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  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new drivers had their licences revoked as a result of insurance offences in each year since 2010.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995 requires that drivers who accumulate six or more penalty points during their probationary period will have their licences revoked. The accumulation of offences can be for any reason. The table shows the number of drivers whose licences were revoked under the New Drivers Act who committed at least one insurance offence:

    Year Number of licences revoked
    2010 4,372
    2011 5,921
    2012 5,897
    2013 5,606
    2014 (up to 29 March) 1,118
    Total 22,914
  • David Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    David Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent reports he has received on the removal of the Carnforth station platforms from the mainline; what steps he is taking towards their reinstatement; and if he will make a statement.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Government has no plans to reinstate platforms on the West Coast Main Line and has not asked for or received any official reports on their reinstatement or removal in the 1960s. It would be for Lancashire County Council to determine whether such a scheme is a local priority and this is not the case at the present time.

  • Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame M. Morris on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects to publish the Senior Traffic Commissioner’s Statutory Guidance on bus reliability and punctuality.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Senior Traffic Commissioner’s Statutory Document on Local Bus Services has been published for a further period of consultation on 07 April 2014, for six weeks. The document has been revised following responses received during the first consultation. The Senior Traffic Commissioner is aware that the industry is keen for the final document to be introduced. She will review the responses to the second consultation after it closes on 19 May but at this stage can not confirm the planned date of publication.

  • Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame M. Morris on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total (a) number and (b) value was of financial penalties imposed on bus operators by each of the eight regional traffic commissioners from 2010-11 to date.

    Stephen Hammond

    The information requested is in the table below:

  • John Hemming – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John Hemming – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Hemming on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to implement a universal credit sanctions scheme to replace the current jobseeker’s allowance and other sanctions scheme.

    Esther McVey

    In 2012 revised sanctions regimes introduced into Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance moved us towards the Universal Credit system, with the same value of sanction across all benefits and the same duration of sanctions at medium and high levels.

    We continue to monitor sanctions closely and consider opportunities for continuous improvement.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of social housing tenants affected by the implementation of the under-occupancy penalty have been given exempt status in each (a) constituency and (b) local authority area.

    Esther McVey

    The only group exempt from the removal of the spare room subsidy and therefore unaffected by the policy are those housing benefit social sector tenants who have reached state pension credit age.

    Registered foster carers are allowed an additional bedroom if they have fostered a child during the last 52 weeks and parents of armed forces personnel who have been deployed on operations are allowed to retain that adult childs bedroom.

  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints about (a) staff behaviour, (b) contested sanction decisions and (c) telephone line waiting times have been made against Bolton Jobcentre Plus offices in each year since 2010.

    Esther McVey

    Until July 2012, when a new process for handling and recording customer feedback was introduced, complaints were not formally categorised. It has therefore not been possible to accurately identify the requested data prior to that date. In addition, contested sanction decisions are subject to the appeals and reconsideration process and are not categorised as complaints. The information we are able to provide for Bolton Jobcentre is as follows:

    Period

    Staff behaviour

    Telephone line waiting times

    01/07/2012 – 31/12/2012

    5

    0

    01/01/2013 – 31/12/2013

    20

    0

    01/01/14 – 31/03/14

    12

    0
  • Anne Main – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Anne Main – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much local authorities in (a) St Albans, (b) Hertfordshire, (c) the East of England and (d) the UK have returned to his Department in unused discretionary housing payment funding since 2011; and what steps he is taking to ensure that such funds are targeted towards those most in need.

    Esther McVey

    The Department has responsibility for the funding of Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in Great Britain, but not the UK. The table below shows the amounts of unused DHPs returned to the Department since 2011 for the respective areas. The figures for 2013/14 will be available in due course once the information has been collated from local authorities.

    Local Authority Area

    Under Spend since 2011

    St Albans

    £18,717

    Hertfordshire

    £72,108

    Eastern England

    £1,494,137

    Great Britain

    £20,982,679

    The Department provides local authorities with a guidance manual and good practice guide to aide them in the administration of the DHP scheme. This has recently been updated following informal consultation with stakeholder groups and local authority practitioners. The new guidance encourages councils to make longer term awards where appropriate to those with ongoing needs.

  • Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the Child Support Agency in restarting committal proceedings since the end of the moratorium.

    Steve Webb

    Following the initial review of its commitment to prison processes the Child Support Agency has continued to develop and evolve its processes and procedures, particularly in relation to the non-resident parent’s ability to make payment.

    As a result of increased focus on gaining payment compliance prior to considering commitment proceedings, the volume of commitment applications made remains lower than during the period preceding the moratorium.

    The Agency is however continuing to make both new commitment applications and applications where the parent has defaulted on the terms of a commitment sentence where this seems the enforcement measure most likely to secure payment compliance.

  • Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many cases the Child Support Agency has started committal proceedings in each of the last five years.

    Steve Webb

    Pursuant to my Written Answer on Monday 20 January 2014, Official Report, columns 42 – 43W, information on the number of cases in which the Child Support Agency has started committal proceedings is only readily available from 2010. The table below shows the number of cases where committal proceedings were started for each of the last three complete financial years and the current year to date:

    Financial Year

    Committal Proceedings Started

    April 2010 – March 2011

    3270

    April 2011 – March 2012

    3560

    April 2012 – March 2013

    300

    April 2013 – December 2013

    10

    Notes:

    1) Following a Court Of Appeal decision in October 2012, a review of the Commitment to Prison process was carried out to ensure it complied with the terms of the judgement given in that case. Whilst doing so, applications for Commitment to Prison were not brought before the court. Procedures resumed from March 2013.

    2) Data sourced from the Tallyman Informer system.

    3) Data rounded to the nearest 10.