Tag: 2016

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether transitional protection where entitlement is lower will begin as soon as tax credit recipients start migrating to universal credit.

    Priti Patel

    No-one already on existing benefits or Tax Credits whose circumstances remain the same will lose out in cash terms as a direct result of being moved on to Universal Credit. These claimants will be given transitional protection to avoid cash loss at the point of change.

  • Jack Lopresti – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jack Lopresti – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Lopresti on 2016-04-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the UK’s (a) payments to the EU, (b) receipts through EU schemes and (c) receipts through the UK rebate in each year between 2020 and 2030.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Treasury’s approach to estimating the net cost of the EU budget to the UK over the long term is set out in Annex B of HM Treasury Analysis: the long-term economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives, publicly available at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517415/treasury_analysis_economic_impact_of_eu_membership_web.pdf

  • Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent representations she has received on the extension of the Warm Home Discount Scheme to Northern Ireland.

    Andrea Leadsom

    During the recent public consultation on the Warm Home Discount Scheme, there were six responses asking for the scheme to be extended to Northern Ireland.

    We will publish the response to the consultation as soon as we can.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many staff in his Department are currently engaged in (a) London and (b) Geneva on World Trade Organisation policy.

    Greg Hands

    As the Department for International Trade (DIT) is still to obtain a transfer of functions order to establish the Secretary of State and Department as a separate legal entity, it is not yet recognised as an independent employer. Therefore no independent staff data is available. DIT does not have staff in Geneva but will continue to work closely with the UK Mission to the UN in order to deliver the best possible outcomes for the UK.

  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provision her Department has put in place for SEND pupils who will not be able to pass selective school admission policies.

    Nick Gibb

    This Government is committed to ensuring all children, including those with Special Educational Needs and disabilities (SEND), have the opportunity to achieve their potential and make a successful transition to adult life.

    In the Children and Families Act 2014, we legislated to make fundamental changes to improve the SEND support system for the benefit of the 14.4% of children with SEND. These are the biggest reforms to the SEND system in a generation. To support local authorities and others to make these changes successfully, we have invested heavily in practical and financial support, including an extra £90 million of support for 2016/17.

    Following Sir Andrew Carter’s report on Initial Teacher Training (ITT), the Government published a new framework of core content in July 2016. This includes specific content on SEND, so that teachers have a clear understanding and early awareness of pupils with SEND. This will help to ensure that pupils with SEND have the opportunity to fully realise their potential.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he plans to publish the next quarterly progress report to the House on Syria.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    I updated the House on 16 December 2015. The next progress report on Syria will be made by my Right Hon Friend, member for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields, the Development Secretary, Ms Justine Greening following the 4 February Syria Conference in London.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 24141, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of (a) unauthorised entries to military bases and (b) thefts or losses of classified material between 2014 and 2015.

    Mark Lancaster

    The apparent increase in incidents is attributed to security awareness programmes and a strengthened reporting regime. These have led to an increasing readiness to report even minor breaches and do not represent systematic failings in security protection.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) legal fees for employment tribunals for the last twelve months, where invoices have so far been received (January 2015 – December 2015), total £46,385.52. The FCO is in the process of recovering £3,000 of this following a Costs Order in our favour.

  • Roger Mullin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Roger Mullin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Mullin on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he has taken to promote the take-up of employee ownership schemes by small and medium-sized businesses in each nation of the UK.

    Anna Soubry

    In 2012, the previous Government asked Graeme Nuttall to advise on what more could be done to increase the number of businesses with employee ownership. The Nuttall Review identified 28 recommendations to address three main constraints: lack of awareness of the concept; lack of resources to support the model; and actual or perceived legal, tax and other regulatory barriers. The action taken to address the recommendations is explained in the ‘The Nuttall Review of Employee Ownership – One Year On’ report published in November 2013 and available on the gov.uk website.

    The Government now expects the private sector to make the business case for this model through organisations such as the Employee Ownership Association – the representative body for employee-owned businesses.

    Ongoing encouragement for employee ownership is provided through four approved share schemes which have tax-advantages for both employees and employers. These are the Company Share Option Plan (CSOP), Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI), Save As You Earn (SAYE) and Share Incentive Plan (SIP) which are administered by HMRC. In 2013-14 the total value of shares and options awarded under these schemes was around £3.45bn with over £1bn of income tax and national insurance relief given.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to provide information to enable future planning by supported housing providers during the next 12 months.

    Brandon Lewis

    The supported housing sector provides valuable support to some of our country’s most vulnerable people and we recognise the important role that it plays.

    We are currently undertaking an evidence review of the supported housing sector, which is due to report shortly. We will work with the sector as part of developing a long-term sustainable funding regime.

    In the meantime, we have put in place a one-year exception for all supported accommodation from the social rent reduction policy and from the Local Housing Allowance cap.