Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people living in each of the Overseas Territories are in receipt of a UK state pension which is (1) frozen, or (2) uprated annually.

    Baroness Altmann

    The Government has a clear position, which has remained consistent for around 70 years: UK state pensions are payable worldwide and uprated abroad where we have a legal requirement to do so for example in the European Economic Area or countries where we have a reciprocal agreement that allows for uprating. There are no plans to change this.

    Details of the numbers of people in receipt of the state pension, and whether they live in countries where the state pension is frozen or uprated, is included at Annex A. Countries where the UK state pension is up-rated are identified by an asterisk by the name of the country.

    The Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed EU. Of course there is uncertainty about how a vote to leave the EU could impact on access to pensioner benefits for UK pensioners living in other parts of Europe. These questions would need to be answered as part of the process of negotiating the UK’s exit if there is a vote to leave. We could only consider the detail of access to pensions and benefits for people in receipt of UK state pensions who are resident in Europe as part of the process for leaving the EU.

  • Henry Bellingham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Henry Bellingham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Bellingham on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what expenses were claimed by the five most senior people at the Environment Agency during the last financial year.

    George Eustice

    The expenses claimed by the five most senior people at the Environment Agency in the last financial year can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-agency-executive-directors-and-board-members-expenses

    “

  • Lord Addington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Addington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Addington on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether students with disabilities taking the proposed new Degree Apprenticeships will have access to the support of the Disabled Students Allowance in the same way as any student undertaking a higher education qualification at any institute of higher education.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Apprenticeships are jobs with training. As an apprentice is paid by their employer, they cannot access the student support package, which includes the Disabled Students Allowance.

    Apprentices with disabilities can apply for Access to Work funding for adjustments to the workplace. Training providers can use this to support the apprentice’s learning. Adjustments will depend on the individual and the qualification, but may include extra time, assistive technology, use of a scribe etc.

    Under the Equality Act (2010), employers and training providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for their employees and students. These same duties apply for apprentices, including degree apprentices.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the effect of a vote to leave the EU on the cost of school trips abroad.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education has not made any assessment of the effect that a majority leave vote in the EU Referendum would have on the cost of school trips abroad.

    It is the Government’s view that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed European Union. A vote to leave the European Union would put this at risk.

  • Sammy Wilson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Sammy Wilson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sammy Wilson on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many beekeepers are registered on BeeBase.

    George Eustice

    There are currently 38,297 beekeepers registered on the National Bee Unit’s voluntary database BeeBase.

    Defra continues to work closely with colleagues in the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland, (DAERA) on bee health. This includes previously exploring the option for Northern Ireland’s beekeepers to be able to register on BeeBase. As a devolved matter, the decision to join BeeBase is a matter for each devolved government to make.

    Beekeepers in Northern Ireland can benefit from the wealth of information on the public pages of BeeBase which provide advice and guidance on identification of bee pests and diseases and good beekeeping practices to keep their hives healthy.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his Department’s policies of the report, Seeing through the gloom, UK solar seeks stability after subsidy cut, published in July 2016.

    Jesse Norman

    Solar in the UK has been a success story with 11 gigawatts deployed, over 99% of which has been delivered under Conservative-led Governments since May 2010.

    Changes to the Feed-in Tariff scheme were introduced in 2016 to manage costs and ensure value for money. We note the efforts that the solar industry is making to adapt to the revised scheme. We have received the report ‘Seeing through the gloom’ and noted its findings.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the construction of solar farms in the West Bank on settlement land, and the protection for Palestinians’ solar installations.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we have not made any representations on this issue to the Israeli authorities, the UK’s position on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and all construction within, is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace and take us further away from a two state solution.

    On the issue of Palestinian solar installations, we continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.

  • Lyn Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lyn Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lyn Brown on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many operational frontline staff are employed at the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau; and how many of those employees were employed on (a) 1 May 2015 and (b) 1 November 2014.

    Mike Penning

    With regards to the number of call-handling staff employed by the Action Fraud helpline:

    • As of December 2015 there were69.78 FTEs

    • As of May 2015 there were 81.92 FTEs

    • As of November 2014 there were 84.67 FTEs

    With regards to the number of frontline staff employed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB): The NFIB is overseen by the City of London Police, it is not a public facing part of the Force, so does not employ any frontline staff.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the measures that are in place to ensure that asylum seekers in refugee camps in Calais have access to the Family Reunification system.

    Lord Bates

    All migrants, including families and children, in Calais who wish to seek asylum should do so in France and provide information to the French asylum authorities about any family members in other Member States, including the UK. We will consider any request made to us by the French asylum authorities to take responsibility for an asylum applicant in France because they have close family who are legally in the UK in accordance with the terms of the Dublin Regulation concerning the principle of family unity and the best interests of the child.

    If not claiming asylum, individual migrants in France, as in any other country, are entitled to apply under the Family Reunion provisions to join relatives in the UK by making the appropriate visa application.

    Under the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK has increased the frequency of communications campaigns involving British officials, French authorities and NGOs speaking to migrants in Calais to inform migrants of the reality of life in the UK, and their rights to claim asylum in France. The UK is also helping to fund dedicated facilities away from Calais to allow migrants to reflect on next steps and to consider an asylum claim.

  • Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of agency doctors and nurses on duty in hospitals (1) during the week, and (2) at the weekend.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    This information is not collected centrally.