The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.
Mike Penning
The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Library of the House and online at
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the guidance note on public sector pay and terms published by his Department on 5 February 2016, whether he plans to place that guidance on a statutory footing; and if he will make a statement.
Greg Hands
There are no current plans to place the guidance note on public sector pay and terms on a statutory footing.
The note is a reminder of the rules that are in place and the Government’s expectations on public sector employers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of new nursery staff in (a) Burnley and (b) Lancashire who will be affected by the new requirements for staff taking a Level 3 in childcare.
Mr Sam Gyimah
The requirements have been in effect since 2014 for individuals taking the level 3 Early Years Educator qualifications.
The requirement for level 3 Early Years Educator staff to hold a GCSE Maths and English at grade C or above was introduced to make sure that new entrants to the workforce have the numeracy and literacy skills they need to operate in a level 3 role. Staff working in level 3 roles can have a range of responsibilities, all of which require them to be highly skilled and well-qualified. Level 3 staff are likely to work directly with children, and many will have additional responsibility as room leaders and some will lead and manage an entire childcare setting.
The department holds national data on level 3 staff in the early years sector. We know excellent progress has been made over the past few years in which qualification levels have continued to rise. Between 2008 and 2013, the proportion of the 233,200 full day care staff with at least a level 3 qualification grew from 75% to 87%[1]. We are continuing to collect data on level 3 staff through the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey this year, and will collect data from 2016 in the Early Years Census.
We have been talking to childcare employers and training organisations about early years qualifications. We want to continue to work with the sector to understand the challenges faced, and find ways to tackle these whilst ensuring a quality workforce remains.
[1] Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2013
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of NHS blood donation services.
Jane Ellison
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is operationally responsible for providing a safe and reliable supply of blood, blood products and expertise to hospitals in England. Each year, donors voluntarily give around 1.7 million units of blood to ensure that hospitals receive the 6,000 blood donations they need every day, to treat patients. There has not been a shortage of blood for many years.
NHSBT recruits around 200,000 new donors each year to replace those who can no longer donate for reasons such as ill health, pregnancy or foreign travel.
To meet an on-going overall drop in demand but a more complex need for specific blood groups, NHSBT is increasing donation from O negative blood donors, A negative platelet donors and donors from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. To increase blood donation, NHSBT recently launched a BAME toolkit to be used by Members of Parliament seeking to increase blood and organ donors in their constituencies.
The toolkit can be found at:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i5d5f93ppiqys38/AAB_Q44nwfOiRFMYUx9qKlH8a?dl=0
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance is provided to jobcentre advisers on imposing sanctions on benefit claimants with diabetes.
Damian Hinds
There is no specific guidance available to Jobcentre Plus staff on imposing sanctions on benefit claimants with diabetes. There is guidance available to Jobcentre Plus staff on the application of sanctions imposed by a Decision Maker if a claimant fails to fulfil all of their responsibilities as a claimant.
When Decision Makers make their decisions they do so using guidance for decision makers taking into account all the claimants individual circumstances including health conditions. These circumstances determine whether or not a claimant should be sanctioned.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-10-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to ensure that the UK intellectual property practitioners will continue to have the right to file European Trade Mark and design applications and appear on behalf of clients at the EU Intellectual Property Office after the UK leaves the EU.
Joseph Johnson
We have sought UK intellectual property practitioners’ views on the effects of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union and we are aware that this is a concern to them. We are continuing to engage with practitioners and businesses and are actively considering the options available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-10-27.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the financial effect on the average working household of welfare and tax credit changes proposed since May 2015.
Damian Hinds
This Government is committed to moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society. As the Chancellor made clear on [Monday / 26 October], the Government will set out at Autumn Statement how we plan to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits, saving the money we need to save to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.
The Summer Budget offered a new deal for working people. A new National Living Wage for workers aged 25 and above, initially set at £7.20 per hour from April 2016, will directly benefit 2.7 million low wage workers, and up to 6 million could see a pay rise as a result of a ripple effect up the earnings distribution. The new National Living Wage will boost pay for those currently earning the National Minimum Wage by £4,800 a year by 2020 when the National Living Wage is expected to rise to over £9 per hour.
To help working families keep more of what they earn, the personal allowance will increase to £11,000 in 2016-17 and £11,200 in 2017-18. The government has committed to increase the personal allowance to £12,500 by 2020 which will mean that a typical basic rate taxpayer will see their income tax cut by £1,205 a year compared to 2010.
The government set out its assessment of the impacts of the Summer Budget policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2015-11-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 2 November (HL2691), when they expect to be able to collect reliable data on the incidence and cost of internet fraud; and whether they will publish that information.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Saudi Arabian government on the UK-Saudi trade relationship.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Our prosperity relationship with Saudi Arabia is important, but it is only part of the relationship, not the key driver. We have a broad and deep relationship that covers security, culture, health and trade.
Saudi Arabia is one of the UK’s largest trading partners in the Middle East, and the leading Middle Eastern exporter of goods to the UK. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), visited Saudi Arabia most recently in October 2015 and held discussions on a range of bilateral issues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects his Department’s review of the Office of Rail and Road to conclude.
Claire Perry
The Rail Regulation Call for Evidence which was published on GOV.UK on 10 December 2015 stated that the project would be ‘run in parallel with the Shaw Report and conclude by March 2016’.