The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jake Berry on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many type 1 diabetics have received a prescription penalty charge in each of the last three years.
Alistair Burt
Data is not available to indicate the number of diabetic patients who have received a prescription penalty charge in each of the last three years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the Privy Council have been briefed on special forces operations in the most recent year for which figures are available.
Penny Mordaunt
This Government has demonstrated its commitment to our Special Forces by announcing a £2 billion programme of investment over the course of this Parliament. All military operations, including the activities of the Special Forces, are discussed and scrutinised at the highest levels of Government, including at the National Security Council. However, as it is the longstanding policy of the Government not to comment on our Special Forces, or to release information relating to them, I cannot comment on specific questions about personnel, equipment, discussions or activities in relation to these units.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many safety inspections the Health and Safety Executive carried out in the last year for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the number of such inspections the Executive will be able to make with the planned budget for 2019-20.
Justin Tomlinson
The Health and Safety Executive undertook approximately 18,000 targeted inspections in 2015/16, and will seek to maintain current levels of its core regulatory activities, including inspection, each year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martin Docherty-Hughes on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with West Dunbartonshire Council on the near collision between an unmanned drone and a passenger aircraft above Clydebank on 6 March 2016.
Mr Robert Goodwill
There is a process in place for reporting such incidents. The independent UK Airprox Board (UKAB) has a well-established and high reputation for investigating all airprox incidents effectively and to make safety recommendations which it believes are necessary. More information about this process can be found at the following link https://www.airproxboard.org.uk/Learn-more/The-Airprox-process/.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Crawley on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the protection of passenger rights in the UK.
Andrew Jones
The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for passenger rights. Until we leave, EU law still applies, so EU rules on passenger rights will continue to apply in the UK, alongside national rules.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the security of convoys transporting nuclear warheads by road.
Harriett Baldwin
All vehicles involved in the transportation of nuclear warheads are subject to a rigorous maintenance and inspection regime, carried out by highly skilled and experienced technicians. Inspections are made prior to each use, as well as six monthly safety and annual mandatory inspections.
The costs of the transportation of nuclear warheads between RNAD Coulport and AWE Burghfield are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The security of the nuclear warhead convoy was assessed by Ministry of Defence Security Advisors in September 2016 as overall ‘satisfactory’, demonstrating that ‘performance meets the required policy standard’.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether British missions in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, Italy, Greece, and other countries have received applications for family reunion and asylum in Britain; and if so, what action they have taken to respond to them.
Lord Bates
Applications for family reunion visas can be made in Visa Application Centres across the globe. There are such centres in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, Italy and Greece. Should any mission receive queries about applying for a family reunion visa the applicant will be directed to the online application process. UKVI aims to decide all family reunion visa applications within 12 weeks of submission as per it’s customer services standard.
An individual must be in the UK to claim asylum. There is no obligation on the UK to consider applications or enquiries made on behalf of people abroad about asylum in the UK and there is no provision in the Immigration Rules for someone to be given permission to travel to the UK to seek asylum.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the apprenticeship levy on employers operating in Wales whose headquarters are in England.
Nick Boles
The apprenticeship levy will apply to employers across the UK. An allowance of £15,000 means only those with a paybill exceeding £3million will have to pay it. The Government is working with the Welsh Government and other devolved administrations to ensure fair and transparent funding and, as far as possible, to develop a system for administering the levy which complements the skills and apprenticeship policies of each of the devolved administrations. We are committed to doing all we can to make the system work for employers wherever they are in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2016-01-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the effect of the HM Revenue and Customs Location Strategy on future tax revenues.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Location Programme is the result of an extended period of consultation and deliberation. The Department has taken account of a number of criteria in reaching its decisions, including the quality of local transport links, the local labour market and future workforce supply, the cost of buildings and asset value, and the need to retain the staff and skills it needs to continue its transformation. These changes will reduce HMRC’s estates costs by around £100 million a year by 2025.
HMRC’s modelling estimates that the majority of staff in Scotland live within Reasonable Daily Travel of Glasgow or Edinburgh. Reasonable Daily Travel is calculated in line with established HR policies and procedures. Every worker at HMRC will have a one-to-one meeting with their manager to discuss their individual circumstances.
HMRC conducted high level People Impact and Equality Assessments to inform its planning. The Department plans to update these once discussions have been held with its staff.
Activities of trade union representatives are governed by long-standing agreements with departments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2016-02-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment of the ethical standards of debt collection agencies his Department undertakes before entering into a contract with such agencies.
Justin Tomlinson
The Department’s policy is to recover outstanding debt whenever possible. Where a person is not in receipt of benefit and all the Department’s attempts at recovery have been unsuccessful, the overpayment will be referred to a debt collection agency. The debtor is always given an opportunity to make an agreement to pay the Department before the debt is sent to a debt collection agency to recover.
With the exception of one service provider currently being used by the Child Maintenance Group, the Department does not hold extant, direct contracts with any debt collection agencies although the nature of some of the expired contracts means that a number of collections are still being made. DWP now makes use of one main contract with Indesser. The Framework Contract is managed by Cabinet Office. Indesser manage relationships with a number of Debt Collection Agencies on behalf of all Government Customers.
Under the terms of the Framework Agreement, Indesser and its sub-contractors must comply with relevant industry and public sector standards for service delivery including those of the Credit Services Association, the Code of Practice and the Financial Conduct Authority guidelines. The standards are listed in the DMI Framework Agreement. Indesser reviews subcontractor compliance with these standards through audit and assurance activity, including responsibility for ensuring that they comply with relevant industry standards, managing their performance, and monitoring any complaints. Customer departments (i.e. DWP) in turn receive Letters of Assurance which they review to ensure standards are being achieved and the audits are effective.
The breakdown of figures you have requested is derived from operational processes and systems designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As it was not originally intended for publication, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics.
The debt collection agency costs of the Child Maintenance Group and DWP are given separately. Please note that the figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000.
The cost to the DWP of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:
|
Financial Year |
Spend |
Recoveries |
|
2009/2010 |
£1.59m |
£8.50m |
|
2010/2011 |
£1.33m |
£9.77m |
|
2011/2012 |
£2.11m |
£13.94m |
|
2012/2013 |
£1.95m |
£14.15m |
|
2013/2014 |
£2.12m |
£15.00m |
|
2014/2015 |
£2.52m |
£17.30m |
|
2015/2016* |
£1.64m |
£11.05m |
|
*to date |
||
The cost to Child Maintenance Group of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:
|
Financial Year |
Spend |
Recoveries |
|
2009/2010 |
£1.25m |
£10.20m |
|
2010/2011 |
£0.56m |
£4.68m |
|
2011/2012 |
£0.35m |
£1.35m |
|
2012/2013 |
£0.21m |
£1.71m |
|
2013/2014 |
£0.05m |
£1.21m |
|
2014/2015 |
£0.10m |
£0.86m |
|
2015/2016 to date |
£0.07m |
£0.53m |