Tag: 2016

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to assist local authorities with the maintenance of rural roads.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport is providing local highway authorities in England, outside London, with over £6.1 billion for highways maintenance between 2015 and 2021. This includes an additional £250 million for a Pothole Action Fund. It is for highway authorities to determine how this funding is utilised based on their needs and priorities and can include maintenance of rural roads.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to make financial support available to refugees and people in Britain with humanitarian protection status who are disabled.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Refugees and people in Great Britain with humanitarian protection status who are disabled and in need of financial support are entitled to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment Support Allowance or Universal Credit, and Personal Independence Payment, providing they meet all the necessary conditions of entitlement set out in regulations.

  • Hugo Swire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Hugo Swire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-10-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps to encourage banks to reduce interest rates inline with base rate reductions.

    Simon Kirby

    Alongside the Monetary Policy Committee’s decision to cut Bank Rate to 0.25%, the Chancellor on 4 August authorised the introduction of a new Term Funding Scheme.

    The Term Funding Scheme will lend central bank reserves to banks and building societies for an extended period at rates close to Bank Rate, in order to ensure the low level of Bank Rate is passed onto borrowing rates faced by households and businesses.

  • Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007, a Parliamentary pass should be accepted as photo-identity evidence for the purposes of opening a bank account, becoming a signatory to a bank account, and similar actions; and if not why not.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Government’s Anti-Money Laundering regime has a clear aim: to make the UK financial system a hostile environment for illicit finances, whilst minimising the burden on legitimate businesses and reducing the overall burden of regulation.

    Under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007, customers opening a bank account must satisfy the relevant financial institution as to their identity. Financial institutions are also required to maintain appropriate records and conduct ongoing monitoring of the business relationship. The Regulations do not prescribe that customers must produce particular documents such as a driving licence or passport, or indeed a Parliamentary pass.

    Professional bodies such as the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG, a finance, trade and banking industry consortium), issue detailed operational guidance to their members about how the Regulations should be applied in practice, which is available on their website. The JMLSG guidance encourages businesses to consider a wide range of reliable documentation that customers can produce for customer due diligence purposes. Each business will however have their own policies in relation to customer due diligence checks. The Regulations require businesses to be proportionate in the checks they carry out, so that they safeguard against the potential risks but the process is not unnecessarily burdensome for the customer.

  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on introducing fortification of bread with folic acid.

    Jane Ellison

    We are considering all aspects of preconception health as a priority, including the uptake of folic acid. We want children to have the best possible start in life and ensuring optimal maternal health is a key part of this.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the relationship between the bus service operators grant and the cost of bus fares.

    Andrew Jones

    We have been reviewing the Bus Service Operators Grant scheme in recent years with a view to improving its effectiveness in supporting bus services. In their assessment of the impact of any changes in policy associated with the Bus Service Operators’ Grant, departmental economists normally assume operators pass subsidy received on to passengers 50% through lower fares and 50% through increased service levels. Under these assumptions, they estimate that BSOG has the impact of keeping fares 3% lower than they would be in its absence in England outside of London.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made on the emotional and psychological effect of acquiring genital warts on an individual.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department has not made a specific assessment of the emotional and psychological effects of acquiring genital warts.

    However, it has made use of broader cost-effectiveness analysis, which includes both the physical and mental effects of genital warts, when assessing the human papillomavirus vaccination programme.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage schools to procure their food from local producers and suppliers.

    George Eustice

    The Plan for Public Procurement of Food was launched by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with the support of the Prime Minister in July 2014. The Plan seeks to improve the quality of the food served in public establishments through the use of a procurement toolkit which includes a balanced scorecard to assess the value of food and catering contracts. The balanced scorecard rewards businesses which offer high quality, locally sourced and seasonal produce.

    Defra has worked closely with the Department for Education sponsored School Food Plan and has commissioned pilots of the balanced scorecard approach with schools taking part in the London Food Board Flagship Food Boroughs initiative. These pilots will build on the very firm foundation laid by the School Food Plan.

  • Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what changes have recently been made to the franchise agreements and ancillary documents for Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd.

    Claire Perry

    The latest version of the Franchise Agreement, including all recent changes can be seen online at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525766/tsgn-franchise-agreement.pdf

    “

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the proposed creation of a contingent liability of £40 million in respect of callable capital of GuarantCo is treated as Official Development Assistance (a) when the contingent liability is created and (b) in the event that capital is called from the public purse under the contingent liability.

    Rory Stewart

    The creation of the contingent liability in respect of the callable capital for GuarantCo does not have immediate budgetary implications and is not treated as Official Development Assistance (ODA). If the capital is called it will be treated as ODA. This is in line with the internationally agreed rules on ODA.