Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Warner on 2016-02-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Smith Commission’s recommendation that there should be no detriment as a result of UK Government or Scottish Government policy decisions after devolution would be breached if the Scottish Government repeatedly spent monies passed to them for NHS services in accordance with the Barnett formula on other unrelated services.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The mechanical application of the Barnett Formula ensures that the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly receive a population share of changes in UK government funding on the services for which they have devolved responsibility. In accordance with the principles of devolution and the devolution Acts themselves, it is for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their funding (from the block grant or taxes/borrowing) to public services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; and it is for the devolved legislatures to hold them to account. The Scottish Government’s new fiscal framework does not alter this.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will offer tax relief on home insurance payments for occupants of council housing.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government’s preferred policy is to take people out of tax through higher personal allowances, and to lower tax rates when it is affordable to do so.

    The Government has already pledged to raise the personal allowance to £12,500 by the end of this parliament.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department’s policy is on restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.

    George Eustice

    The Government’s policy on pesticides, including neonicotinoids, is that decisions should be made on the basis of all the scientific evidence. Restrictions should be put in place if these are necessary to protect people or the environment.

    EU restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids imposed in 2013 remain in force and have been fully implemented in the UK. The European Commission has asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to review the risks to pollinators from neonicotinoids. This review is due to conclude in January 2017 and the UK will contribute fully as it progresses. Following the completion of EFSA’s work, the European Commission will consider whether to propose changes to the current restrictions.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment she has made of trends in teachers’ salaries and the average salary in the UK in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    On 4 December 2015, the Department published its most recent assessment of median teachers’ pay compared to that of graduates employed in the private sector in England. The pay of graduates in the private sector has been used because teaching is a graduate job and therefore provides a better comparator than an average of pay across all jobs in the UK economy. The comparative assessment was included in the evidence that government submitted to the School Teachers Review Body (STRB). The comparative assessment can be found in figure 11 on page 45 of the publication, available here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/482257/STRB_government_evidence_2016_pay_award.pdf.

    “

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to ensure that regulatory standards on clean beaches and seas, marine wildlife protection and fish population levels will not be lowered after the UK leaves the EU.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    In the 2015 Manifesto, we set the goal of being the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than that in which we found it. This is a big ambition to which the Government remains committed to today.

    We also have a manifesto commitment to produce a 25 Year Plan for the environment which will be the basis of our approach to the environment.

    As we start the process of leaving the EU, we will aim to deliver a stable and clear legislative framework for the environment, including maintaining standards that underpin trade and deliver on our international commitments.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Government plans to introduce a cap on care bills for the elderly.

    David Mowat

    The Government is committed to ensuring that those in old age can access care that is both affordable and dignified. The position on the care cost cap has not changed. The 2015 Spending Review reaffirmed our commitment to implementing these reforms in April 2020, making funding available in 2019/20 to help local authorities prepare for implementation.

    Until then, financial support remains available on the basis of the current means test to help people pay for care to meet their eligible needs.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what conclusions he wants the Vienna talks on the Syria crisis to reach.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We hope that the 30 October Vienna meeting is the start of an international process, alongside talks between the Syrian parties, which will lead to transition away from Assad in line with the Geneva communiqué of 2012.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2015 to Question 17679, for what reasons the maintenance costs for FDTC Grantown-on-Spey cannot be broken down; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    Maintenance costs for Grantown-On-Spey are accounted within the larger RAF Lossiemouth budget and costs could not be broken down and identified.

    More generally, I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans (Mark Lancaster) gave on 7 December 2015 to Question number 18570. Some costs for some previous years may be available and Ministry of Defence officials are reviewing available data from a variety of sources. The Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library of the House.

  • Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 20989, what information his Department holds on how many cases of murder of (a) human rights defenders, (b) trades unionists and (c) political activists there have been in the last three years in Colombia for which someone has been brought to trial.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Although we do not compile statistics on these cases, the British Government receives regular updates from non-government organisations (NGOs) such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Peace Brigades International, highlighting the reported cases outlined by the Honourable Member. For example, Somos Defensores’ 2015 report on the number of murders and threats made against human rights defenders: http://somosdefensores.org/attachments/article/134/los-nadie-informe-semestral-siaddhh2015.pdf

  • Viscount Ridley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Viscount Ridley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Ridley on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the finding of the report An Unholy Mess, published by the Fair Admissions Campaign and the British Humanist Association last year, that a significant number of religiously selective schools have not conducted proper consultations on their admission arrangements, and in many cases have not published any information about their arrangements.

    Lord Nash

    Many of the findings of the report by the Fair Admissions Campaign and British Humanist Association echo those reported by the Chief Schools Adjudicator in her Annual Report for the 2013/14 school year.

    Admission authorities for all state-funded schools, including schools with a religious designation, are required to comply with the mandatory provisions of the School Admissions Code and other admissions law.

    Where an objection is made to the Schools Adjudicator, if the arrangements are found to be unfair or fail to comply with the Code, the admission authority must make changes to ensure their arrangements are compliant. Where an admission authority fails to implement decisions of the adjudicator, the Secretary of State may direct the admission authority to do so.

    We continue to keep the Code under review, and, where we consider any changes are necessary to make the admissions system work more effectively for parents, these will be subject to a full public consultation.