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  • Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Environment Agency classifies as a watercourse; if he will ensure that insurance companies can differentiate between major watercourses and watercourses of no consequence; and if he will make a statement.

    Dan Rogerson

    The Environment Agency defines a “Watercourse” according to section 72(1) of the Land Drainage Act 1991. It includes all rivers and streams and all ditches, drains, cuts, culverts, dikes, sluices, sewers (other than public sewers within the meaning of the Water Industry Act 1991) and passages, through which water flows.

    Insurance companies take into account a range of factors in setting policy premiums and excesses, and different insurers take different approaches to assessing flood risk. Certain insurance companies would use proximity to a watercourse to assess the risk of flooding to a property, whilst other companies may use postcodes to assess flood risk or their own flood risk models.

  • Jesse Norman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jesse Norman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jesse Norman on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total value is of Common Agricultural Policy payments to farms in Herefordshire in the last five years for which data are available.

    George Eustice

    Our records do not currently distinguish between farms and other claimants; the figure provided relates to all eligible claimants paid (including farms).

    The total value of all Common Agricultural Policy claims paid by the Rural Payments Agency and the Forestry Commission to all claimants with a registered address in Herefordshire during the 5 years up to 15 October 2013 was €261,476,438.25.

  • Liz Kendall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Liz Kendall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Kendall on 2014-05-06.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he intends to answer Question 195074, from the hon. Member for Leicester West, on social care providers and non-payments of the National Minimum Wage.

    Mr David Gauke

    I have done so today.

  • Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to protect consumers from fraud and other doorstep crimes.

    Jenny Willott

    The Government takes doorstep crime very seriously and the issue has been identified as a top priority by the Consumer Protection Partnership (CPP) which brings together enforcement, consumer education, and advocacy partners to identify, prioritise and coordinate collective action to tackle the issues causing greatest harm to consumers.

    Both the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) and Trading Standards Scotland (TSS), which are funded by BIS, are putting resources into tackling doorstep crime and Trading Standards Officers across the country are cracking down on these fraudsters. In Lincolnshire for example, Trading Standards has teamed up with the Police and Community Lincs to raise awareness of doorstep crime amongst professionals caring for the elderly, including awareness of bogus callers, rogue traders, distraction burglary, and scam mail. To date 330 health and social care professionals who work regularly with 4,300 elderly and vulnerable people have been trained in how to spot potential victims and how to intervene at an early stage of a scam.

    Doorstep Crime will also be the focus on this year’s National Consumer Week in November 2014, when CPP Partners and the Government will work together to in raise consumer awareness of how to spot a bogus salesperson and where to report it.

    We are also hitting the perpetrators of fraud hard. A recent operation involving Trading Standards companies across the country and 20 police forces brought down a trio of fraudsters targeting vulnerable caravan park residents across the country. This resulted in 6 years of custodial sentences being handed down and the recovery of £20,000 in cash.

    We encourage anyone who believes that they have been the victim of doorstep crime or fraud to contact the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline on 08454 040506.

  • Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many contracted staff there are carrying out functions for his Department who are paid less than the Living Wage by (a) occupation, (b) location and (c) contractor.

    Mike Penning

    DWP have discussed with contractors the payment of the London Living Wage. Telereal Trillium have worked with us so that from April 2014 all of their London based staff were paid at least the level of the living wage. Discussions are continuing with our other major contractor, Cofely.

    We intend to have the same negotiations regarding staff based across the regions where the situation is currently:

    REGION

    NUMBER OF STAFF

    Scotland

    539

    North East

    309

    North West

    885

    Yorks & Humber

    529

    East Midlands

    255

    West Midlands

    770

    East Of England

    252

    Wales

    279

    South East

    366

    London

    2

    South West

    307

    TOTAL

    4,493

    It is not possible to provide further breakdown of these figures as this information is commercially sensitive.

  • 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 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to ensure that unemployed people who volunteer for the Help to Work Scheme do not do the same work as offenders on community service orders.

    Esther McVey

    These are two entirely different schemes and we would expect the requirements of placements for offenders to be very different. The welfare to work companies we have contracted to provide Community Work Placements are experienced at delivering different programmes across different areas of Government.

  • Harriet Harman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Harriet Harman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harriet Harman on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who will represent the Government at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Abuja.

    Mark Simmonds

    No UK Minister was available to attend the World Economic Forum being held in Abuja on 7 – 9 May. We did propose to send senior officials, but the organisers of the World Economic Forum declined this request.

  • Crispin Blunt – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Crispin Blunt – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Crispin Blunt on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the names are of all those issued visas in connection with the current visit of President Museveni of Uganda.

    James Brokenshire

    It is not the policy of the Home Office to comment on the detail of individual
    applications.

  • John Woodcock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    John Woodcock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Woodcock on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the announcement of 25 April 2014, entitled Chancellor puts UK at forefront of ocean research with new polar science ship, if he will take steps to ensure that the new polar research ship is constructed in a UK shipyard.

    Mr David Willetts

    This new polar flagship presents a significant opportunity for British business to show that they can compete with the best in the world. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) will be working hard to make sure that British business are aware of the major opportunities around the project. The UK has world class skills and technology in this area and the Government hopes that UK marine and maritime companies will take the wider range of opportunities – from the design and building of the ship, through to its operation and maintenance.

    This ship will cost more than £200 million and legally it has to be procured through open competition. This ensures a fair process so that the UK gets the best possible product with the best value to the taxpayer. The Natural Environment Research Council’s British Antarctic Survey will be operating the ship. They will be consulting the scientific community on the detailed specification for the ship shortly. An invitation to tender is expected to be issued in summer 2015.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lisa Nandy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was spent by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on tea and biscuits in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

    Mr Francis Maude

    The Office of the Deputy Prime Minster is an integral part of my department.

    The information requested is not held centrally.