Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2016 to Question 46284, on apprentices, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the new standards are developed in areas where skills shortages exist in the economy.

    Robert Halfon

    Employers are already designing high-quality apprenticeships across a range of occupations to meet their skills needs. More than 1,400 employers are involved with 260 new apprenticeships standards already published and more than 180 are in development.

    Employers are in the best position to determine the skills they need and we will work with them as the Apprenticeship Levy is introduced, and as the wider approach to the Industrial Strategy is developed, to ensure their needs are met and more opportunities are created for apprentices of all ages and from all backgrounds.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been screened by the NHS England Liaison and Diversion Service to see if they have mental health issues, learning disabilities, substance misuse or other vulnerabilities in the last three years for which figures are available.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England made almost 40,000 liaison and diversion screenings and more than 10,600 referrals to treatment or support services for people of all ages between 1 April 2014 and 31 August 2015. Data is not available prior to 1 April 2014.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome in the last year.

    Jane Ellison

    No assessment has been made of the number of people who have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in the last year.

    In 2007 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produced the clinical guidance Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children, which estimates that the annual prevalence is approximately 4,000 cases per million of the population.

    There is no medication available to specifically treat CFS, however the NICE guidance recommends that pharmacological pain relief may be appropriate for the relief of chronic pain that the condition can cause. Other methods of treatment that may be of benefit are cognitive behavioural therapy, graded exercise therapy or activity management. The guidance can be found at the following link:

    https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg53

    “

  • Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to offer any deadline extensions for tax due by businesses in all areas affected by flooding.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) operates a dedicated Severe Weather helpline to offer help and advice on any tax matters to those people and businesses affected by the recent flooding. The helpline is 0800 904 7900Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8.00 am to 8.00 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 8.00 am to 4.00 pm, excluding bank holidays.

    In cases of severe flooding, HMRC will also:

    • consider instalment arrangements where customers are unable to pay as a result of the floods;
    • agree a practical approach when individuals and businesses have lost vital records to the floods;
    • suspend debt collection proceedings for those affected by the floods; and
    • cancel penalties when the customer has missed statutory deadlines due to the floods.
  • Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) other businesses have signed up to the Cyber Essentials Scheme.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    At the end of January 2016, 1,674 Cyber essentials and Cyber essentials Plus certificates have been issued, of which 80% were awarded to micro, small and medium-sized businesses.

  • Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the supply of newly-qualified teachers is not affected by imbalances in the distribution of teacher training places at a sub-regional level.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education has changed the approach to initial teacher training (ITT) allocations for the 2016 to 2017 academic year. The National College for Teaching and Leadership are not allocating a specific number of places to individual organisations for postgraduate ITT courses due to start in the 2016 to 2017 academic year. Instead, eligible schools, school-centred initial teacher training providers (SCITTs) and higher education institutions (HEIs) will be able to recruit as many trainees as they feel they need (subject to a limited number of controls), until the overall system has recruited a sufficient number.

    As School Direct and SCITT partnerships cover large geographical areas, we are monitoring recruitment at a regional level only. To date, the only challenge in geographical distribution of ITT places has been found in the London region in recruitment to primary, which was recruiting slower than other regions. In this case we have allowed school led routes (i.e. School Direct (tuition fee) and SCITTs) in this region to continue to recruit to primary courses to ensure that enough trainees are recruited.

    We are prepared to use reserve recruitment controls in other subjects, or for other regions as required.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment (a) his Department and (b) the Financial Conduct Authority has made of the effect that the GC16/2 proposal, published in February 2016, to require lenders to issue default notices before collecting from guarantors would have on (i) the number of borrower defaults subsequently reported to the Credit Reference Agencies, (ii) borrowers’ credit scores and (iii) levels of financial exclusion.

    Harriett Baldwin

    These are matters for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and relate to FCA Guidance Consultation (GC16/2) issued on the interpretation of provisions in the Consumer Credit Act 1974, regarding whether a default notice should be given to a guarantor before payment is taken from them when a borrower defaults. The FCA is currently considering responses to the consultation and will publish a response after considering the complex issues raised.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take in response to the leaked documents relating to the operations of Mossack Fonseca to ensure that foreign officials and politicians (a) in general and (b) from Pakistan who own property in the UK do not use such property to hide their assets.

    Anna Soubry

    At the International Anti-Corruption Summit in London on 12 May, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that we will require foreign companies that own or purchase UK properties or bid on UK Government procurement contracts to provide details of their beneficial owners to a public central register. This will be the first register of its kind in the world.

    Additionally as of 6 April this year all UK companies have been required to hold a register of people with significant control over their company. This applies to all UK companies regardless of whether they own property.

    These two registers combined will ensure that individuals will not be able to hide behind corporate structures to obscure their ownership of property or UK companies.

    It is important to note that this work started before the release of the panama papers, with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister committing to create a register of people with significant control at the UK led G8 meeting in 2013, and the commitment to consider a new register of foreign companies that purchase property being made in July 2015.

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will consult with experts to develop the policy throughout the year and consult formally on the detail of the policy in due course. Implementation of the new register requirements is expected to require both primary and secondary legislation, which we intend to introduce when Parliamentary time allows.

  • Zac Goldsmith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Zac Goldsmith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to require Heathrow Airport to pay for relocation for the Lakeside Energy From Waste Facility in the event of that airport being awarded a third runway.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Government is currently considering the Airports Commission’s comprehensive evidence. Commercial property, such as the Lakeside Energy from Waste facility, is a part of this consideration.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government plans to take to enable young people from the UK to take part in the Erasmus scheme after the UK has exited the EU.

    Joseph Johnson

    The referendum result has no immediate effect on students abroad under the Erasmus scheme or applying for 2016/17. Payments will be made in the usual way. Access to the programme after we leave the EU is a matter for the forthcoming negotiations. The Department offers the same support for study abroad under other schemes as for Erasmus.