Tag: 2016

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support children living in conflict zones to access education.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID’s priority areas in education are to improve learning, to reach all children – especially those in fragile states – and to keep girls in school and learning. The UK is one of the biggest bilateral donors to basic education in low income countries. Between 2010 and 2015 DFID supported 11 million children in school across 21 countries, 7.5 million of them in countries considered to be fragile. DFID has again pledged to support 11 million girls and boys with a decent education between 2015 and 2020. In addition, by 2017, our flagship £355 million Girls’ Education Challenge will enable up to 1 million of the world’s most marginalised girls to benefit from an education of sufficient quality to help transform their lives, including in countries such as Somalia and South Sudan.

    DFID is also supporting initiatives to improve how the international community provides education in emergencies, including conflicts. This includes leadership to establish the ‘No Lost Generation Initiative’ (NLGI) in 2013 to prevent the loss of an entire generation of children to the effects of violence and displacement in the Syria conflict. As part of this support, the UK has allocated £115 million to provide protection, psychosocial support and education for children affected by the crisis in Syria. As a result, over 251,000 children have received formal and informal education inside Syria and in the region, allowing them to catch up on lost learning time and perform well in public school examinations. In addition, a key outcome of the recent ‘Supporting Syria and the Region Conference’, held in London on 4 February, is the commitment that, by the end of the 2016/17 school year,1.7 million children – all refugee children and vulnerable children in host communities – will be in quality education with equal access for girls and boys.

    Ahead of the World Humanitarian Summit in May, DFID is also working with partners to improve how education is delivered globally in humanitarian and protracted crises.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what provisions his Department has in place to ensure that sufferers of multiple sclerosis do not experience a decrease in benefit payments as a result of experiencing a temporary period of remission in their condition.

    Priti Patel

    The assessments for Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment have been designed to take full account of fluctuating conditions, including multiple sclerosis. Neither assessment is a snapshot; they give people with fluctuating conditions the opportunity to explain how their condition varies over time.

    All assessments are carried out by qualified health professionals who have broad training in disability analysis and are required to fully explore and report any fluctuations in a claimant’s condition(s).

  • Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2016 to Question 35137, what estimate she has made of the proportion of fuel poor households needed to reach the interim energy efficiency target of EPC band E by 2020 using the fuel poverty efficiency rating methodology that will be households in receipt of the Warm Homes Discount Scheme.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The number of F and G-rated fuel poor households [1] in England that will be in receipt of Warm Home Discount to 2020 will depend on changes in the energy efficiency of the housing stock and reforms to the welfare system over time.

    Based on current scheme eligibility, we estimate that around 25% of F and G-rated fuel poor households in England are eligible for Warm Home Discount.

    The Warm Home Discount has an important role in supporting households with their energy bills but is not the primary way we are addressing fuel poverty in the long term. We are reforming the Energy Company Obligation to improve the energy efficiency of homes that need it most, tackling the root cause of fuel poverty.

    [1] As measured by the Fuel Poverty Energy Efficiency Rating. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/332236/fpeer_methodology.pdf

    “

  • The Countess of Mar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The Countess of Mar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Countess of Mar on 2016-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to amend Section 4:4 of The Blue Badge Scheme Local Authority Guidance (England) to exclude the first sentence that specifies certain medical conditions in order to ensure that eligibility is based on disability or ill health regardless of diagnosis.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government has no current plans to amend the non-statutory guidance to local authorities about the Blue Badge scheme. As the guidance makes clear “Each application should be considered on its merits – not on a “one size fits all” basis. The final decision about whether an applicant meets the criterion is for the issuing authority to make.”.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the finding of the Ernst & Young study on the employment landscape for young people in the UK that there are significant variations in youth unemployment rates across different regions of the UK.

    Lord Freud

    Nationally, nearly 86% of young people are either working or in full-time education. Since 2010, the proportion of young people who have left full-time education and are unemployed has fallen to 5.8%, close to the lowest on record. There is always some regional variation, but youth unemployment rates exaggerate this because they are affected by the varying proportion of young people in full-time education. Looking at young people claiming unemployment benefits, which excludes full-time students, the variation between regions is narrower than in 2010, with the West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humberside and the North East having seen the largest falls.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the percentage of drivers or riders involved in a road accident who were given a breath test, for each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made of the change, if any, in that percentage.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    A significant majority of road accidents are damage-only incidents where all participants exchange insurance and contact details. In line with s170 of the Road Traffic Act there is no requirement to report these incidents to the police and, unless there is a specific need for it, the police will not attend the scene. In these cases no breath tests are carried out and the accident is not recorded.

    As a result, it is impossible to state what percentage of drivers involved in all accidents are given a breath test as the total number of drivers involved in accidents is unknown.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the value and proportion of tax relief provided on ISA investments across the income distribution.

    Harriett Baldwin

    HM Revenue and Customs publishes detailed statistics relating to Individual Savings Accounts on Gov.uk. Links given below:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/487119/Dec15_expenditure_reliefs_Final.xlsx.pdf)

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/423438/Table_9.10_2012-13_for_publication.pdf).

    “

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2016 to Question 25729, when he plans to (a) complete the BAME benchmarking pilot and (b) publish the benchmarking tool.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England will begin the collection and analysis of responses from services in March. Following final sign off, NHS England expect to publish the benchmarking tool no later than June 2016.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the implications are of her Department breaching its Resource Annually Managed expenditure for the funding of other policies in her Department.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    There are no implications for the funding of other policies in my Department as a result of this breach of the Resource Annually Managed Expenditure limit. The Department’s operational expenditure is not included in this category of expenditure. Details of the breach were provided in the Northern Ireland Office Annual Report and Account 2014-15 which is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/447028/NIO_Accounts_2014-2015.pdf

    “

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to improve trade with (a) Hong Kong and (b) China as a whole.

    Anna Soubry

    Increasing trade and growth through exports, to all overseas markets including Hong Kong and China is a key factor in the Government’s long-term economic plan. Government departments are working together to support UK businesses looking to take advantage of overseas opportunities and to create a strong business environment that allows them to flourish on the international stage.

    The focus on China and Hong Kong is exemplified by the fact that UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has some 180 full-time equivalent posts in these markets, representing its largest overseas team working on trade and investment. UKTI also works in partnership with the China Britain Business Council (CBBC) which delivers volume trade support on its behalf for UK companies looking to export to China. CBBC offers support for UK businesses across 13 strategic locations in China.