Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultation took place (1) before the introduction of the English Baccalaureate in 2010, and (2) before the decision in 2015 to make the measure mandatory; and whether the results of those consultations will be published.

    Lord Nash

    The 2010 schools white paper, The Importance of Teaching, set out that the proportion of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) would be published in the school performance tables.

    The Government’s consultation on implementing the EBacc ran between 3 November 2015 and 29 January 2016. The Government response to the consultation will be published in due course.

    Both papers can be found on GOV.UK and have been attached to this answer.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has provided aid payments to Syrian businesses which have been approved by the EU and the US government.

    Rory Stewart

    My Department has not made any direct aid payments to Syrian businesses. Our aid is delivered through the United Nations, international non-governmental organisations and other international organisations.

    The UN, which operates in a very difficult environment in Syria, has assured us that they comply with all relevant sanctions.

  • Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department’s policy is on testing detainees for infectious diseases such as TB.

    Jane Ellison

    In April 2015, Public Health England, NHS England, and Home Office Immigration Enforcement jointly published a National Partnership Agreement which outlines shared commitments and priorities across the three organisations relating to the health and wellbeing of people in detention in the immigration removal estate. This includes a joint priority to improve the pro-active detection, surveillance and management of infectious diseases in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs), particularly in respect of blood-borne viruses (BBVs) and tuberculosis (TB), and to improve capability to detect and respond to outbreaks and incidents.

    A programme of work to implement the provisions of the National Partnership Agreement is being taken forward by the three organisations. Use of new technology is being explored in some IRCs including using digital x-ray technology to detect active TB disease in the lungs as well as blood tests to detect both latent TB and BBV infection.

  • Lord Condon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Condon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2015-12-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage the full-time employment of adults with special learning needs, and what assessment they have made of how successful those measures have been in 2015.

    Baroness Altmann

    Increasing disability employment is a key part of the government’s aim to achieve full employment. That is why this Government has an ambition to halve the disability employment gap by creating the opportunity for a million more disabled people to work.

    The Government has a variety of initiatives and programmes in place to support and encourage people with special learning needs to find and retain work. Performance statistics are published for a number of these.

    For example:

    • Access to Work provides on-going personalised in-work support for disabled people who are in work or about to start work on a full or part-time basis. Access to Work has had a Hidden Impairments Specialist Advisory team since September. We are also considering whether the Mental Health Support Service model of support could benefit those with hidden impairments other than mental health conditions. Last year Access to Work supported record numbers of people with a Learning Disability or Dyslexia recorded as their Primary Health Condition (6,580 people supported – 520 more people than in 2013/14).

    • The most recent Access to Work statistics are attached at Annex A.

    • Work Choice is a specialist disability employment programme which provides tailored support for disabled people who face the most complex employment barriers to find and stay in work. DWP has improved the referral process for Work Choice to ensure that information about candidates’ hidden impairments is shared with Work Choice providers. In 2014/15, 5,670 people with a Mild or Moderate to Severe Learning Disability recorded as their Primary Disability were referred to Work Choice. Since 2010, 19,410 people with a Mild or Moderate to Severe Learning Disability recorded as their Primary Disability have started Work Choice, of whom 8,600 have started work – giving a job outcome rate of around 44% for this group.

    • The most recent Work Choice statistics are attached at Annex B.

    • The Government’s Disability Confident campaign works with employers at a national and local level to help them to understand the benefits of employing disabled people, and promote good practice in recruitment and employment of disabled people, including people with special learning needs.

    • DWP also works in close partnership with the Hidden Impairment National Group (HING), a national network of disabled people, medical professionals/ academics and disability specific organisations. This collaboration has produced an ‘Uncovering Hidden Impairments’ toolkit, which supports organisations in both the private and public sectors to confidently recruit and retain talented individuals with hidden impairment conditions, such as special learning needs.

    • Jobcentre Plus continues to offer a range of support, including a free helpline for claimants who have difficulty making claims for benefit online because of dyslexia or similar conditions. DWP is working in partnership with Autism Alliance UK to build an autism network across Jobcentre Plus by training nominated autism leads, including Work Coaches and DEAs.

    • We have worked with Community Service Volunteers to introduce the Job-Shadowing Work Placement Initiative for young disabled people, including those with special learning needs. The first tranche had a 65% participation rate for young people having autistic spectrum conditions
  • Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to protect pensioners’ incomes in (a) Kettering and (b) England.

    Justin Tomlinson

    This Government wants all pensioners to have a decent and secure income in retirement. We are committed to the ‘triple lock’, the guarantee that the basic and new State Pension will increase by the highest of the growth in average earnings, price increases or 2.5%. From April 2016, the full basic State Pension will rise to £119.30 a week, an increase of £3.35 and the biggest real terms increase to the basic State Pension since 2001. This will benefit many of the 18000 recipients of State Pension in Kettering and the 10 million recipients in England.

    For the poorest pensioners, from April 2016 Pension Credit will top up income to a guaranteed minimum level of £155.60 for a single person and £237.55 for couples. We are protecting key benefits for older people including Winter Fuel Payments, free eye tests, free NHS prescriptions, free bus passes and free television licences for those aged 75 and over.

  • Lord Smith of Finsbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Smith of Finsbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Smith of Finsbury on 2016-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they are giving, and on what timescale, to the drawing up of proposals for substantial change to the current arrangements for export licensing for nationally important works of art.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government is open to considering practicable improvements to the export licensing system for cultural goods, but has no immediate plans to make any substantive change to the current arrangements.

    The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has written to the noble Lord in relation to his recently proposed changes to the system and is grateful for his correspondence on this matter.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    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.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making country-by-country reporting of UK-listed company profits publicly available.

    Mr David Gauke

    The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. We initiated the international work on country-by-country (CbC) reporting to tax authorities during our G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a template for this as part of the BEPS project.

    The UK was the first to commit to implementing the OECD model with legislation in Finance Act 2015. The Government believes that there is scope for greater transparency by pressing the case for public CbC reporting on a multilateral basis. As the Chancellor has said, this is something that the UK will seek to promote internationally.

    The European Commission has now proposed amendments to the Accounting Directive for public CbC reporting, and we believe these proposals are a step in the right direction towards new international rules for greater public transparency

  • Lord Marlesford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Marlesford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of a letter from the Home Secretary, Theresa May, to Lord Marlesford, how a series of sophisticated search algorithms and the search systems incorporating them would be able to make the link between a UK passport holder’s passport and a second passport of another nationality held by the same person if there is not a record of such second passports held by British passport holders held on a central UK government database available online to immigration officers.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    It is longstanding policy not to disclose details of how search systems work, as to do so would not be in the interest of border and national security.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of leaving the EU on the number of UK students studying overseas at universities in EU member states.

    Joseph Johnson

    There are no immediate changes following the EU Referendum, including in the circumstances of British citizens studying, or planning to study, in the EU. Future arrangements for studying abroad will need to be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK’s relationship with the EU.