Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • 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 effect on claimants of the (a) seven waiting days at the beginning of a universal credit claim and (b) six week period a claimant must wait before receiving their initial payment.

    Damian Hinds

    Many claimants come to Universal Credit with final earnings to support them until their first payment, and they often find work quickly.

    The Universal Credit assessment period and payment structure is a fundamental part of the design; it mirrors the world of work, where 75% of people are paid monthly.

    As with other working age benefits, Universal Credit is not designed to provide cover for brief spells of unemployment or sickness, and seven waiting days are served in Universal Credit as they are in Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance.

    We have a number of safeguards in place to help claimants’ transition to Universal Credit, including Advances and Budgeting Support.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Attorney General, how many complaints to the Crown Prosecution Service were upheld at formal Stage 1 in each of the last three years.

    Robert Buckland

    The following table shows the number of complaints upheld at Stage 1 in the past three years:

    Year

    Stage 1 Complaints -Upheld

    2013/14

    150

    2014/15

    206

    2015/16

    206

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of teachers who will be trained in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education uses the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to estimate the demand for qualified teachers in active service within state-funded schools in England each year using a range of assumptions, including projections for the numbers of pupils in schools and the number of teachers expected to leave the sector. The TSM then estimates the number of postgraduate Initial Teacher Training places required in England to meet this demand, given the number of entrants expected via routes other than Newly Qualified Teacher (for example, entering as a re-entrant) and the proportion of trainees that will either fail to complete training or gain employment post-training.

    The 2016/17 version of the TSM, which was used to inform the 2016/17 ITT recruitment process, along with a user guide explaining the methodology in detail, is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-supply-model

    “

  • 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 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress he has made on pensions auto-enrolment to small and micro businesses; and if he plans to complete that auto-enrolment for those businesses by 2018.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Automatic enrolment has been a great success to date, with 5.57 million people automatically enrolled into a workplace pension by 67,892 employers.

    From June 2015 onwards, small and micro employers with 49 or less workers began enrolling all eligible workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme.

    We remain on track to complete the roll out of automatic enrolment to all employers from 2012 to 2018.

  • Callum McCaig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Callum McCaig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of devolving to the Scottish Parliament all aspects of (a) gaming and betting legislation, (b) including curbing the terminals’ speed of play and maximum stakes for fixed-odds betting terminals and (c) other regulation of fixed-odds betting terminals.

    Tracey Crouch

    The Scotland Bill will give the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Ministers the power to vary the number of sub-category B2 gaming machines (FOBTs) permitted by new betting premises licences. The UK Government will retain the equivalent powers on FOBTs for the rest of the UK, except for Northern Ireland where gambling is a devolved matter.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the terms are of the Dorset Growth Deal; and how much funding from the public purse has been provided to the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership.

    Anna Soubry

    To date Dorset LEP has received £88.3m in funding (£79m from the Local Growth Fund and £9.3m from the Growing Places Fund) to support investment in schemes that drive local economic growth, along with £1.88m in grants.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.

    David Mundell

    I refer the hon Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General on 29 February 2016.

  • The Earl of Sandwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The Earl of Sandwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Sandwich on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress of earthquake relief in Nepal in the last 12 months; and how much they have contributed to it.

    Baroness Verma

    Over the past year work has been done by both the Government of Nepal and the International Community to meet the immediate needs of those most affected by the devastating earthquakes in April and May 2015. The UK particularly welcomed the formation of Government of Nepal’s National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) earlier in January 2016 whose mandate is to ensure a co-ordinated and coherent response to the post disaster rebuilding efforts.

    The UK has played a leading role in addressing the humanitarian needs of the Nepali people and supporting the long-term recovery and reconstruction efforts of the country. With a total commitment of £70 million to the earthquake relief effort, over the last year DFID has provided life-saving humanitarian assistance, for hard to reach communities and to the thousands that remain displaced. UK support has already reached over 280,000 people with shelter, 50,000 people with hygiene kits and sanitation support, and 30,000 people with essential household items, including kitchen sets, solar lamps and water purification tablets. DFID support during the bleak winter season meant that over 200,000 people living at high altitudes were reached with vital cold weather support, including clothes, blankets and mattresses, to help remote communities see through the freezing conditions.

    We continue to monitor the humanitarian and recovery situation in Nepal, particularly for those who remain highly vulnerable due to loss of homes and livelihoods. For example we have recently approved £4.49 million to support the Gurkha communities living in the remote high hills of Nepal. The support, which will be implemented through the Gorkha Welfare Scheme (GWS), will include building 120 new water supply systems; reaching 3,400 households (22,500 people) with improved water and sanitation facilities; and building latrines for 2,850 households and 35 school, ensuring girls get a separate toilet in schools.

  • 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 2016-04-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the rate of uptake by the NHS of faecal microbiota transplants in the treatment of recurrent clostridium difficile.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance on faecal microbiota transplant for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. NICE has recommended that the procedure is safe and effective for use in the National Health Service, but no assessment of its cost effectiveness has been made by NICE.

    Data on the uptake of faecal microbiota transplants in the treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile by the NHS is not collected centrally.

  • Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeff Smith on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, following the review of homelessness legislation undertaken by the charity Crisis entitled The homelessness legislation: An independent review of the legal duties owed to homeless people, published on 25 April 2016, whether he plans to undertake a review of such legislation.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    I welcome the recent report from the Crisis Expert Panel into the legal duties owed to homeless people. It provides a valuable insight into how aspects of the current legislation in England can learn from the model adopted in Wales.

    We are considering all options, including legislation, and will continue to talk to local authorities, homelessness organisations and other government departments.