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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to data table BUS0842, published in Department for Transport Statistics, what guidance his Department gives to travel concession authorities for reporting purposes on the definition of commercial youth concessions.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport’s annual Concessionary Travel Survey asks the following question in relation to commercial concessions available to young people, of which there is specific guidance repeated below:

    Question 19: Do the main bus operators in your authority / scheme offer commercial concessions to young people in 2015/16?

    This question concerns commercial concessions only i.e. those controlled/managed/funded by a bus operator. We are aware that you may not know of all the youth schemes offered in your area, but any information you can supply here does offer us a useful starting point for gathering further information from operator websites.

    If possible please specify the name of the operator, the age group (e.g. 16-18) covered, the fare charged (free, half, flat), time period (term-time only/all year, 8.30-10.30) and any other relevant information. You will have an opportunity in Q21 to tell us about any youth schemes that your Travel Concession Authority (TCA) controls/manages/funds.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what checks are in place to ensure that foreign-registered vehicles entering the UK are insured.

    Andrew Jones

    All drivers using roads in the UK have to be in possession of third party insurance covering the use of that vehicle in this country.

    Under the sixth Motor Insurance Directive (2009/103/EC) an insurance policy issued in any EU Member State must cover the use of that vehicle for third party risks in all other EU Member States.

    Drivers entering the EU from non-member states have to produce evidence that they have the necessary insurance cover in place when they enter the EU.

    Checks on insurance by the police for any vehicle using UK roads can be carried out as they determine is necessary at any time.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government takes to provide drug harm reduction information for young people and parents.

    Jane Ellison

    FRANK provides impartial, reliable and confidential information and advice about drug use. Public Health England (PHE) updates FRANK to reflect new and emerging patterns of drug use and is currently considering how best to enhance the service to remain in line with young people’s media habits and strengthen situational advice to reduce risks to young people.

    Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol education prevention and treatment services to young people and parents. PHE supports local authorities in this work by providing a range of supportive guidance and materials, as well as bespoke data, value for money tools, topical briefings, and advice on good practice.

    PHE is supporting a range of prevention and information programmes for young people and parents, including jointly funding Mentor UK’s Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Information Service which is a web-based platform for sharing information and resources aimed at schools and practitioners working in drug and alcohol prevention.

    PHE also provides Rise Above, an online social marketing programme that aims to reduce the uptake of risky behaviours, including drug taking, by young people aged 11-16. It aims to give them the skills required to make better decisions in ‘risky’ situations to delay and prevent them from engaging in exploratory behaviours.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the savings to his Department’s budget arising from the Government’s decision not to automatically roll-out broadband to all households and businesses.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government’s plans to implement a broadband Universal Service Obligation will have no impact on the Department’s budget for the roll out of superfast broadband. The contracts we have put in place with Openreach mean that the more homes and businesses that sign up for superfast broadband, the more money Openreach has to return to local authorities to extend the roll out even further. So far, Openreach has confirmed more than £200 million of savings that can be reinvested, over and above the £1.7bn of public funding already allocated, and we expect more funding to be confirmed in due course. We will be reinvesting that funding to extend superfast broadband to as many additional rural homes and businesses as possible.

  • Chloe Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Chloe Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chloe Smith on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the performance of (a) the National Probation Service and (b) community rehabilitation companies in placing ex-offenders into employment in (i) Norfolk and (ii) England.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We assess the performance of the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) through a range of service levels and, for CRCs, through a robust contract management and assurance process. Performance information against these service levels is published quarterly but it does not include an assessment of performance in placing offenders into employment. We have, however, introduced enhanced measures of resettlement which include the recording of employment at the start and end of the sentence and at the end of the licence supervision period for any offender. We aim to include this in future publications, for both CRCs and the National Probation Service, once data collection has bedded in.

    We closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their commitments to maintain service delivery, reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2016 to Question 45695, on railways: fares, for what reason his Department uses the Retail Price Index as an index for inflation; and if he will consider using a different index for inflation.

    Paul Maynard

    The use of the Retail Price Index (RPI) is consistent with the general indexation approach adopted across the rail industry. The Office of Rail and Road uses RPI as the index for Network Rail’s revenues e.g. Track Access Charges. RPI is used widely across Government, including for index linked bonds, vehicle exercise duty, alcohol and tobacco duties, air passenger duty and climate change levies.

    It is worth noting that the July 2016 figures for RPI (published on 14 September 2016) and average weekly earnings growth stood at 1.9% and 2.3%, respectively. Each July’s RPI figure is used to set regulated rail fares from January 2nd the following year. On this basis average earnings continue to remain ahead of allowable regulated rail fares increases.

  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has taken steps to recover costs to the NHS resulting from the actions of Hungarian journalist Ani Horvath as part of an investigation of fraud in the European Health Insurance Cards scheme.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department is undertaking a major piece of work to examine and identify areas for improvement in all the administrative systems relating to European Economic Area healthcare payments (incoming and outgoing), including the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) scheme.

    If an EHIC is used fraudulently, the Department will seek to recover the full cost of treatment from the card holder.

    The Department takes any allegations of fraud and abuse seriously and has been working with the NHS on an on-going basis to detect and tackle any suspected fraud and error since the introduction of the online EHIC application system in 2006.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Business Growth Service.

    Anna Soubry

    An interim impact evaluation of the Growth Accelerator programme was published in November 2014. This was followed by a formative evaluation in January 2015, which looked at the delivery of the programme and informed the design of the Business Growth Service. A policy response to the formative evaluation was published in March 2015, in line with a commitment to the National Audit Office

    A review of the Manufacturing Advisory Service was completed in December 2010 and published the following year. An Impact Analysis Methodology study of the Manufacturing Advisory Service is being published in early 2016.

    A full economic evaluation of the Business Growth Service will continue beyond the closure of the service in March. All documents will continue to be available on www.gov.uk.

  • Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 26 January (HL5218), what guidance they have issued to local Chief Executives in their role as Monitoring Officer in the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) about their responsibility to make arrangements for the archiving of public papers following the end of the PCC’s term of office in May; and if none, whether they intend to issue such guidance.

    Lord Bates

    Further to my Written Answer on 26 January (HL5218), Chief Executives of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) offices hold the responsibility, as Monitoring Officers, for the archiving of public papers following the end of their PCC’s term of office in May 2016.

    As such, and as with other local bodies, such as local authorities and elected mayors, it is not the role of national Government to determine how this should be done.

    In respect of PCCs, the Association of Policing & Crime Chief Executives (APACE) will support Chief Executives in fulfilling their responsibilities. The Government, therefore, does not intend to issue guidance on this matter.

  • Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26069, for what reason the Chair’s Statement must be requested by beneficiaries rather than provided automatically.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Government remains committed to ensuring that members of pension schemes are able to obtain information about the costs and charges which they bear. Although it is not a legal requirement, the Government expects that many schemes will choose to publish their annual Chair’s Statement. In due course, the Government intends to make regulations requiring information about scheme costs and charges to be published.

    Trade unions that are recognised to any extent for the purposes of collective bargaining in relation to members of the scheme are entitled to receive a copy of the Chair’s Statement. Trade unions which do not meet these criteria are not entitled to receive a copy of the Chair’s Statement. However, beneficiaries of pension schemes who are members of trade unions which are not recognised for collective bargaining purposes may still request the information and pass it on to their union or any other person.

    We intend to publish a summary of the evidence received on transaction costs in pension schemes when we announce our next steps, which will follow in due course.