The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many civil law suits have been brought against her Department based either wholly or partially on grounds provided by the Human Rights Act 1998; how many such suits were settled out of court before a court judgment was delivered; and how much such settlements have cost the public purse since 2010.
Mr Desmond Swayne
None.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Pincher on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the costs to local authorities of (a) mixing a tonne of air pollution control residues into concrete blocks and (b) disposing of a tonne of air pollution control residues to secure hazardous waste landfill.
Rory Stewart
The derogation to allow the landfilling of air pollution control residues that are three times above normal waste acceptance criteria was originally granted because there was a lack of alternative treatment capacity at the time to either treat certain wastes to levels meeting normal waste acceptance limits, to treat the wastes via alternative treatment technologies or to recycle or recover the residues. The availability of sufficient alternative treatment capacity and the costs of that treatment are therefore the two central criteria that the government will use to decide whether or not to remove the derogation.
The Government is making an assessment of the quantity of air pollution control residues produced at energy from waste facilities to inform its decision on whether or not to remove the derogation to allow the landfilling of air pollution control residues that are three times above normal waste acceptance criteria. These figures will be available following the announcement of that decision.
The Government is making an assessment of the costs of the different forms of treatment for air pollution control residues, including their mixing into concrete blocks and their disposal to hazardous waste landfill, to inform its decision on whether or not to remove the derogation to allow the landfilling of air pollution control residues that are three times above normal waste acceptance criteria. These figures will be available following the announcement of that decision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-05-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the level of resources provided to enable those detained to meet the current test for release.
Andrew Selous
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is not able to disaggregate spending on IPP prisoners from spending on all prisoners.
Supporting IPP prisoners in progressing towards release once they have completed their tariff is a priority. In particular, there is considerable focus on getting IPP prisoners access to any accredited programmes and other interventions designed to help them reduce their risk of harm.
In December 2014, NOMS established a Progression Regime in closed conditions for IPP and life sentence prisoners who are not eligible for open conditions. This provides such prisoners with an alternative way to demonstrate reduced risk to the Parole Board.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the speed and accuracy of diagnosis for heart failure patients.
Jane Ellison
NHS England is working with key partners to ensure better co-ordination and integration of all services with the aim of delivering person-centred and coordinated care which is tailored to the needs and preferences of the individual, their carer and family.
Specifically on heart failure, NHS England is working with Health Education England to look at ways of improving the provision of and increase access to echocardiography, which is used for the diagnosis of heart failure.
NHS England has also established a best practice tariff for acute heart failure. This aims to encourage better practice in the caring for heart failure patients. In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published quality standards for acute heart failure and chronic heart failure, which can be found at:
https://www.nice.org.uk/Guidance/QS9
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs103
NHS England expects commissioners and providers to take account of quality standards in the services that are delivered to patients.
The use of natriuretic peptides in diagnosing heart failure is widely understood and pathology laboratories are used to measuring them. The NICE’s guidance on acute heart failure and chronic heart failure both cover the use of natriuretic peptides. This guidance can be found at:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg108
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg187
The NICE has also developed a commissioning toolkit for the use of natriuretic peptides assessment in primary care for suspected heart failure:
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2016 to Question 42910, on poultry: animal welfare, for what reasons the ban on conventional cages only applies to laying hens of the species gallus gallus.
George Eustice
The UK ban on conventional cages only applies to laying hens of the species Gallus gallus as the legislation implements the EU-wide ban on keeping laying hens in conventional cages in Council Directive 1999/74, which is specific to laying hens.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Cheryl Gillan on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects a permanent High Speed 2 Construction Commissioner to be appointed.
Andrew Jones
A permanent Construction Commissioner will be appointed following Royal Assent of the High Speed Rail (London to West Midlands) Bill.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on (a) temporary agency staff, (b) consultants, (c) non-payroll staff, (d) administration and (e) marketing and advertising in real terms in each year since 2010-11.
Karen Bradley
The Home Office publishes monthly spending data for temporary agency staff, consultants and non-payroll staff. This information is available online, and can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workforce-management-information-2015 >
Transparency Data was introduced by the coalition government in 2010, to enable the public to hold the Government to account, with the aim of reducing administration costs. The information available online through Transparency Data includes departmental spending on temporary staff, consultants and non-payroll staff. The previous administration did not compile or collate that information, and it is therefore not possible to provide comparative figures, or to establish what was previously spent, on the same basis.
The Home Office has reduced administration expenditure budgets by 50 per cent since 2010-11 in real terms. The Home Office is committed to a further 30 per cent reduction by 2019-20 over Spending Review 2015 period.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated cost to his Department has been of evaluating the Airports Commission’s Final Report since 1 July 2015.
Mr Robert Goodwill
We do not hold estimates of the cost of reviewing the findings and conclusions of the Airport Commission’s report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effects of confidentiality agreements between employers not paying the national minimum wage and their employees challenging that non-payment on the numbers of people coming forward to make a complaint to ACAS.
