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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage the development of enterprise zones in Northern Ireland.

    Greg Hands

    In Northern Ireland, many of the benefits associated with Enterprise Zones are the devolved responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive.

    The 2013 economic pact, Building a Prosperous and United Community, indicated that the Government would consider designating a range of sites within any Northern Ireland Enterprise Zone as eligible for Enhanced Capital Allowances, which as part of the UK’s tax system remain a non-devolved responsibility.

    In March 2014 the NI Executive indicated that it was considering creating a pilot Enterprise Zone near Coleraine. The Government remains open to examining the case for offering Enhanced Capital Allowances at that, or alternative, locations when proposals are brought forward by the Executive.

    Budget 2014 announced that businesses located within the Executive’s proposed pilot Enterprise Zone near Coleraine will benefit from enhanced capital allowances until 2020. I understand the Executive continues to work towards the implementation of this pilot Enterprise Zone.

  • James Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    James Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Morris on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to promote mental health education in schools.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Children and young people’s mental health is a high priority for the department, and that is why my Rt Hon friend the Secretary of State appointed me as the first DfE minister with specific responsibility for this important area.

    Over the last 9 months, we have funded guidance for schools on counselling and lesson plans to support age-appropriate teaching about mental health. Today the Government is launching a new campaign to tackle stigma and discrimination which aims to involve schools, children and young people.

    We are also contributing £1.5m to a joint pilot for training single points of contact in schools and specialist mental health services; and providing funding worth £4.9m this year, through a dedicated mental health strand within our VCS programme, to support 17 projects delivering a wide range of support across the country to children and young people with mental health issues. These include projects to promote positive mental health in schools with organisations such as MIND and Place2Be, and new resources for parents on MindEd.

  • David Mowat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Mowat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mowat on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he and officials in his Department have had with the government of Israel on the prevention of oil smuggling from wells under the control of Daesh; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We have briefed the Government of Israel on Coalition efforts to target and disrupt Daesh oil sales through military action and sanctions. Daesh oil sales are a complicated picture. It is known that individuals linked to the Assad regime have bought Daesh oil and there is some smuggling across borders in the region, but the majority of Daesh’s oil is refined and sold within the territory it controls. We have no evidence to suggest that Israel is buying oil from Daesh controlled oilfields.

  • 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 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions the Vehicle and Certification Agency has had with Volkswagen on the funding of the vehicle retesting programme.

    Andrew Jones

    On the 10 November the Secretary of State announced an Emissions Testing Programme to look for “defeat devices” and improve our understanding of the real world emissions performance of vehicles used in the UK. This investigation is vital in restoring public confidence. To ensure the independence of the testing, the Department is funding the programme and neither the cars nor the testing facilities will be provided by the vehicle industry themselves.

    Ongoing testing of VW Group vehicles outside the Department for Transport Emissions Testing Programme and for which the Vehicle Certification Agency is the approval authority (Skoda), will be funded by the manufacturer on a case by case basis.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to his officials in each of the last five years; and what the total of such bonuses was to the public purse.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Prime Minister’s office and No.10 are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.

    Non-pensionable bonuses are only awarded to staff in recognition of sustained high performance. This allows the Cabinet Office to reward high performance and create an organisation that delivers on its challenging objectives. The information requested since 2011-12 for all Cabinet Office staff including that of Ministerial offices has been published on the Cabinet Office website.

    Information on non-consolidated bonuses for 2011-12 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/62006/ncprp-data-collection.csv/preview

    Information on non-consolidated bonuses for 2012-13 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/83748/CO_NCPRP.csv/preview

    Information on non-consolidated bonuses for 2013-14 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/414856/Cabinet_Office_NCPRP_2014.csv/preview

    The most up to date information for 2014-15 is due to be published in due course.

    “

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department has applied for from the EU Solidarity Fund to help communities affected by recent floods.

    James Wharton

    The Government submitted an initial EU Solidarity Fund application on Friday 26 February. We are in the process of refining our cost estimates and figures.

