Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 1.149 of the Budget 2016, how much of the increased funding available to prevent and reduce homelessness is in addition to the funding allocated to his Department in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    One person without a home is one too many and we are committed to do all we can to prevent homelessness. We have protected the homelessness prevention funding local authorities receive, totalling £315 million by 2019-20.

    This builds on our Spending Review commitment to increase central government funding to £139 million over the next four years. We announced in the Budget that £10 million of this would be spent to support and scale up innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, particularly in London and that funding for the Rough Sleeping Social Impact Bond announced in the Spending Review will be doubled from £5 million to £10 million.

    We also announced in the Budget an additional £100 million to deliver low cost ‘move on’ accommodation to enable people leaving hostels and refuges to make a sustainable recovery from a homelessness crisis, providing at least 2,000 places for vulnerable people to enable independent living. We will re-prioritise money within our existing capital budgets to deliver this accommodation. This will not affect delivery of the Government’s Starter Homes and Shared Ownership programmes.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the cost is of closing the Green Deal Finance Company in (a) payments to consultants and (b) other costs.

    Andrea Leadsom

    DECC has made no payments to consultants in establishing the Green Deal Finance Company, but in other costs payments of £10,294.26 in legal support were made in 2014/15.

    The Green Deal Finance Company has not been closed. It is not currently issuing new loans, but continues to collect repayments from its existing loan book. In July 2015, DECC took the decision that the case for further investment was not strong enough in terms of value for money. This decision has no impact on existing Green Deal Finance Plans or existing Green Deal Home Improvement Fund applications and vouchers.

    The Green Deal Finance Company is a private company and has its own internal costs which are not included in this estimate.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS England’s new prioritisation framework for making decisions on investment in specialised services will be aligned with the recommendations of the accelerated access review.

    George Freeman

    The Accelerated Access Review team has been working closely with colleagues across NHS England, including the specialised commissioning team to ensure that policy is aligned.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral answer of 10 January 2011, Official Report, column 11, what changes have been made to the welfare system since 2011 to support households after multiple birth.

    Damian Hinds

    The Sure Start Maternity Grant is a payment of £500 to provide important help for families with the costs of a new baby (or babies in the event of a multiple birth) if there are no other children under 16 in the claimant’s family. The grant is available to recipients, and partners of recipients, of a qualifying benefit or tax credit.

    From 2012, access to the Sure Start Maternity Grant has been extended and is also available for the additional children of subsequent multiple births. This acknowledges the help that is needed with the costs for all but one of the additional children of a subsequent multiple birth.

    Also, from 2012, Social Fund Budgeting Loans have been available to cover other maternity expenses.

  • Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-10-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent meetings he has had with representatives from (a) Iceland, Liechtenstein, (c) Norway and (d) Switzerland on the UK leaving the EU.

    Mr David Jones

    The Prime Minister has been clear we will not give a running commentary on our EU exit negotiations. We will ensure that we engage closely with all relevant interlocutors.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many times each of the three tenancy deposit schemes which hold contracts with his Department to run authorised scheme mediated in disputes between landlords and tenants over deposits in each year since each scheme was put in place; how many disputes have been found in favour of the (a) landlord and (b) tenant; and what the average length of time was for the dispute resolution process to conclude.

    Brandon Lewis

    Under tenancy deposit protection legislation introduced in the Housing Act 2004, all landlords who let out property on an assured shorthold tenancy are required to protect their tenants’ deposits in one of the three Government-approved deposit protection schemes.

    Details of the number of deposits protected under each scheme as at March 2015 are set out below:

    Custodial scheme: Deposit Protection Service: 1,170,564

    Insurance Schemes:

    Tenancy Deposit Scheme: 1,135,769
    Deposit Protection Service: 20,944
    MyDeposits: 738,853

    Whilst the Government has authorised three private companies to provide tenancy deposit protection schemes, we do not have a day-to-day role in the running of the schemes, however, we do maintain an oversight responsibility, and the Department holds quarterly monitoring meetings with scheme providers at which any performance issues can be discussed. Over the period that the schemes have been in operation, they have performed at a consistently high level. We have not issued guidance for the schemes who all engage the services of dispute resolution professionals. However, the majority of disputes are resolved in 28 days, which is the performance target set by the Government.

    The number of adjudications per year for each scheme is set out in the attached table, including the percentage of adjudications awarded to tenants and landlords.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-11-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support is available for disabled entrepreneurs.

    Baroness Altmann

    Anyone, including disabled people, can apply for financial and practical help through the Government’s Start Up Loans scheme.

    Access to Work, which helps people with a disability or health condition to stay in work or start work, now features a new specialist self-employment team to support entrepreneurs and the self-employed.

    Unemployed potential entrepreneurs, including those with disabilities or health conditions, can talk to their Jobcentre Plus Work Coach, or where appropriate, Disability Employment Adviser (DEA), regarding national programmes like Work Choice, Work Programme and the new Specialist Employability Support. These programmes offer tailored services which can include practical support and advice for becoming self-employed.

    Work coaches can also refer claimants, including disabled clients, to the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA). Over 73,000 new businesses have started up through the scheme and 20% of NEA business starts have been made by disabled people. Disabled jobseekers who are accepted onto the NEA scheme may also be entitled to receive an Access to Work grant.

  • Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure a conclusion to the case of six former British soldiers held in India on weapons charges; and what support his Department offered to each person so detained.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Ministers have raised this case at the highest levels over thirty times since November 2013: my Right Honourable Friend, the Member for Witney, the Prime Minister, raised it for the third time with Prime Minister Modi, during his visit to the United Kingdom in November. On 11 January, the men were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and I raised this in my introductory meeting with the new Indian High Commissioner the following day. While we cannot interfere in the Indian legal process, we will continue to offer consular support to all the men and their families and urge that their appeal application be dealt with swiftly.

  • Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether recent changes to Government Buying Standards to encourage the uptake of safer vehicles will apply to the NHS.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government Buying Standards (GBS) are recommended for the wider public sector but outside central government they
    are not obligatory.

    The current GBS has been in place since 2012. As stated in the recent publication “Improving air quality in the UK”, revised standards for cars and vans will be published this year. Revisions will encourage cleaner and safer vehicles where appropriate.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

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

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    I refer the Hon Member to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Matthew Hancock) on 29 February 2016, UIN 27946 (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&member=1604&dept=53&uin=27946).

    “