Tag: Parliamentary Question

Margaret Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to its staff on proactively making callers claiming universal credit or seeking advice by telephone related to that benefit aware that they can be rung back free of charge.

Priti Patel

The department does not hold guidance on this.

As we continue to develop the Universal Credit service we will introduce greater opportunities for claimants to manage their claim on-line reducing the need for claimants to use the telephone to contact us.

01/01/2023
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 2016-03-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether agroforestry measures under the CAP could help provide an incentive for farmers to plant some trees on pasture as opposed to clearing scrub and trees from pasture, and what assessment they have made of whether CAP Pillar 1 Ecological Focus Areas or Pillar 2 Article 23 measures would be more appropriate for English needs.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The Countryside Stewardship scheme provides options for farmers to manage both grassland and scrub in environmentally beneficial ways. Countryside Stewardship also provides opportunities to plant trees. These options can be used to deliver environmental enhancements and could contribute to agroforestry without needing to apply the Article 23 measure.

CAP Pillar 1 Ecological Focus Areas can only include agroforestry where this is supported under Pillar 2 Article 23 measures (agroforestry). We have not implemented the agroforestry measure in England.

01/01/2023
David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has undertaken research on the potential effects of electromagnetic emissions on children who are passengers in autonomous vehicles.

Andrew Jones

All new vehicles are required to comply with United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) Regulation 10, which governs the level of electromagnetic emissions from vehicles.

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been allocated for travel and subsistence costs for officials of her Department related to the National Schools Commissioner Roadshow during June and July 2016.

Nick Gibb

The cost of the nine National Schools Commissioner Roadshows during June and July 2016 will be met from within Schools Commissioner’s Group (SCG) allocated programme budget. The programme budget is to cover the costs related to events and other communications activities. For the 2016/17 financial year, this budget is £425k.

It is expected that approximately 1,500 system leaders will attend the nine National Schools Commissioner Roadshows taking place in June and July 2016.

There was no specific allocation made for travel and subsistence costs for officials related to the National Schools Commissioner Roadshows during June and July 2016. These costs will be met from within SCG allocated administrative budget.

An official in each of the RSC offices has been involved in organising the nine National Schools Commissioners roadshows, supported by a lead in SCG. We expect approximately five officials to attend each roadshow, plus the National Schools Commissioner and the relevant Regional School Commissioner (RSC).

There has been no budget allocated to advertising the National Schools Commissioner Roadshows.

01/01/2023
David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans his Department has to hire third party contractors to support its work on trade negotiations; what the duration of such contracts will be; and what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of such contractors over the lifetime of those contracts.

Greg Hands

The Rt hon Member will be aware that my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister has created a new Department for International Trade, which is responsible for promoting British trade across the world and ensuring the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. We are building up our trade policy capability. The new Department has begun a process to recruit and train staff to work on the UK’s trade policy. We will adapt the resource devoted to trade policy in line with future demands.

01/01/2023
Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what research her Department has commissioned on the effect of selective education on the educational attainment of children in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb

The Department has reviewed a wide range of external research and evidence on the impact of academic selection, including research on the impact of selection on the educational attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

The evidence shows that grammar schools provide a good education for those who attend them. Grammar school pupils outperform those of similar ability in comprehensive schools and they also make more progress than other pupils with similar primary school results. Nearly 78 per cent of high ability pupils achieve the English Baccalaureate at grammar school, compared to just over 52 per cent at comprehensive schools, and the attainment gap for disadvantaged students in grammar schools is practically eliminated

This evidence is based on the existing system of grammar schools. We are proposing significant changes to the requirements placed on selective schools to ensure that they raise standards for all pupils as part of a diverse schools system.

Our proposals will help deliver a school system that works for all children and offers parents genuine choice by increasing the number of good and outstanding school places.

01/01/2023

Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many train services on the (a) Brighton and (b) East Grinstead line have been cancelled due to train reliability issues in each of the last six months.

Claire Perry

The operator is not required to supply this information to the Department. We have such figures at the franchise level, but not to the level of disaggregation required. Therefore we can provide the following:

	Cancellation due to:-
15/16	GTR – Driver	GTR – Rolling stock	GTR – Other	Network Rail responsible	Other TOC responsible	Trains Planned
Period 1 ending 2 May*	941	468	337	2385	305	91581
Period 2 ending 30 May	725	462	333	1615	122	90926
Period 3 ending 27 Jun	1118	582	254	1574	93	91445
Period 4 ending 25 Jul	1291	775	375	1826	79	91867
Period 5 ending 22 Aug	1551	787	402	1582	76	92103
Period 6 ending 19 Sep	1741	535	489	1098	75	91303
Period 7 ending 17 Oct	1139	944	394	1537	74	91338

* The figure for period 1 was ‘normalised’ to a 28-day period as it was actually four days longer than usual to take into account the start of the financial year

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01/01/2023

Rebecca Pow – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Pow on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether sixth form colleges that choose to become academies will be able to enter into contracts with the Skills Funding Agency.

Nick Boles

Sixth form colleges which become 16-19 academies will be able to enter into funding agreements with the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), providing that they are enabled to do so at the time when the college becomes an academy. Applications from sixth form colleges which wish to hold SFA contracts will be considered in the light of forthcoming detailed guidance. This guidance will be published in February, and will set out the full criteria and process for sixth form colleges to apply to become academies as part of the post-16 area review process.

01/01/2023
Lord Palmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Palmer on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Chairman of Committees what is the new role of the previous manager of Catering and Retail Services; what are his responsibilities; and to whom he reports.

Lord Laming

The postholder has been transferred to lead the Catering and Retail Services Change Programme on a full time basis until programme closure and then to embed its success into the Department’s business as usual activities. He reports to the Director of Facilities.

01/01/2023
Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 25611, on employment: telephone services, if he will commission an assessment of the outcome for workers of the transfer of the functions of the Pay and Work Rights Helpline to Acas from 1 April 2015.

Nick Boles

There is currently no plan to undertake a formal assessment of the outcome for workers regarding the transfer of the functions of the Pay and Work Rights Helpline to Acas.

Acas regularly monitor and test the service to help continually improve the customer journey.

01/01/2023