Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether any councils have asked for attendance allowance funding to be distributed to recipients via the provision of social care services.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government announced in December that it would consider giving more responsibility to councils in England to support older people with care needs – including people who, under the current system, would be supported through Attendance Allowance.

    We intend to continue to discuss openly with interested parties what the options are, and give all stakeholders a voice in determining whether and how to proceed with any reform. The Government is currently consulting on the implementation of commitments on 100% business rates retention for councils in England. The consultation seeks views on options for devolving new responsibilities to local government as part of those reforms, and this is one of the options about which we are consulting. The consultation document is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/self-sufficient-local-government-100-business-rates-retention

    “

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44396, for what reason there has been a decrease in the number of HC3 certificates issued between 2008 and 2016.

    David Mowat

    The direct costs of administering the NHS Low Income Scheme in England in the last three financial years are set out in the table. The figures do not include overheads associated with the wider infrastructure of the NHS Business Services Authority.

    Year

    Direct costs (England only) (£ million)

    2015/16

    £1,327

    2014/15

    £1,397

    2013/14

    £1,414

    Source: provided by the NHS Business Services Authority

    There is no apparent reason for the decrease in the numbers of HC3 certificates issued between 2008 and 2016. There has been no significant change to the scheme criteria nor the rules for calculation during this period. However, as the application numbers have decreased, there has been a corresponding decrease in the certificates issued.

  • Royston Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Royston Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to maintain the in-year budget for public health provision allocated by Southampton City Council.

    Jane Ellison

    On 4 June as part of wider Government action on deficit reduction announced by the Chancellor, the Department was asked to deliver in year savings of £200 million in 2015/16 through reductions to the Public Health Grant to local authorities.

    The Department launched a consultation exercise on 31 July to engage with local authorities on how best to deliver these savings in a way that minimises any impact on services. As a result of the consultation, 6.19% savings was applied to all local authorities in year public health budgets.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 18747, whether people are made aware of advance Universal Credit payments being made available to them at the initial work search interview.

    Priti Patel

    To be eligible for a Universal Credit (UC) Advance payment, the claimant has to have an underlying entitlement to UC, be in financial need, and be able to afford to repay the Advance. These criteria are contained within the Social Security (Payments on Account of Benefit) Regulations 2013.

    If during the initial work search interview, a work coach identifies a claimant is in financial need, or cannot manage until they receive their first UC payment, they will advise them about advance payments.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, at which locations in London air pollution levels in 2014 exceeded the EU limit on (a) NO2, (b) Ozone, (c) PM10 particles and (d) PM2.5 particles.

    Rory Stewart

    9 of the 17 Defra Air Quality monitoring sites in London measured an exceedance of EU limits for NO2 in London during 2014: Camden Kerbside, Haringey Roadside, London Bloomsbury, London Hillingdon, London Marylebone Road, London Westminster, Southwark A2 Old Kent Road and Tower Hamlets Roadside. In addition to the measured exceedances, there were also a number of modelled exceedances of the EU limit for NO2 in London in 2014.

    None of the 17 Defra Air Quality monitoring sites in London exceeded the EU Target Value for Ozone (O3), but 5 of the 17 measured an exceedance of the EU long term objective during 2014: London Haringey, Priory Park South, London Hillingdon, London North Kensington, London Teddington. In addition to the measured exceedances, there were also modelled exceedances of the EU long term objective for O3 in London in 2014.

    The exact locations of the monitoring sites may be found here: http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/networks/find-sites

    There were no exceedances of EU limits for PM10 particles or PM2.5 particles in London in 2014.

    “

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are discussing unemployment in Kasserine and other parts of Tunisia with the government of that country; and whether any steps are being taken to mobilise investment from the Arab Partnership Fund and other institutions to improve employment rates in those areas.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have regular dialogue with the Tunisian government on a range of issues, including their economic development, particularly in marginalised areas like Kasserine.

    UK support to Tunisia has doubled in the last year to nearly £6 million, and we will continue this high level of support in the next financial year. Since 2011, working with international partners and using funds including the Arab Partnership, Arab Partnership Economic Facility and Conflict Security and Stability Fund, the UK has supported private sector development, vocational training, job creation, economic governance and transparency, including in marginalised areas. Partners such as Germany, the US, France, the EU, the European Reconstruction and Development Bank, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank are also involved in similar initiatives. It is also important that the Tunisian government sets out and implements its vision for economic and social development. This will help ensure that international support is sustainable.

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the administration of changes to migrant benefits proposed under the planned emergency brake on in-work benefits for EU citizens in employment in the UK.

    Priti Patel

    These details are a matter for the implementation of the proposal, and further announcements will be made in due course.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what process he is following to develop the Apprenticeship Levy Digital Voucher.

    Nick Boles

    The digital apprenticeship service is being built by the Skills Funding Agency in accordance with Cabinet Office best practice.

    To ensure that the service is focused on employer and training provider needs we are performing extensive user research. The service will build on insights gathered from over 2000 employers and around 400 training providers. To make sure that the service is ready for the levy in April 2017, we plan to launch a substantial pilot with employers and providers later this year.

    Further details on the apprenticeship levy and the digital apprenticeship service will be available in the guide for employers which will be published shortly on gov.uk.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the capacity of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to investigate the handling of recent protests in Oromia, Ethiopia.

    James Duddridge

    We remain deeply concerned about the handling of demonstrations in Oromia, including the reported deaths of a number of protestors, and about those detained under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. We have repeatedly made representations to the Ethiopian Government over the situation in that region. Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for International Development, raised our concerns with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 21 January and Her Majesty’s Ambassador last raised the issue with Prime Minister Hailemariam on 26 April.

    I met with Dr Tedros at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on 27 January. I raised the UK’s concerns with regards to the human rights situation. We will continue to raise our concerns with the Government of Ethiopia both through our bilateral engagement, most notably through our ongoing Human Rights Dialogue, as well as jointly with our international partners.

    The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been appointed to look into the handling of the protests in Oromia. We will not pre-judge the outcome of their investigation and we await the publication of their report. We will continue to urge the EHRC and the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that their report is credible, transparent and leads to concrete action. We will take a view on what further lobbying, if any, might be appropriate following the publication of the EHRC report.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-07-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 11 July (HL859), why they do not routinely monitor the timing of the publication of any scientific papers describing the derivation of stem cells; and what assessment they have made of what the maximum time interval should be between publication of any scientific papers describing the derivation of stem cells and the deposit of corresponding samples in the UK Stem Cell Bank.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The UK Code of Practice for the Use of Human Stem Cell Lines does not require monitoring of the timing of scientific publications arising from the derivation of stem cell lines. A copy of the Code of Practice is attached.