Tag: Dan Jarvis

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential health benefits of increasing the temperature below which cold weather payments are made.

Priti Patel

The Government already has a plan to protect health and reduce harm from cold weather. In October 2015 it published The Cold Weather Plan for England which can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cold-weather-plan-cwp-for-england . We have no plans to change the criteria for Cold Weather Payments.

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to ensure that (a) the Maximum Sustainable Yield and (b) other objectives of the Common Fisheries Policy are incorporated into UK legislation by 2020.

George Eustice

No decisions have yet been taken, although the Government remains committed to sustainable fisheries and the ending of discards, as set out in its manifesto commitments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what additional funding his Department is making available to local authorities to support implementation of interventions to reduce excess winter deaths.

Jane Ellison

The Government has invested an extra £400 million nationally to support health and care services over the winter period. This money will enable the NHS and local authorities to support people through the winter period. By making the money available from the start of the financial year, we have created certainty, enabling the health and care system to prepare more effectively than in previous years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer on improving the environment as part of the Northern Powerhouse initiative.

Rory Stewart

Improving the environment is essential for providing the natural resources that underpin our economic success. We also want to see businesses whose products improve the environment grow. As a member of the Informal Ministerial Group on the Northern Powerhouse, I have discussed with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and other Ministerial colleagues ways in which a healthy environment and economic growth in the north of England go together.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has taken steps to liaise with police and crime commissioners and local authorities on the proposed ban on novel psychoactive substances.

Karen Bradley

On 17 September 2015, the Minister for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Victims wrote to all chief constables, copied to police and crime commissioners, to inform them of the Psychoactive Substances Bill and to invite them to operational workshops for enforcement partners taking place in February. The Local Government Association, Trading Standards and other law enforcement partners have been engaged through the cross government implementation working group as well as the police psychoactive substances enforcement working group over the last few months in preparation for the commencement of the Bill.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 on small businesses.

Matthew Hancock

The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 introduced a number of reforms to increase transparency, streamline processes and ensure prompt payment. These reforms were introduced to support all businesses, especially smaller ones. The impact of these reforms is being assessed by our Mystery Shopper service, who will publish a report on progress in due course.

Direct SME spend in central government increased from under £3 billion (direct only) in 2009-10 to over £12 billion in 2014-15 (direct spend and spend through the supply chain).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the existence of links between the Taliban and Islamic State movements in Afghanistan and the abusive exploitation of extractive resources.

Penny Mordaunt

We assess that the Afghan Taliban leadership opposes Daesh’s presence in Afghanistan, where there has been reported fighting between the two groups. Our judgement is that the Taliban generate funding via illegal exploitation of Afghanistan’s natural resources, for example marble, talcum and lapis lazuli, and through extortion of payments from legal mining operations, but we have seen no evidence to suggest that Daesh is currently engaged in these activities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will review eligibility arrangements for the teacher’s Pension Scheme to enable supply teachers to participate in that scheme.

Nick Gibb

The Teachers’ Pensions Regulations currently provide for supply teachers to participate in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) where they are employed by a scheme employer. These are local authorities (LAs), academies and further education colleges. This includes supply teachers who are recruited by a supply agency but then employed directly, under a contract of employment, by the scheme employer.

Where supply teachers are self-employed or remain employed by a supply agency and their services are provided under a ‘contract for services’, it is not possible for them to participate in the TPS as there is no organisation to undertake the employer role, including remitting contributions to the scheme.

The Department does not plan to review these arrangements and considers that it is for employers and teachers to determine how supply teachers are employed, which can in turn enable access to the TPS under the current arrangements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2016 to Question 30208, whether she plans to give Ministerial approval to relax the restrictions of the public sector exit cap on employees of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority who leave work after 1 October 2016.

Andrea Leadsom

The proposed public sector exit payment cap will apply to organisations classified as being within the public sector by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This includes the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s sites, which are funded by the UK taxpayer.

It is envisaged that there will be discretion to relax conditions of the cap in exceptional circumstances, for example where there are genuine cases of hardship. This discretion, which would be considered on a case by case basis and which would be subject to Ministerial approval, will be provided for in the exit cap regulations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the South Korean government on animal welfare as part of the preparations for the Winter Olympics in 2018.

Mr Hugo Swire

I wrote to Ambassadors in the Asia Pacific region in January 2016 to review our approach and assess what progress could be made in the future. Our Ambassador has raised the issue of cruelty related to the dog meat trade with the South Korean authorities, explaining that UK Parliamentarians and the public would like to see regulation that would bring this to an end. As we approach the Winter Olympics in 2018 we will continue to monitor and raise as appropriate.