Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how the response provided by the British Hydropower Association to her Department’s Consultation on feed-in tariffs was taken into account by her Department in the assumptions used to determine that hydropower load factors are site specific.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The load factor data used to calculate hydro generation tariffs were drawn from individual sites but then aggregated to calculate a load factor range on which to base the tariffs. This included data collected by external consultants and evidence submitted by various individuals and organisations, including the British Hydropower Association, in response to the consultation.

  • Baroness Northover – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Northover – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Northover on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to support proposals at the World Humanitarian Summit in May to ensure that women are involved in planning and decision-making during a humanitarian emergency response.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK supports proposals to ensure that women are involved in planning and decision-making during responses to humanitarian emergencies. It will be a priority of the UK to secure outcomes from the summit that promote the protection and empowerment of women and girls, strengthening their voice, choice and control in crisis settings.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evidence her Department holds on the relationship between the A-level grades achieved by prospective teachers and their later performance in the classroom.

    Nick Gibb

    Evidence, including a seminal McKinsey study from 2007 (How the world’s best-performing schools come out on top), shows that teacher quality and impact cannot be predicted by a single factor such as A-Level grades, but result from a complex combination of factors including academic achievement combined with characteristics and attributes such as communication skills, willingness to learn and motivation to teach.

    The Teachers’ Standards, developed by a group of leading teachers and heads, clearly define the core elements of effective teaching – including strong subject knowledge and the promotion of scholarship, as well as skills such as classroom management. All new teachers must demonstrate that they are meeting the standards at the end of their initial training.

    It is important that providers of initial teacher training are able to select and recruit candidates on the basis of their potential and their academic achievement to date; this is why we are giving schools much greater say in recruiting and training candidates who can be successful in the classroom. This year, over half of all postgraduate trainees are coming through school-led routes.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-05-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Altmann on 28 April (HL7905), whether the Pensions Regulator has taken any action in the case of the BHS pension scheme in order to fulfil its statutory duty to reduce the risk of situations that may lead to claims for compensation from the Pension Protection Fund, and what assessment they have made of whether the Pensions Act 2004 provides adequate protection to pension scheme members.

    Baroness Altmann

    The investigation into the BHS pension schemes and any associated action is a matter for the independent Pensions Regulator.

    Once the Regulator has completed its investigation, any subsequent determination will be published on its website.

    The Government considers that the Pensions Act 2004 provides the Regulator with a sufficient range of measures to protect pension scheme members and the Pension Protection Fund, including anti-avoidance powers to enable it to act where corporate transactions are aimed at avoiding debts to the pension scheme. The powers of the Regulator are kept under review.

  • Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the expenditure on soil research by all UK research councils in each year since 2006.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The annual spend on research related to soil science through the Research Councils is provided in the table below.

    Financial Year

    Spend

    2005-06

    £13.3M*

    2006-07

    £16.9M*

    2007-08

    £19.7M*

    2008-09

    £15.4M*

    2009-10

    £17.3M*

    2010-11

    £24.1M

    2011-12

    £20.6M

    2012-13

    £24.2M

    2013-14

    £31.2M

    2014-15

    £20.8M

    2015-16

    £45.1M

    *Data is not available for the Arts and Humanities Research Council prior to 2010-11.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding (1) night raids of Palestinian refugee camps in Area A of the West Bank, (2) the number of injuries to the youth in that camp as a result of those raids, and (3) reports that the Israeli commander responsible for the Dheisheh area threatened to disable the Palestinian youth living there.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have not made specific representations to the Israeli authorities over these issues.

  • Neil Gray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Neil Gray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment support allowance claimants in the work-related activity group have (a) come off that allowance and (b) had periods of reclaiming that allowance and what proportion of those claimants had fluctuating illnesses in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Statistics on Employment and Support Allowance off-flows, by phase of claim, are published and available at:

    http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/flows/flows_off/tabtool.html

    Guidance on how to extract the information can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

    The information requested on Employment and Support Allowance claimants reclaiming ESA and the proportion of claimants who had fluctuating illnesses is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

    “

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the public purse received in reimbursement from each EEA country for healthcare provided to their citizens for each year from 1997-98 to 2014-15.

    Alistair Burt

    Regarding non-European Economic Area (EEA) countries, including those with reciprocal healthcare agreements with the United Kingdom, we can confirm that no reimbursements are made from the public purse in respect of healthcare provided to UK citizens.

    For non-EEA countries without a reciprocal agreement in place with the UK, it would be for the individual to pay for any healthcare needed and for that reason appropriate travel and medical insurance is highly advisable. Similarly, for those non-EEA countries with whom the UK does have a reciprocal healthcare agreement, no money changes hands between the parties to the agreement. The basis of these agreements is reciprocity – that is, necessary healthcare is provided in most cases free of charge to the visitor and the associated costs are absorbed by either side.

    The information requested on the amount received in reimbursement from EEA countries in only available for the country totals of cash payment for 2007-08 to 2014-15. That information is provided in attached table. We do not hold totals for amounts before 2007-08, as the information is hot held centrally.

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the increased passenger growth due to the introduction of the direct train service between Shrewsbury and London.

    Claire Perry

    Since the introduction of the new direct services to Shrewsbury in December 2014, there has been an additional 30,000 journeys on the route year on year on the flows of Shrewsbury, Wellington and Telford to and from London. The new services themselves also provide an enhanced level of service between Shropshire and the West Midlands.

    In terms of journey growth figures for each station, they are as follows:

    Flow

    Growth %

    London – Shrewsbury

    23

    London – Wellington

    25

    London – Telford Central

    10

    Advanced bookings on the direct trains are also showing a steady growth since introduction. As we only have one year’s data available, it is difficult to compare but we have seen a growth of around 25% -30% which ties in with the figures above.

  • Lord Tunnicliffe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Tunnicliffe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tunnicliffe on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each year since 2010, what assessment they have made of the percentage of clients who, once they have received debt management advice and successfully proceeded to implementation, have required further debt management advice in the same financial year.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    These questions have been passed on to the Money Advice Service (MAS). MAS will reply to directly to the Noble Lord by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.