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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to her oral statement of 20 October 2015, Official Report, column 381, on Paramilitary Groups (Northern Ireland), in relation to the structure of the Provisional IRA, what is meant by departments.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    The independently reviewed assessment of paramilitary organisations states that PIRA retains "some departments with specific responsibilities". It is only the policy of her Majesty’s Government to publish the report. It is a long held convention of Government not to discuss or disclose detailed intelligence.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the Sheffield City Region has not been involved in the Hendy review.

    Andrew Jones

    The Secretary of State has asked Sir Peter Hendy, as the new chair of Network Rail, to report to him this autumn with a proposal for re-planning the Control Period 5 enhancements (which covers the period 2014-2019) in a way that is efficient, deliverable and affordable. Sir Peter Hendy is engaging with stakeholders, including Sheffield City Region, and taking the views of industry into account as part of the wider context for his re-plan.

  • Stephen Metcalfe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stephen Metcalfe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Metcalfe on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the National Living Wage on wage growth.

    Damian Hinds

    The National Living Wage will mean a full-time minimum wage worker benefiting from the policy will earn over £4,800 more by 2020 in cash terms, a 40% rise on their current wage. Additionally, due to the ripple effect, up to a quarter of workers will see some benefit. The OBR estimate that economy wide wages will be on average 0.4% percentage points higher in 2020 due to the NLW.

  • Lord Jay of Ewelme – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Jay of Ewelme – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jay of Ewelme on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken, and to what effect, to secure the release of Andy Tsege from prison in Ethiopia; and what representations they have made to the government of Ethiopia about allowing Mr Tsege’s lawyer to travel to that country.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government remains deeply concerned by the continued detention of British national, Andargachew Tsege, in Ethiopia and about his welfare. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has raised this case with Dr Tedros, the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, on 18 occasions. Most recently on 21 October. He welcomed the improvement in consular access to Mr Tsege, following the Government’s intervention, but noted it must be more regular and must include access to a lawyer. Mr Tsege should be given the ability to challenge his detention through due legal process.

  • 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 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel following the shooting of Maram Abudl-Latif al-Qaddoumi and her father in September.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While our officials in Tel Aviv have not raised these specific cases with the Israeli authorities, we do regularly raise our concerns with them about the manner in which the Israel Defence Forces polices protests, including the use of lethal and non-lethal ammunition. Most recently, an official from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised the issue of the live fire with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 22 October.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the current migration situation, they will make changes to allow refugees to work in the United Kingdom immediately, or within six months, of arrival, in order to allow refugees to contribute to the British economy, and reduce pressure on refugees facing destitution.

    Lord Bates

    Those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection, including those resettled under our three resettlement schemes, are entitled to work without restriction and have full access to the mainstream benefits system on the same terms as British citizens and other permanent residents in the UK. Asylum seekers are only permitted to work in the UK if their asylum claim has been outstanding for more than 12 months, providing the delay is not of their making. Employment is restricted to jobs on the shortage occupations list. We have no plans to reduce the time asylum seekers have to wait to take up employment.

  • Lord Taylor of Goss Moor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Taylor of Goss Moor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Goss Moor on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 16 September (HL2163), whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the letter of July 2015 from the Minister of State for Farming, Food and Marine Environment to the government of Japan on the United Kingdom’s opposition to their ongoing coastal hunts and continued programme of lethal scientific research on cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises); and also a copy of any reply received.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    A copy of both the letter and the response received will be placed in the Library of the House. These are also attached for reference.

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to issue guidance that staff employed by contract cleaning companies in government departments should not be disciplined for seeking a living wage; and if he will include this in future contracts.

    Matthew Hancock

    We are the first Government ever to deliver a National Living Wage. From April 2016, every employer in the country will pay the National Living Wage, including all Government contractors, for workers aged 25 and above.

    Consequently, we have no plans to issue the specified guidance.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate what the annual tax credit award for a single-earner family with two children, with no childcare costs, earning (a) £8,000, (b) £12,000, (c) £15,000, (d) £20,000 and (e) £25,000 a year will be in (i) 2015-16 and (ii) 2016-17.

    Damian Hinds

    The Summer Budget offered a new deal for working people. It means Britain moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society.

    A new National Living Wage for workers aged 25 and above, initially set at £7.20 per hour from April 2016, will directly benefit 2.7 million low wage workers, and up to 6 million could see a pay rise as a result of a ripple effect up the earnings distribution. The new National Living Wage will boost pay for those currently earning the National Minimum Wage by £4,800 a year by 2020 when the National Living Wage is expected to rise to over £9 per hour.

    To help working families keep more of what they earn, the personal allowance will increase to £11,000 in 2016-17 and £11,200 in 2017-18. The government has committed to increase the personal allowance to £12,500 by 2020 which will mean that a typical basic rate taxpayer will see their income tax cut by £1,205 a year compared to 2010.

    An illustrative renting family with two children, where one parent works full-time on the minimum wage, will be over £2,400 better off in cash terms by 2020.

    The government set out its assessment of the impacts of the Summer Budget policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July 2015. Taken together, the introduction of the National Living Wage, increases in the personal allowance and welfare changes mean that 8 out of 10 working households will be better off as a result of the Summer Budget.

    In response to a request from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, the government has chosen to produce and release an impact assessment on the tax credit changes to the Committee. The impact assessment shows that 60% of the tax credit savings come from the half of tax credit claimants with the highest income.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Stewart Jackson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the performance of Build to Rent projects; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Build to Rent fund provides development finance to support the creation of a purpose-built private rented sector, backed by institutional private investment. The fund is market-led and the response has been strong.

    As at the end of September, there were 15 schemes in contract with the Homes and Communities Agency, representing £455 million of investment from the Build to Rent Fund, and which are expected to deliver over 4,000 housing units. In addition, a further 8 schemes seeking up to £378 million of investment have been shortlisted and are undergoing their approval process, potentially delivering up to an additional 2,950 housing units.

    As at the end of September, a total of 13 schemes – representing 2,631 housing units – receiving finance through the Build to Rent fund had started on site.