Tag: Steve McCabe

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-05-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the (a) potential effect on the triple lock pension policy and (b) the value of state pensions for people who retired before 6 April 2016 of a potential reduction in economic growth in the event of the UK voting to leave the EU.

Mr David Gauke

The Treasury has published its analysis of the impact that leaving the EU would have on GDP, CPI inflation and on average real wages in HM Treasury analysis: the immediate economic impact of leaving the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 32732, when she plans to publish a response to the consultation into out-of-school education settings.

Edward Timpson

The Government wants children to be educated in a safe environment without exposure to hateful and extremist views that undermine British values. The call for evidence on out-of-school education settings was launched on 26 November 2015 and ran for six and a half weeks closing on 11 January 2016.

Around 3,000 people completed the published response form, either online or manually. The Department for Education received a significant number of further representations to the consultation by email and post. All responses and representations are being analysed.

We will be publishing a response to the consultation in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 27 May 2016 to Question 37443, what guidance her Department provides to admission authorities on how consultations should be advertised.

Nick Gibb

The School Admissions Code sets out the requirements that admission authorities must follow when consulting on proposed admissions arrangements.

The Schools Admissions Code is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/389388/School_Admissions_Code_2014_-_19_Dec.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the Competition and Markets Authority to report on its investigation on suspected anti-competitive practices in the pharmaceutical sector.

George Freeman

The Department is already referring cases to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). To strengthen our work in this area we are considering putting measures in place to routinely and systematically monitor significant price increases of generic medicines and take action where appropriate, including the possible referral of suspected excessive pricing to the CMA, while taking into account the potential impact of any such action on the availability of medicines.

The CMA is currently conducting a number of investigations into anti-competitive practices in the pharmaceutical industry. It imposed fines totalling £45 million in one case (currently subject to appeal at the Competition Appeal Tribunal), and expects to reach a final decision by late summer in another. It opened two more cases in March and April 2016 in which it expects to decide in late summer whether there are grounds to take each investigation further.

The CMA is also considering evidence of other potential cases of anti-competitive practices in the sector, and may well open further investigations in the coming months.

The CMA is independent of Ministers and we cannot interfere in either the substance or the procedures of its decision-making.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department plans to do to increase the number of refugees reaching the UK safely and legally under the family reunification scheme.

Mr Robert Goodwill

We support the principle of family unity and have several routes for families to be reunited safely. Our family reunion policy allows a spouse or partner and children under the age of 18 of those granted protection in the UK to join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country. Over the past five years we have granted over 22,000 family reunion visas and will continue to do so.

Where an application fails under the Immigration Rules, we consider whether there are exceptional or compassionate reasons for granting a visa outside the Rules. We published a revised Home Office policy on family reunion in July which provides further guidance for decision-makers on the types of case that may benefit from a grant of leave outside the Rules where there are exceptional circumstances.

This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-reunion-instruction.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 25 July 2016 to Question 42894, how many directions were made by local authorities in each year from 2012; and how many of these directions were appealed in each such year.

Edward Timpson

We do not hold data on the number of pupil directions issued by local authorities to maintained schools.

The number of direction appeals referred to the Schools Adjudicator by maintained schools (following a direction from a local authority to admit a pupil) was: 2012 – 14; 2013 – 11; 2014 – 14; 2015 – 8; 2016 (as of 6 September 2016) – 5.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people her Department has granted asylum to in each year from 2010 to 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on asylum applications and initial decisions (including grants) within the Immigration Statistics release.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many foreign workers his Department employs.

Greg Hands

Following her appointment on 13 July 2016 the Prime Minister established the Department for International Trade (DIT). The DIT aggregates UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), UK Export and Finance (UKEF), Trade Policy Units from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), as well as some new hires.

Until such time as a transfer of functions order establishes my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade as a corporation sole, DIT remains a unified Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department for accounting purposes.

As DIT is currently being formed, details of the staff that the Department employs is being finalised, whilst employee transfers and recruitment are taking place.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2016 to Question 45588, what recent representations he has received from Saudi officials on their Joint Investigation Assessment Team and the timescale for the investigation.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK welcomes the release by Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) of the outcome of eight investigations into incidents of alleged breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen. The Saudi-led Coaltion announced it will immediately investigate the airstrike hitting a funeral hall in the Yemeni capital Sana’a on 8 October along with Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT). I raised my concerns with the Saudi Ambassador to London on 9 October and urged the Saudi-led coalition’s announced investigation into the incident to take place as a matter of urgency.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2016 to Question 45695, on railways: fares, for what reason his Department uses the Retail Price Index as an index for inflation; and if he will consider using a different index for inflation.

Paul Maynard

The use of the Retail Price Index (RPI) is consistent with the general indexation approach adopted across the rail industry. The Office of Rail and Road uses RPI as the index for Network Rail’s revenues e.g. Track Access Charges. RPI is used widely across Government, including for index linked bonds, vehicle exercise duty, alcohol and tobacco duties, air passenger duty and climate change levies.

It is worth noting that the July 2016 figures for RPI (published on 14 September 2016) and average weekly earnings growth stood at 1.9% and 2.3%, respectively. Each July’s RPI figure is used to set regulated rail fares from January 2nd the following year. On this basis average earnings continue to remain ahead of allowable regulated rail fares increases.