Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Young of Cookham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Young of Cookham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Young of Cookham on 2016-07-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the lower life expectancy of those on low incomes is due to the higher rates of smoking in that group.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The independent review into health inequalities in England undertaken by Professor Sir Michael Marmot culminated in the publication in 2010 of Fair Society, Healthy Lives. A copy of the review has been placed in the Library. The review identified the most effective evidence-based strategies for reducing health inequalities in England and made the following recommendation:

    “Tobacco control is central to any strategy to tackle health inequalities as smoking accounts for approximately half of the difference in life expectancy between the lowest and highest income groups. Smoking-related death rates are two to three times higher in low-income groups than in wealthier social groups.”

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which of the recommendations made by the APPG for Yemen in its report, Conflict in Yemen, the forgotten crisis, published in October 2015 have been adopted by her Department.

    Rory Stewart

    We share the APPG’s concern about the serious humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and welcome the recommendations for DFID in the report.

    The Secretary of State recently co-hosted an international event on Yemen at the UN General Assembly to shine a spotlight on the crisis. At the event, donors pledged over $100 million in additional funding to the Yemen crisis and UN agencies committed to improving the delivery of humanitarian aid on the ground.The Secretary of State announced an extra £37 million for Yemen at the event, bringing the UK’s total funding for Yemen to £109 million for 2016/2017.

    We have continued to lobby at all levels for rapid, safe and unhindered commercial and humanitarian access. Since May, we have provided £1.4 million to the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to facilitate commercial shipping to Yemen, crucial to ensuring adequate supplies of food and fuel.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government has made on increasing the level of employment in (a) North Lincolnshire, (b) East Yorkshire and (c) England since 2010.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2015-12-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the P5+1 agreement with Iran, what evidence they have that political prisoners such as Kamal Foroughi and Jason Rezaian have been released, or are being considered for early release, from detention; and what specific evidence they have of any overall progress in respect of such prisoners with UK or US passports.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have no evidence that dual national political prisoners such as Kamal Foroughi and Jason Rezaian have been, or are being considered, for early release from detention. Nor have we received specific evidence of any overall progress in respect of these dual national cases. Iran does not recognise dual nationality and as such we are not granted consular access in these cases. We continue to lobby the Iranian Government at the highest level. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised these issues with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif and President Rouhani during his trip to Iran in August. The Foreign Secretary also raised it with Foreign Minister Zarif at the UN General Assembly in September. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) raised the case with President Rouhani during a telephone call in July, and wrote a further letter on this matter in October.

  • Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to allocate two unique reference numbers to schools which have designated provision within the school for the purpose of differentiating results for that provision and the whole school.

    Edward Timpson

    We have no plans to allocate two unique reference numbers to schools which have designated provision within the school. Disaggregating the results of children in designation provision from the results of children in mainstream schooling in performance data would be at odds with the principle of inclusivity.

    I refer the Right Honourable MP to my response to PQ 23155, submitted to Parliament on Friday 22 January 2016, in which I explained that disaggregating results in this way would create incentives to place children in designated provision regardless of whether or not that was in their best interest.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children live in households affected by the under-occupancy penalty in (a) Merseyside and (b) the UK; and what the average reduction in housing benefit award was for each such household.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested regarding how many children live in households affected by the under-occupation penalty in Merseyside and the United Kingdom is published and available at:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

    The information requested regarding the average reduction in the housing benefit award for each such household is not available; but information is available for the weekly amount of spare room reduction amount (in bands) and is published at the link below:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

    Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:

    http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm

    “

  • Baroness Pinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Pinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Pinnock on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in response to Main Finding 5 of the 2014 Annual Report of the Chief Schools Adjudicator relating to admission priority to Reception Year.

    Lord Nash

    The Department is giving careful consideration to the findings in the Chief Schools Adjudicator’s annual reports published in December 2014 and November 2015 as part of our current review of the School Admissions Code. We will be conducting a full public consultation in due course.

  • Iain Stewart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Iain Stewart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Stewart on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what amount of corporation tax was paid by soft drinks manufacturers in the latest financial year for which figures are available.

    Mr David Gauke

    Corporation Tax payable for accounting periods ending in the financial year 2013-14 for companies manufacturing soft drinks, and producing mineral water is estimated to be about £70 million. This estimate is based on those classified under the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007 code 11070 (Manufacture of soft drinks; production of mineral waters and other bottled waters) plus those manufacturing soft drinks who are classified elsewhere. This is the latest year available.

  • Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they have allocated £22 million to hire new presenting officers to support them at disability benefit tribunals.

    Baroness Altmann

    The government is increasing the number of Presenting Officers from 2017, to help the department present its case more effectively and gather valuable feedback from the Tribunal.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to alter the terms and conditions of student loans for existing borrowers.

    Joseph Johnson

    My department has no current plans to alter the terms and conditions of student loans for existing borrowers.