Tag: 2016

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the annual cost to HM Revenue and Customs is of administering probate.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The Ministry of Justice is responsible for administering probate.

    The amount of fee income accrued to the public purse in probate fee charges (after remission) increased from £19m in 2013/14 to £41.5m in 2014/15 following fee increases introduced in April 2014.

    The annual cost to the Ministry of Justice of administering probate in 2014/15 was £42.5m.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the capital and revenue costs of free schools in London that (a) have been provided to date, (b) are to be provided in 2016-17 and (c) are projected to be provided between 2017 and 2020.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education’s accounts show that the total capital spend on free schools up to the end of 2013-14 was £1.029bn; the accounts for following years will be published in due course. The capital costs of individual projects are published once contracts are finalised and are no longer commercially sensitive. They are published, along with the costs of sixteen projects in London and one project in Kirklees, on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-funding-for-open-free-schools

    The total pre- and post-opening revenue expenditure for free school projects that opened in 2011 to 2013 is also published on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/revenue-expenditure-for-free-schools

    We plan to publish updated revenue expenditure for free schools that were opened in 2014 and 2015 within the next few weeks. This data will be updated annually each Autumn.

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  • Shabana Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Shabana Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Shabana Mahmood on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with NHS England on reducing medical indemnity costs for GPs.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department is having ongoing discussions with NHS England to review the way in which indemnity costs in primary care are funded and will bring forward proposals for discussion in July 2016.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he or any of his Ministerial colleagues were consulted by the Competition and Markets Authority on the date upon which it plans to publish its investigation into the energy market.

    Nick Boles

    The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is independent of Government. The timing of CMA publications is a matter for the CMA, taking into account its statutory deadlines.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the result of the EU referendum on the timetable for a decision on Heathrow expansion.

    Mr John Hayes

    As we move into the new world beyond our membership of the European Union, it is important that we are an outward-facing nation with strong business ties around the world. It is important that we get the decision on runway capacity right. We will take that decision and move ahead with our plans, ensuring that we have the right links for the future.

  • Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many young people over the age of 16 who are not in education, employment or training have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum condition or identified as having autism-related needs.

    Nick Boles

    The Department does not hold this information.

    The 0-25 Special Educational Needs and Disability system extends the rights that children with SEND of compulsory school age previously enjoyed to all those who are studying after the age of 16.All further education providers must now have regard to the SEND Code of Practice[1], and must endeavour to meet the needs of students with SEND, including those with autism.

    In 2015-16 the Department is providing funding of £239,502 for Ambitious about Autism to extend their previous grant-funded project, Finished at School, which developed an innovative, integrated model of transition support to enable more young people with complex autism and learning disabilities to access further education and training beyond school.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

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  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax credit claimants in work reported income rises of (a) more than £2,500, (b) more than £2,500 but less than £5,000 and (c) more than £5,000 in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

    Damian Hinds

    As announced in the combined Autumn Statement and Spending Review, the amount by which a tax credit claimant’s income can increase within the year before their tax credit award is adjusted (the income rise disregard), will be reduced from £5,000 to £2,500. This makes the tax credit system fairer so claimants on similar incomes will receive similar awards. Currently two families on precisely the same earnings at the end of the year can receive significantly different awards.

    A tax credit award will only be adjusted in response to a claimant earning more money. Next year there are expected to be 800,000 claimants whose income will increase by more than £2500 and who as a result will see an adjustment in their tax credit payment. None will be cash losers because their income will have increased.

    The change returns the disregard back to the level it was between 2003 and 2006 – something the tax credit system is now operationally better able to cope with now that it has more up to date information on people’s earnings through Real Time Information. HMRC are also making it easier to report changes quickly online, so that people will less often receive overpayments. Claimants can contact HMRC if they are suffering financial hardship and are having difficulty paying back an overpayment.

    The change will bring forward some of the benefits of Universal Credit so that the tax credit award reflects a claimant’s recent earnings and the system responds more quickly to changes in earnings.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the legal effect is of registering the Decision of the Heads of State or Government, meeting within the European Council on 18 and 19 February 2016, with the UN.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Decision of the Heads of State or Government is a treaty between the 28 Member States. Article 102 of the UN Charter and Article 80 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties provide that every treaty and every international agreement shall be registered with the UN Secretariat. Registration with the UN is a clear indicator that the document is a treaty.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans she has to address market barriers to investment in large-scale and distributed electricity storage technologies.

    Andrea Leadsom

    A key objective of our £20m energy storage innovation programme is to strengthen investor confidence in energy storage at all scales. Overall, more than £80m of public sector controlled support has been committed to energy storage research, development and demonstration activities since 2012. This R&D activity has helped to raise the profile of storage and to demonstrate its capabilities to potential investors. In addition, my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer allocated at least £50m innovation funding to smart technologies, including storage, in the recent Budget.

    The National Infrastructure Commission published a report, Smart Power, earlier in March. This included a recommendation to review the regulatory and legal status of storage and remove outdated barriers. The Department will implement this recommendation in full. We intend to publish a call for evidence on a smart systems route map, including storage, shortly.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what conditionality in relation to governance and human rights is applied to aid to Rwanda.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Decisions on aid to Rwanda are informed by judgements about the Government of Rwanda’s commitment to DFID’s partnership principles, which include respect for political and civil rights. In light of concerns in this area, DFID Ministers have agreed that the UK no longer provides General or Sector Budget Support to the Government of Rwanda. Rather, we direct funding into specific sectors, targeting particular results.