Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Rural Payments Agency learns the lessons of the introduction of the Basic Payment Scheme.

    George Eustice

    The Rural Payments Agency has learnt a number of lessons following the introduction of the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015, in particular, allowing farmers and their agents the opportunity to apply online and on paper for 2016. In addition the online application process has been simplified for 2016.

  • Kirsten  Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the long-term effect on incomes of households with children affected by the planned replacement of widowed parent’s allowance by bereavement allowance.

    Priti Patel

    Bereavement support payments (BSP) will replace both Widowed Parent’s Allowance and Bereavement Allowance for those bereaved from April 2017 onwards.

    BSP will not be taken into account when calculating income for the benefit cap and will also be paid in addition to income related benefits to ensure that the least well off families are financially better off under the reform.

    Further information is provided via the link below.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311318/pensions-act-ia-annex-d-bereavement-support-payment.pdf

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the cost of private-rented sector accommodation on the ability of London boroughs to resettle vulnerable Syrian refugees under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement programme.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Participation in the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Programme is voluntary and a number of Syrians have already been resettled under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme in London. Overall the programme is on track to meet the commitment to resettle 20,000 vulnerable Syrians by 2020. Local authorities, including London boroughs are expected to arrange affordable and sustainable accommodation for families before they arrive. They are provided funding by Government to meet the cost of resettlement. This funding is un-ring fenced so it will be for them to determine the best use of the funds to support the placements in their area.

  • Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-10-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 15 September (HL1462), what action was taken to trace new addresses and re-send letters to those affected by the increase in State Pension Age under the Pensions Act 2011; and for whom letters sent between January 2012 and November 2013 were returned due to the Department for Work and Pensions having the incorrect address.

    Lord Freud

    The Department has a robust process in place to review all incorrect address returns and properly scrutinise and update customer account details when an address is confirmed. Letters are issued to the latest address held on our records. DWP takes all reasonable steps to determine the correct address. For State Pensions this may include contact through Local Authority or a DWP Visiting Officer. Where an updated address is confirmed the customer account details are amended.

    Information on the number of individuals who had letters returned due to incorrect address details, and details on resending letters is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the creation of 28 states in South Sudan on the prospects for peace in that region.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    With our Troika partners, the United States and Norway, we issued a statement on 6th October expressing serious concern at President Kiir’s announcement of 2nd October concerning the creation of 28 states in South Sudan, as it contradicts the Government of South Sudan’s stated commitment to implement the peace agreement. The full text of this statement can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/south-sudan-troika-statement

  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the rail layout in Leeds should allow HS2 trains from London, Birmingham, the East Midlands and Sheffield to Leeds to continue on to the East Coast Main Line to Newcastle upon Tyne and Edinburgh.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    In November 2015 Sir David Higgins published his “Yorkshire Hub” interim report on Leeds HS2 station setting out his recommendation for a new hub station in Leeds. HS2 Limited is examining options that could allow regional services using HS2 from the south to travel via Leeds to York, Newcastle or Hull. The Government will take a decision on the Phase Two route in autumn 2016.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people currently hold ISAs worth more than £1 million.

    Harriett Baldwin

    HM Revenue and Customs publishes detailed statistics relating to Individual Savings Accounts on Gov.uk. Links given below:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/487119/Dec15_expenditure_reliefs_Final.xlsx.pdf)

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/423438/Table_9.10_2012-13_for_publication.pdf).

  • Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2015 to Question 14327, on junior doctors: conditions of employment, whether future junior doctors will receive a salary equivalent in real terms to the salary guaranteed to the current cohort of junior doctors to whom pay protection will apply.

    Ben Gummer

    Average earnings for junior doctors will remain the same under the new contract as under the existing contract. This will apply equally to future junior doctors as to the current cohort.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the cost of drink driving to the justice system in each of the last three years.

    Dominic Raab

    The Ministry of Justice has not produced estimates of the cost of the impact of drink driving on the justice system in the last three years.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department spent on upgrading IT systems at 2 St Paul’s Place, Sheffield in 2014-15.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Department spent £38m on upgrading IT systems in 2014-15, including both software and equipment development. This includes around £31m for internally developed software, predominantly within delivery bodies of the department such as the Student Loans Company. It also includes the Core Department roll out of a new ICT system, Evolve, for use by all staff. This replaced the previous IT service. The total cost of the Evolve rollout was £3.5 million.

    The IT systems at 2 St Paul’s Place Sheffield are part of the Core Department’s IT infrastructure, so the upgrades are included in the total cost of the Evolve rollout of £3.5m. Costs were not recorded separately by location for this general upgrade to our systems.