Tag: 2016

  • Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for those countries and territories in which those in receipt of the UK state pension are subject to the frozen pensions regulations, what is the process necessary to negotiate reciprocal agreements for pensions to be uprated annually.

    Baroness Altmann

    There are a number of considerations around whether to initiate the negotiation of reciprocal agreements for pensions and other social security benefits. These include reciprocity between the social security systems in the respective countries, the movement of people between the two countries, and the affordability of concluding and administering an agreement.

  • David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to reform the current method of electing hereditary peers to the House of Lords.

    John Penrose

    Given the very large and urgent list of other constitutional reforms currently underway, it’s hard to justify giving Lords reform a higher priority than other manifesto promises. We will continue to consider steps that are able to command support from all sides of the House. The Leader of the House of Lords has convened cross-party talks to discuss these issues, and those talks continue.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of staffing levels in Police Public Protection Units at (a) UK and (b) force level.

    Mike Penning

    Decisions on the size, composition and deployment of a police force’s workforce are operational matters for individual chief constables, working with their Police and Crime Commissioners.

    HMIC’s progress report on the police response to domestic abuse, published in December 2015, found that forces have continued largely to protect their dedicated teams or other resources that focus on public protection work.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussion she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of the possible expansion of Heathrow Airport on UK tourism.

    Tracey Crouch

    The Government has accepted the case for airport expansion in the South East and the Airports’ Commission’s shortlisted options. The new Culture Secretary will be ensuring that tourism is one of the factors considered, when a final decision is taken on a preferred scheme.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to encourage local authorities to offer business rate exemptions to nurseries.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The Government does not collect data on particular types of premises that might have benefited from local discretionary relief.

    Central Government has given local authorities wide-ranging, discretionary powers to grant business rates discounts as they see fit – they are best placed to serve the needs of their community. All local authorities which grant a local discount will receive 50% of the cost from central Government funds.

    The Minister for Childcare wrote to all local authorities in November 2014 to encourage them to apply business rates relief to nurseries and reminded them that central Government will meet 50% of the costs involved. He also encouraged nurseries to follow up with their local authorities themselves. The Department for Communities and Local Government wrote to local authorities in January 2015, reinforcing this message. This letter is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/395333/BRIL_1__-_2015__-__General_-_14_Jan.pdf

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  • Lord Lingfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Lingfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lingfield on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the review of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, charities in receipt of less than £25,000 per annum in grants from public funds will be subject to freedom of information requests.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Government will announce its intentions about the development of the Freedom of Information Act once it has received and considered the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information’s recommendations.

  • Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the post-construction obligations on large volume housing developers in enforcing compliance with building regulations.

    James Wharton

    It is the responsibility of the housing developer to ensure that work is compliant with the building regulations both during construction and post-construction. During the construction period, the building control body would be responsible for checking compliance. Post-construction, where there is a new home warranty in place, the warranty provider provides cover for up to ten years after construction and can include compliance with aspects of the building regulations.

  • Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on (a) new IT equipment, (b) new furniture, (c) new artwork, (d) catering and events, (e) renovating its buildings and facilities, (f) new plants and shrubs and (g) special advisers’ travel expenses since May 2015.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education has spent the amounts shown in the table below on the following list of categories from 1 May 2015 to 31 January 2016.

    a) New IT equipment

    £868,312

    b) New furniture

    £11,861

    c) New artwork

    No Expenditure

    d) Catering and events

    £326,575

    e) Renovating buildings and facilities [1]

    £9,862,679

    f) New plants and shrubs

    No Expenditure

    g) Special Advisers’ travel expenses (including rail journeys)

    £1,555

    [1] The figure for renovating buildings and facilities is for DfE and its Agencies and does not include expenditure on school buildings.

    The figures are for the Department, its Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies, Government Equalities Office, Equality and Human Rights Commission and Office of the Children’s Commissioner.

  • Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the call in the new report from the charity Sense, Making the Case for Play, for play to be part of the ministerial brief for the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Childcare and Education.

    Lord Nash

    I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given on 8 March to PQ 29735, which I have also set out below:

    The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning. The importance of play is already recognised within the early years legislation covered by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education’s portfolio.

    Play is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework and states: “Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.”

    Staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department. However, it is the responsibility of early years settings to provide play opportunities for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.

    Ofsted registers childcare provision on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register and conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards.

    In judging the quality and standards of early years provision, Ofsted inspectors must assess the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have special educational needs or disabilities. At August 2015, 85 per cent of providers on the Early Years Register were rated good or outstanding for overall effectiveness. This is an increase of 11 percentage points since 2012.

  • Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Clegg on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on assessing the social and economic value of a pub to the local area; and if he will make a statement of the effectiveness of that guidance.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government has not issued guidance to local authorities on assessing the social and economic value of their local pubs. However, the British Beer and Pub Association estimate that each pub contributes £80,000 each year to its local economy and that the UK pubs industry as a whole supports 900,000 jobs.