Tag: Baroness Scott of Needham Market

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2016-01-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much council tax support funding has been passed from billing authorities to parish and town councils in 2013–14, 2014–15, and 2015–16.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The amount of Local Council Tax Support funding being passed on from billing authorities to parish and town council was £39,033,000 in 2013-14 and £31,108,000 in 2014-15. The Department does not hold figures for 2015-16.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to publish the new rules governing the conduct of parish polls.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Last summer, the Government sought the views of the National Association of Local Councils on new regulations governing the conduct of parish polls. We are now considering how best to take this matter forward with the view to having new regulations for parish polls in place as soon as practicable and in any event by summer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2016-02-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are planning to take to ensure that council tax billing authorities pass on to parish and town councils the council tax support funding providing for those councils by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The patients with clinically actionable reports from the pilot phase are from rare diseases where improved knowledge of the causal mutation improves the management of the patient, their family members and possible future reproductive decisions. The patients diagnosed by whole genome sequencing had not been diagnosed using existing National Health Service panel tests. We are still evaluating the data from the 100,000 Genomes project to identify options for panel testing or other clinical sequencing strategies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2016-02-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are planning to take to ensure that council tax billing authorities pass on to parish and town councils the council tax support funding provided for those councils by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Local Council Tax Support schemes are designed and implemented by billing authorities. It is for them to determine the appropriate amount to pass on to parish and town councils. Ultimately, these are local decisions based on local circumstances, so where money is not passed down, the authority must justify their decision to local taxpayers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2016-03-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to publish their response to the consultation on extending the role of the Local Government Ombudsman to larger parish councils.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

We are considering the extension of the jurisdiction of the Local Government Ombudsman to larger parish and town councils in the context of the establishment of a single Public Service Ombudsman. It is our intention in the coming months to publish draft legislation making provision for a Public Service Ombudsman, including their jurisdiction, and accordingly we envisage indicating the Government’s response to the consultation when that draft legislation is published.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2016-03-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role they envisage for town and parish councils in the new devolution deals.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Government is engaging with areas across the country to explore how devolution to neighbourhood level can enable more effective co-ordination and tailoring of services and engage communities in delivery and design of services. However, agreeing devolution deals is a bottom-up process – it is up to areas to determine the nature of devolution and the role of town and parish councils, as well as other local groups.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the EU referendum result, what is the status of applications made to the European Investment Bank by housing associations and local authorities.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The UK is and continues to be a shareholder of the European Investment Bank and the EIB has publicly stated that its engagement in the UK is unchanged. All existing loan contracts signed between UK promoters and the EIB remain in force, and the EIB has continued to sign and approve new projects since the referendum.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2015-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of public sector employees currently earning less than the National Living Wage.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

At Summer Budget 2015, the Chancellor announced a new National Living Wage which is a compulsory increase in pay for all workers over 25. It will come into effect in April 2016 at £7.20, 50p above the current National Minimum Wage. The Government will ask the Low Pay Commission to recommend the level of the National Living Wage in each subsequent year, asking them to increase the NLW to 60% of median earnings by 2020. It is estimated that by 2020 approximately 200,000 public sector workers will benefit directly as a result of the National Living Wage.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2015-10-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect the cost of increasing public sector salaries to the level of the National Living Wage to be met from within the overall 1 per cent pay increase for such workers announced in the Budget.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

At Summer Budget 2015, it was announced that the Government will fund public sector workforces for an average pay award of 1 per cent for 4 years from 2016-17.

The impact of the new National Living Wage will be considered during the Spending Review as part of an overall assessment of spending pressures across the public sector.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2014-06-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the use of bioptic devices to facilitate driving for those with impaired vision.

Baroness Kramer

The use of bioptic devices has been considered by an expert working group established by the European Commission Driving Licence Committee, which included a representative from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

They concluded that the minimum standards for driving should not be changed before further research is conducted into the evidence and technological development of the devices.

The use of bioptic devices for driving would be considered only if they do not compromise road safety.