Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-01-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps to enable his Department’s child tax credit department to answer the enquiries of hon. Members electronically.

    Mr David Gauke

    The use of standard email is insecure and therefore in order to protect customers’ information, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not use it when dealing with sensitive personal and financial information. However, HMRC does answer MPs enquiries electronically in cases where the response does not include any sensitive customer data.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to prevent (a) illegal drugs and (b) pornography entering prisons.

    Andrew Selous

    We use a range of robust searching and security measures to detect items of contraband both at the point of entry to the prison and concealed within the prison. We continue to explore new methods of preventing drugs coming into prisons, including using body scanners and training search dogs to detect new psychoactive substances.

    Prisoners are allowed to purchase publications that are normally available through high street newsagents. There are strict controls over the publications available to prisoners, with prisons having the power to ban any material they deem unsuitable. Sex offenders are denied access to anything believed to be inappropriate or likely to affect their rehabilitation and governors may also confiscate items that present a threat to good order or discipline.

    All IT and IT media that prisoners have access to is checked for illicit material, including pornography. USB ports are disabled and other security measures are put in place to ensure that prisoners cannot misuse such equipment.

  • Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the effect on poverty reduction in West Papua, Indonesia, of the reported ban on non-governmental organisations working in that area.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID no longer has a bilateral poverty reduction programme in Indonesia. However, as part of UK Government action to mitigate against climate change, we work in partnership with the Indonesian national and provincial governments to help secure community access to forest land in Papua to promote a sustainable green economy, whilst supporting local livelihoods.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the NHS Trust Development Authority will publish the findings of the review of whistle blowing and governance at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    This is a matter for the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA).

    We understand that the NHS TDA commissioned Verita to conduct an independent review of the procedures carried out by Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust in investigating recent whistleblowing and human resource concerns. The NHS TDA has confirmed its commitment to publication of its report of the review.

    The NHS TDA is currently clarifying publication arrangements in the light of legal advice and in liaison with the Department. A publication date will be arranged as soon as possible.

    The NHS TDA has confirmed that the timetable for publication of the Verita report is independent of any issues relating to the Trust’s role in providing services to patients in Staffordshire.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by which body he plans that the Construction Commissioner for High Speed 2 will be paid; and to whom it is planned that that Commission will report.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Terms of reference for the Construction Commissioner will be agreed by an independent steering group following Royal Assent. The group will monitor performance and review funding arrangements. An interim commissioner will be appointed this summer and the role will initially be paid for by HS2 Ltd.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what level of funding was allocated to Department for Transport Incident Support Units serving the M56 between junctions 12 and 14 in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

    Andrew Jones

    There is no available data on the historical level of funding allocated specifically to the Incident Support Unit service in the geographical operational area for trunk roads motorways in the North West, where the M56 Motorway is located.

    This Incident Support Unit was provided to Highways England’s predecessor organisation, the Highways Agency, by a contractor until 2012. There was a lump sum payment for various duties and it is not possible to disaggregate the cost of the Incident Support Unit service from the overall payments.

    A new Asset Support Contract replaced the previous approach in November 2012, and this no longer requires the contractor to provide a dedicated Incident Support Unit team. Incident response is now handled by the trained operatives in the general workforce, who are already working on the road network. This has proved to be a more flexible and cost-effective way of managing incidents.

  • Eilidh Whiteford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Eilidh Whiteford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the decline in Short Term Benefit Advance applications in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK between February 2015 and March 2016.

    Damian Hinds

    Short Term Benefit Advances (STBAs) are payments on account of benefit. The majority of STBAs are awarded to people in the period before their benefit is first due to be paid, but STBAs can also be paid where a change of circumstances significantly increases the amount of benefit due. STBAs are predominately paid to people claiming Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance. They are not available to people claiming Universal Credit.

    Between April 2015 and March 2016, there were 218,592 STBA applications in Great Britain as a whole, with monthly variations ranging from 17,188 in September 2015 to 21,529 in February 2016, but with no downward trend at the year end. In Scotland, there were 26,322 applications over the same period, with monthly variations ranging from 1,462 in November 2015 to 3,022 in April 2015, with a clear downward trend at the year end.

    As the roll-out of Universal Credit to all new claimants progresses, we anticipate a corresponding decline in the number of STBA applications.

    The Department for Work and Pensions continues to advertise the availability of STBAs through the gov.uk website, with information posters and leaflets in Jobcentres nationwide.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will ensure that the sex and relationships education curriculum includes (a) LGBT issues and (b) supporting young people’s long-term physical health, mental health and general wellbeing.

    Edward Timpson

    We are clear that as part of schools’ duty to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, all young people should be provided with a curriculum that prepares them for success in adult life. We have made it clear in the introduction to the national curriculum that all schools should make provision for high-quality, age appropriate personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, which includes sex and relationships education (SRE).

    When teaching SRE, all schools, including academies through their funding agreement, must have regard to the Secretary of State’s Sex and Relationship Education guidance. The guidance sets out that young people, whatever their developing sexuality, need to feel that their school’s SRE is relevant to them and sensitive to their needs, and that teachers should be able to deal honestly and sensitively with sexual orientation, answer appropriate questions and offer support. Schools are also bound by the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty 2011, to ensure that teaching is accessible to all children and young people, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

    When delivering PSHE, schools and teachers have the freedom to design lessons that meet their pupils’ needs, taking account of pupil and parent views. PSHE lessons can provide knowledge to support young people’s long-term physical health, mental health and general wellbeing.

    Teachers are encouraged to develop their practice with the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals. Many of these specialist organisations have produced resources, including the issues you identify, which can be used and adapted by schools.

    As the Secretary of State said at the Education Select Committee hearing in September 2016, we need to look again at how schools deliver high quality PSHE including SRE. We are considering all the options and will come to a view soon.

  • Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2015 to Question 12248, what the gross cost to the Planning Inspectorate was of the examination into the planning consent application for the Navitus Bay Wind Park; and how much of that cost was paid by Navitus Bay Development Ltd.

    James Wharton

    The gross cost to the Planning Inspectorate of the examination into the planning consent application for the Navitus Bay Wind Park was £995,660. Navitus Bay Development Ltd paid £565,660 of those costs.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many assaults there have been on staff working for (a) London Underground, (b) London Overground, (c) London buses, (d) Docklands Light Railway and (e) Tramlink in each year between 2010 and 2014.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department for Transport does not collect this information.

    However, I am able to say that the British Transport Police will shortly be launching Project Servator, which aims to detect and deter crime on the railways. It deploys highly visible and unpredictable police patrols to prevent a range of criminal activity, from pickpocketing and theft to more serious crimes including terrorism.