Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what process Tier 2 intra-company transfer visas for IT undergo when they reach her Department.

    Mike Penning

    The process for handling Tier 2 intra company transfer (ICT) visas for IT is the same as that for any other application under the Tier 2 intra company transfer arrangements. All applications are validated to ensure the correct fees have been paid, all mandatory questions have been answered on the forms, and applicants have submitted their biometric information. Checks are also undertaken on every application to assess any adverse immigration or security issues.

  • Marie Rimmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Marie Rimmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Marie Rimmer on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the timetable is for the development and publication of proposals on the top-up and tariffs system that is set to operate once business rates have become fully devolved.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The retention of business rates locally is an important part of our plan to take power out of Whitehall and return it to local government. This means we will no longer be taking local business rates income into Whitehall for redistribution as grant. All locally collected business rates will stay with local government.

    We have already been clear that we will retain redistribution within the system. We recognise that we will need to redistribute to ensure councils don’t lose out merely because they currently collect less in rates.

    The Government is currently working with the Local Government Association, and engaging directly with local authorities, to develop the detail of this change. This includes developing the mechanics of redistribution. As previously announced, we will consult later this year and implement this important change to the local government finance system by the end of this Parliament.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much funding the Government provided to Citizens Advice Scotland in each of the last five years.

    David Mundell

    The UK Government provide funding to Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), the umbrella organisation and membership body for the Citizens Advice Bureaux network in Scotland, through the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), and (via the Pension Wise service) through Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT).

    The total UK Government funding to CAS over the past five financial years, including BIS and HMT funding, is set out below.

    Financial Year

    Total funding

    2015/16

    £9,583,511

    2014/15

    £8,797,196

    2013/14

    £5,614,800

    2012/13

    £6,887,500

    2011/12

    £2,900,000

    Funding increased substantially between 2011/12 and 2012/13 to reflect the additional functions CAS had taken on as a result of the consumer landscape changes, including the joint delivery (with Citizens Advice England and Wales) of the Consumer Service helpline, education and advocacy on general consumer issues, and as the advocate on behalf of consumers in the regulated energy and postal sectors.

    Funding also increased substantially between 2013/14 and 2014/15 when the Government established the Pension Wise service to offer free and impartial guidance to people on the new pension freedoms which came into effect in April 2015.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Prior of Brampton on 22 October 2015 (HL Deb, col GC37), what progress has been made in establishing across the country a network of NHS practitioners interested in Lyme disease.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    We will be considering options for improving professional engagement on Lyme disease in light of the reviews on the diagnosis, treatment and transmission of Lyme disease, commissioned by the Department to inform future decision making. Public Health England continues to work with local authorities and primary care providers to raise awareness.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Stewart Jackson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve education in prisons.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    I refer the Hon member to my answer to PQ 46278.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they have made to the representations from the GMC and other health regulators that the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive does not provide sufficient safeguards to ensure that doctors who provide temporary and occasional services in the UK have the right knowledge, skills and behaviours to practise safely.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department supports the principle of free movement for healthcare professionals that the Directive helps provide for and the benefits this can bring. Temporary and occasional provision of services in particular provides important benefits in terms of movement of professionals around the European Union and is not a new concept in the Directive.

    The Department has worked with the General Medical Council and other health regulators extensively over a number of years, including during the negotiations with other Member States, as part of the revision of the Directive. The United Kingdom secured positive changes to the requirements placed on individuals seeking to provide work on a temporary and occasional basis. The changes include the requirement for professionals to provide the regulatory body with a declaration of their knowledge of language and an attestation confirming the absence of temporary or final suspensions and criminal convictions; these supplement the existing requirements, such as providing proof of legal establishment in their home Member State, proof of nationality and evidence of professional qualifications.

    In addition, individual employers ensure that the people they employ or contract with have the required knowledge and skills for the posts for which they are applying.

  • Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effect of the SEND code of practice on educational provision for children with cerebral palsy.

    Edward Timpson

    The reforms introduced in September 2014 will ensure that all children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25, including those with cerebral palsy, have improved access to the support they need.

    Local authorities are responsible for meeting the educational needs of all children with SEND within their local area. They must co-ordinate education, health and care provision for individual children and ensure that young people and parents are involved in discussions about their individual support and about local provision more generally. Statutory Local Offers published by each local authority must set out what support is available for all children and young people with SEND in their area, including those with more complex needs.

    The reforms detailed in the SEND Code of Practice were drawn up in consultation with a wide range of interested parties, many of whom represented the interests of children and young people with specific impairments. They are intended to improve outcomes for every child or young person with SEND by placing them at the heart of a system designed to respond to their individual needs and aspirations.

    The Department has not assessed the impact of the SEND Code of Practice, or regional variations in provision, on the basis of any specific impairment but is monitoring implementation closely.

    This monitoring includes inputs from annual data collection; termly surveys of local authorities and Parent Carer Forums; and feedback from specialist SEND Advisers and funded voluntary sector organisations. From May 2016, this monitoring will be enhanced by a new joint Ofsted/CQC inspection framework for SEND, which is currently the subject of a national consultation.

    Schools are required by the Children and Families Act 2014 to identify the SEN of the pupils they support and to use their best endeavours to make sure that they get the support they need. Teachers are expected to be able to adapt their teaching to the needs of all pupils, and to have an understanding of the factors that can inhibit learning and how to overcome them.

    To support the school workforce, the Department has funded almost 11,000 SEN Coordinators to attain Masters-level national awards between 2009 and 2014, at a cost of almost £33 million; is funding SEND conferences for school leaders and supporting the development of a ‘SEND gateway’ for education professionals, which offers a wide range of online training and information.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of what the primary sources of finance for Daesh are; and what steps the Government is taking to disrupt those sources.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    Daesh has two main sources of funding. About 40% comes from extorting communities living in territory it controls; and around 40% from selling oil. It also gets a small amount of funding from selling looted antiquities and donations from individuals in the region and around the world.

    Tackling Daesh financing is a key element of our comprehensive strategy. This involves military action, enforcement of sanctions and engagement with international partners.

    The RAF carried out 15% of the airstrikes in the Global Coalition’s recent offensive targeting Daesh oil facilities. Since this offensive began, the Coalition has destroyed 25% of the Daesh daily oil production capability, which equates to approximately 10% of their total income.

    The UK has led efforts to create and enforce an international legal regime to cut off support for Daesh, including UN and EU sanctions against Daesh. This regime is underpinned by UN Security Council Resolutions 2178, 2199, 1267 and 2253. We are expanding existing work with regional partners to ensure implementation of these sanctions and hamper Daesh’s ability to trade outside the formal financial system, and to stop smuggling.

  • 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 2016-02-05.

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

    Matthew Hancock

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her on 5 February 2016 to UIN: 25347.

  • Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the Government has contributed to the World Health Organisation in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department contributes financially, on a calendar year basis, to the World Health Organization (WHO) in the form of the United Kingdom’s assessed contribution, and voluntary contributions to support areas of work such as dementia, tobacco control and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), including a contribution in 2015 to support the WHO Global Action Plan on AMR. The Department’s contributions for the last three years are set out in the table below.

    year

    Assessed contribution (£)

    Voluntary contribution (£)

    2013

    19,482,012.20

    153,957.75

    2014

    15,343,925.23

    719,233.11

    2015

    15,129,522.23

    3,778,937.56