Tag: Parliamentary Question

Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 3.103 of the Autumn Statement and Spending Review 2015, what discussions he has had with the judiciary on the potential effect of removing legal costs by transferring personal injury claims of up to £5,000 to the small claims court; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab

Discussions relating to the new reforms have been held with the judiciary. The Government continues to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including the judiciary, in taking this work forward and will consult on the detail in due course. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

January 1, 2023
Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, to which location he plans to relocate his Department’s functions out of London.

Joseph Johnson

The Department has not yet made final decisions on its future estate. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise has already informed the House, the current plans for the Department’s future estate are for:
- A combined HQ and policy centre in London
- Business-facing centre, likely to be in South Wales
- Institutional and Research funding centre, likely to be in Swindon, but may initially also include Bristol
- Further education funding centre – location yet to be decided but may initially be in Coventry
- Higher education student finance centre, initially in Glasgow and Darlington
- A regulation centre likely to be in Birmingham
- A combined regional footprint for where service delivery to local users need to happen on a local basis, comprising the BIS Local offices and local service delivery
January 1, 2023
Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) promote the protection of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction and (b) ensure that the agreed commitment to establish marine protected areas in 10 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2020 is effectively implemented in such areas.

James Duddridge

The UK is fully committed to promoting the protection of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Without prejudice to Article IV of the Antarctic Treaty 1959, in 2009 the UK led negotiations within the Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources which resulted in the establishment of the world’s first high-seas Marine Protected Area (MPA) covering 94 000 km2. The UK supports the establishment of further MPAs within the area covered by the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, and is working closely with members to designate MPAs in the Ross Sea, East Antarctic and the Weddell Sea.

The UK is a leading member of the OSPAR Commission which has designated 7 MPAs in the high seas of the North-East Atlantic and works closely with other regional and international organisations to manage these.

We are a signatory to the Hamilton Declaration on Collaboration for the Conservation of the Sargasso Sea 2014, which established the Sargasso Sea Commission to encourage and facilitate voluntary collaboration toward the conservation of the Sargasso Sea.

We support the work of the International Seabed Authority in establishing Areas of Particular Environmental Interest in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. We also support the work of the International Maritime Organisation in identifying “Special Areas” which benefit from additional pollution protection and “Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas” which may benefit from specific measures to control certain maritime activities.

January 1, 2023
Lord Young of Cookham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Young of Cookham on 2016-06-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Secretary of State will make a determination under section 69 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Before any determination is issued and any payments made under that determination, regulations on the definition of higher value assets must first be passed by both Houses of Parliament. We are currently working on the detail of the regulations.

We shall consult with local authorities and other stakeholders before issuing the determination.

January 1, 2023
Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of whether the level of tribunal fees acts as a disincentive to women pursuing a sex discrimination claim.

Sir Oliver Heald

We will publish the outcome of our review into Employment Tribunal Fees in due course.

January 1, 2023
Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2016-10-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Exiting the EU plans to remain within the Cabinet Office premises or to relocate; and if it plans to relocate, whether it will move to its own building, or move, in its entirety or in part, to premises of another government department.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The department is permanently headquartered at 9 Downing Street. This will not change and Ministers will continue to operate from this building. Staff are also accommodated in 70 Whitehall.

We are working with the Government Property Unit as where to locate further staff on a more permanent basis.

DExEU staff will continue to be employed on the basis of being ‘on loan’ from a wide variety of departments and will not permanently transfer departments. No staff have been formally moved from DExEU to the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Cabinet Office, or other government departments.

January 1, 2023

Natalie McGarry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many men in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency aged (i) 60, (ii) 61, (iii) 62, (iv) 63, (v) 64, (vi) 65, (vii) 66 and (viii) 67 are in receipt of the carer addition element of pension credit.

Justin Tomlinson

The information requested, to answer the three questions above, is shown in the table below for February 2015, which is the latest data available.

Pension Credit Claimants with a Carer’s additional amount, by age and gender for Great Britain, Scotland, Glasgow City Local Authority and Glasgow East constituency – February 2015

All Persons
Age of claimant	Great Britain	Scotland	Glasgow City LA	Glasgow East Constituency
Total all Ages	209,740	22,340	3,490	750
60	–	–	–	–
61	10	–	–	–
62	3,340	360	70	10
63	7,510	730	140	30
64	8,310	900	150	40
65	8,120	850	130	30
66	8,610	920	160	40
67	9,090	970	170	40
Male
Age of claimant	Great Britain	Scotland	Glasgow City LA	Glasgow East Constituency
Total all Ages	132,540	13,330	1,970	400
60	–	–	–	–
61	–	–	–	–
62	2,010	190	40	–
63	4,750	430	70	10
64	5,430	540	80	20
65	4,870	490	70	10
66	5,170	520	80	20
67	5,460	540	90	20
Female
Age of claimant	Great Britain	Scotland	Glasgow City LA	Glasgow East Constituency
Total all Ages	77,200	9,000	1,520	350
60	–	–	–	–
61	–	–	–	–
62	1,330	170	30	10
63	2,760	290	60	20
64	2,880	360	70	20
65	3,260	360	60	20
66	3,440	400	70	20
67	3,630	420	80	20

Source: DWP, 100% data.

