wage in the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), none of which are employed on zero-hours contracts. One is an apprentice and the other is about to have their salary increased to the Living Wage rate.

    There are no employment agency staff paid less than the Living Wage in core-Defra, APHA, and VMD.

    There are 95 employment agency staff paid less than the Living Wage in RPA. None are employed on zero-hours contracts. All are paid at least the National Living Wage as defined by the Government.