Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people applied for the personal independence payment in (a) Edinburgh East constituency and (b) Scotland since June 2013; how many have been awarded the payment in each case; how many have requested that a refusal of the payment be reconsidered; how many have been awarded the payment following a request for reconsideration; how many have appealed against a refusal of the payment; and how many have been awarded the payment following an appeal.

    Mike Penning

    I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to the hon Member for Liverpool, West Derby and the hon Member for Airdrie and Shotts, official report, 5 March, column 850W.

  • Graeme Morrice – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Graeme Morrice – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graeme Morrice on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Attorney General, whether the Law Officers’ Departments have any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system.

    Oliver Heald

    These arrangements are kept under review.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the Government spent on full-time university education for undergraduates in 2013-14.

    Mr David Willetts

    Full-time undergraduate student support expenditure by the Student Loans Company for the 2013-14 financial year included £8.9bn of cash outlay on maintenance and fee loans and £1.9bn of grant expenditure (on maintenance grants and other allowances). These totals include expenditure on English-domiciled students in the UK and EU students in England.

    For the financial year 2013-14, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) estimate that £2.1bn of the expenditure set out in the 2014 grant letter refers to teaching grant for full-time undergraduate study. It is not possible to calculate a full-time undergraduate share of every element of recurrent teaching grant such as Senior Professional pay, teaching strategy funding, institution-specific initiatives or additional funding for Equivalent Level Qualifications and vulnerable science subjects.

    The figures do not include expenditure by other Governments departments.

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government’s target is for the proportion of (a) women, (b) people from black and minority ethnic communities and (c) disabled people in senior management posts in central government departments.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Appointments and promotion in the Civil Service should be made on merit through fair and open competition. To ensure our civil service delivers the best for Britain we must draw on the widest possible pool of talent. We want to ensure that the best people – irrespective of who they are – rise to the top of the Civil Service but are concerned that for too long the very top ranks do not reflect those further down. We have commissioned independent research to look at the blockages women face making it to the very top and will use this to drive a new strategy for managing talent.

  • Mark Menzies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mark Menzies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help local shops in (a) England and (b) Lancashire with the cost of business rates.

    Brandon Lewis

    At the Autumn Statement we announced a £1 billion package of business rates support to help shops and local firms. This included a £1,000 discount for two years for smaller shops, pubs and restaurants. Based on local authority reports of the amount of relief awarded, we estimate that 272,300 properties will benefit in England, including 7,740 in Lancashire.

    The support package also included a 50 per cent discount for businesses taking on long-term empty shops, the doubling of small business rate relief for another year, a 2% cap on RPI increases for 2014-2015, allowing businesses to spread their business rates payments over 12 months, and allowing ratepayers that take on a second property to keep their small business rate relief for an extra year.

    The Localism Act has also made it easier for small firms to claim small business rate relief.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Bridget Phillipson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential utility of the MQ-4C Triton drone; and whether his Department plans to procure any of those aircraft.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Among other options, the potential utility of systems representative of the MQ-4C Triton in addressing the UK’s potential wide area maritime surveillance requirement is currently under review as part of the Air ISTAR Optimisation Study (AIOS), which will provide analysis in support of potential decisions in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Paul Blomfield – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many properties purchased or built with Sure Start Local Programme funding have been transferred into the ownership of local authorities.

    Elizabeth Truss

    Data on the ownership of assets funded by the Sure Start Local Programme is held by local authorities.

  • Graeme Morrice – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Graeme Morrice – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graeme Morrice on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system.

    Dan Rogerson

    I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Leicester South on Thursday, 03 April 2014: Official Report column 765w.

    Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision. [194039]

    Dan Rogerson: DEFRA is currently reviewing the provision of check-off for trade union subscriptions.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the issuing of planning guidance as part of the proposed National Pollinator Strategy to ensure that future development is beneficial to bees and other pollinators.

    George Eustice

    Defra officials discussed the National Pollinator Strategy in relation to planning guidance with officials at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in autumn 2013. DCLG published the National Planning Practice Guidance in March 2014, which is clear about biodiversity aims.

  • David Blunkett – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    David Blunkett – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Blunkett on 2014-05-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the applicability of VAT to vouchers for spectacles and other prescriptions under the voucher scheme; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Gauke

    The NHS optical voucher scheme provides financial support by way of a voucher to eligible persons to help them buy goods such as spectacles. The vouchers are simply a means of financial support; the VAT consequences result from the goods and services that the voucher is used to buy. Therefore, VAT exemption will apply to the eye test, fitting services and any medical treatment of an eye condition and VAT will apply to the spectacles, irrespective of how payment is made.