Tag: Nusrat Ghani

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans are in place for the proposed fare increase due on 1 January 2017 to directly fund improvements on the GTR network.

Paul Maynard

We have capped the rail fares we regulate at inflation (Retail Price Index) since 2014, and will continue to do so for the life of this parliament. This means those fares we regulate will not rise by more than1.9% in 2017. Limiting fares increases to inflation-only means that industry revenues keep track, but do not out-pace, the impact of inflation on their costs. Our current investment programme is the largest since the Victorian era and requires funding from both taxpayers and farepayers. As part of this, the GTR Franchise Agreement contains obligations requiring the franchisee to make significant improvements at stations and on trains through the life of the franchise. On the Thameslink network alone that means £1.6billion of new trains which started to be introduced earlier this summer and Gatwick Express has also benefited from new trains. During this time of major investment we are also clear that at the same time we must deliver a more joined up approach to running the trains and tracks and make things work better for the travelling public. That is why My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has just announced a package of measure including a £20milion fund and the appointment of one of Britain’s most experienced rail industry figures to get the service running back as it should.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2015-11-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the cost to HM Revenue and Customs of administering and enforcing self-employed registration for students in full-time education earning less than the Personal Allowance.

Mr David Gauke

The information is not available. HM Revenue and Customs does not routinely record whether a student is in full time education.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2016-02-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many holders of full driving licences in Wealden constituency are people aged over 70 who have renewed their licence.

Andrew Jones

On 30 January 2016, there were 28,703 holders of full driving licences in the Wealden constituency postal code areas over the age of 70.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2015-11-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of removing the obligation to register as self-employed for students in full-time education earning less than the standard personal allowance.

Mr David Gauke

The information is not available. HM Revenue and Customs does not routinely record whether a student is in full time education.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2016-02-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people in Wealden constituency have a full driving licence.

Andrew Jones

On 30 January 2016, there were 188,244 full driving licence holders in the Wealden constituency postal code areas.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the (a) implications for his policies of the recent decision by the European Court of Justice on travel from home to work and (b) potential effect of that decision on the application of the Working Time Directive to care and support workers.

Ben Gummer

The Government is carefully considering the implications of the decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which was published on the 10 September 2015. The ruling passed into United Kingdom law on the date it was published.

Employers are responsible for ensuring that service rotas are designed and staffed appropriately and are in accordance with the Working Time Regulations and findings made by the CJEU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage data-sharing between highway authorities, mapping providers and satellite navigation companies to limit the use of inappropriate routes by HGVs.

Andrew Jones

The Government is putting the UK at the forefront of innovation in road transport. For example, we are establishing the UK as a global centre for excellence in connected and autonomous vehicles, creating a ‘Connected Corridor’ from London to Dover to enable vehicles to communicate wirelessly with infrastructure and potentially other vehicles, and planning trials of truck platooning on our motorways.

The Department has brought together satnav manufacturers, mapping companies, local authorities and other industry organisations in a Satnav Summit and in further discussions. We are working with these parties to improve the information satnavs provide to road users, and enable better co-operation and information-sharing between local highway authorities and the industry through joint working.

ITS UK, an industry body, have also worked with the freight and haulage industry to promote the use of appropriate satnav devices designed specifically for HGVs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the implementation of the National Living Wage on (a) the financial position of employers in the care sector and (b) the level of employment in that sector.

Alistair Burt

The Government has engaged with the care sector, including care providers, to understand the impact on the market arising from amongst other things, local authority commissioning behaviour and the introduction of the National Living Wage. This has included a number of deep dive sessions held with both care home businesses and providers of home care services.

As part of its spending plans for the next four years the Government is giving local authorities access to £3.5 billion of new support for adult social care by 2019/20. Local authorities will be able to introduce a new Social Care Precept, allowing them to increase council tax by 2% above the existing threshold. The Government estimates this could raise nearly £2 billion a year for adult social care by 2019/20.

Councils will need to increase the price they pay for care to cover costs for care providers such as the National Living Wage. To support this, the Social Care Precept puts money raising powers into the hands of local authorities which are best placed to target resources based on their understanding of their local care market.

In terms of the levels of employment in the sector, the Department believes that effective recruitment and retention of a caring and skilled adult social care workforce has a central role to play in delivering high quality care and support to people who need it.

Our challenge is to ensure the workforce has the right number of people to meet the demands of the future, with the right skills, knowledge and behaviours to deliver quality, compassionate care.

DH will continue to work in partnership with delivery partners and key stakeholders to support effective recruitment practices and improved retention of the adult social care workforce.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of households eligible for the property compensation scheme proposed by Gatwick Airport Limited under the current proposal for the expansion of Gatwick Airport.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The property compensation scheme proposed by Gatwick Airport Limited consists of two elements, compulsory purchase and a voluntary purchase scheme (‘Home Owner Support Scheme’). Approximately 168 properties will be eligible for compulsory purchase compensation. The number of properties eligible for voluntary purchase will be determined by the promoters published eligibility criteria in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to promote design and technology in state-funded schools.

Nick Gibb

Design and Technology (D&T) is compulsory in the national curriculum in England at key stages 1 to 3. By introducing a new, more rigorous D&T curriculum in 2014 and reforming the subject’s GCSE and A level qualifications, we have taken important steps to make D&T an exciting subject, paving the way for young people to progress into careers in a range of engineering and design fields.