Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is reviewing (a) the number of air quality zones expected to comply with nitrogen dioxide limits by 2020 and (b) her Department’s Air Quality Plan to take account of the results of the Government’s diesel emissions testing programme.

    Rory Stewart

    Our air quality plan is based on the best available data and our modelling uses the latest COPERT (Computer Programme to Calculate Emissions from Road Transport) factors to calculate emissions from diesel cars. These derive from a mixture of laboratory and on-road tests and are used by many other Member States across Europe. The ERMES (European Research Group on Mobile Emission Sources) network collates the emission measurement data which are used to update the emissions factors in the COPERT model.

    Tackling air quality is a priority for this Government, which is why in May we will share the results of the testing programme with ERMES. This research will be used to inform their next update, due at the end of the year, ensuring EU-wide emission factors continue to focus on the latest data updated on the basis of real world testing.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 9.2.7 of the report by Lord Heseltine, Tees Valley: opportunity unlimited, published in June 2016, if he will make it his policy to provide a new strategic road Tees crossing.

    Andrew Jones

    The first Road Investment Strategy (RIS) recognises that tackling congestion on the A19 is a priority and includes a scheme to widen the A19 between the A1027 (Norton) and A689 (Wynyard).

    In addition, the Tees Valley Combined Authority and the local authorities are working in partnership with Highways England to identify options for a new crossing of the Tees to enhance the road network. The Combined Authority has made a bid to the Department’s Large Majors scheme for 2016/17 to develop proposals. The results of bids into this fund are due to be published in July 2016.

    Highways England has begun gathering evidence to support the development of the second RIS period which commences in 2020/21. The evidence from Lord Heseltine’s Report will be taken into account in this process.

  • Marion Fellows – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Marion Fellows – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Marion Fellows on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her Department’s policy to immediately reject visa applications based on the applicant’s nationality.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    It is not Home Office policy to refuse an application for a visa on the basis of an applicant’s nationality. All visa applications are considered on their merits, in accordance with the Immigration Rules.

  • Lucy Frazer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lucy Frazer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Frazer on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to help rough sleepers and homeless people.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    One person without a home is one too many. That is why we launched a new £40 million Homelessness Prevention programme to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.

    This will enable authorities to support vulnerable people, preventing them from becoming homeless, and ensuring those who do have somewhere safe to stay.

  • Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Neil Coyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to update guidance to Jobcentre Plus staff on claimants that report suicidal thoughts; and how such existing guidance is made available to those staff.

    Priti Patel

    The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes seriously any declarations of intention to attempt suicide or self harm that are made by its customers. There is a clear, detailed action plan that staff must follow if a customer declares an intention to kill or harm themselves and DWP provides guidance to help its staff deal with these incidents. The policy, procedures and guidance are reviewed regularly to ensure that they continue to meet their objectives and to identify areas for improvement.

    DWP raises staff awareness through its own internal communication channels whenever guidance is reviewed and updated. This messaging ensures that related products such as learning and development for staff are also reviewed and updated concurrently.

  • Lord Condon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Condon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in 2015 towards ensuring that people with mental health issues are not detained in police cells because no hospital bed is available for them.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    According to data from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the number of people detained in police custody as a place of safety under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 fell by 34% in England between 2013-14 and 2014-15. This corresponds to an increase in the use of hospital-based places of safety of 14%, according to the Health & Social Care Information Centre. The figure amounts to a 54% reduction in the use of police custody since 2011-12, surpassing the ambition of a 50% reduction set out in the Government’s Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat, which was published in February 2014 and is attached. Existing guidance in the Concordat and the Mental Health Act Code of Practice makes it clear that police custody should only be used as a place of safety in exceptional circumstances.

    The Concordat – signed by over 25 national organisations – has led to the establishment of 96 local groups covering the entirety of England, consisting of health, policing and local authority partners who have pledged to work together to improve mental health crisis care and set out detailed, publicly available plans, including to reduce the use of police custody for those detained under the Act.

    However, although significant progress has been made, the Government has signalled its intention to go further by amending legislation through the forthcoming Police and Criminal Justice Bill, so that, among other measures, police custody can never be used as a place of safety for under-18s and so custody can only be used for adults in the most exceptional circumstances.

