Tag: 2016

  • Seema Kennedy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Seema Kennedy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Kennedy on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the financial sector and employer groups on workplace money management and workplace payroll savings schemes.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The government is committed to supporting savers, and government officials meet regularly with the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals to discuss the role that payroll deduction can play in promoting workplace saving, particularly in relation to the credit union movement. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is funding a £38m project to enable participating credit unions to expand their services to many more consumers, including to employees via workplace payroll savings. DWP is also looking into providing payroll savings facilities for their staff who are members of a credit union.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the total number of military personnel supporting operations against Daesh in each month since December 2015; and if he will make a statement.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The UK is one of over 60 nations contributing to US-led Operation Inherent Resolve, the overarching anti-Daesh global coalition. This global coalition, which includes the US, Arab, European, Asian and Australasian partners, is working with the Government of Iraq and regional neigbours to defeat Daesh in both Iraq and Syria.

    We cannot comment on the size of contributions made by other nations, but the UK plays an important role both in terms of numbers of personnel supporting the mission and the unique capabilities we contribute.

    The UK contribution in terms of numbers of personnel has remained relatively constant since December 2015 at around 2,000, of which around 1,000 are deployed across the region.

  • The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to build the capacity of women in Burundi to engage in peace-building and reconciliation.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are clear that women have an essential role in peace-building and reconciliation in Burundi.

    The UK supports Interpeace and the Conflict Alert and Prevention Centre (Interpeace’s Burundian implementing partner) in delivering a peace-building programme, contributing £170,000 in 2015/16. Interpeace’s community peace-building dialogue groups are made up of at least 30 per cent women. The UK is also one of the top four donors to the Global Acceleration Instrument (GAI). GAI was launched at the Women in Peace and Security High Level Review in 2015 and is funding the project ‘Women for Peace and Dialogue’ in Burundi.

    The UK will continue to look for opportunities to promote the active participation of women in peace-building and reconciliation discussions through political and/or financial support. We will also provide support to ensure women’s voices are represented in wider peace processes, negotiations and state building, including at local levels.

  • Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to her Answer of 12 May 2016, Official Report, column 707, what the evidential basis is for the statement that take up of domestic solar PV systems is strong.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The statement is based on the number of feed-in tariff applications received so far under the greater than 10kW solar PV cap. Once transitional and seasonal factors are considered, I am confident that we remain on track to meet the deployment projections published in the Impact Assessment of the 2015 FITs review decision.

    This can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486084/IA_-_FITs_consultation_response_with_Annexes_-_FINAL_SIGNED.pdf

    “

  • Michael Dugher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Michael Dugher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he took the decision to undertake an impact assessment for the purposes of the Public Sector Equality Duty of the changes to the budget for community pharmacy in 2016-17; and when work on that assessment commenced.

    Alistair Burt

    The proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond that were published on 17 December 2015 were considered against my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health’s duties, which include the Public Sector Equality Duty. An impact assessment has been developed during the consultation period and the Department is committed to publishing the impact assessment alongside any Drug Tariff determination.

  • Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how women who are in multiple part-time jobs, none of which pay more than the National Insurance lower earnings limit, are able to claim credit for their state pension.

    Lord Freud

    DWP analysis suggests that at any one time around 10,000 men and 40,000 women have multiple jobs below the lower earnings limit (LEL) with combined earnings above it, but are not receiving any qualifying years towards the State Pension on those earnings.

    DWP analysis estimates that of the women with multiple jobs below the LEL but total earnings above it, around 30% are getting a childcare credit for their State Pension. Others in this group may also be receiving credits through another route or be paying voluntary national insurance contributions.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of qualified teachers.

    Nick Gibb

    Teaching continues to be a hugely popular career. The number of teachers returning to the classroom continues to rise and in 2015/16 we recruited more trainee primary school teachers than our target. We recognise the challenge school leaders face in some parts of the country, and are working to address this with action.

    We are committed to attracting more top graduates into teaching, and have already announced increased bursaries and other financial incentives in those core academic subjects that help children achieve their potential; including tax free bursaries of up to £30,000.

    We have significantly expanded the School Direct teacher training route which gives schools more opportunity to recruit and train their own high-quality teachers and future leaders. This year over 10,000 trainees are starting School Direct courses, up from 9,000 last year.

    We have funded the expansion of Teach First into every region of England. Teach First will have the scope to reach 90 per cent of eligible schools by 2016, boosting our commitment to recruit more top teachers in rural, coastal and disadvantaged areas.

    In addition, the Department recently announced the ‘Supporting Returning Teachers’ pilot, to support secondary schools to improve teacher recruitment in priority subjects by removing the barriers that prevent inactive but qualified teachers from returning to the classroom. As part of this pilot, we are helping schools to provide a tailored package of support for those wishing to return to the profession and offering grant funding of up to £1,900 per teacher recruited.

  • Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to identify the best ways to tackle cultural heritage destruction overseas.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    This Government is committed to the protection of cultural heritage from destruction overseas. That is why we secured £30m of Overseas Development Assistance from 2016 to 2020 for our newly-established Cultural Protection Fund – to create opportunities for economic development through building capacity to foster, safeguard and promote cultural heritage.

    The British Museum’s Iraqi Heritage Emergency Management Programme (announced on the 28th October at the Cultural Protection Summit) is the Fund’s first programme. A period of consultation is now underway with expert stakeholders working in the arts, heritage, museums and development sectors, to help determine its exact scope and identify best practice.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the relative performance at GCSE of (a) pupils who are home schooled and (b) other pupils.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department does not hold information for pupils taking GCSEs who are home schooled. The latest information for other pupils is available from the “Revised GCSE and equivalent results in England: 2014 to 2015” statistical first release available on GOV.UK at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2014-to-2015.

    “

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about the size of the prison population in Tunisia, in particular about alleged over-crowding in Mornaguai Prison near Tunis; and whether they will assist the government of Tunisia in processing cases and in providing defence counsel.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    In January 2016 the Tunisian authorities said that their prisons and detention centres were holding around 170 per cent of their capacity. The UN reported in March 2014 that Mornaguia prison was 25 per cent over its capacity. We have raised with the Tunisian authorities the importance of introducing reforms to the Penal Code. These would help address prison overcrowding.

    We have no current plans to assist the Government of Tunisia in processing cases or providing defence counsel: the focus of our minimum £8 million support in this financial year is on Tunisia’s transition, security capacity building, governance and the economy.