Tag: 2016

Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department were in receipt of Continuity of Education Allowance in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; and what the cost to his Department was of providing that allowance for staff based (i) in the UK and (ii) overseas in each such year.

Mr Julian Brazier

The requested information is provided in the following table and I have added the figures for 2009-10 for comparison.

Continuity of Education Allowance, Number of Claimants and Cost (UK and Overseas) by Financial Year (FY)

	FY 2009-10	FY 2012-13	FY 2013-14	FY 2014-15
UK Claimants	5,020	4,160	3,600	3,230
Overseas Claimants	1,000	790	700	650
Total Claimants	6,020	4,950	4,300	3,880

UK Cost (£ million)	93.2	82.2	74.3	69.4
Overseas Cost (£ million)	18.1	16.4	15.0	15.1
Total Cost (£ million)	111.3	98.7	89.3	84.5

Note: all numbers are rounded

Continuity of Education Allowance was reviewed as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 since when improvements in governance have achieved a reduction of costs by around £30 million per annum along with an associated reduction in claimants. Work continues to further reduce the cost of the allowance.

01/01/2023

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering on 2016-05-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of basic farm payments claimed during 2015 had been paid as of 30 April.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

As at 2 May, the first working day following 30 April, 98% of Basic Payment Scheme claimants had received a payment.

01/01/2023
Lord Rennard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rennard on 2016-06-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress HM Revenue and Customs has made in investigating in the UK tobacco companies that over-supply low tobacco-tax foreign countries, and what action has resulted from those investigations.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The UK introduced stringent rules in 2006 requiring all UK Tobacco Manufacturers (TMs) to control their supply chains. These rules required them to take steps to avoid supplying cigarettes and/or HRT (hand rolling tobacco) to persons who are likely to smuggle them into the UK or resupply them to other persons who are likely to do the same.

Tobacco manufacturers can face penalties of up to £5m for failing to comply with the rules. HMRC action, in monitoring TM’s compliance, is reflected in a reduction in supplies of UK brand cigarettes to high risk markets of 20% since 2010. At the same time, supplies to those markets of UK brand Hand Rolling Tobacco (HRT) has reduced by 36%.

Despite this success HMRC is not complacent. They continue to closely monitor the illicit market in the UK, which today is made up of a mix of unregulated brands, non UK brands, and counterfeit as well as genuine UK brands, to ensure the legislation is working. HMRC also robustly challenge TM’s supply chain policies and procedures to ensure their continued compliance with the rules.

HMRC cannot comment on the progress of individual investigations but it is a matter of public record that one manufacturer has been subject to a supply chain penalty. This penalty is currently under to appeal.

01/01/2023
Baroness Scott of Needham Market – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the EU referendum result, what is the status of applications made to the European Investment Bank by housing associations and local authorities.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The UK is and continues to be a shareholder of the European Investment Bank and the EIB has publicly stated that its engagement in the UK is unchanged. All existing loan contracts signed between UK promoters and the EIB remain in force, and the EIB has continued to sign and approve new projects since the referendum.

01/01/2023
Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Government plans to maintain funding to prevent deforestation in developing countries; and whether the UK provides any funding to help prevent large-scale forest fires in developing countries.

James Wharton

Preventing deforestation is a key priority for the UK. More than one billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods, and forests are vital resources which support economic growth in developing countries. At the Paris climate change conference in 2015, the UK Germany and Norway collectively committed to providing up to US$1 billion per year by 2020, or over $5 billion in the period 2015-20, to prevent deforestation and ensure that forests are managed sustainably.

01/01/2023
Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on the continuation of payments for legacy benefits to claimants being transferred to universal credit until a first universal credit payment is received.

Priti Patel

Legacy benefit entitlement will cease when a claimant starts a claim for Universal Credit. We have put in place specific arrangements which allow a person transferring to Universal Credit to apply for an advance on their first UC payment.

01/01/2023
Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-02-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the decrease in the number of personal independence payment mandatory reconsideration new decisions in cases in which awards were changed between July 2014 and October 2015.

Justin Tomlinson

PIP is continuing to roll out in a safe and steady manner and as such there will be a variety of cases, and case volumes, within the system at any one time. Variation in Mandatory Reconsideration outcomes is to be expected in a live system of this scale as applications are decided on an individual basis.

There are no targets for Mandatory Reconsideration outcomes.

01/01/2023
Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of the proportion of GPs on the executive bodies of clinical commissioning groups who have a financial interest in the services they are commissioning.

George Freeman

The National Audit Office recently estimated that in 2014-15 there were 3,150 governing body members in total across the clinical commissioning group (CCG) sector. Of these, 1,300 (41%) were also general practitioners, who make decisions about local health services and may potentially be paid by their CCG for providing these services. It is expected that all CCGs should follow the published guidance on managing conflicts of interest.

01/01/2023
Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, who has attended meetings of the Child Protection Task Force and on what dates; and what action has been decided at those meetings.

Edward Timpson

Information relating to the proceedings of recent meetings of Implementation Taskforces is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

01/01/2023
Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the ban on the import of cement into Gaza for the private sector since 3 April.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate General in Jerusalem regularly raise the need to make progress towards a durable solution for Gaza, and press for practical steps to advance reconstruction and economic development with both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority.

We are concerned about recent reports of diversion of cement entering Gaza through the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism. While we understand Israeli security concerns, new restrictions on the import of cement have resulted in a delay in reconstruction activity and will have a significant impact on employment. The Department for International Development’s support to the Material Monitoring Unit helps to identify such cases of diversion and ensure that appropriate action is taken.

01/01/2023