Nick Boles
Final approved answer for 2016/02785
No assessment has been made on the impact of confidentiality agreements on the identification of National Minimum Wage (NMW) non-compliance.
Confidentiality is an important protection for workers who wish to make a NMW complaint. If any worker is concerned they have not received what they are entitled to they should contact the ACAS helpline on 0300 123 1100 for free and confidential advice. HMRC follow up every complaint referred to them by Acas and compliance officers can investigate without knowledge of the complainant’s identity. In addition to complaint-led work HMRC investigate employers using third-party intelligence and risk-based targeted enforcement in sectors and areas where there is a higher risk of workers being paid below the NMW.
The Government is committed to cracking down on employers who break NMW law. Between April 2015 and November 2015 HMRC took action against over 500 businesses, identifying over £8 million for 46,000 workers. This is already the largest amount of arrears identified in any single year since the introduction of the NMW.
Building on existing reforms, the Prime Minister announced on 1 September 2015 further measures to strengthen the enforcement of the NMW including higher penalties, a dedicated HMRC team to tackle the most serious cases of wilful non-compliance and additional funding for HMRC from April 2016. We have also increased communications so that working people can access support to make complaints in confidence if needed
Table 1: NMW enquiries to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline by trade sector, 2009/10 to 2014/15.
|
Trade Sector |
2009/103 |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
|
Activities of households as employers |
20 |
20 |
40 |
20 |
20 |
10 |
|
Admin/Office work |
2,530 |
4,410 |
3,910 |
2,950 |
3,310 |
2,390 |
|
Agriculture and related activities |
140 |
100 |
120 |
100 |
110 |
100 |
|
Cleaning services |
440 |
400 |
350 |
320 |
420 |
320 |
|
Construction and related trades |
1,350 |
1,290 |
1,050 |
760 |
1,010 |
810 |
|
Education and teaching |
270 |
370 |
350 |
300 |
540 |
450 |
|
Food processing and packaging |
90 |
40 |
50 |
20 |
30 |
30 |
|
Hairdressing |
1,670 |
1,520 |
1,360 |
930 |
1,040 |
730 |
|
Health, social work and child care |
1,590 |
1,750 |
1,590 |
1,430 |
2,090 |
1,930 |
|
Hospitality |
1,880 |
1,580 |
1,560 |
1,400 |
1,780 |
1,340 |
|
Information technology and communication |
150 |
170 |
180 |
120 |
240 |
150 |
|
Modelling, entertainment, recreation |
90 |
90 |
110 |
80 |
160 |
50 |
|
Other manufacturing |
240 |
200 |
150 |
140 |
140 |
120 |
|
Security services |
240 |
170 |
140 |
120 |
150 |
110 |
|
Shellfish gathering |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
– |
|
Taxi/minicab services |
60 |
40 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
20 |
|
Textiles |
30 |
10 |
20 |
20 |
80 |
30 |
|
Training Provider |
– |
– |
– |
– |
70 |
70 |
|
Transport (other than Taxi/mini-cab) |
350 |
380 |
280 |
270 |
440 |
260 |
|
Warehousing, storage and distribution |
490 |
440 |
420 |
340 |
360 |
310 |
|
Wholesale and retail trade |
1,580 |
1,560 |
1,550 |
1,150 |
1,470 |
930 |
|
Other |
4,980 |
3,880 |
2,590 |
1,980 |
2,780 |
2,210 |
|
Not Known |
3,580 |
2,190 |
5,020 |
5,350 |
5,210 |
7,180 |
|
Total |
21,700 |
20,600 |
20,900 |
17,800 |
21,500 |
19,500 |
Source: Pay and Workers Rights Helpline and the Acas Helpline
Notes:
Since the 1st April 2015, the Acas Helpline has, in addition to its usual services, been answering queries previously handled by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline.
Provisional in-year data for 2015/16 show there have been 9,800 queries relating to NMW legislation to the Acas Helpline and 3,700 queries relating to non-payment/deductions from NMW. Information on the number of NMW enquiries by trade sector is not collected on a comparable basis as Acas do not ask callers to disclose information about the sector worked in. Therefore, Acas only record this information when a caller chooses to provide it.
Table 1: The number of NMW related calls received by Acas, 2011/12 to 2015/16.
|
Query topic |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
2015/164 |
|
NMW |
4,400 |
3,800 |
3,800 |
4,400 |
9,800 |
|
Non-Payment/Deductions from NMW |
2,000 |
2,500 |
2,900 |
3,100 |
3,700 |
Source: Acas
Notes
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with (a) NOMS and (b) the Prison Officers Association on evidence submitted to the Prison Service Pay Review Body on rates of pay for prison officers.
Andrew Selous
Each year the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) considers evidence from both NOMS and remit group trade unions (PCS, the POA and the PGA), then makes pay recommendations which are independent of all parties as well as wider Government. I have met with NOMS officials and POA officials separately and together on a number of occasions.