    The United Kingdom’s Permanent Representation to the European Union submitted the initial application to the European Commission on the UK Government’s behalf and will continue to engage with them and the Department on the development of the application.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government has made representations to the Egyptian government on the case of Giulio Regeni; whether those representations were made by Ministers or by HM Ambassador to Egypt; and which of those representations were made in person.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We regularly raise the case of Giulio Regeni with the Egyptian authorities. Most recently, I raised our concerns in a call to the Egyptian Ambassador on 11 April. These concerns have been reiterated by senior diplomats including the Permanent Under Secretary, Simon McDonald, who raised Mr Regeni’s case with the Egyptian Ambassador when they met on 11 April. Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Cairo raised the case directly with the Egyptian Prime Minister’s security advisor on 3 March; both he and officials in Cairo and London continue to raise the case on a regular basis, most recently in mid April.

    The Government published a response to the petition regarding Mr Regeni on 25th April: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/120832

    “

  • Andrea Jenkyns – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrea Jenkyns – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrea Jenkyns on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to page 23 of the final report of the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, published in May 2016, what steps his Department is taking to address the substantial evidence gaps relating to effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of new technologies for improving hygiene.

    Ben Gummer

    Auditing to improve hand hygiene and ensuring appropriate use of technology are important local responsibilities which contribute to improving the quality of care. However, tackling healthcare associated infections is complex and requires a strong patient safety system that integrates cleanliness, infection prevention and control and antibiotic use and addresses them all.

    To help the National Health Service improve infection prevention and control we continuously review and enhance national measures, systems and guidance. For example, reducing infections is part of the Guidance for the NHS on Sustainability and Transformation Plans. Antimicrobial resistance was added to Public Health England’s (PHE) Fingertips data system in April to enable easier monitoring and benchmarking against other organisations. PHE’s Rapid Review Panel assesses new products and technologies aiming to reduce infections and in addition the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including hygiene.

    The NIHR also supports research infrastructure in the NHS including Diagnostic Evidence Co-operatives which generate evidence on diagnostic medical devices that have the potential to lead to improvements in healthcare services and the quality of life of NHS patients. Two of these, based at Imperial and Newcastle, focus part of their work on clinical areas relevant to infection.

  • Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for the technological competitiveness of the UK of the proposed takeover of ARM Holdings by the Japanese company Softbank; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK remains open for business and we welcome firms that want to invest in growth here. The UK’s technological innovations, skilled workforce and competitive business environment make it one of the world’s best destinations for investment.

    ARM Holdings is a highly respected company who have achieved great things: working with the UK’s Takeover Panel, Softbank have published a set of clear and binding undertakings, including that ARM’s global headquarters would remain in Cambridge and that the UK workforce would at least double if the acquisition is finalised. This provides reassurance that ARM would continue to develop leading-edge technology in the UK as part of the UK technology industry.

  • Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-10-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that workers who are contributing to a workplace pension, and who earn less than £11,000 a year, are able to receive the government contribution to their pension for which they are eligible; and what action they are taking to ensure that such earners are not disadvantaged by losing out on the 25 per cent top-up to which they are entitled.

    Lord Young of Cookham

    The Pensions Regulator provides guidance to employers on choosing a pension scheme for their staff in order to discharge their statutory obligations under automatic enrolment. This guidance covers the choice between net pay and relief at source schemes, and the implications of net pay schemes for employees who do not pay tax.

    The Government’s latest analysis of the eligibility of workers for automatic enrolment was published on 13 October 2016 in ‘Workplace Pensions: Update of analysis on Automatic Enrolment’. Information on age and earnings breakdowns for all workers can be found in table 3a on page 6, and is available in the report titled: Workplace pensions: Update of Analysis on Automatic Enrolment 2016, which is available on the gov.uk website.

    The Government does not collect data on the number of workers earning less than the personal allowance who are also members of pension schemes that operate a net pay system. The Government does not hold employee level data on employees enrolled in net pay pension schemes, as such schemes are not obliged to report pension contributions to HM Revenue and Customs. The Government does not therefore hold information on the value of tax reliefs paid out to employees in net pay schemes.