Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many penalty charge notices have been (a) issued to motorists and (b) subsequently withdrawn or successfully appealed since the inception of the Dart Charge scheme.

    Andrew Jones

    From the introduction of Dart Charge on 30 November 2014 to the end of March 2016 3,392,215 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) have been issued for non-payment of the road user charge.

    Highways England has taken a balanced approach to enforcement of Dart Charge by being clear to drivers that they need to pay the charge and giving them every opportunity to do so. As part of this approach the first PCN issued for each vehicle includes a warning letter giving the registered keeper an extra 14 days to pay their original road user charge for use of the crossing (and any additional road user charges accrued by the end of the 14 days) without penalty. In total 1,490,319 PCNs have been cancelled due to drivers paying the outstanding road user charges following receipt of a warning letter.

    In addition a further 86,195 PCNs have been cancelled following representation or appeal and 354,201 PCNs cancelled for other reasons including payment errors made by customers or early system issues which have since been addressed.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to encourage (a) the Royal Academy, the National Portrait Gallery and the Tate and (b) other national art galleries to loan works from their collections to art galleries in (i) Harrow and (ii) other parts of outer London; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The National Portrait Gallery, Tate and other national museums and galleries currently loan works from their collections to other museums and galleries across the UK – and we are keen to see this increase. This Government is committed to ensuring great art is enjoyed by audiences right across the country, which is why at Budget 2016 we announced a new tax relief from 1 April 2017 to encourage museums and galleries to develop creative new touring exhibitions.

    In 2014/15 the national museums and galleries, who have responsibility for their specific loan arrangements, collectively lent art and cultural objects to 1,629 UK venues. Information on loaning items can be seen on the websites of national museums and galleries. The Royal Academy is an independent charity, with responsibility for its own loan arrangements.

  • Richard Arkless – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Richard Arkless – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the Government will review the mechanism by which service personnel are awarded payment in the event of life-changing injuries during their time in the armed forces to take greater account of the effect of those injuries on those people.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides no-fault compensation for members of the Armed Forces where illness, injury or death is caused by service from 6 April 2005 under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and, before that date, under the War Pensions Scheme (WPS).

    Any disablement, injury or illness, including those which are life-changing, can be claimed with awards made where the claimed disorder is accepted as being due to Service. Lay and scheme medical advisers work together and decisions are evidence based, reflecting the individual case facts, contemporary medical understanding of causation and the relevant law.

    Awards under the WPS depend on the assessed level of disablement with the method of assessment set out in the legislation and expressed as a percentage. The AFCS is tariff based. The legislation includes nine tables of injuries and disorders with associated tariff levels, relevant to military service. A lump sum is paid for pain and suffering taking account of the likely progress of the condition over the person’s lifetime. There are 15 tariff levels and, for the more serious disorders and injuries, a guaranteed income payment to cover reduced civilian employability is paid, in addition, from the date of claim for life.

    Service personnel may make a claim for damages under common law for Service after May 1987 and where the MOD has a proven legal liability, compensation is paid. The amount of compensation is determined by common law principles which, broadly, take into account an individual’s pain and suffering, degree of injury, past and future financial losses and level of care required. Compensation can therefore vary depending on an individual’s circumstances.

    The MOD has no plans to undertake a review of this mechanism, however the AFCS tariff levels and payment awards are currently being reviewed to ensure they are fit for purpose.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the feedback NHS England gave to the Coast, Humber and Vale footprint area on the first draft of their Sustainability and Transformation Plan which was submitted on 30 June 2016.

    David Mowat

    The Coast, Humber and Vale Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) footprint area submitted their draft plans on 30 June, along with all STP footprint areas in England. Following this, conversations were held with each footprint area and a panel of National Health Service arm’s length body chief executives and Local Government Association representatives. These discussions were based around each footprint’s identified priorities, their key critical decisions and requests for support. Feedback was provided during these discussions to support the ongoing development of their plan. All local STP areas should now be having conversations with local people and stakeholders to shape the future of their local services – understanding what matters to them and explaining how services might be improved. All footprints will submit an updated plan in October, with further formal public engagement and consultation taking place from this point, as appropriate.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risks and potential human rights infringements arising from the repatriation of refugees from Sudan to Eritrea.

