Tag: Parliamentary Question

Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2016-02-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take against landlords who fail to maintain their properties in a safe and fit state of repair.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System assesses the health and safety risks in all residential properties. Under the Housing Act 2004, following an Rating System inspection, if a local authority identifies a serious hazard they can take action, including issuing an Improvement Notice or a Hazard Awareness Notice. In extreme circumstances, the local authority may decide to make repairs themselves, or to prohibit that property from being rented out. Where a landlord fails to comply with a statutory notice, this is an offence, and they can be prosecuted by the local authority. From October 2015 we introduced protection for tenants from retaliatory eviction, where they have a legitimate complaint about the condition of the property.

The Housing and Planning Bill will strengthen local authorities’ ability and incentives to tackle rogue landlords by introducing measures including:
- A database of rogue landlords and property agents convicted of certain offences;
- Banning orders for the most serious and prolific offenders;
- Civil penalties of up to £30,000 as an alternative to prosecution;
- Extension of Rent Repayment Orders to cover illegal eviction, breach of a banning order or failure to comply with a statutory notice;
- A more stringent fit and proper person test for landlords of licensable properties such as Houses in Multiple Occupation.
My Department also recently announced a further £5 million of funding across 48 local authorities to tackle the worst rogue landlords in their areas.
01/01/2023
Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Warner on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of paragraph 16 of the agreement between the Scottish and UK governments on the Scottish fiscal framework, whether there is any obligation on the Scottish Government (1) to spend all or a certain proportion of the money passed to them for NHS services under the Barnett formula on those services; or (2) to account to the Scottish Parliament for not doing so.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The mechanical application of the Barnett Formula ensures that the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly receive a population share of changes in UK government funding on the services for which they have devolved responsibility. In accordance with the principles of devolution and the devolution Acts themselves, it is for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their funding (from the block grant or taxes/borrowing) to public services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; and it is for the devolved legislatures to hold them to account. The Scottish Government’s new fiscal framework does not alter this.

01/01/2023
Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure charities in receipt of public funds do not express a view on the forthcoming European Union Referendum.

John Penrose

The rules on campaigning at the referendum are set out in the European Union Referendum Act 2015 and the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. There is no general restriction on institutions and organisations in receipt of public funds expressing a corporate opinion on the European Union Referendum. However, there are restrictions on organisations whose expenses are met wholly or mainly from public funds publishing certain material relating to the referendum in the final 28 days.

As the independent regulator for charities in England and Wales, the Charity Commission published guidance for charities on 7 March 2016 regarding the forthcoming EU referendum. This clearly sets out the threshold necessary to justify any charitable activity on this specific issue.

01/01/2023
Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate of real world diesel emissions for Euro 6 vehicles, relative to the laboratory test limit, was used in the evidential basis supporting her Department’s conclusion that eight air quality zones would not comply with Nitrogen Dioxide limits by 2020 if no action is taken.

Rory Stewart

The modelling used for the air quality plan was based on the best available data and uses the latest COPERT (Computer Programme to Calculate Emissions from Road Transport) (4v11) factors to calculate emissions from diesel cars.

These COPERT factors reflect that there is a difference between laboratory testing of vehicle emissions and real world emissions. They assume Euro 6 diesel cars are, on average, emitting 2.8 times the level of emissions allowed for the Euro 6 standard.

In May, the Government will present the results of its vehicle testing programme (www.gov.uk/government/publications/vehicle-emissions-testing-programme-conclusions) to European Research for Mobile Emission Sources (ERMES), the body responsible for collating vehicle emission data, to inform its updated emissions factors later this year. This will ensure that EU-wide emission factors continue to focus on the latest data updated on the basis of real world testing.

01/01/2023
Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many special needs schools offer (a) before-school care, (b) after-school care and (c) both before and after-school care in England; and what proportion of special needs schools each of those numbers represents.

Edward Timpson

This data was collected for the first time in the January 2016 school census. Later this year we will update the school performance tables and plan to publish alongside them information about all schools’ childcare provision including breakfast clubs. This will include information on all state funded and non-maintained special schools.

