Tag: 2016

  • Bill Esterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Bill Esterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of late payment of claims by insurance companies on SMEs.

    Harriett Baldwin

    In the Enterprise Bill, Government has proposed to introduce a new requirement for insurers to pay claims within a reasonable time, which will also entitle policyholders to claim damages where a claims is paid late. An assessment of the impact of late payment of insurance claims, including on small and medium sized enterprises, has been published by the government:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/461200/BIS-15-517-IA-late-payment-of-insurance-claims.pdf

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the situation in the Kurdish town of Cizre.

    Mr David Lidington

    Security operations, including military curfews, are continuing in Cizre and other towns in south-east Turkey against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its youth wing, the YPS (Civil Protection Units, formerly the YDG-H). There has been intense fighting in recent days. One policeman and one soldier were killed on 9 February. Our condolences are with the families of the soldiers and police who have been killed, and with civilians caught up in the violence. We continue to call for the PKK to end its terrorist attacks and for the peace process to be resumed. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) and Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Turkey have emphasised to the Turkish government the need to respect human rights and avoid civilian casualties. We stand ready to help in any way we can.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2015 to Question HL1937, on visas: overseas students, to provide the data by quarter from 2009-10 to quarter 1 2013; and how many Tier 4 applicants did not undergo credibility interviews in each such quarter.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office does not hold this data in the format requested.

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on steps to remove foreign national offenders from UK prisons to their home countries.

    Andrew Selous

    The Secretary of State for Justice and the Home Secretary have regular bilateral meetings where they discuss progress on removal of FNOs. As announced in the Prime Minister’s speech on 8 February, MoJ officials have also been working closely with the Home Office to introduce a legal requirement for defendants appearing in court to provide their name, date of birth and nationality. This will enable earlier identification of foreign national offenders and help with the removals process.

  • Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of selection related to religious beliefs in school admissions on the integration of pupils from different socio-economic, ethnic and religious or non-religious backgrounds in schools; and what steps she is taking to improve such integration.

    Nick Gibb

    It is for the admission authority of each school to set their own admission arrangements, according to their local circumstances. Admission authorities for all state-funded schools, including schools with a religious designation, must ensure their admission arrangements comply with the mandatory provisions of the School Admissions Code and other admissions law.

    The Code requires that all admissions arrangements must be fair, comply with equalities legislation, and not disadvantage unfairly a child from a particular social or racial group or a child with a disability or special educational needs. If an objection is made to the Schools Adjudicator, and the arrangements are found to be unfair or fail to comply with the Code, the admission authority must make changes to ensure their arrangements are compliant without undue delay.

    The Equality Act requires public bodies, including maintained schools and academies, to have due regard to the need to foster good relations across all protected characteristics. All schools are legally required to promote the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of their pupils and their effectiveness in this is assessed through inspection. In assessing schools’ effectiveness, inspectors take account of the extent to which pupils have an understanding and appreciation of the range of different cultures within school and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain.

    The School Admissions Code is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-admissions-code–2

  • Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the total number of Iraqi civilians killed since the start of the 2003 Iraq war.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government has not made an estimate of the number of Iraqis killed as a result of terrorism and war-related violence since 2003. While the security situation in Iraq has greatly improved since violence peaked in 2006-2007, Iraqi civilians have been victim to Daesh’s atrocities since the summer of 2014. We utterly condemn such violence and call for those responsible to be brought to justice. The UK is committed to supporting the Government of Iraq as it works to defeat Daesh and put Iraq on the path to long-term peace and stability.

  • Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that regulations governing the exploitation on a significant scale of shale gas by fracking will be robust and will not permit an unacceptable level of self-regulation.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Shale companies need permission from independent expert regulators before any hydraulic fracturing operations can begin:

    – A licence for onshore oil and gas exploration is required from the Oil and Gas Authority

    – Planning permission is required from the local Mineral Planning Authority

    – Permits to operate a site are required from the Environment Agency

    – Safety on a drilling site and standards of well construction are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive

    – A drilling consent is also required from the Oil and Gas Authority

    We are confident that we have a robust regulatory regime in place. The Government will keep the regulatory regime for shale under review as the industry develops to ensure it is proportionate and fit for purpose.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received on the ability of the Pubs Code Adjudicator to enact its role impartially.

    Margot James

    My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received one letter from the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Iain Wright) as Chair of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee and one letter from the hon. Member in his capacity as Chair of the British Pub Confederation. The Department has also received correspondence from members of the Pubs Advisory Service and the British Pub Confederation.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in Burnley receive working tax credit.

    Damian Hinds

    Information on the figures you have requested can be found in the latest publication, Child and Working Tax Credits statistics, Finalised annual awards – Geographical analysis, which is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-tax-credits-finalised-award-statistics-geographical-statistics-2013-to-2014

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse of EU health tourism has been in each of the last three years.

    Alistair Burt

    Since its inception in 2013, the Department’s Visitor and Migrant NHS Cost Recovery Programme has been working to design and implement key improvements to ensure that those people who should pay for National Health Service care are identified and charged.

    Achievements include:

    – The launch of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) reporting incentive on 1 October 2014. All EHIC activity correctly reported by NHS secondary providers, so that the UK is able to make appropriate reimbursement claims from other member states, allows them to access an additional 25% funding;

    – The revision of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations which came into force on 6 April 2015, reducing the number of exemption from charge categories and realigning the Regulations to the principle that the NHS is a residency-based healthcare system; and

    – Support and engagement with NHS providers through meetings with senior trust employees and the launch of a cost recovery support team to provide bespoke assistance to trusts to improve their processes for identifying chargeable patients and recovering funds owed, including those from Europe.

    The Department is currently consulting on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England. Part of the consultation proposes to amend the residence definition for EEA nationals, by which they qualify for free NHS treatment in England. The consultation is due to conclude on 7 March 2016.

    The Department does not hold information on the cost to the public purse of EU health tourism.