The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish an estimate of how many people in each region and parliamentary constituency will benefit from the rise in the income tax personal allowance to £11,000 on 6 April 2016.
Mr David Gauke
The Government estimates that the increase in the personal allowance to £11,000 in 2016/17 will reduce the income tax liability for 29.2 million individuals in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2016-02-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the new Enterprise Allowance scheme.
Priti Patel
Latest statistics show that 76,960 new businesses have been set up with the support of the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA).
A cohort study of the initial participants in the scheme showed that 78% of the first 2,960 NEA participants who started to trade remained off benefits for 52 weeks.
In January 2016 we published an evaluation report which showed that business established with the support of NEA had a sustainability rate of 80%, with over 90% of these trading for over 12 months. Around half of the respondents to the survey reported an expansion in their customer base or an increase in turnover. The majority of respondents were planning to expand their business in the future.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 2 February 2015 to Question 222253, what estimate he has made of the number of service personnel who have suffered mental illness in the current year.
Mark Lancaster
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) compiles records of UK Armed Forces personnel who have been assessed as having a mental health condition at either of the military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs) or one of the facilities contracted by the MOD to provide in-patient treatment.
During the period 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015, the most recent full year for which verified records are available, 4,858 personnel were assessed as having a mental health disorder.
Verified figures are also available for the period of 7 April to 30 September 2015. During this six month period, 2,576 personnel were assessed as having a mental health disorder.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Woodcock on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) flying hours and (b) air shows were flown by the Nimrod MRA4 aircraft prior to their decommissioning.
Mr Philip Dunne
As the Nimrod MRA4 aircraft was never in RAF service, the Ministry of Defence does not hold information regarding the aircraft’s flying hours or appearance at air shows when operated by BAE Systems.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the role of his Department is planned to be in implementing the recommendations of the Independent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance.
Jane Ellison
The final report of the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance is expected shortly. The Department is leading on the cross-departmental response to the report. A group of senior officials has been meeting regularly to ensure the necessary coordination.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate has he made of the (a) number and (b) value of programmes commissioned under his Department’s Dynamic Purchasing System in (i) Dudley, (ii) the Black Country and (iii) the West Midlands.
Justin Tomlinson
The number of contracts awarded under the Dynamic Purchasing System in the West Midlands (Black Country, Birmingham and Solihull, Mercia and Midland Shires Districts) is 13, with total value of £328,040.60.
This includes 4 Contracts awarded within the Black Country District with a total value of £32, 514, one of which was to support Dudley claimants exclusively. The Dudley contract value was £2625.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding has been provided to the Rapid Response Service to support those affected by the closure of SSI Redcar in 2015.
Damian Hinds
The Department’s Rapid Response Service formed part of the SSI Task force set up to provide support to former SSI and supply chain workers.
The Rapid Response Service spend of £2.1M formed part of the overall package of £46m Government funding made available to help people back to work through a range of support measures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 18488, what amount of funding from the Coastal Communities Fund will be allocated to the Jaywick Coastal Community Team from 2017 to 2021.
Mr Marcus Jones
Funding from the Coastal Communities Fund is awarded to projects through a competitive bid-led process rather than being allocated directly to specific places or Coastal Community Teams. To date no successful bids have been received from organisations in Jaywick.
Funds are awarded to projects that best meet the programme’s aims to promote sustainable growth and jobs. Details of the Fund’s next bidding round for projects starting in 2017-18 will be announced in the Spring. The Economic Plan being prepared by Jaywick’s Coastal Community Team will provide an important context for considering bids to the Fund from public, private and voluntary/community sector organisations in its area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what additional resources his Department plans to make available to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator to ensure it meets the 90-day target in issuing complaint outcomes set by the European Directive on Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Joseph Johnson
Should an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, such
as the Office for the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA),be found
to be continually failing to comply with the Alternative Dispute Resolution Regulations
2015, the Government has set out a process that enables an appointed body (the
Chartered Trading Standards Institute) to monitor compliance, recommend
improvements and, ultimately, remove a body from the approved list.
The OIA is independent of Government and funded by compulsory subscriptions
from higher education providers. All higher education providers in receipt of
student support funding are required, through legislation, to join the OIA and pay
subscription fees. The OIA makes an assessment each year of the level of
funding it requires to ensure that its costs can be met.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to reduce the time taken for the DVLA’s Drivers Medical Group department to return driving licences to applicants.
Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has made a number of improvements in the way it deals with medical cases. Extra caseworkers have been employed and more medical advisers are being recruited.
The DVLA deals with telephone enquiries from drivers who are working abroad or who have a job offer pending as a priority. Also, a dedicated team has been established to ensure that customers challenging a licensing decision, are dealt with as quickly as possible. All applications for first vocational driving licences where a medical condition is declared are dealt with as a priority.
These changes are part of an ongoing programme of work which will continue to introduce improvements. Future changes include the introduction of a digital service channel and a review of how complex cases are handled. The changes will help to significantly speed up the process for both motorists and medical professionals.