Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tania Mathias – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the report entitled, Self-employment review – An independent report by Julie Deane, published in February 2016, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending entitlement to statutory adoption pay to self-employed people.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government is considering all the recommendations made in Julie Deane’s independent review of self-employment and will respond in due course.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who were not granted entry clearance or temporary admission and were permitted to live in private accommodation absconded in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office does not record the number of persons who have been deported or who have absconded having been permitted to live in private accommodation.

    The Right to Rent scheme denies illegal migrants access to the private rented sector. It has been in operation in parts of the West Midlands since 1st December 2014, and across England since 1st February 2016. The scheme requires landlords to carry out checks on prospective tenants before they rent property to them, and to refuse a tenancy to anyone who cannot show that they have the right to rent. The scheme is not retrospective, and does not apply to tenancies which were in place before the scheme came into effect in the relevant area.

    Therefore, in order to keep the scheme light touch and in line with the Right to Work scheme, landlords (like employers) are not required to tell the Home Office when they have completed right to rent checks.

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on anti-terrorism measures in the UK of a period of uncertainty as to the extent to which the Schengen Agreement will apply to the UK after it leaves the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Cooperation with our European partners on counter-terrorism has not ceased since the result of the referendum was announced and we continue to work with other Member States, including continuing to participate in those parts of the Schengen Agreement that relate to law enforcement cooperation. Our key partners have confirmed their commitment to continue to work closely in an area where the UK has played a key role in advancing European capability. We are considering the full range of options to ensure effective counter-terrorism cooperation continues after the UK leaves the EU.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2016 to Question 47489, whether, during the course of negotiations for the UK to leave the EU, his Department plans to hold discussions with its Japanese counterparts.

    Mr David Jones

    Ministers and officials from across the Government are working closely with the Government of Japan and Japanese companies operating in the UK to reinforce the importance of a close relationship between our countries. They will continue to do so, including through our embassy in Tokyo.

    The Department for Exiting the EU will continue to support this work.

  • Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) deaths from and (b) cases of HIV, TB and malaria that will be prevented as a result of her Department’s £1 billion commitment to the Global Fund from 2014 to 2016.

    Grant Shapps

    From a standing start in 2002, the UK’s unwavering support has enabled the Global Fund to keep 8.1 million people alive with HIV therapy, distribute 548 million mosquito nets, detect and treat 13.2 million cases of TB, and has contributed to a decline of one third in the number of people dying from the three diseases since 2002 in Global Fund countries.

    The UK remains a strong and active supporter of the Global Fund and has pledged a contribution of up to £1 billion between 2014 and 2016 for the Global Fund’s 4th replenishment, subject to a 10% donor share cap. The UK’s contribution is estimated to dramatically improve the lives of millions of people – saving approximately 580,000 lives by preventing 8.4m new malaria, HIV and tuberculosis infections.

  • Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if his Department will make provision for large goods vehicles driving apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement.

    Nick Boles

    Through our reforms, more than 1300 employers are designing new apprenticeships standards that are more responsive to the needs of business. 194 standards have been published with over 150 new standards in development, including the new Large Goods Vehicle Driver standard.

    Subject to final approval, this new apprenticeship standard will provide the sector with an excellent opportunity to develop a new generation of drivers in a way that meets their specific requirements.

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for how long people under the age of 18 who were transferred to a place of safety under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 were detained on average in (a) a police cell and (b) a police vehicle in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

    Mike Penning

    The information requested is not held centrally.

    However, the use of police cells as a place of safety for all persons detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 has more than halved since 2011/12 (when figures were first collated) as shown in the following table. A joint inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC); Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP); the Care Quality Commission (CQC); and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) (published in 2013) found that the average time that each such person spent in police custody was 10 hours 32 minutes.

    The Government intends to make provision in the Policing and Crime Bill, to be introduced in Parliament soon, to prohibit the use of police cells as places of safety for people under the age of 18, and to further limit their use in the case of adults. The maximum period for which a person may be detained pending a mental health assessment will also be reduced.

    Table 1: number of times a police station was used as a place of safety for people detained under Section 136 Mental Health Act 1983 (England only)

    Year

    Section 136 detentions in police stations

    Percentage reduction year on year (to nearest whole number)

    2011-12

    8,667

    N/A[1]

    2012-13

    7,881

    -9%

    2013-14

    6,028

    -24%

    2014-15

    3,996

    -34%

    Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre

    [1] No data on use of police stations is available for 2010-11.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what factors she takes into account when considering a request from a local authority to dispose of school sites for redevelopment for new housing.

    Edward Timpson

    Since January 2013, the Secretary of State for Education has received:

    • 1 application from Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, this is currently being considered.
    • 4 applications from Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, all have been approved.
    • 19 applications from the Greater Manchester combined authority, 1 is being considered and the other 18 have been approved.

    These figures include applications in those local authorities relating to land held by Academy Trusts under a lease from the local authority.

    The Education Act 2011 requires that the Secretary of State must give consent prior to the disposal of land which has been used for any school or academy in the last eight years. Secretary of State consent is also required under section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 where local authorities wish to dispose of playing field land that has been used by a school in the last ten years. A key consideration for the government is whether the land proposed for disposal could be suitable for use by a new school.

    There are a range of reasons for these disposals. Some disposals are leases from the academy trustees back to the local authority, which allow a children’s centre on site to continue or which provide land for another school. A substantial number of consents refer to local authority maintained school sites for outright disposals where the school has closed or relocated to a new build site.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Department has a health and wellbeing strategy that reflects the wider Civil Service priorities of mental health, musculoskeletal disorders and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

    An effective Occupational Health and Workplace Adjustment services, together with an Employee Assistance Programme, are in place. The Department has committed and strong staff networks, including a Health and Wellbeing network.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-03-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 March (HL6898), how many road tunnels worldwide there are of a comparable length to road tunnels planned underneath the Peak District; and for each of those (1) how long they have been in operation, (2) what traffic speed they operate at, (3) how many lanes there are and whether they have a hard shoulder, (4) what levels of air pollution are found within them, (5) what their construction cost was, and (6) whether they were delivered on time and on budget.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    We are currently examining a number of corridors to identify potential links between Manchester and Sheffield. At this stage the precise length of any tunnel is unknown. The initial findings on the construction and maintenance of a potential tunnel were published in the Interim Report in November 2015. The next stages of the study will examine shortlisted options in more detail and will include the consideration of international best practice. The conclusions will be published later this year.