Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to secure the appropriate data to monitor the progress of programmes which encourage the uptake of STEM subjects by girls.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government funds a number of programmes which encourage the uptake of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects by girls. We monitor the progress of these programmes against their key performance indicators through regular reports and by evaluating their impact.

    In 2014 the Government published for the first time data showing the proportion of girls and boys studying A levels in science and maths at each post-16 institution, and in 2016 time series data of students entered for mathematics and science A level subjects by number of subjects and gender. Both sets of data will continue to be published on an annual basis.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has held with his Pakistan counterparts about attacks on Christians in Lahore; and what steps he is taking to press for greater protection of Christians in Pakistan.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I reiterate the condemnation of the appaling attack in Lahore on Easter Sunday. My thoughts are with the Government and people of Pakistan, including the families and friends of the victims, and those recovering from injuries. The explosion was a sad reminder of the terrorist threat confronting individuals regardless of age, gender, religious belief or ethnicity.

    The UK continues to stand with Pakistan in tackling the shared threat from terrorism and extremism. We are partnering Pakistan to increase its capacity to confront the terrorist threat, reform the judiciary so those responsible for attacks are held to account and address the root causes of extremism and terrorism.

    The Government deplores violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief. We will continue to speak up for religious minorities wherever their rights are denied. The Government regularly raises its concerns about religious minorities with the Government of Pakistan and urge it to honour its international human rights commitments.

  • Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lisa Cameron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Crown dependencies on the Government’s plans to introduce a British Bill of Rights.

    Dominic Raab

    The government was elected with a mandate to reform the UK’s human rights framework. The Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK but are self-governing dependencies of the Crown. This means they have their own directly elected legislative assemblies, administrative, fiscal and legal systems and their own courts of law. Although the Bill of Rights will not apply to the Crown Dependencies we have undertaken to fully engage with them.

  • Craig Tracey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Craig Tracey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure people who smoke have access to (a) heat-not-burn tobacco and e-cigarettes and (b) other smoking cessation products.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government’s advice remains that the best thing a smoker can do is to quit and quit for good. Any smokers wanting to quit, with or without the help of products available on the market, are further advised to seek expert support and advice from their local stop smoking service. Smokers using the personalised support offered by stop smoking services are four times more likely to stop smoking and quit for good.

    We recognise that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) help some smokers quit and the evidence indicates that they are considerably less harmful to health than cigarettes. Public Health England has been working with Local Stop Smoking Services encouraging them to be open to the use of e-cigarettes, where clients choose to use them to support their quit attempts, alone or alongside other nicotine replacement therapies and the behavioural therapy that the services offer.

    The forthcoming tobacco control plan will consider the role of e-cigarettes and other harm reduction products in further reducing the prevalence of smoking in England.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the estimated annual annual cost to the public purse is of the Office of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

    Ben Gummer

    The costs related to the Office of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will be accounted for in the usual way in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.

  • Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the under-occupancy penalty on people with disabilities.

    Justin Tomlinson

    People with disabilities are entitled to an extra bedroom for non-resident overnight carers and disabled children who are unable to share with another child.

    Since 2013, we have provided local authorities with £470 million in Discretionary Housing Payments funding. This has enabled local authorities to give additional support to claimants where appropriate. This includes £175 million specifically for those affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy, of which £75 million is for those living in significantly adapted properties.

    We will continue to provide additional support through Discretionary Housing Payments and have made a further £800 million in DHP funding available for the next 5 years of this Parliament.

  • Nadine Dorries – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nadine Dorries – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains were cancelled on the Govia Thameslink rail line due to driver shortage in the most recent four time periods for which figures are available.

    Claire Perry

    Figures for driver attributed cancellations the whole of the TSGN franchise in the last four periods are below. This data represents the first four periods since Southern Railway joined Govia Thameslink Railway at the end of July. This data does not differentiate between cancellations due to driver shortage and operational issues.

    Rail Period 1605 26/7-22/8

    Rail Period 1606 23/8-19/9

    Rail Period 1607 20/9-17/10

    Rail Period 1608 18/10-14/11

    Full cancellations

    1093

    1331

    723

    706

    Part cancellations

    458

    410

    406

    411

    Total

    1551

    1741

    1129

    1117

    The Department does not hold information on cancellations due to sickness.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many potential overlapping payments between those processed through the universal credit live service and those processed for housing benefit have been identified in the East London Jobcentre Plus district since 2013.

    Priti Patel

    We do not retain statistics to identify the information requested, however we have safeguards in place to ensure an effective transition in these instances to avoid overlapping benefits.

  • Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions government departments have paid bills to private businesses more than 60 days after the date the invoice was received since 2010-11.

    Matthew Hancock

    This information is not held centrally.

    Departments publish, on their pages on GOV.UK, quarterly reports on the percentage of undisputed invoices they pay within 5 and 30 days. From the start of the next financial year they will also report quarterly on their liability to pay interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

  • Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department (a) has taken or (b) plans to take to analyse the reasons for the changes in the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index in (i) Enfield, (ii) London and (iii) UK between 2010 and 2015.

    Brandon Lewis

    The 2015 Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index was published as part of the English Indices of Deprivation and is the best measure of the proportion of all children aged 0 to 15 living in income deprived families. Changes to the methodology, indicators and published guidance were made following a public consultation in late 2014 to inform the 2015 update.