The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of whether the level of tribunal fees acts as a disincentive to women pursuing a sex discrimination claim.
Sir Oliver Heald
We will publish the outcome of our review into Employment Tribunal Fees in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2016-10-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Exiting the EU plans to remain within the Cabinet Office premises or to relocate; and if it plans to relocate, whether it will move to its own building, or move, in its entirety or in part, to premises of another government department.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The department is permanently headquartered at 9 Downing Street. This will not change and Ministers will continue to operate from this building. Staff are also accommodated in 70 Whitehall.
We are working with the Government Property Unit as where to locate further staff on a more permanent basis.
DExEU staff will continue to be employed on the basis of being ‘on loan’ from a wide variety of departments and will not permanently transfer departments. No staff have been formally moved from DExEU to the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Cabinet Office, or other government departments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many men in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency aged (i) 60, (ii) 61, (iii) 62, (iv) 63, (v) 64, (vi) 65, (vii) 66 and (viii) 67 are in receipt of the carer addition element of pension credit.
Justin Tomlinson
The information requested, to answer the three questions above, is shown in the table below for February 2015, which is the latest data available.
Pension Credit Claimants with a Carer’s additional amount, by age and gender for Great Britain, Scotland, Glasgow City Local Authority and Glasgow East constituency – February 2015
|
All Persons |
||||
|
Age of claimant |
Great Britain |
Scotland |
Glasgow City LA |
Glasgow East Constituency |
|
Total all Ages |
209,740 |
22,340 |
3,490 |
750 |
|
60 |
– |
– |
– |
– |
|
61 |
10 |
– |
– |
– |
|
62 |
3,340 |
360 |
70 |
10 |
|
63 |
7,510 |
730 |
140 |
30 |
|
64 |
8,310 |
900 |
150 |
40 |
|
65 |
8,120 |
850 |
130 |
30 |
|
66 |
8,610 |
920 |
160 |
40 |
|
67 |
9,090 |
970 |
170 |
40 |
|
Male |
||||
|
Age of claimant |
Great Britain |
Scotland |
Glasgow City LA |
Glasgow East Constituency |
|
Total all Ages |
132,540 |
13,330 |
1,970 |
400 |
|
60 |
– |
– |
– |
– |
|
61 |
– |
– |
– |
– |
|
62 |
2,010 |
190 |
40 |
– |
|
63 |
4,750 |
430 |
70 |
10 |
|
64 |
5,430 |
540 |
80 |
20 |
|
65 |
4,870 |
490 |
70 |
10 |
|
66 |
5,170 |
520 |
80 |
20 |
|
67 |
5,460 |
540 |
90 |
20 |
|
Female |
||||
|
Age of claimant |
Great Britain |
Scotland |
Glasgow City LA |
Glasgow East Constituency |
|
Total all Ages |
77,200 |
9,000 |
1,520 |
350 |
|
60 |
– |
– |
– |
– |
|
61 |
– |
– |
– |
– |
|
62 |
1,330 |
170 |
30 |
10 |
|
63 |
2,760 |
290 |
60 |
20 |
|
64 |
2,880 |
360 |
70 |
20 |
|
65 |
3,260 |
360 |
60 |
20 |
|
66 |
3,440 |
400 |
70 |
20 |
|
67 |
3,630 |
420 |
80 |
20 |
Source: DWP, 100% data.
Notes:
1. "-" denotes nil or negligible; Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
2. STATE PENSION AGE: The age at which men and women reach State Pension age is gradually increasing. Under current legislation, State Pension age for women will equalise with State Pension age for men at 65 in 2018. Both men’s and women’s State Pension age will increase from 65 to 66 between December 2018 and October 2020. The Pensions Bill 2013-14 contains provision for a State Pension age of 67 to be reached by 2028. For more information see:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/207966/espa.pdf.
3. Parliamentary Constituency of claimant (Westminster) these constituencies are used for the Westminster parliament
4. Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:
http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2015-12-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the grant from Viridor Credits to Holy Trinity Church in Wallington was audited by ENTRUST and what assessment they have made of environmental objectives that grant fulfils.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The Landfill Communities Fund is a tax credit scheme. It allows landfill operators to gain a tax credit against 90% of the voluntary donations they make to environmental bodies for spending on certain prescribed objectives.
The prescribed objectives include:
within the vicinity of a landfill site.
ENTRUST, the independent regulator of the Landfill Communities Fund assesses and approves applications for project funding to ensure they meet the objectives of the scheme. ENTRUST also carries out a programme of assurance under which a cross-section of projects are selected for audit to ensure they meet the prescribed objectives, and that funds are spent compliantly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received on local authority non-compliance with statutory requirements in relation to (a) education, health and care plans and (b) the Local Offer; what mechanism is in place to ensure that local authorities comply with such statutory requirements; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure such compliance.
Edward Timpson
We are monitoring implementation of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) reforms very closely. We undertake termly surveys of local authorities and Parent Carer Forums. We also engage in regular dialogue with voluntary and community sector partners, including parent representatives, and we monitor issues raised in ministerial and official correspondence.
The SEND reforms are complex and will take time to embed fully. The transition period from statements to Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) runs until 2018. Our team of SEND Advisers has focused on improving the quality and timeliness of Local Offers and EHCPs, and is offering support to local authorities. In 2015, we responded to widespread feedback to extend the timescale for transferring a statement of SEN to an EHCP from 16 weeks to 20 weeks. We have also provided workshops on Local Offers and on transition; we are currently working with partners to run a series of workshops for local authorities on drafting good EHCPs.
