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  • Karen Lumley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Karen Lumley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Lumley on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he holds information by parliamentary constituency on the number of people affected by transitional arrangements for women born after 6 April 1951 caused by the change in the state pension age.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Women born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1953 were affected by State Pension age equalisation under the Pensions Act 1995.

    The Pensions Act 2011 accelerated the equalisation of State Pension age, and included transitional arrangements limiting State Pension age delays, affecting women born between 6 April 1953 and 5 December 1953. It also brought forward the increase in State Pension age from 65 to 66 which affected women born between 6 Dec 1953 and 5 April 1960.

    Information on the numbers affected by parliamentary constituency is not held by the Department for Work and Pensions. However, a population breakdown of women by age at mid-2014 (women with birthdates in 1951 would have been aged 62 or 63 at this point) by constituency can be found in the Office for National Statistics’ data set of Parliamentary Constituency Mid-year Population Estimates for England and Wales:

    https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/parliamentaryconstituencymidyearpopulationestimates

    For Scotland:

    http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/population/population-estimates/special-area-population-estimates/spc-population-estimates

    “

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of Gingerbread’s report, Missing Maintenance, published in June 2016; what plans he has to implement the recommendations of that report; and if he will make a statement.

    Priti Patel

    We are currently considering the recommendations contained in the Gingerbread report, Missing Maintenance. In relation to the recommendation on deductions from joint bank accounts, we have already started taking steps to implement this power and will be launching a public consultation soon on our proposed process to enable deductions from joint bank accounts.

    We remain committed to pursuing those parents who do not willingly meet their financial responsibilities to their children. The Child Maintenance Service has a range of effective enforcement powers intended to help ensure all parents fulfil their financial responsibilities towards their children including taking deductions directly from earnings and bank accounts.

  • Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on benefits eligibility of the conclusion in the University of Hull report, entitled Mapping hunger, published in April 2016, that food bank use is highest in areas with people in skilled manual work or where more people are unable to work due to long-term sickness or disability.

    Justin Tomlinson

    This government is determined to move to a higher wage society, introducing the new National Living Wage that will benefit over 1 million workers directly this year, and spending £80 billion on working age benefits to ensure a strong safety net for those who need it most. We are also committed to supporting people with disabilities and currently spend a record £50 billion a year doing so.

    There are no plans to amend our reforms that are ensuring that work always pays and are restoring fairness for hardworking taxpayers. As the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Hunger noted, the reasons why people use food banks can be complex and are frequently overlapping. Their use cannot be attributed to a single cause.

    Our welfare system provides a strong safety net to those who need extra support.

  • Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Rushanara Ali – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to monitor the provision and use of food banks.

    Priti Patel

    There are no plans for my Department to monitor the use of food banks. This is because as the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Hunger noted that the reasons why people use food banks can be complex and are frequently overlapping. Their use cannot be attributed to a single cause.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2016 to Question 37683, on child maintenance arrears, on how many occasions his Department has used each of the enforcement powers referred to in that Answer in each of the last five years.

    Priti Patel

    For the 1993 and 2003 Schemes the information you requested is set out on Page 40 of the Child Support Agency quarterly summary of statistics which can be accessed online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-of-statistics-march-2016

    Information on enforcement for the 2012 scheme could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    “

  • 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 2016-06-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Juba Teaching Hospital in South Sudan has adequate supplies of electricity; what assessment they have made of the effect of power cuts and power rationing on that hospital’s ability to provide treatment; whether they have raised the issue of the lack of electricity at the Juba Teaching Hospital with the government of South Sudan; and what steps they will take to ensure that that government takes action.

    Baroness Verma

    The Government of South Sudan has provided one year’s supply of fuel to the Juba Teaching Hospital. The fuel was delivered and electricity was restored to the hospital at the end of May 2016. The Government has also recently signed a contract with a private company to undertake general renovation of the hospital.

    The South Sudan Government’s annual budget allocations for health and education are amongst the lowest in the region averaging 6% for education and 4% for health, compared to an average of 17% and 15% respectively in other East African countries. The UK has consistently lobbied for increased budget allocations to these sectors. The UK is pressing the Government of South Sudan to increase funding for health in the 2016-17 annual budget which will be set in July, particularly for medicines, hospital infrastructure, recurrent running costs including fuel, and personnel for hospitals and clinics. This issue was most recently raised in a meeting with the Minister of Health, Riek Gai Kok on 21 June 2016.

  • 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 2016-06-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to increase the amount of funding they give to develop hospital infrastructure in South Sudan.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK is the lead for a multi-donor Health Pooled Fund in South Sudan which has provided over £18 million between 2013 and 2016 to support hospital infrastructure in eight county level hospitals, four state level hospitals and seven faith-based hospitals. A further £6million has been allocated for 2016 to 2018.

  • Baroness Burt of Solihull – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Burt of Solihull – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-06-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have (1) been made redundant, and (2) taken voluntary redundancy, in each of the last five years.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The number of employees of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HQ who have (1) exited via a Compulsory Redundancy scheme, and (2) exited via a voluntary redundancy scheme, in each of the last five financial years (April to March) are shown in the table below.

    Year (Apr – Mar)

    Exited via a Compulsory Redundancy scheme

    Exited via a Voluntary Redundancy Scheme

    2011-12

    4

    93

    2012-13

    3

    2013-14

    2

    7

    2014-15

    7

    2015-16

    1

    Grand Total

    6

    111
  • Baroness Coussins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Coussins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Coussins on 2016-06-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to arrange for a meeting between the President of Colombia and representatives from non-governmental organisations in the UK concerned with human rights in Colombia, when the President makes his State Visit to the UK in November.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The upcoming State Visit is an excellent opportunity to continue our engagement with the Government of Colombia on a varity of issues. We are working closely with Buckingham Palace and the Colombian government on the details of the President’s programme, which will be developed over the next few months.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-06-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 8 April (HL7348), when they will announce the membership of the steering group promised in their response, published on 18 February, to the independent review of UK consumer product recall by Lynn Faulds Wood, following the invitation to potential candidates of 6 April; and when they intend to report on the progress being made on implementing the report.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    A statement on the membership of the steering group has been issued and is attached. It can also be seen on the Gov.uk website.

    The first meeting of the steering group took place on 4 May and the group will report on its progress in due course.