Author: admin

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department takes to promote the use of IT facilities in public libraries by participants in the Work Programme for job search and preparation; and if he will make a statement.

    Esther McVey

    Work Programme providers have flexibility to innovate and to design support that addresses the needs of individuals and the local labour market, rather than having to follow one size fits all processes. It is at the discretion of providers whether they choose to advise individuals to use any particular public facilities.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value is of duplicate supplier payments identified by his Department since 2010; and what proportion of such payments have since been recovered in each of the last two financial years.

    Steve Webb

    This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department paid to (a) G4S, (b) Serco, (c) Sodexo, (d) GEOAmey, (e) Capita, (f) Atos, (g) Mitie, (h) Working Links, (i) A4E, (j) MTC Amey, (k) GEO Group and (l) Carillion in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14.

    Steve Webb

    Please see table below:

    Supplier

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    G4S Group

    £81,433

    £17,951,654

    £32,123,087

    £46,377,724

    Serco Group PLC

    £73,458,641

    £29,569,238

    £45,457,786

    £58,823,106

    Sodexo Ltd

    NIL

    £685

    £2,895

    £558

    GEO Amey

    NIL

    NIL

    NIL

    NIL

    Capita Group PLC

    £57,821,217

    £40,754,470

    £42,255,394

    £50,702,838

    Atos Origin UK Ltd

    £150,589,213

    £143,524,261

    £146,857,967

    £102,646,905

    Mitie Managed Services

    £4,889

    £859

    £648

    £20,277

    Working Links

    £85,337,045

    £54,253,693

    £78,302,405

    Action for Employment

    £175,360,690

    £89,243,572

    £75,616,533

    £104,396,574

    MTC Amey

    NIL

    NIL

    NIL

    NIL

    GEO Group

    NIL

    NIL

    NIL

    NIL

    Carillion

    £923

    NlL

    NIL

    £11,339
  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 292W, on Royal Mail, from which directorate each member of staff working on the privatisation of Royal Mail was drawn.

    Matthew Hancock

    The core team of 17 people working on the sale of Royal Mail shares comprised staff from the Shareholder Executive. Staff in other BIS Directorates contributed to the work – primarily from Legal Directorate, Finance Directorate, Press Office and Economics and Markets Directorate.

    The project received scrutiny outside BIS from the Cabinet Office’s Major Projects Authority and a Treasury Approval Point panel.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 292W, on Royal Mail, how many staff of the Shareholder Executive worked on the privatisation of Royal Mail.

    Matthew Hancock

    The 17 core staff referred to in the Answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 292W, were all from the Shareholder Executive working on the Royal Mail Initial Public Offering.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when his Department plans next to update the RAB charge on student loans.

    Greg Clark

    The next update of the RAB charge will happen when the Student Loans Company provides the Department with updated loans data. This typically takes place in early autumn each year.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions took place between (a) Ministers in his Department, (b) officials, (c) the Financial Adviser to HM Government and (d) the banking syndicate working on the privatisation of Royal Mail with priority investors on the length of time shares in the privatised business would continue to be held.

    Matthew Hancock

    We did not seek assurances from priority investors on the length of time that they would hold the Royal Mail shares that they bought.

    Our intention was to ensure that RM started out with a core of long-term, stable investors who understood the business, along with some hedge fund participation to ensure liquidity in the aftermarket. We achieved that.

    We did not expect the shareholder register to remain static. Some investors have sold their shares, presumably because the share price reached their target price. Others have bought shares. There is still a wide range of views on the value of this company.

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jonathan Edwards – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the expenditure was of the Technology Strategy Board in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Wales in each of the last three years.

    Greg Clark

    Technology Strategy Board expenditure, including its support for Catapult centres, in each of the last three years in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales was as follows:

    Fiscal Year

    England

    Scotland

    NI

    Wales

    FY 11/12

    £210.38m

    £8.64m

    £2.32m

    £3.49m

    FY12/13

    £321.89m

    £17.49m

    £3.16m

    £4.18m

    FY13/14

    £378.46m

    £44.35m

    £7.05m

    £6.45m

    Total

    £910.73m

    £70.48m

    £12.53m

    £14.12m

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that secondary ticketing websites abide by the requirements of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

    Jo Swinson

    My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has not received any direct representations from representatives of the secondary ticketing websites on amendments tabled to the Consumer Rights Bill or about the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills’ guidance on them.

    Neither my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State nor other Ministers in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills have had meetings with the secondary ticketing websites about the implementation of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 or the Department for Business Innovation and Skills’ guidance on them.

    The draft Regulations and the contents of the Bill were widely consulted on and the Department received a range of comments in response. Officials from the Department have also had discussions with a wide range of stakeholders (including with secondary ticketing websites) on the implementation of those Regulations and the guidance on them.

    Following a consultation on the draft regulations, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills has produced guidance on the requirements of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. This guidance is easily accessible on the gov.uk website. Officials have also worked with the Business Support Helpline, which offers free advice to business on a wide range of issues, including regulation, and with the Trading Standards Institute (TSI), as the primary body responsible for educating businesses on consumer law. TSI has also produced guidance which is available on their website. Consumers themselves are important in driving compliance and officials have worked with Citizens Advice to raise consumer awareness so that they can see when businesses are not abiding by the requirements of the regulations.

    The Department for Business Innovation and Skills has also actively promoted the changes in the Regulations across all sectors through seminars, presentations and communications to businesses.

    Ministers in the Home Office, Department for Culture Media and Sport and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills have discussions and correspond together on a wide range of issues, and this has included agreeing the content of the Consumer Rights Bill. Officials from those Departments are in regular contact, including regarding the issue of resale of tickets.

  • Mike Weatherley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mike Weatherley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Weatherley on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that cyber criminals who steal online items in video games with a real-world monetary value received the same sentences as criminals who steal real-world items of the same monetary value.

    Mike Penning

    Those who commit theft or fraud on-line can be prosecuted for those offences and face severe maximum sentences. Sentencing for individual cases is a matter for the courts. The independent Sentencing Council issue guidelines to ensure consistency in sentencing.