Early in the process, feedback showed that local authorities were at different stages in developing their Local Offers. All local authorities now have a Local Offer in place, and are working with their partner bodies, families and young people to ensure Local Offers respond to local needs.
Parents/carers and young people have various options if they are dissatisfied with the way an authority has acted in relation to an EHCP or about the Local Offer. They may wish to complain directly to their local authority, following its formal complaints procedure. Once a local authority’s complaints procedure has been exhausted, the complaint can be referred to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO). The LGO can investigate complaints of maladministration or service failure made by parents/carers and young people about their local authority, including non-compliance with statutory duties relating to EHCPs and the Local Offer. The LGO will not usually investigate complaints about decisions that the local authority has taken in relation to EHC needs assessments and plans that can be appealed to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability).
If a complaint is not resolved locally or by the LGO, it can be referred to the Secretary of State under sections 496 and 497 of the Education Act 1996. If the Secretary of State finds that the local authority has failed to carry out a statutory duty, or has done so unreasonably, she can then issue a direction to the authority in order to put matters right, if it is expedient to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on HIV support services of changes to commissioning and delivery of such services.
Jane Ellison
Decisions on funding and access to social care support services for people with HIV are made by local authorities. The Care Act 2014 sets out the legal framework for social care in England, and this applies to all adults with support needs including those living with HIV.
Diagnosed early most people with access to HIV treatment can expect a near normal life expectancy. Public Health England monitors the results of individuals receiving NHS HIV treatment. In 2014, 91% of people attending for care were receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment of which 95% were virally suppressed and very unlikely to be infectious to others. The United Kingdom is already ahead in meeting two of the three ambitious UNAIDS 90/90/90 global goals of 90% of people with HIV being diagnosed, 90% on ARV treatment and 90% viral suppression for those on ARV treatment by 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department plans to provide to (a) the public and (b) potential investors on the proposed sale of the M6 Toll Road.
Andrew Jones
The Department provides a wide range of information about the UK road network, including traffic counts for all major roads. However it does not plan to provide any information specifically on the proposed sale of the M6 Toll Road.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-03-24.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to consult with (a) employees and (b) PCS representatives at HM Revenue and Customs Cumbernauld office on the proposed relocation of staff.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plans to create two new Regional Centres in Scotland, in Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2019-20, accommodating between 5,700 and 6,300 employees. HMRC’s new Regional Centres will give its staff all they need including a modern office environment, close to good travel and transport links. They will provide stable, high quality jobs and offer a wide range of opportunities for training and promotion and allow its staff to follow more varied career paths than have previously been possible.
HMRC will help all its staff work through their options. It will give everyone the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances with their manager ahead of any office closures or moves, so they know about any issues that need to be taken into account when making decisions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how he plans to ensure that an additional 20,000 patients a year will have their cancers genetically tested as part of the Government’s Cancer Taskforce strategy; and what data he plans to collect on those people who are tested.
Jane Ellison
The independent Cancer Taskforce recognised the need for more accessible molecular diagnostic provision in its report, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020, published in July 2015.
Following this, in September 2015, we confirmed a commitment from NHS England to implement the recommendations on molecular diagnostics. This will mean that around 25,000 additional people a year will have their cancers genetically tested to identify the most effective treatments. NHS England is currently working with partners across the healthcare system to produce an implementation plan to determine how best to take forward the Taskforce’s recommendations.
Regional Genetic Laboratories are central to all NHS Genomic Medicine Centres and have been the focal point for adoption of genomic technologies into healthcare for over 40 years. These laboratories are currently the focus of an NHS England Specialised Commissioning intended re-procurement exercise, the invitation to tender for which is due to be launched towards the end of the year. The re-procurement aims to create a new genomic laboratory infrastructure for the National Health Service in England based on centralised and local genomic laboratory hubs to support rare, inherited and acquired disease, as well as the future personalised medicine requirements inclusive of molecular diagnostics in stratified medicine.
In September 2015, the NHS England Board approved the development of a Personalised Medicine Strategy for the NHS, to be discussed at the NHS England Board in the summer.
This work will build on the 100,000 Genomes Project, in which the NHS is a key delivery partner. The Project will sequence whole genomes from eligible patients with rare diseases and cancers. It is moving the NHS to a new model of diagnosis and treatment based on understanding of underlying genetic causes and drivers of disease and a comprehensive phenotypic characterisation of the disease (rather than deduction from symptoms and individual diagnostic tests). This will be critical in guiding the approach to molecular diagnostics.
In addition, changes to the section 118 guidance implemented in the national tariff payment system for molecular diagnostics from April will support clinical change and practice. This includes a number of molecular diagnostic tests to be funded separately by commissioners for the first three years before being incorporated into national prices for treatment episodes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that non-UK citizens who are not eligible to vote are not able to vote in the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.
John Penrose
The EU referendum will be overseen by the Chief Counting Officer, chair of the Electoral Commission, who is responsible for making sure the referendum is held in accordance with the legislation governing the conduct of the poll. The Electoral Commission has issued a statement setting out the actions that have been taken to address an issue with elections software used by a number of local authorities in England and Wales that meant that some non-eligible EU citizens had mistakenly received poll cards and, in some instances, postal votes. The Commission explains that the software provider has resolved the issue and none of the affected electors will be shown as eligible on the electoral registers to be used at polling stations on the 23 June. Any incorrectly issued postal votes will be cancelled.