Tag: Justin Tomlinson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to reduce domestic energy bills for consumers.

Jesse Norman

Effective competition is key to keeping bills down, and consumers must have trust in the market. It is important every household gets a fair deal and that is why we supported the Competition and Markets Authority investigation into the energy market and will be responding in due course.

There are now over 40 energy suppliers in the domestic retail energy market, up from 13 in 2010. Independent suppliers now have over 17% of the duel fuel market. Customers on expensive standard tariffs could save around £300 by switching to the cheapest fixed deal.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to inform rail commuters of the protections available to them under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Paul Maynard

It is the responsibility of train operators, as service providers, to ensure that their customers are made aware of their rights to compensation or other redress in cases of service failure or disruption. Train operators’ existing compensation schemes will continue to provide the main means of redress for passengers after 1 October 2016, when the Consumer Rights Act came into force for all transport providers.

Information about the Consumer Rights Act is widely available from the Citizens Advice Consumer Service, consumer organisations and government websites.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department to use to distribute funding accrued from the soft drinks industry levy to schools in order to extend their school day for physical activities.

Edward Timpson

The Department is currently determining the details of how funding will be allocated, with a view to beginning to distribute funding to schools in 2017. We will provide further details in due course so that schools have sufficient time to apply for the funding and to consider how they will deliver the new provision, including through appropriate consultation with parents.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to encourage local authorities to include information about the New Enterprise Allowance, Small Business Rate Relief and Disability Confident with the business rate summaries sent to businesses.

Mr Marcus Jones

The Government has no plans to encourage local authorities to include information about the New Enterprise Allowance and Disability Confident with business rates demand notices. Demand Notices are the statutory means by which local authorities inform non-domestic ratepayers of their rate liability for the year ahead. The demand notice also provides useful information about rate bills.

Small Business Rate Relief information is directly related to business rates and is already included on demand notices.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with representatives of car manufacturers who have construction plants in the UK about expanding their operations in this country.

Mr Nick Hurd

The automotive sector is of vital importance to the UK. In 2015, car production hit a ten year high at almost 1.6 million units adding £14.6 billion of Gross Value Added to the UK economy. We are in regular dialogue with companies in the sector on a range of issues and work in partnership with the Automotive Council on an Automotive Industrial Strategy to deliver sustainable growth in the sector.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to establish a body with the remit of ensuring that the rights of public transport users are protected.

Paul Maynard

The Government remains committed to safeguarding the interests of public transport users, doing so (in addition to the work of the DfT) primarily through the following three bodies:

• The Office of Rail and Road, which protects rail passenger rights through licensing train operating companies and enforcing consumer protection law in the rail sector.
• Transport Focus is responsible for representing the interests of Britain’s rail passengers as well as those of bus, coach and tram passengers in England (outside of London).
• London TravelWatch, which is funded by the London Assembly, performs a similar role to that of Transport Focus for passengers in London.

The Government remains open-minded to considering any alternatives as to how these arrangements could be further improved in the future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-07-21.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with type 1 diabetes are not disproportionately affected by the introduction of the soft drinks industry levy.

Jane Ellison

There will continue to be a range of drinks containing natural sugars which will not be subject to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. These include fruit juices and smoothies. The NHS recommends drinking pure fruit juice as a way to combat low sugar levels that can affect type 1 diabetics.

On 18^th August, the Government published a consultation on the Soft Drinks Industry Levy and we will carefully consider all the points raised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that planning permission for major housing developments can only be granted if the application includes the appropriate provision of green space for sporting and recreation use.

Gavin Barwell

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local planning policies should take account of the needs for open space, sports and recreation facilities, and opportunities for new provision. It is for local councils to apply these policies when determining applications for housing development, taking into account existing provision for sport and recreation in the area, and other material considerations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage the recruitment of graduates into the social work sector.

Edward Timpson

Social workers perform some of the hardest roles in society and that is why it is already a graduate profession. Government is continuing to invest in social work education and training, including through the highly successful Step Up to Social Work and Frontline programmes, both of which aim to bring high calibre graduates into child and family social work, and Think Ahead, which offers a new route for graduates and career-changers into adult mental health social work.

Improving the quality and status of child and family ‎social work is a high priority. Higher standards, including through the introduction of a national system of assessment and accreditation will help provide greater assurance that social workers have the necessary knowledge and skills for the demanding work they do. The Government does not, however, have any specific plans to increase public awareness of the role of social workers.

Government does not collect data on the number of cases held by social workers on a weekly basis. The department expects to publish caseload information, for the first time, relating to the year ending 30 September 2016, in February 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy that consumers who wish to switch energy providers only have to make contact with the new provider.

Jesse Norman

The process for switching supplier is set out in industry codes, in the formulation of which the Government has no role. The Energy Switching Guarantee was launched in June this year and can be reached via https://www.energyswitchguarantee.com/. This makes switching energy supplier easier for consumers and guarantees that it will be done within 21 days. The guarantee also ensures that the new supplier will handle the whole transfer process for the consumer.

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