Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to ensure that UK fisheries are managed at or below maximum sustainable yield by 2020; what steps she plans to take to maintain a sustainable fisheries policy after the UK leaves the EU; and if she will take steps to work with European partners to support sustainable fishing after the UK leaves the EU.

    George Eustice

    Exit from the European Union presents us with an opportunity to improve the way waters in the United Kingdom’s Exclusive Economic Zone are managed. No decisions have yet been taken, although the government remains committed to sustainable fisheries and the discard ban, as set out in its manifesto commitments, and will promote international cooperation in the management of shared stocks.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how (a) much funding from the public purse has been allocated to and (b) many full-time equivalent staff have been employed by the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner in each of the last two years.

    Sarah Newton

    The Government allocation to the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner was £500,000 in 2015/16 and £575,000 in 2016/17. The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner employed six full-time staff and one part-time staff in 2015/16, and seven full-time and one part-time staff in 2016/17.

  • David Crausby – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Crausby – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the cumulative effect of the Pensions Act 1995 and the Pensions Act 2011 on women born in the 1950s.

    Justin Tomlinson

    An overview of the evidence considered when developing the policy for equalisation of the State Pension age, is provided in the 1993 White Paper, ‘Equality in State Pension age’, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.

    Estimates of the effect of the increase in State Pension age in the Pensions Act 2011 are presented in the Pensions Act 2011 Impact Assessment, published in November 2011, available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181462/pensions-bill-2011-ia-annexa.pdf

    The latter assessment is a comparison of the impact of the Pensions Act 2011 timetable against the baseline of the 1995 Pensions Act timetable.

    “

  • Lord Stevenson of Balmacara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Stevenson of Balmacara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stevenson of Balmacara on 2015-12-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government (1) what was the budget for the Trade Show Access Programme (TAP) from 1 April to 30 March in (a) 2014–15, and (b) 2015–16; (2) what they expect the budget to be for the financial years (a) 2016–17, (b) 2017–18, and (c) 2018–19; and (3) whether the Minister for Trade and Investment plans to meet the Sponsors Alliance to discuss the future of the Trade Show Access Programme, and if so, when the meeting will take place.

    Lord Maude of Horsham

    The budget for the Tradeshow Access Programme was £11.05M in 2014/15 and the estimated spend in 2015/16 is £10.25M.

    For 2016/17 and beyond, UKTI will be reviewing how the Tradeshow Access Programme is aligned with other Export Services as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review settlement. It is therefore not possible to confirm the budget at this stage.

    I will respond positively to a request for a meeting with the Sponsors Alliance subject to diary commitments.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 18488, what amount of funding from the Coastal Communities Fund will be allocated to the Jaywick Coastal Community Team from 2017 to 2021.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Funding from the Coastal Communities Fund is awarded to projects through a competitive bid-led process rather than being allocated directly to specific places or Coastal Community Teams. To date no successful bids have been received from organisations in Jaywick.

    Funds are awarded to projects that best meet the programme’s aims to promote sustainable growth and jobs. Details of the Fund’s next bidding round for projects starting in 2017-18 will be announced in the Spring. The Economic Plan being prepared by Jaywick’s Coastal Community Team will provide an important context for considering bids to the Fund from public, private and voluntary/community sector organisations in its area.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what additional resources his Department plans to make available to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator to ensure it meets the 90-day target in issuing complaint outcomes set by the European Directive on Alternative Dispute Resolution.

    Joseph Johnson

    Should an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, such
    as the Office for the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA),be found
    to be continually failing to comply with the Alternative Dispute Resolution Regulations
    2015, the Government has set out a process that enables an appointed body (the
    Chartered Trading Standards Institute) to monitor compliance, recommend
    improvements and, ultimately, remove a body from the approved list.

    The OIA is independent of Government and funded by compulsory subscriptions
    from higher education providers. All higher education providers in receipt of
    student support funding are required, through legislation, to join the OIA and pay
    subscription fees. The OIA makes an assessment each year of the level of
    funding it requires to ensure that its costs can be met.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to reduce the time taken for the DVLA’s Drivers Medical Group department to return driving licences to applicants.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has made a number of improvements in the way it deals with medical cases. Extra caseworkers have been employed and more medical advisers are being recruited.

    The DVLA deals with telephone enquiries from drivers who are working abroad or who have a job offer pending as a priority. Also, a dedicated team has been established to ensure that customers challenging a licensing decision, are dealt with as quickly as possible. All applications for first vocational driving licences where a medical condition is declared are dealt with as a priority.

    These changes are part of an ongoing programme of work which will continue to introduce improvements. Future changes include the introduction of a digital service channel and a review of how complex cases are handled. The changes will help to significantly speed up the process for both motorists and medical professionals.

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what have been the on-costs on teachers’ salaries for the last three years.

    Lord Nash

    The on-costs on teachers’ salaries consist of employer pension contributions and employer National Insurance (NI) contributions. In 2015/16, the total on-costs for a teacher with an average salary are approximately 25.4% of their gross salary.

    Employer contributions to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme are the same rate for all teachers regardless of salary and in 2015/16 they increased from 14.1% of teachers’ gross salary to 16.5%.

    The table below sets out the on-costs on teachers’ salaries for the last three years:

    Employer contributions

    2013/14

    2014/15

    2015/16

    Teachers’ Pension

    14.1%

    14.1%

    16.5%

    National Insurance

    7.9%

    7.9%

    8.9%

    Total On-Costs

    22.0%

    22.0%

    25.4%
  • Zac Goldsmith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Zac Goldsmith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Government aid to the fishing sector on St Helena supports pole and line fishing methods.

    James Duddridge

    UK Government support has helped the St Helena Fisheries Cooperation become a member of the International Pole and Line Foundation and the Earth Island Institute’s Dolphin Safe Tuna Monitoring Programme.

  • Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2016 to Question 42328, for what reasons his Department did not provide the schedule of documents requested in that Question relating to the disappearance of Rebecca Coriam.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Further to your meeting with consular officials in August, a schedule of documents has been provided to you.