Tag: Deidre Brock

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to monitor the effect of the change from disability living allowance to personal independence payments on the standard of living of the recipients of those payments.

Penny Mordaunt

Both Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) are designed to contribute towards the extra cost of having a disability. PIP is a modern benefit that maintains the key principles of DLA; it is a non-means-tested, non-taxable cash benefit available to people in and out of work. In addition, it takes proper account of mental health conditions and targets resources on those who need support. Most people will continue to receive support under PIP and, in fact, a greater proportion of claimants are receiving the highest rates of the benefit than in DLA – 23 per cent compared to 15 per cent on DLA.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to implement his Department’s plans on childhood obesity.

Nicola Blackwood

The Department is confident our world leading plan, Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action, will make a real difference to obesity rates in this country.

The Government is currently consulting on the soft drinks industry levy and a broad sugar reduction programme has been launched.

The Department will continue to work with the National Health Service, local authorities and other partners as we move into the delivery phase of the plan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on whether non-UK EU citizens will have to leave the UK after the two-year Article 50 negotiation period in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

James Brokenshire

Should there be a vote to leave, we will need to follow the rules for exit, which are set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. This is the only lawful route available to withdraw from the EU.

Article 50 provides for a two year negotiation, which would cover the UK’s access to the EU’s Single Market, including the free movement of people.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual cost is of safeguarding the Trident nuclear deterrent.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Department does not cost the safeguarding and security of individual capabilities. Given the multi-layered make up of security arrangements protecting the deterrent, overlapping with those of wider defence personnel and capabilities, identifying accurate costs could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

The in-service costs of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, including the costs of safeguarding, is estimated to be around six per cent of the annual defence budget.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to assess the potential effect on rural communities of a UK withdrawal from the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

The UK is still a member of the EU and we will continue to engage with EU business as normal and be engaged in EU decision-making in the usual way.

Once Article 50 is invoked, we will remain bound by EU law until the withdrawal agreement comes into force.

We now have an historic opportunity to deliver an environment for future generations to be proud of, grow our world leading food and farming industry that continues to attract significant global investment and harness the enormous economic potential of our rural communities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 7 July 2015 to Question 5576, on social rented housing: EU nationals, whether it remains his Department’s policy to introduce a four-year residency requirement for EU migrants following the decision of the UK to leave the EU.

Gavin Barwell

The Government remains of the view that social housing should be for those with a strong connection to the local community. Statutory guidance issued in December 2013 already ensures that only people who have lived in their area for at least two years can apply to their council for social housing.

We are considering whether to go further and adopt a stronger residency test by extending this to four years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time is between application for asylum and transfer to the UK for unaccompanied children in Europe who are accepted for humanitarian protection under the Dublin regulation.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government is fully committed to the efficient and timely operation of the Dublin Regulation and we are working closely with EU partners, including the French, Greek and Italian authorities to identify, assess and transfer children to the UK under the Dublin family reunion process.

We have seconded a UK official to Greece; we have a long-standing secondee working in Italy and we have seconded another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts. We have established a dedicated team in the Home Office Dublin Unit to lead on family reunion cases for unaccompanied children.

Between 1 January and 1 October 2016 over 140 unaccompanied children were accepted for transfer, compared to around 20 children in the whole of 2015.Transfer requests from Member States involving children under the Dublin Regulation are now generally processed within 10 days. Children can then be transferred within weeks and are now arriving in the UK on an almost weekly basis.The Home Secretary made clear on the 10th October that we will transfer as many minors as possible to the UK, who are eligible under the Dublin Regulation before the camp clearance starts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to publish its response to its consultation on Section 75 employer debt in non-associated multi-employer defined benefit pension schemes which closed in May 2015.

Justin Tomlinson

Following a Call for Evidence on Section 75 employer debt in non-associated multi-employer schemes, my Department is currently considering further changes to employer debt legislation. Alternative methods to help employers in multi-employer schemes manage an employer debt following an employer cessation event are currently being explored; we will consult on any specific proposals later in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to the size of the workforce of the Ministry of Defence Police on (a) public safety and (b) safeguarding the Trident nuclear deterrent.

Mark Lancaster

The safety and security at all of our nuclear facilities is of the utmost importance and the Ministry of Defence has several security providers which deliver this capability. Our arrangements are frequently tested and kept under continual review. We would never make changes that would place these in jeopardy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change any aspect of current legislation on food, animal feed safety and food hygiene formerly dealt with by the EU after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

Nicola Blackwood

Until we leave, the United Kingdom will remain a full member of the European Union, with all of the rights and obligations. The content of future food and feed legislation will be dependent on the outcome of negotiations on the UK’s exit from the European Union. The Food Standard Agency’s priority will remain the same: to protect the interests of consumers in relation to food.