Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Angela Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Angela Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Eagle on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 9 September 2015 to Question 9059, which other key stakeholders have been consulted on co-locating with Wallasey Jobcentre Plus; and when he plans to publish the outcomes, responses and findings of those consultations.

    Priti Patel

    The proposed relocation of Department for Work and Pensions colleagues from Wallasey Dominick House to Birkenhead Brunswick House will provide an expected net financial saving of around £450,000 by 2018.

    Notification of the 4-week consultation period was sent to all key stakeholders of Wallasey Jobcentre Plus, including Angela Eagle MP, Eric Robinson (Chief Executive Wirral Council), People Plus (Work Programme Provider), Ingeus (Work Programme Provider), Citizens Advice Bureau, and Wirral Welfare Rights.

    The Department has no plans to publish the outcome of the consultation.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people are employed by his Department in (a) Salford and Eccles constituency and (b) Greater Manchester.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills HQ, as at 31 January 2016, employed (a) no people in Salford and Eccles constituency and (b) 38 people in Greater Manchester.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Frontline has any formal partners in the private sector which give participants priority for their entry schemes.

    Edward Timpson

    Frontline do not have any formal partners in the private sector which give participants priority for their entry scheme.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2016 on Question 30222, what further work in the collection and publication of data on secondary breast cancer by hospital trusts in England is being scoped.

    Jane Ellison

    Data on breast cancer recurrence has been mandated in the Cancer Services and Outcomes Dataset (COSD) for diagnoses from 1 January 2013. The National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service (NCRAS) in Public Health England (PHE) estimates about one-quarter of recurrences are currently submitted. NCRAS will support trusts to improve their submission of data by producing reports on the number of recurrences submitted by each National Health Service trust. These will enable the identification of best practise to be shared, and enable us to engage with trusts that are not submitting data.

    Data on all cancer recurrence has been mandated in COSD since 31 July 2015.

    In addition further work is being scoped by NHS England and PHE based on the recommendation in the recent Independent Cancer Taskforce report to establish robust surveillance systems to collect relapse and recurrence data on all cancers.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of providing adult education courses over the next five years.

    Nick Boles

    The skills funding letter published in December 2015 sets out priorities and funding for adult education over the next 5 years. Across all of the funding streams used to support adult education participation, we are increasing funding by 40% in cash terms. It is for colleges and private providers, working with their local areas, to decide how best to use that funding in the interests of the learners and employers they serve.

    A full copy of the funding letter can be viewed via – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-funding-letter-april-2016-to-march-2017.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the most recent meeting of the (a) Cycling Stakeholder Forum and (b) Cycling Safety Sub-Group was held.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The last Cycling Stakeholder forum meeting was on 24th June 2014, and the last safety-sub group meeting was held on 13 July 2013.

    Following a review of governance arrangements it was decided that the functions of the Stakeholder Forum would be taken over by the High Level Group of Cycling and Walking stakeholders which had started meeting at the end of April 2014.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the ability of maintained nursery schools and children’s centres to remain financially viable following recent changes to their funding.

    Caroline Dinenage

    There have been no changes to the funding of maintained nursery schools and children centres. We are currently consulting on the introduction of an Early Years National Funding Formula to ensure a fairer allocation of early years funding to local authorities. The consultation document sets out our intention to provide supplementary funding for maintained nursery schools for at least two years in order to provide stability to the nursery school sector while they explore how to become more sustainable in the longer term, including exploiting the scope for efficiencies.

    Local authorities have a duty under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient children’s centres to meet the needs of local families. Local authorities must meet their statutory duties on children’s centres from funding that forms part of the Department for Communities and Local Government Business Rates Retention Scheme. In addition, other Government funding, including that for public health, adult skills training and troubled families may also be used locally to support services delivered wholly, or in part, through children’s centres. Local authorities must consult fully before any significant changes are made to children’s centre services.

  • Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason employees at Sellafield Ltd are treated as being in the private sector for pension purposes and are regarded as being in the public sector for the purposes of a cap on exit payments.

    Jesse Norman

    The Government has legislated for a cap on public sector exit payments via the Enterprise Act 2016, as promised in the manifesto. The cap will apply to public sector organisations in line with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) classifications; Sellafield Limited is classified as part of the public sector by the ONS. Sellafield Limited receives the majority of its funding from the Exchequer; it is therefore important to ensure that any exit payments are fair, proportionate and represent value for money for the taxpayer.

    The specific pension arrangements for Sellafield Limited employees are a matter for Sellafield Limited and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Government policy on public service pension schemes, as set out in Public Service Pensions: Good Pensions that Last (2011), is to move away from final-salary based schemes. The Government is therefore considering how best to apply public service pension reform policy to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estate whilst being mindful of the particular circumstances of the workforce, in particular at Sellafield Limited.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people who will be in receipt of legacy benefits and awaiting transfer to universal credit in May 2020.

    Priti Patel

    As quoted in the Public Accounts Committee report (attached below), the bulk of legacy claims will be transferred by the end of 2019.

    http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmpubacc/810/81002.htm

  • Nadine Dorries – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nadine Dorries – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve reliability and punctuality of the Govia Thameslink rail line.

    Claire Perry

    I am chairing a monthly meeting involving Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Southeastern and Transport Focus to monitor and co-ordinate improvements in both performance and passenger experience in the South East. This work builds upon the Joint Improvement Plan that was developed in the Spring. This Group is absolutely committed to see improvement and, crucially, to make sure that rail customers see the benefits of these improvements.

    GTR failed to meet their benchmark for cancellations set out in their Franchise Agreement and in the view of the Secretary of State they are also likely to exceed their delay minutes benchmark in the near future. In order to address their poor performance and hold them to account we issued them with a Remedial Plan Notice that requires them to set out the measures they will take to improve their performance. GTR have submitted their plan and once the measures are agreed by the Secretary of State they will become contractually binding through a Remedial Agreement. Officials regularly monitor GTR’s performance and this will include the delivery of the measures and performance improvements agreed through the Remedial Plan. Non-compliance may result in further enforcement action in line with the Franchise Agreement should the need arise.

    Network Rail’s performance is regulated by the Office of Rail and Road, who have recently agreed a £4.1m package of improvements to be delivered by Network Rail on the Southern part of GTR franchise area in order to address performance issues.