The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2016-10-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many and (b) which food banks he has visited since taking office.
Damian Hinds
Details of Ministerial UK official visits and official meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly and made available on the gov.uk website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will publish an impact assessment in respect of the Universal Credit (Work Allowance) Amendment Regulations 2015.
Priti Patel
The impact of the work allowance change cannot be considered in isolation – it is part of a broader package of measures announced at the Summer Budget, such as the increase to the personal tax allowance and introduction of the national living wage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Prisk on 2016-02-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to increase the £250,000 threshold for properties outside London under the Help to Buy ISA scheme.
Harriett Baldwin
The government does not plan to revise the eligibility criteria for the Help to Buy: ISA scheme.
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 27251, what estimate she has made of the cost of testing badgers in cull areas; and when she expects to make a decision on testing to assess the impact of the Government’s policy.
George Eustice
Costed options for cost effective surveillance for TB in badgers are being prepared
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to publish an updated timetable for commencing the building of the first T26 Global Combat Ship.
Mr Philip Dunne
We are working with industry to develop an optimised schedule for the T26 Global Combat Ship (GCS) programme. As part of this, on 22 March 2016, we announced that agreement had been reached with BAE Systems on the award of a contract to extend the T26 GCS Demonstration Phase to June 2017.
In addition to maturing further the detailed ship design, investing in Shore Testing Facilities, and extending our investment in the wider supply chain, this extension to the Demonstration Phase will allow us to continue the work to develop a revised baseline for the programme.
The timing of the award of the contract to build the Type 26 Global Combat Ships will be central to this re-baselining work and, in due course, a revised programme will be produced and considered through the normal investment approvals process. An announcement on the timing of the award of a T26 GCS build contract will be made at the appropriate time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeff Smith on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people under the age of (a) 18 and (b) 16 reported to hospital having taken more than the recommended daily allowance of non-prescription painkillers in (i) the last 12 months and (ii) each of the last three years.
Jane Ellison
This information is not collected centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the goal 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.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the closure of the independent living fund on people who received payments from that fund prior to its closure.
Penny Mordaunt
The Government has fully funded local authorities to meet their additional obligations to service users previously in receipt of the Independent Living Fund for the remainder of this Parliament.
When the Department closed the Independent Living Fund, a commitment was made to conduct research into the impact of the closure. This will be based on interviews with former users and with Local Authorities. The research is on-going and will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-10-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on research funding across all disciplines in universities in Yorkshire and the Humber.
Joseph Johnson
The Government is committed to maintain and enhance the strength of our research base. This is why we have protected the science resource budget in real terms from its 2015/16 level of £4.7 billion for the rest of the parliament, as well as committing to invest in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale – £6.9 billion over the period 2015-2021 – including £65 million in the North East in 2014/15.
The Treasury decision to underwrite the grants of competitively bid for EU research funding will give British participants and their EU partners the assurance and certainty needed to plan ahead for projects that can run over many years. We will ensure that the UK, including Yorkshire and the Humber, continues to be a world leader in international research and innovation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Massey of Darwen on 2016-01-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many pupils in Pupil Referral Units are reintegrated into mainstream education annually, and what support is available for that to happen.
Lord Nash
Every child, including those who have been excluded, should receive a good quality education to allow them to achieve their full potential. Information on the number of pupils in pupil referral units (PRUs) reintegrated into mainstream education annually is not readily available and it could only be determined at a disproportionate cost.
PRUs and other alternative providers should work with commissioners to develop a clearly defined set of objectives for each pupil’s time in alternative provision and their reintegration into mainstream education. Progress against these objectives should be frequently monitored and assessed to ensure that pupils’ needs are being addressed and they return to mainstream school when they are ready. An appropriate package of support should be in place to assist in the reintegration process.
The Department has published statutory guidance in 2013 on alternative provision with clearly defined objectives for commissioners of PRUs and alternative provision (AP) to support pupils back into school after an alternative education placement. A copy has been attached to this answer.