    Moreover, in May this year the Home Secretary announced that the Government would invest up to an additional £15 million in 2016-17 to reduce the use of police custody as a place of safety. Further announcements around this will be made shortly.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Catherine McKinnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the target of 20,000 resettled Syrian refugees is met by the end of this Parliament.

    Greg Hands

    At the Spending Review we announced that over £460 million of the overseas aid budget will be used by 2019-20 to resettle 20,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees, covering the full first year costs to ease the burden on local communities. The Spending Review also provided around a further £130 million by 2019-20 to local authorities to contribute to the costs of supporting refugees beyond their first year in the UK.

    The Home Office will administer this scheme in partnership with other departments, international agencies, local authorities and the voluntary sector.

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to fill the role previously held by the National Clinical Director for Adult Neurology at NHS England; and what assessment his Department has made of the contribution of that role to NHS services.

    Jane Ellison

    Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England’s Medical Director, has undertaken a review of the National Clinical Director (NCD) resource designed to focus clinical advisory resources on areas where major programmes of work are currently being taking forward, or areas identified as priorities for improvement. As a result of the review, NHS England has proposed to change the way in which clinical advice is received in speciality areas in the future.

    Where there will no longer be a specific NCD role, NHS England will secure expert clinical advice from its Clinical Networks and through its relationships with professional bodies and by appointing clinical advisors. For neurology it is planned that access to advice will be through clinical leads and members of the NHS England-funded neurology clinical networks, the Neurology Clinical Reference Group and Royal Colleges. It is expected that these new arrangements will be in place from 1 April 2016.

    The Neurology Intelligence Network (NIN) is a joint partnership programme between Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England to support the generation and dissemination of neurology related health intelligence. PHE currently funds the on-going design, development and management of the NIN.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in how many and what proportion of cases 16 and 17 year olds being convicted of committing a second knife offence the perpetrator received the mandatory four month Detention and Training Order since 17 July 2015.

    Andrew Selous

    Seventeen 16 to 17 year old offenders were found to have committed the offence between 17th July 2015 and 30th September 2015 and sentenced for the possession of a blade, point or an offensive weapon offence who also have one or more previous knife possession offence. Twelve of these offenders received a Detention and Training Order of at least 4 months.

    Any decisions and assessments taken regarding the minimum mandatory penalty are made solely by the courts. Whilst the 4 month DTO is the minimum custodial term available for 16 to 17 year old offenders, the courts also have the power to set aside the minimum term in the event of a guilty plea and/or if time has been served in custody on remand or on a tag. A decision by the courts to reduce the minimum term will result in a community penalty.

    These figures are based on information published on 10th December 2015 at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/knife-possession-sentencing-quarterly-brief-july-to-september-2015

    and will change when the outcomes of cases passing through the criminal justice system become available on the Police National Computer. On average it takes 86 days from charging an offender for a knife possession offence to the offender receiving the court outcome. Data for the next quarter is due to be published on Thursday 10 March.

    “

  • Roger Mullin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Roger Mullin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Mullin on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he has taken to promote the take-up of employee ownership schemes by small and medium-sized businesses in each nation of the UK.

    Anna Soubry

    In 2012, the previous Government asked Graeme Nuttall to advise on what more could be done to increase the number of businesses with employee ownership. The Nuttall Review identified 28 recommendations to address three main constraints: lack of awareness of the concept; lack of resources to support the model; and actual or perceived legal, tax and other regulatory barriers. The action taken to address the recommendations is explained in the ‘The Nuttall Review of Employee Ownership – One Year On’ report published in November 2013 and available on the gov.uk website.

    The Government now expects the private sector to make the business case for this model through organisations such as the Employee Ownership Association – the representative body for employee-owned businesses.

    Ongoing encouragement for employee ownership is provided through four approved share schemes which have tax-advantages for both employees and employers. These are the Company Share Option Plan (CSOP), Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI), Save As You Earn (SAYE) and Share Incentive Plan (SIP) which are administered by HMRC. In 2013-14 the total value of shares and options awarded under these schemes was around £3.45bn with over £1bn of income tax and national insurance relief given.