    Lord Bates

    Refugees and irregular migrants in the Horn of Africa are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation not only by people smugglers and traffickers but also by government authorities. The UK is using its position as current chair of The Khartoum Process to push for international agreement around improving the conditions of migrants in the Horn of Africa.

    The Khartoum Process is a regional initiative bringing together the Governments of Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan and Libya and the EU, the UK, Italy, France, Germany and Malta to better manage migration in the region, including the protection of irregular migrants. The Khartoum Process has a strong emphasis on the protection of migrant rights and is at the centre of a plan of action agreed between African nations, the EU and EU member states.

    The UK Government has voiced concern for the wellbeing of refugees returned to Eritrea from Sudan with both governments will continue to press them to treat refugees and asylum seekers according to international law.


  • Suella Fernandes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Suella Fernandes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Suella Fernandes on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils eligible for free school meals took up a place at each university in each year since 2005-06.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Data showing the numbers of students eligible for free school meals, going to individual universities, are not published by the department.

    Destination measures data are published and show the overall percentage of key stage 5 students[1] eligible for free school meals[2] going into sustained[3] destinations at higher education institutions. The data also include the percentage going into sustained destinations at Russell group universities and Oxford and Cambridge.

    Destination measures data for students eligible for free school meals are published for the years 2010/11 to 2013/14 and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-destinations

    [1] Key stage 5 students are those entered for A level or other equivalent level 3 qualifications

    [2] Eligible for free school meals at any time in year 11

    [3] Sustained for 6 months (October to March)

    “

  • Karl Turner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Karl Turner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2015 to Question 18028, with what representatives of claimants his Ministers or officials met when developing policy on the small claims limit.

    Dominic Raab

    The Government is very clear on what claimant representatives think about raising the small claims limit. The Coalition Government consulted on this issue between December 2012 and March 2013 with a wide range of stakeholders. Following that consultation, the Coalition Government announced in October 2013 that it was deferring the decision on whether to raise the small claims limit to focus instead on work that would lead to the establishment of the MedCo system in April 2015.

    The present Government decided that the time was right to return to the issue of raising the small claims limit, announcing its intention to do so in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. The Ministry of Justice has continued to engage with representatives from all sectors since the Chancellor’s announcement and will be consulting on the detail of the new reform package in the New Year.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times HMS Ocean has been deployed in the most recent year for which figures are available.

    Penny Mordaunt

    HMS OCEAN deployed away from UK waters twice in 2015. In July she participated in Exercise BALTOPS, a major Allied naval exercise in the Baltic Sea, and between September and December she was deployed on COUGAR 15, the annual deployment of the UK’s high readiness maritime Joint Expeditionary Force.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage UK companies to improve (a) working conditions, (b) safety standards and (c) pay in clothes factories in Bangladesh in their supply chains.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK, through DFID, is encouraging UK companies to improve working conditions, safety standards and pay in the garment sector in Bangladesh in a number of ways. The UK has used every opportunity to call for companies to take responsibility for the working conditions. This has included a Westminster Hall debate, repeat Ministerial visits to Bangladesh, and various meetings with retailers and buyers.

    The UK Government has also encouraged all UK Brands to sign up to the Bangladesh Safety Accord, an independent and legally-binding agreement between trade unions and private companies that was established in the wake of the Rana Plaza disaster to improve safety and health standards in the Bangladeshi Ready-Made Garment Industry. A total of 30 UK companies have signed the Accord.

    The UK is also supporting the Trade in Global Value Chains Initiative (TGVCI) which supports UK companies to invest more in their supply chains and improve working conditions in the factories in which they are working. DFID also supports the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) which is a leading alliance of British companies, trade unions and non-governmental organisations working together to improve the lives of workers around the world.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are (1) the set up costs, and (2) the running costs, of the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    In the first year, the setting up costs and the running costs of the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch will be £3.6 million. The Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch will sit within NHS Improvement and therefore other costs, such as premises and back office functions, will be met by NHS Improvement.

    The budgets of arm’s length bodies are agreed on an annual basis, subject to business planning. The budget for the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch will be set through this process.