The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to alter the terms and conditions of student loans for existing borrowers.
Joseph Johnson
My department has no current plans to alter the terms and conditions of student loans for existing borrowers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to fund transport infrastructure projects that are completely or partly funded by EU programmes after the UK leaves the EU.
Andrew Jones
The Department for Transport has responsibility for UK involvement in the transport element of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and the Trans European Transport Network programme (TEN-T). These schemes have provided co-funding for a number of public and private sector transport infrastructure projects.
On 13th August my Right Honourable Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer made an announcement[1], outlining the Government position on EU funding schemes, which included a commitment to provide continuity of funding for UK participants in EU programmes.
In line with that announcement, my Department will work closely with HM Treasury and concerned stakeholders to review EU funding schemes in the round, to ensure that any ongoing funding commitments best serve the UK’s national interest, while ensuring appropriate investor certainty.
[1] The following is a link to the announcement:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-philip-hammond-guarantees-eu-funding-beyond-date-uk-leaves-the-eu
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Thompson on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of national lottery sales income has been allocated to the Big Lottery Fund budget for Scotland in each of the last five years.
Tracey Crouch
The Big Lottery Fund decides how much of its funding to allocate to each of the home nations. Scotland is allocated 11.5 per cent of the Big Lottery Funds proceeds from the National Lottery after administration costs, and 10 per cent of the Fund’s Lottery income is allocated to a UK portfolio, from which Scotland also benefits.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Howe of Idlicote on 2015-12-16.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Barnardo’s recent report Locked Out: Children’s experiences of visiting a parent in prison, in particular claims that visits by children to fathers who are in prison are severely restricted.
Lord Faulks
The Government agrees that strong family ties are an important part of helping prisoners turn away from crime, and the recommendations from the recent Barnardo’s report are currently being considered in the context of the wider prison reforms.
All convicted prisoners have a long-standing statutory entitlement to a minimum of two visits every 28 days. In addition, prisoners may also be rewarded with additional visits for good behaviour and for engaging with their rehabilitation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the 450 million euros of funding from the EU allocated to carbon capture and storage projects in Yorkshire and the Humber will be spent in the UK following the decision to reduce spending on carbon capture and storage announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Andrea Leadsom
The Don Valley Carbon Capture and Storage project was awarded a €180m European Energy Programme for Recovery grant in 2009 which contributes towards the feasibility and design phase of the project’s development. The award remains in place.
In 2013 the White Rose CCS project was awarded up to €300m in potential funding from the European Commission’s NER300 fund. Officials in the Department are in regular contact with the European Commission about this award and related issues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 24142, what the average length of time per case has been that his Department has taken to complete the child maintenance arrears cleansing or validation process following the ending of liability on a CSA case in the current year.
Priti Patel
The Information requested is not routinely recorded for management information purposes and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-03-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the total overall cost of the planned M4 relief road south of Newport, and what funding they will provide, if any, for that project.
Viscount Younger of Leckie
The Department for Transport (DfT) is in regular contact with the devolved governments in both Scotland and Wales to discuss strategic matters and to co-operate on cross border roads. In this case, the M4 relief road south of Newport is entirely a matter for the Welsh Assembly and DfT have made no assessment of the scheme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Scott Mann on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to increase tourism in Cornwall from (a) domestic and (b) foreign visitors.
David Evennett
Our tourism industry supports millions of jobs and is one of the nation’s leading employers and export earners. In 2014, the sector contributed nearly £60bn to the UK economy, and at the latest spending round the Chancellor announced a new £40m Discover England to encourage international visitors to explore beyond London. In the South West, the number of domestic visitors has increased by 14% in the 12 months to December 2015, compared with the previous year; and we have been working to promote international tourism through the £5m South West Tourism Growth Fund. Full-year data for international visitors in 2015 will be released in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what monitoring his Department has undertaken of the adequacy of supply of suitable and affordable accommodation for older people who want to live independently but with some support on-site.
Brandon Lewis
Decisions on how to meet the health and social care needs of older people who need affordable and accessible homes and monitoring the supply of such accommodation are best made by local authorities. Government believes that local planning authorities remain best placed to determine the extent to which provision of more accessible housing is necessary and appropriate in their local area, and have appropriate powers to introduce development plan policies to meet these needs, having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework, Planning Guidance and other relevant matters.
The National Planning Policy Framework & Planning Guidance requires local authorities to plan for a mix of housing based on current and future demographic trends, and the needs of different groups, including elderly people, in their area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make representations to her EU counterparts and the European Commission on amending provisions related to take-down notices in the Electronic Commerce Directive 2002.
Matt Hancock
Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation.