Tag: Parliamentary Question

Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2016 to Question 47504, whether the Welsh Government has agreed to take responsibility for attendance allowance.

Penny Mordaunt

The consultation “Self-sufficient local government: 100% business rates retention”, published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, sought views on a range of options for devolving new responsibilities to local government in England including more responsibility for caring for older people. This was not a consultation on the devolution of Attendance Allowance.

If changes were to be considered in respect of Attendance Allowance for England and Wales, there would be further consultation and any proposals would be discussed with the Welsh Government.

01/01/2023
Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Government support for the tourism sector in Wales.

Alun Cairns

In July, the Government published its 5-point plan to ensure the benefits of tourism extend beyond London and across the UK. The Welsh economy continues to benefit from a thriving tourist industry, with recent figures showing the amount spent by overseas visitors increased by £34 million over the last year.

01/01/2023
Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has conducted of the adequacy of the level of financial support offered to small businesses that have been in operation for two years or less; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

The Government recognises that new businesses can encounter difficulties in obtaining the finance they need to start-up or grow. However I am encouraged that net lending to smaller businesses has been recovering strongly since the end of 2014. The Bank of England has reported that credit conditions for SMEs seeking finance are improving and the SME Finance Monitor shows that 80% of SME loan and overdraft applications were successful in the 18 months to 2015 Q3, up from 68% in Q4 2013.

Latest figures show that net SME lending from banks participating in the Funding for Lending Scheme grew by £675m in the third quarter and the Bank of England recently announced that allowances earned by banks for increasing their net lending under the scheme will be available to draw down for a further two years. The government also continues to fund start-up loans, with more than 33,000 loans worth over £180 million issued so far and a target to deliver 75,000 loans by the end of the parliament.

I am also encouraged by our growing alternative finance sector, with the UK the leading fin tech centre of Europe.

A recent report from the Legatum Institute rated the UK as the best country in the EU in which to start a business and the government will continue to back our small businesses to start and grow.

01/01/2023
Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which children’s services departments have been visited by the Chief Social Worker for Children since her appointment.

Edward Timpson

The Department does not publish the diaries of staff members. Diaries often contain sensitive information and releasing them could impact both on the policy making process and the willingness of officials to meet with particular groups if this information were to be freely available.

Since her appointment, the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, Isabelle Trowler, has visited the following local authorities: Bexley; Birmingham; Blackpool; Calderdale; Cambridgeshire; Camden; Central Bedfordshire; Cheshire West and Chester; Derbyshire; Doncaster; Enfield; East Sussex; Gloucestershire; Greenwich; Hackney; Hammersmith and Fulham; Haringey; Hull; Islington; Kensington and Chelsea; Kent; Kingston on Thames; Kirklees; Lancashire; Leeds; Liverpool; Manchester; North Lincolnshire; Northamptonshire; Portsmouth; Redcar and Cleveland; Richmond upon Thames; Rotherham; Sheffield; Slough; Solihull; Staffordshire; Tower Hamlets; Wandsworth; Westminster; Wigan; Wolverhampton; Worcestershire; and York.

As well as visiting local authorities, the Chief Social Worker meets with representatives of many children’s services departments.

01/01/2023
Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Leader of the House, when he plans to announce the date of the next State Opening of Parliament.

Chris Grayling

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 February 2016 to Question UIN 24624.

“

01/01/2023

Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Significant Occurrence Notifications the Director of General Defence Safety Authority has been notified of which involved other nations’ military aircraft operating in the (a) Scottish Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region and (b) London Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region in each year since 2010; and what the (i) type of foreign military aircraft and (ii) country of origin was in each of those occurrences.

Penny Mordaunt

Since 2010 there have been no Significant Occurrence Notifications (SONs) involving other nations’ military aircraft in the Scottish Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region. Four SONs have been raised relating to other nations’ aircraft operating in the London Flight Information Region/Upper Information Region since 2010, all of which were notified to Director General Defence Safety Authority. These are detailed below:

Date of SON issue/ Event occurrence	Aircraft Type	Country of Origin	Occurrence Type
7 January 2014	HH-60G Pave Hawk	USA	Crash
8 October 2014	F-15 Eagle	USA	Crash
13 October 2015	Sea King CH-124A Mk3	Canada	Maintenance accident
21 October 2015	F/A-18C Hornet	USA	Crash

01/01/2023

Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on future funding of research by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs of the introduction of anti-lobbying clauses in government grant arrangements.

George Eustice

The Government is committed to supporting our excellent science and research community. The anti-lobbying clause is mandated by the Cabinet Office so the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be implementing the clause. No detailed assessment has yet been made against the future funding of research following the implementation of the new clause, but the initial belief is that it will have minimal impact. We are continuing to engage with the research community and will outline more detail in due course.

01/01/2023
Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate NHS England has made of the projected savings from the introduction of dose banding of chemotherapy drugs without affecting quality of care.

George Freeman

NHS England has advised that the dose banding initiative forms part of its Specialised Commissioning Improving Value programme and can be considered as an expansion of current practice and direction of travel. The dose banding scheme has been primarily designed to deliver improvements in safety and quality of care.

NHS England advises that the scheme does also have the potential to deliver efficiencies for hospitals and its initial estimate is that this could release up to £5 million of value to the health system.

01/01/2023
Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in South Sudan; what estimate she has made of the number of (a) refugees, (b) displaced people and (c) people with severe malnutrition in that country.

James Wharton

The humanitarian situation in South Sudan remains dire. More than 2.4 million people are displaced; over 785,000 of them to neighbouring countries as refugees. 4.8 million South Sudanese people, almost half of the population, are at risk of severe food insecurity. Although famine has not yet been declared, there is a looming risk in parts of Unity State. Through DFID, the UK remains the second largest bilateral donor to South Sudan.

01/01/2023
Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the presence and scope of existing commercial assets when considering new public funding for research and development and innovation.

Joseph Johnson

All potential major capital projects are assessed against the additional value they add, including an evaluation of whether the research or innovation activity is already being undertaken elsewhere. The majority of decisions about which research investments to undertake are taken directly by Research Councils, based on rigorous criteria including peer review.

In respect of the establishment of Innovate UK’s 11 Catapult Centres, all candidate areas have undergone a robust evaluation by Innovate UK’s Senior Innovation Leads who have relevant domain expertise. In addition, facilitated workshops, with leading figures in the relevant industries – including business, academic and representatives from the public sector, are held to ascertain whether Innovate UK’s analysis of the market opportunities in this area is correct. Each candidate area is evaluated according to an agreed process to assess the size of the global market opportunity and the demand for a Catapult to help business build on their capabilities to commercialise innovation and realise this potential in the UK.

In setting up new Catapult centres Innovate UK take into account the option of working within or alongside existing physical centres in the UK either to avoid duplication or to achieve quicker delivery.

At a local level, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are responsible for identifying, assessing and approving Local Growth Funded projects. They do this in accordance with their strategic economic objectives and Local Assurance Frameworks which have to comply with the LEP National Assurance Framework. The National Assurance Framework covers value for money and states that methodology should be proportionate to the funding allocated and in line with established Government guidance including the HM Treasury Green Book.

01/01/2023