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Tag: 2016

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the eligibility threshold for carer’s allowance to enable carers working 16 hours per week on the new National Living Wage to keep their entitlement to that allowance.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The primary purpose of Carer’s Allowance is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. It is not, and was never intended to be, a carer’s wage or a payment for the services of caring, nor is it intended to replace lost or forgone earnings in their entirety.

    The earnings limit for Carer’s Allowance is a net figure which is the figure left once income tax, National Insurance contributions and half of any contributions to an occupational or personal pension are deducted from earnings. There are also a number of other deductions which can be made that mean that people can earn significantly more than £110 per week and still be eligible for Carer’s Allowance.

    The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit is not linked to the number of hours worked. Instead, it is set at a level that aims to encourage those who give up full time work in order to undertake caring responsibilities to maintain a link with the labour market through part time work.

    Whilst the Government does not link the earnings limit to any other particular factor (including the National Living Wage), we do keep it under regular review and increase it when it is warranted and affordable, and this will continue to be our approach. Most recently in April 2015 the earnings limit was increased by 8% to £110, far outstripping the general increase in earnings.

    For those carers working around 16 hours a week on a low income and receiving Working Tax Credit, Carer’s Allowance is taken fully into account as income. That means that any loss in Carer’s Allowance is likely to be offset by an increase in Working Tax Credit, and this is one of the changes of circumstances that results in an immediate change to Tax Credits. Going forward the earnings taper in Universal Credit will help ensure that people are always better off in work.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 May 2016 to Question 37198, how many of the leaflets entitled Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK have been returned to his Department; and what the postage cost to the Government has been of such returns.

    Mr David Lidington

    I refer my Hon Friend to the Prime Minister’s response of 25th May 2016. This information is not collated centrally by the Department.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mental health support systems are in place in schools to tackle eating disorders and anorexia.

    Edward Timpson

    Education professionals have a vital role to play in raising concerns about eating disorders and anorexia, and other mental health issues, as well as providing support when such issues have been identified.

    Schools should consider how to provide appropriate support to their pupils and they are able to decide on the most appropriate way to do this, based on their individual circumstances. One of the best ways is as part of a ‘whole-school’ approach and we have taken a range of actions to support them to do this, including being informed about eating disorders and anorexia.

    We have funded guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching mental health in PSHE – which covers teaching about eating disorders and anorexia. Training for teachers on eating disorders and anorexia is available through MindEd, a free online portal which has been developed to enable all adults working with children and young people learn more about specific mental health problems and how to support them. We have also revised and updated our blueprint for effective school-based counselling.

    However teachers are not mental health specialists, and can need specialist help to support pupils with eating disorders and anorexia. We have contributed to a £3m joint pilot between schools and specialist mental health services, to help schools draw on specialist support for their pupils, where needed.

    To improve the specialist support available, the Government made available £150m in April 2015 for 5 years to enable specific improvements in the support available to young people with eating disorders. In 2016 -17, £30m of this funding has been allocated by NHS England to Clinical Commissioning Groups to improve community based eating disorder services.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many jobs in the UK would be at risk if the (a) European Medicines Agency and (b) European Banking Authority relocated out of the UK.

    Mr David Jones

    No decisions have yet been made about the future of the European Medicines Agency or the European Banking Authority. The position of individual staff in the EU institutions will depend on their particular situation and will be determined at the appropriate time. We are clear on the need to get the best deal possible for the UK and its citizens in the negotiations with the EU.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the case of Abdullah al-Zaher.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The British Government is very concerned about the case of Abdullah al-Zaher. We have raised this case at a senior level in the Government of Saudi Arabia. The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, especially in cases which do not meet the minimum standards defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This includes the execution of a minor and the use of the death penalty for a crime which isn’t deemed “the most serious”. We take every opportunity to make the Saudi authorities aware of our views.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of savings to his Department as a result of (a) ISSC1 and (b) ISSC2 in each year since 2013.

    Matthew Hancock

    Cabinet Office does not hold current financial information for Independent Shared Service Centre 1 (ISSC1). As the sole customer receiving services as part of ISSC1, responsibility for the majority of the programme and contract management is now undertaken by DfT.

    ISSC2’s Founding customers achieved net savings of £0.9 million in financial year 2013-14 and £8.19 million net savings in financial year 2014-15. There was a 17% reduction in costs of service in 2014-15 compared with the 2012-13 baseline.

    The Cabinet Office achieved £0.12 million net savings in 2013-14 and £0.31 million net savings in financial year 2014-15 as a result of receiving services through ISSC2. The figure for 2014-15 represents a 17% reduction in costs compared with the 2012-13 baseline.

  • Susan Elan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Susan Elan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Susan Elan Jones on 2016-02-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to improve access to mortgages for self-employed people.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government is committed to ensuring that the mortgage market delivers for creditworthy borrowers.

    On 1 December 2015 the Government launched the Help to Buy: ISA to help all first time buyers saving for their first home.

    Beyond the requirements set out in the regulations, decisions around the availability of individual mortgage loans are commercial decisions for lenders, including what evidence is required to validate income. The Government does not seek to intervene in these decisions.

  • Amanda Milling – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Amanda Milling – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Milling on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to maintain the position of the UK internationally in dementia research and the design of dementia-friendly communities.

    Jane Ellison

    We will spend more than £300million on dementia research this parliament, aiming to double overall investment by 2025. Additionally, we have spearheaded the £130million Dementia Discovery Fund and plan to invest up to £150million to develop a national Dementia Research Institute by 2020. By 2020, over half of people will be living in dementia friendly communities – of which there are already 147 such communities across England.

  • Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-04-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the effective operation of the electoral office of Northern Ireland following the decision by the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance to ballot its members in the electoral office on strike action following the decision to close six electoral branch offices.

    Lord Dunlop

    The delivery of elections is an operational matter for the Chief Electoral Officer.

    It is disappointing that the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance has decided to ballot its members in Area Electoral Offices for industrial action. While two Area Electoral Offices are due to close in October with staff relocating to other offices, no decision has been taken on others. This action is hard to justify in advance of final decisions on wider reform which will only be taken following consideration of responses to a consultation later in the year.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data from which year of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey has been used to inform the development of the soft drinks industry levy.

    Damian Hinds

    A wide range of data shows that children in the UK are consuming too much sugar, and this is a cause of obesity and a driver of obesity-related disease. A single 330ml can of cola may contain 9 teaspoons of added sugar, which is more than a child’s daily recommended intake. This is why the government has announced an industry levy designed to encourage producers to reduce the amount of added sugar in drinks.

    The most recent published National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) includes data from 2008 to 2012. It reports that sugar sweetened soft drinks are a major contributor to daily sugar intake for children, accounting for about 30% of the daily sugar intake alone.