Notes:
1. "-" denotes nil or negligible; Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
2. STATE PENSION AGE: The age at which men and women reach State Pension age is gradually increasing. Under current legislation, State Pension age for women will equalise with State Pension age for men at 65 in 2018. Both men’s and women’s State Pension age will increase from 65 to 66 between December 2018 and October 2020. The Pensions Bill 2013-14 contains provision for a State Pension age of 67 to be reached by 2028. For more information see:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/207966/espa.pdf.
3. Parliamentary Constituency of claimant (Westminster) these constituencies are used for the Westminster parliament

4. Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:
http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm

“

January 1, 2023

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2015-12-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the grant from Viridor Credits to Holy Trinity Church in Wallington was audited by ENTRUST and what assessment they have made of environmental objectives that grant fulfils.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The Landfill Communities Fund is a tax credit scheme. It allows landfill operators to gain a tax credit against 90% of the voluntary donations they make to environmental bodies for spending on certain prescribed objectives.

The prescribed objectives include:
- the restoration of a building of historic interest or place of religious worship; and
- the maintenance or improvement of a public amenity;
within the vicinity of a landfill site.

ENTRUST, the independent regulator of the Landfill Communities Fund assesses and approves applications for project funding to ensure they meet the objectives of the scheme. ENTRUST also carries out a programme of assurance under which a cross-section of projects are selected for audit to ensure they meet the prescribed objectives, and that funds are spent compliantly.
January 1, 2023
Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received on local authority non-compliance with statutory requirements in relation to (a) education, health and care plans and (b) the Local Offer; what mechanism is in place to ensure that local authorities comply with such statutory requirements; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure such compliance.

Edward Timpson

We are monitoring implementation of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) reforms very closely. We undertake termly surveys of local authorities and Parent Carer Forums. We also engage in regular dialogue with voluntary and community sector partners, including parent representatives, and we monitor issues raised in ministerial and official correspondence.

The SEND reforms are complex and will take time to embed fully. The transition period from statements to Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) runs until 2018. Our team of SEND Advisers has focused on improving the quality and timeliness of Local Offers and EHCPs, and is offering support to local authorities. In 2015, we responded to widespread feedback to extend the timescale for transferring a statement of SEN to an EHCP from 16 weeks to 20 weeks. We have also provided workshops on Local Offers and on transition; we are currently working with partners to run a series of workshops for local authorities on drafting good EHCPs.

Early in the process, feedback showed that local authorities were at different stages in developing their Local Offers. All local authorities now have a Local Offer in place, and are working with their partner bodies, families and young people to ensure Local Offers respond to local needs.

Parents/carers and young people have various options if they are dissatisfied with the way an authority has acted in relation to an EHCP or about the Local Offer. They may wish to complain directly to their local authority, following its formal complaints procedure. Once a local authority’s complaints procedure has been exhausted, the complaint can be referred to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO). The LGO can investigate complaints of maladministration or service failure made by parents/carers and young people about their local authority, including non-compliance with statutory duties relating to EHCPs and the Local Offer. The LGO will not usually investigate complaints about decisions that the local authority has taken in relation to EHC needs assessments and plans that can be appealed to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability).

If a complaint is not resolved locally or by the LGO, it can be referred to the Secretary of State under sections 496 and 497 of the Education Act 1996. If the Secretary of State finds that the local authority has failed to carry out a statutory duty, or has done so unreasonably, she can then issue a direction to the authority in order to put matters right, if it is expedient to do so.

January 1, 2023
Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on HIV support services of changes to commissioning and delivery of such services.

Jane Ellison

Decisions on funding and access to social care support services for people with HIV are made by local authorities. The Care Act 2014 sets out the legal framework for social care in England, and this applies to all adults with support needs including those living with HIV.

Diagnosed early most people with access to HIV treatment can expect a near normal life expectancy. Public Health England monitors the results of individuals receiving NHS HIV treatment. In 2014, 91% of people attending for care were receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment of which 95% were virally suppressed and very unlikely to be infectious to others. The United Kingdom is already ahead in meeting two of the three ambitious UNAIDS 90/90/90 global goals of 90% of people with HIV being diagnosed, 90% on ARV treatment and 90% viral suppression for those on ARV treatment by 2020.

January 1, 2023