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  • Oliver Dowden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Oliver Dowden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Dowden on 2016-06-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discretion his Department has to waive rules on non-payment of housing benefit to people with savings over a prescribed amount for (a) looked after adults, (b) vulnerable adults and (c) adults with disabilities.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The capital limit of £16,000 applies to all Housing Benefit claimants, other than those on the guarantee element of Pension Credit.

    While it is important to encourage saving, it has been the consistent policy of successive governments that substantial amounts of capital should not be ignored altogether when deciding entitlement to benefits which are based on need.

  • Hywel Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Hywel Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2016-06-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the quality of work capability assessments.

    Priti Patel

    Strict audit and quality control measures are in place to ensure the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments delivers high-quality assessments.

  • James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-06-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answers of 29 January 2016 to Question 23225 and of 28 April 2016 to Question 35312, what progress his Department has made on bringing forward changes to secondary legislation provisions of the Pensions Act 2014 relating to Pension Protection Fund capping.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Before the long service cap can be implemented a number of changes need to be made to secondary legislation, so that it will operate as intended in all cases. While progress is being made in deveoping this legislation, we cannot at this time commit to a particular implementation date which, in any case, would be subject to the wishes of Parliament.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-06-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance he has issued to officials of his Department on processing disability benefit claims from people who are on the organ transplant waiting list.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assesses how the condition affects the individual, not the condition itself.

    The average clearance time for PIP new claims is 13 weeks from the point of registration to a decision being made. PIP claims for terminally ill claimants who are not expected to live for more than six months are fast-tracked and processed within an average of 6 working days.

  • Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan (1) following the statement of the Chairman of the Pakistan Senate’s Standing Committee on Religious Affairs that forced conversion of girls is taking place across the country on a daily basis”

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    I remain concerned by reports of the persecution of religious and other minorities in Pakistan. We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of vulnerable groups, including women and girls, with the Pakistani Government at senior levels. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), pressed Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all its citizens, including minority religious communities, during his visit in March. We will continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations and to uphold the rule of law.

    Our concerns about minorities in Pakistan are documented in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Reports.

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-06-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the humanitarian challenges faced by people fleeing Fallujah following the military offensive there, and (2) the views expressed by the International Committee of the Red Cross that fleeing refugees are now facing the harshest weather” that they have ever encountered

    Baroness Verma

    According to the UN, 85,000 people have been displaced from Fallujah and the surrounding area since May. The UK is concerned by the humanitarian situation in the Fallujah area, including overcrowded camps and the risks posed by the extreme heat of the Iraqi summer.

    The UK is working closely with UN, government and other partners to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people who have fled Fallujah. We call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and to ensure free, unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies.

    Since June 2014, the UK has committed £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. The UK is the largest contributor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, through which we are funding projects to support those leaving Fallujah.

  • 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 2016-06-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq and the UNHCR about contingency plans for the assistance of refugees fleeing Fallujah, in particular for the provision of water, food, medicine, sanitation, and shelter.

    Baroness Verma

    According to the UN, 85,000 people have been displaced from Fallujah and the surrounding area since May. The UK is concerned by the humanitarian situation in the Fallujah area, including overcrowded camps and the risks posed by the extreme heat of the Iraqi summer.

    The UK is working closely with UN, government and other partners to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people who have fled Fallujah. We call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and to ensure free, unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies.

    Since June 2014, the UK has committed £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. The UK is the largest contributor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, through which we are funding projects to support those leaving Fallujah.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the lessons to be learnt from the flight of refugees from Fallujah and applied to the liberation of Mosul when it takes place; and what assistance will be provided to the minorities from Mosul’s neighbouring towns and villages to ensure that towns, villages and homes vacated by Christians, Yazidis and ethnic Shiites are restored to the rightful occupants.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK is working closely with the United Nations, Government of Iraq and other partners to learn lessons from the displacement of civilians from Fallujah and ensure they are factored into humanitarian contingency planning for Mosul. The UK is also working with the Coalition to support the Government of Iraq in developing plans to stabilise areas, like Fallujah, which have been liberated from Daesh, and by working to provide the governance, services and security necessary to enable the safe return of all communities, including those of minorities, to their homes.

  • 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 2016-06-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that at least 85,000 refugees have escaped from Fallujah, and of the adequacy of the camps that have been established by the UNHCR for those refugees.

    Baroness Verma

    According to the UN, 85,000 people have been displaced from Fallujah and the surrounding area since May. The UK is concerned by the humanitarian situation in the Fallujah area, including overcrowded camps and the risks posed by the extreme heat of the Iraqi summer.

    The UK is working closely with UN, government and other partners to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people who have fled Fallujah. We call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and to ensure free, unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies.

    Since June 2014, the UK has committed £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. The UK is the largest contributor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, through which we are funding projects to support those leaving Fallujah.

  • Viscount Astor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Viscount Astor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Viscount Astor on 2016-06-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to publish the Frontier Economics report commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the level of contributions from the betting industry to the horse-racing industry.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Frontier Economics report is an independent economic analysis of the costs and revenues of the horseracing sector in Great Britain. This report forms one element of Government’s work on determining the rate which will be payable by gambling operators under the new funding system which is due to be in place by April 2017.

    The Government intends to publish the findings of the Frontier Report in due course.