01/01/2023
Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the proportion of Countryside Stewardship schemes that will be signed-off before the Autumn Statement.

George Eustice

The application deadline for Countryside Stewardship multi-annual agreements is 30 September. Natural England will be looking to make offers to all successful applicants before the Autumn Statement.

01/01/2023
Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to ensure that public consultations on local NHS changes involve patients and the public.

Mr Philip Dunne

National Health Service bodies have a statutory duty to engage with patients and the public about service change. Principles for service change are enshrined in the four reconfiguration tests as mandated by the government to NHS England. All local reconfiguration plans should satisfy these tests which are: (i) strengthened public and patient engagements, (ii) support from GP commissioners, (iii) clarity on the clinical evidence base and (iv) support for patient choice.

NHS England guidance on service change states that “effective involvement means being open and transparent about proposals enabling local stakeholders to have the opportunity to influence change.”[1]

[1] Planning, assuring and delivering service change for patients, NHS England, October 2015 Pg 14

01/01/2023
David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to assist the Syrian people in putting in place stable political and diplomatic foundations on which to rebuild that country once the conflict there has ended.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We hope that the 30 October Vienna meeting is the start of an international process, alongside talks between the Syrian parties, which will lead to transition away from Assad in line with the Geneva communiqué of 2012. The UK Government is closely engaged in this process and is working with Syrian opposition and civil society groups to ensure they are adequately represented in the process, and to help them prepare for a political transition in Syria.

01/01/2023
Ian Mearns – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Mearns on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to paragraph 1.17 of the UK National Strategy for Maritime Security, published in May 2014, how many meetings there have been of the ministerial working group on maritime security.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

As Chairman, I write to the members of the Ministerial Working Group on maritime security biannually with operational and policy updates, the most recent of these was on 19 November. The Ministerial Working Group intends to meet in 2016 to discuss the implications of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review.

01/01/2023

Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-11.

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the maximum permitted spending by each campaign will be during the final weeks of campaigning on the referendum on EU membership; and what steps the Electoral Commission plans to take to ensure that spending by each campaign is subject to the same limit.

Mr Gary Streeter

The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) sets out the spending limits that apply during the regulated referendum period at UK-wide referendums. The duration of the referendum period for the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union will be set out in secondary legislation.

PPERA does not set total spending limits for each of the referendum outcomes; rather it applies spending limits to individual campaigners that take part in the debate.

The Commission is already monitoring the campaigning activities of potential referendum campaigners so that it can identify any emerging issues and offer advice and guidance to those that intend to campaign at the referendum. Once the rules come into force, the Commission’s campaign monitoring will inform the use, if necessary and appropriate, of its enforcement and sanctioning powers where the rules are not followed.

For the EU Referendum, Parliament increased the limits set out in PPERA to take account of inflation. The limits for political parties that register to campaign in support of a particular outcome are allocated according to the party’s share of the vote at the last UK Parliamentary general election. Campaigners that do not register with the Commission are limited to spending £10,000. The new limits are set out in the table below:

	EU Referendum Bill spending limits for a referendum held before 31 December 2017	2015 UK general election vote share
Limits for designated lead campaigners	£7,000,000	–
Limits for political parties with:
>30% share of the vote	£7,000,000	Conservative (36.8%)
>20-30% share of the vote	£5,500,000	Labour (29%[1])
>10-20% share of the vote	£4,000,000	UKIP (12.6%)
>5-10% share of the vote	£3,000,000	Liberal Democrat (7.9%)
	£700,000	SNP (4.7%) Green (3.8%) DUP (0.6%) Plaid Cymru (0.6%) Sinn Fein (0.6%) SDLP (0.3%) UUP (0.4%) Plus all other parties that stood at least one candidate at 2015 UKPGE
Limits for other registered campaigners	£700,000	–

[1] Labour Party share of the vote is adjusted because votes cast for joint candidates are divided by the number of parties the candidate is standing for i.e. Labour / Co-op candidates (PPERA Sch14, para 1(4))

01/01/2023