Tag: Tania Mathias

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average value is of a personal independence payment in (a) the UK and (b) Twickenham constituency.

Justin Tomlinson

Information on average weekly payments of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not published but can be calculated from the available claimant data extractable from Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/) and the amount of benefit paid by component combination. At the end of January 2016 the average amount payable to PIP recipients in Great Britain was £88.70 per week and £88.14 per week in the Twickenham parliamentary constituency.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will be introduced in Northern Ireland later this year and will be a matter for the Northern Ireland Office.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans for clause 187 of the Investigatory Powers Bill to apply to (a) class bulk personal datasets and (b) specific bulk personal datasets; and if she will take steps to ensure that the protection provided under that clause will encompass all types of warrants, as specified in the Investigatory Powers Bill, in the case of medical records.

Mr John Hayes

Clause 187 of the Investigatory Powers Bill applies to specific BPD warrants and provides that, where one of the purposes of the warrant was to authorise the retention or the retention and examination of health records, the warrant may only be issued in exceptional and compelling circumstances.

On 5 July the Government tabled an amendment to the Bill which would make clear that class BPD warrants could not be used to retain, or retain and examine, bulk personal datasets that consist of, or include, health records.

Protections for other parts of the Investigatory Powers Bill relating to medical professionals and confidential information relating to an individual’s health will be provided for in the statutory codes of practice made under the Bill. Draft codes detailing these protections were published on introduction of the Bill in March 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of schools and sixth form colleges not accepting students who have failed to achieve a C grade in English and mathematics GCSE on availability of places for students who are required to resit those examinations.

Robert Halfon

Post-16 providers are responsible for setting entry requirements to their post-16 courses, and can specify a C grade or higher in English and mathematics GCSE in entry requirements to level 3 courses such as A levels or Tech Levels. When setting entry requirements for specific courses, schools and sixth form colleges consider the level of English and mathematics a young person will need to possess in order to successfully study the course.

Government funding ensures that there is a place available for every young person at a local provider. If a student would benefit from support to identify a suitable place in post-16 education and training,there will be various sources of advice, including from the local authority.

At the end of 2015 the proportion of 16 and 17 year olds in education and work based learning (apprenticeships) was 90.9%, the highest participation figure since consistent records began in 1994.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to protect the personal details of those registered with the Government Gateway service from hacking; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley on 2 November 2015 to UIN: 13799.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-12-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support will be available for long-term planning for cycling in the period between the closure of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund in April 2016 and the publication of the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy in summer 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Following the recent Spending Review confirmation of this Government’s commitment to cycling and walking by committing to investing over £300million to 2020, I am considering in more detail future sustainable transport programmes. This includes the new ‘access’ fund, which is anticipated to build on the legacy of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. The Government is also currently developing the first Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy and will be engaging with interested parties as this work progresses. I plan to publish further details shortly.

At the same time, the Local Growth Fund already includes many ongoing cycling and other sustainable transport initiatives.

This Government also remains committed to the principles of localism. Local authorities are well placed to decide their local priorities in relation to sustainable transport initiatives. Government resources allocated to local authorities, such as the local integrated transport block, can be flexibly distributed accordingly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether spending on the upkeep of the defence estate counts towards the Government’s pledge to spend at least two per cent of GDP on defence, as defined by NATO.

Mark Lancaster

In accordance with NATO guidelines on Defence expenditure, spending on the upkeep of the defence estate to support our Armed Forces does count towards the Government’s pledge to spend at least two per cent of GDP on defence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-07-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to begin its review of driving sentences and penalties.

Dominic Raab

The government is aware of concerns about a number of sentencing issues and is committed to making sure sentencing for driving crimes is proportionate within the context of our wider sentencing framework. It is our intention to commence a consultation before the end of the year which will look at driving offences and penalties.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that funding is in place to implement its policy of 30 hours free childcare.

Caroline Dinenage

We are committed to providing the high-quality, affordable childcare that working families need.

To enable the successful implementation of 30 hours of free childcare, we are investing £1billion of additional funding per year, including £300million per year to increase our national average funding rates.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the agreement signed with China to fund Hinckley Point C nuclear reactor includes funding from China for (a) decommissioning costs and (b) emergency clean-up costs.

Andrea Leadsom

The basis on which Chinese companies will invest in the Hinkley Point C project is set out in the strategic investor agreement agreed between EDF and CGN in October. The terms of this agreement are a matter for EDF.

Operators of new nuclear power stations are required to have a Funded Decommissioning Programme (FDP) approved by the Secretary of State before nuclear related construction can begin. The FDP sets out how a new nuclear operator will make secure financial provision for decommissioning their power station and managing and disposing of its waste without recourse to the taxpayer.

Operators of nuclear power stations are also required to put in place insurance or other financial security to meet their nuclear third party liabilities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-12-16.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans that the three per cent additional stamp duty rate on the purchase of a second home will apply to people in the process of moving house who own two properties for a short period of time.

Mr David Gauke

In general, if, at the end of the day of a residential property transaction, a purchaser owns more than one property and has not replaced a main residence, the higher rates will apply. Where there is a temporary overlap between replacing and selling a main residence, the higher rates will apply but the purchaser will be entitled to a refund of the higher amounts on disposal of the previous main residence within 18 months.

The Government is consulting on the policy detail, including on the treatment of difficult cases.