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  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what customer, user and satisfaction surveys were conducted in the last 12 months in the Department for Work and Pensions and the agencies that report to it; which of them have been reported to the management board in the last 12 months; and which were commissioned by the management board.

    Lord Freud

    The Department for Work and Pensions conducts an annual Claimant Service and Experience Survey which measures customer satisfaction. The survey includes customers of Jobcentre Plus and the former agency Pensions, Disability and Carers Service. Fieldwork for the 2013 survey was completed in September. The survey is approved by the Operations Executive Team and key findings have been reported to them.

    The Child Maintenance Group conducts customer satisfaction surveys to cover all its statutory schemes. Quarterly surveys are run for the 1993/2003 and 2012 schemes and a monthly survey for the Options Gateway to tell how customers think suppliers are delivering service. All of these surveys are commissioned and reviewed for internal use by the CMG Executive Team.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the percentage cost over-run established by the management board for any budget in the Attorney General’s Office to merit being tabled at the departmental management board; and how many times in the last 12 months that has occurred.

    Lord Wallace of Tankerness

    The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) does not have a cost overrun established by the management board above which it merits a budget being tabled at departmental Executive Board. No overruns have been reported to the AGO Executive Board in the last 12 months.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the percentage cost over-run established by the management board for any budget in the Cabinet Office to merit being tabled at the departmental management board; and how many times in the last 12 months that has occurred.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The Cabinet Office Board and the Executive Management Committee review the department’s financial position on a regular basis.

  • Lord Rana – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Rana – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rana on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reassure consumers, who for religious or other reasons do not wish to consume halal or kosher meats, about the provenance of the meat they buy, in the absence of any informative labelling as to the method of slaughter used.

    Lord De Mauley

    The Government is of the view that consumers should have the necessary information available to them to make an informed choice about their food. Any method of slaughter labelling system needs to cover more than just the UK. We are awaiting the results of an European Commission study on method-of-slaughter labelling, which is due this summer. We will look at possible options in light of that report.

  • Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 20 March, whether they will now detail which specific and itemised duties were performed by each former Prime Minister in each year that the Public Duty Costs Allowance was awarded to them.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The Public Duty Cost Allowance exists as a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary office costs and secretarial costs arising from their special position in public life. The allowance is not paid to support private or parliamentary duties.

  • Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to fill vacant school governor positions.

    Lord Nash

    Responsibility for filling a vacancy on a governing body rests with the relevant appointing body for that vacancy. This will vary depending on the category of school and the category of governor.

    Governing bodies should review their membership and size on a regular basis and ensure that appointments are made in an efficient and timely manner. The Governors’ Handbook recommends that for every vacancy, governing bodies should conduct a skills audit to identify any gaps in the skills, knowledge and experience of existing governors. Governing bodies should also set out the specific skills and experience that the school needs for the relevant appointing body or electorate.

    The Department for Education has committed funding to School Governors’ One-Stop Shop (SGOSS), the governor recruitment charity, to March 2015. SGOSS provides a free service, matching high quality candidates that want to become governors with schools that have governor vacancies, according to the skills the schools need. In addition we are working with employers to encourage them to promote volunteering as a governor to their staff. This can potentially provide schools with an important source of highly skilled governors and is also an excellent learning and development opportunity for the employees concerned, carrying benefits back to their employer.

  • Baroness Scott of Needham Market – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Baroness Scott of Needham Market – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce the level of illegal bird trapping within the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    The Sovereign Base Areas are a separate territory and not part of the Republic of Cyprus. Countering illegal bird trapping is one of the key priorities of the Sovereign Base Areas Administration and the Sovereign Base Areas Police. This is stated in the Chief Constable’s annual report and strategic plan. Police enforcement action has resulted in 132 arrests and convictions over the last four years for bird trapping offences and the seizure and destruction of large quantities of equipment. The Sovereign Base Areas Administration reviews regularly what additional measures could be introduced within the Sovereign Base Areas. The Sovereign Base Areas Administration also consults with the Republic of Cyprus on the implementation and where practicable, coordination, of measures to reduce illegal bird trapping.

  • Lord Harris of Haringey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Harris of Haringey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harris of Haringey on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to publish their response to the HS2 Property Compensation consultation.

    Baroness Kramer

    The Government is not yet able to confirm the outcome of the recent consultation on property compensation for Phase One of HS2, but expects to make an announcement soon.

  • Lord Harris of Haringey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Harris of Haringey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harris of Haringey on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the difference both in absolute terms and in percentage terms in the compensation for those affected by HS2 who (1) live in the Rural Support Zone, and (2) live outside it.

    Baroness Kramer

    The Government is not yet able to confirm the outcome of the recent consultation on property compensation for Phase One of HS2, but expects to make an announcement soon.

  • Lord Harris of Haringey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Harris of Haringey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harris of Haringey on 2014-03-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the boundaries of the Rural Support Zone for HS2 and list the local authorities within which the Zone falls.

    Baroness Kramer

    The Government is not yet able to confirm the outcome of the recent consultation on property compensation for Phase One of HS2, but expects to make an announcement soon.