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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time for the driving theory test is in each region of England.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has a target that 95% of candidates should be offered a booking for a driving theory test within two weeks of their preferred date. DVSA uses that target to measure the length of time candidates have to wait for a theory test.

    At the time of writing, the national position, broken down by region, was as follows:

    London and South East

    97.12%

    Midlands

    99.46%

    Northern

    98.30%

    Wales and Western

    98.71% (figure includes England only)

  • 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 2016-07-06.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will update the Business Tax Road Map in light of his recent proposals on the change to corporation tax.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Business Tax Road Map sets out the Government’s clear plans for business taxes to 2020 and beyond. It outlines the Government’s objectives for a competitive business tax system that is nonetheless fair and protected against multinational tax avoidance

    The Chancellor’s ambitions to cut the corporation tax rate further are entirely consistent with these principles.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that the funds allocated for new housing are used promptly; what steps they are taking to ensure that the housing revenue account borrowing programme is fully used by local authorities and housing associations; and what assessment they have made of whether greater flexibility between allocations is now necessary.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    There are a number of government programmes that support the delivery of new homes including the biggest affordable housing programme since the 1970s.

    Government affordable housing programmes are bid-based. The Homes and Communities Agency manages programmes outside London, and the Greater London Authority in London. A programme is normally launched through a bid round with a publication of prospectus which sets out information required for bids, eligibility and assessment criteria and grant conditions. Providers can submit bids to the grant-giving body who assess bids based on the criteria set out in the prospectus, focusing on value for money and deliverability. This allows for flexibility between allocations because value for money can be assessed across products, tenures, geographies and the types of providers. The Homes and Communities Agency carries out quarterly contract reviews with each provider to ensure delivery is on track. Through this route we have delivered 193,000 affordable homes between 2011 and 2015, exceeding the target by 23,000.

    The Government also regularly monitors the additional borrowing that local authority have been allocated under the Housing Revenue Account borrowing programme to ensure delivery of the provision of new affordable homes. We also consider applications from local authorities seeking flexibility in the profiling of their borrowing allocations across years. However, flexibility is not needed between authorities’ allocations as the programme, which was time limited, is now closed, and authorities are making good progress in using their allocations to deliver affordable homes.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve diplomatic and economic ties with the new government in Burma.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Burma’s constitution establishes a long delay between the election and the formation of a new government, which is due to take place in March 2016. The Prime Minister, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), called Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on 10 November to offer continued political and economic support for the people of Burma. We will of course keep in close contact on a range of topics and look forward to working with whatever new administration emerges in March.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the performance of sponsored academies compares to that of maintained schools when grouped by prior results at achieving five A*-C grade GCSEs, including English and Maths, broken down per decile, over (1) the last year, (2) the last two years, and (3) the last three years.

    Lord Nash

    The figures for overall achievement of 5 A*-C Grade GCSEs including English and maths are provided by school type from 2011 to 2015 (provisional results) in Table 24 in the main text of the department’s publication, “Provisional GCSE and equivalent results in England, 2014 to 2015”, as attached to this answer. We do not hold the information grouped by prior results and broken down into deciles.

    Interpreting trends in achievement in schools over time is complex with changes being driven by a wide range of influences and different circumstances that may exist between schools.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will hold a formal public consultation on proposed extremism disruption orders which makes reference to issues of free speech before bringing such proposals to the House.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government has engaged widely on the Counter-Extremism Strategy and will continue to do so. This includes on any proposals to prevent and disrupt extremist activity.

    The Government will continue to protect freedom of speech and the right to practice any faith or none. These are two of the values that the Counter-Extremism Strategy is designed to uphold.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, further to her Written Ministerial Statement of 17 December 2015, HCWS 409, to which areas her Department plans to extend the badger cull in 2016; and what the evidential basis is for selecting those areas.

    George Eustice

    Farmers in a number of areas have signalled their intention to submit applications to Natural England for licences to conduct badger culls this year. Licence applications will need to meet Natural England’s licensing criteria, and applicants will have to demonstrate that they will be able to deliver safe and effective culls in order to be authorised to proceed.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 27391, on asylum: deportation, whether her Department plans to collect data on the number of failed asylum seekers who are admitted to prison.

    James Brokenshire

    Following referral by the National Offender Management Service, the Home Office conducts immigration status checks on all Foreign National Offenders serving a custodial sentence. This involves checks of electronic and paper files. Therefore the specific data requested, which would include foreign nationals on remand who are not routinely referred to the Home Office, is not aggregated in national reporting systems. To provide the information would require a disproportionately expensive manual case search.

  • Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Derek Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were excluded from academy schools in Halton in each year since 2010.

    Nick Gibb

    The number of permanent and fixed period exclusions in secondary academies in Halton local authority in each year since 2010/11 is provided in the table below. Note that the figures relate to secondary academies only as there were no special academies in Halton in the period the figures relate to and there were no permanent or fixed period exclusions reported by the primary academies in the area.

    Number of secondary academies

    Number of permanent exclusions[1]

    Number of fixed period exclusions

    2010/11

    1

    x

    39

    2011/12

    2

    6

    144

    2012/13

    3

    x

    158

    2013/14

    4

    x

    228

    The number of permanent and fixed period exclusions in each of the years for all other secondary schools (i.e. those that are not academies) in Halton local authority is provided in the table below.

    Number of schools

    Number of permanent exclusions

    Number of fixed period exclusions

    2010/11

    6

    9

    639

    2011/12

    5

    5

    565

    2012/13

    5

    13

    461

    2013/14

    4

    9

    388

    [1] Figures marked “x” are suppressed as they are less than 5

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on maritime exports from UK ports to the EU of the UK voting to leave the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

    If the outcome of the EU Referendum is a vote to leave, the effect on maritime exports from UK ports to the EU would depend on the relationship agreed between the EU and the UK. This would have to be negotiated using the detailed processes set out in the EU Treaty.

    The Government has published several information documents, setting out the Government’s views on UK membership of the EU, the process for withdrawing from the EU and alternatives to EU membership. The documents can be viewed at www.eureferendum.gov.uk.

    “