The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans she has to establish a cross-government team on the deployment of renewable and low-carbon heating.
Andrea Leadsom
The Department actively engages with other Government departments, including at ministerial level, on a range of interdepartmental groups engaged in reducing emissions from heating and working towards our renewable energy targets.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of isolation in the workplace on disabled people and the effect of such isolation on developing skills and career progression for disabled people.
Penny Mordaunt
The Department for Work and Pensions has not made a recent assessment of the effect of isolation in the workplace on disabled people.
However, we are committed to halving the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health have created a cross departmental Work and Health Unit to develop a strategy for system-wide reform on health, disability and employment, in order to reduce the numbers of people who are economically inactive due to a health condition or disability. The treatment of disabled people in the workplace will be among the factors the unit takes into account.
Meanwhile, employers and disabled employees continue to benefit from the support offered through Access to Work, which provides practical support, advice and guidance for both disabled people in work or entering work and their employers.
In addition, the Government’s Disability Confident scheme supports our commitment to halve the disability employment gap by focusing on employers, who have a crucial role to play in ensuring disabled people are recruited, retained and developed in their careers. Employers signing-up to Disability Confident on Gov.UK get access to a wide range of information, good practice and other resources, including links to DWP programmes which offer practical support.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times limited removal directions have been used since the policy of giving such directions came into effect on 6 April 2015.
James Brokenshire
The Immigration Act 2014 provides that where individuals are informed that they have no leave they are removable without the need for a further decision.
Following related process changes individuals being removed from the UK may receive a removal decision which provides limited information about their removal. In many cases the Home Office also provides further details to individuals out of courtesy – this may include details of the specific flight they will be removed on. Information on notice of removal is published in Chapter 60 of the Enforcement Instructions and Guidance, available on the gov.uk website.
Published data is available for the period 6 April – 30 September 2015. In that period, 26,159 removal decisions were served on individuals, but records do not show how many of these were full or limited notice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she will publish the findings of the Frontier Economics analysis commissioned by her Department in 2014 with the aim of further systematising her Department’s understanding of the whole system impacts of electricity generation technologies.
Andrea Leadsom
DECC commissioned Frontier Economics late in 2014 to undertake a project on the Whole System Impacts of Electricity Generation Technologies on the electricity system.
Given the variety of different terminologies and approaches to whole system impacts in existing literature, the core aim of the project is to set out a comprehensive framework to define whole system impacts and their components and drivers, which can be used to further systematise DECC’s modelling capability. The resulting methodological report is nearing completion following peer review by experts in the field of whole system impacts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-03-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the smart meter roll out public awareness campaign led by Smart Energy GB.
Andrea Leadsom
Smart Energy GB’s performance is measured against a Performance Management Framework, produced and maintained by energy suppliers under paragraph 45.28 of their licence conditions.
The Department works closely with Smart Energy GB and suppliers to support delivery of the benefits of smart metering to all consumers in Great Britain.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make it her policy to remove the deadline for the installation of SMETS 1 meters as a result of software upgrades making such meters compatible with her Department’s requirements.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government remains committed to ensuring the industry and consumer benefits of SMETS2 meters operated through the Data and Communications Company (DCC) are realised as soon as possible, while providing industry sufficient time to transition from SMETS1 to SMETS2 meters.
The Government considers that a SMETS1 end-date of 12 months from availability of all DCC functionality strikes this balance; however we reserve the right to review the end date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that personal independence payment assessments are undertaken fairly and appropriately.
Penny Mordaunt
Provider performance is measured across a range of contracted service levels, which set out the Department’s expectations for the delivery of the service. These include the requirements for the quality of assessments which are assessed through an independent audit. Contractual remedies are in place if the provider fails to deliver against the service standards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-01-11.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of falling oil prices on the UK’s net international investment position.
Harriett Baldwin
The information requested is available in the latest Balance of Payments (2015 Q3) release from the ONS which can be found here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_429314.pdf
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) more cases of chronic lyme disease are correctly diagnosed and (b) more people with chronic lyme disease receive the appropriate treatment.
Jane Ellison
Our aim is to ensure that cases of Lyme disease at all its stages and manifestations are recognised and treated appropriately. The National Health Service provides medical care following international guidance and most cases are dealt with by general practitioners (GPs). To help ensure people receive the appropriate treatment Public Health England has published a referral pathway for GPs to follow. Where additional investigation is required, specialist referral may be necessary and a small number of NHS clinics will see complicated cases. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has been commissioned to develop guidelines for the recognition and treatment of Lyme disease; this is expected in June 2018.
Public Health England PHE) regularly review new tests for Lyme disease and participate in a Europe wide Quality Assurance programme to ensure that the most suitable tests available are used.
In addition, PHE provide information on Lyme disease and tick awareness to the medical profession and the public, and holds regular medical training days, and works with Lyme Disease Action to support the needs and interests of patients.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-03-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 23417, whether she plans to issue a direction to hold a Contracts for Difference round for carbon capture and storage.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government believes CCS could play a potentially important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK. Under the Contracts for Difference (Definition of Eligible Generator) Regulations 2014, Contract for Difference allocation rounds are limited to renewable technologies. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State can direct the award of a Contract for Difference to a CCS project. Whether or not she would do so would be subject to circumstances at the time, including factors such as value for money, affordability and competing demands on available budgets.