Category: Speeches

Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-27.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the number of workers who would be affected if the exit payments cap for public sector workers was set at any other amount than £95,000.

Greg Hands

At the 2015 Spending Review the Government announced it will consult on further cross public sector action on exit payment terms. This consultation will provide a good opportunity to collect further information on the trends in the level of exit payments between the private and public sector.

Exit payment terms vary significantly across the private sector, and there will be examples of terms that match or even exceed those in the public sector. However, the Government has seen no evidence that redundancy terms such as employer-funded early retirement, which are widely available across the public sector and often cost employers tens, or even hundreds of thousands of pounds per person, are replicated to anything like the same extent in the private sector.

The precise number of those affected by the public sector exit payment cap will depend on the number and type of exits in coming years.

However, as the average cost of an exit in the public sector in recent years has been around £25,000 the vast majority of exits are below the level of the cap. For example, less than 2% of recent exits in local government were above the level of the cap.

01/01/2023
Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-02-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for financial system resilience of the Prudential Regulation Authority’s proposed rules on ringfencing; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin

The Government is confident that the Prudential Regulation Authority’s proposed rules on ring-fencing are beneficial for financial system resilience. These are fully consistent with the Banking Reform Act (2013), and are necessary to ensure the full and timely implementation of the legislation.

01/01/2023
Baroness Garden of Frognal – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Garden of Frognal on 2016-03-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proposal in the report from the charity Sense, Making the case for play, that play be instated as part of the ministerial brief for the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare.

Lord Nash

I refer my Rt Hon. Friend to the answer given on 8 March to PQ 29735, which I have also set out below:

The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning. The importance of play is already recognised within the early years legislation covered by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education’s portfolio.

Play is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework and states: “Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.”

Staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department. However, it is the responsibility of early years settings to provide play opportunities for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.

Ofsted registers childcare provision on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register and conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards.

In judging the quality and standards of early years provision, Ofsted inspectors must assess the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have special educational needs or disabilities. At August 2015, 85 per cent of providers on the Early Years Register were rated good or outstanding for overall effectiveness. This is an increase of 11 percentage points since 2012.

01/01/2023
Eilidh Whiteford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants have been awarded employment and support allowance (ESA) under regulation (a) 29 and (b) 35 of the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2008; and how many such claimants were originally in the ESA support group.

Priti Patel

Information on the outcomes of initial Employment and Support Allowance claims awarded under regulation 35 of the ESA Regulations 2008 can be found in Table 5 of the published statistics:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-claims-made-to-jun-2015-and-appeals-to-dec-2015.

The rest of the information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

“

01/01/2023
Hywel Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on (a) the mass arrest of members of the Baha’i community in Golestan province, Iran and (b) the length of their sentence of imprisonment.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have had no specific reporting nor have we made representations on behalf of the group mentioned. However, we consistently raise our concerns about the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran with the Iranian Government. We call on Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion to all Iranians.

01/01/2023
Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of differential rates of apprenticeship completion by sector; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Halfon

Apprenticeship achievement rates by sector subject area vary from 60.4% (Science and Maths) to 78.9% (Information and Communication Technology). With the exceptions of Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care, Arts, Media and Publishing and Science and Mathematics, the achievement rate for all Sector Subject Areas increased between the 2013/14 and 2014/15 academic years.

Our reforms are improving the quality of all apprenticeships. We have insisted that they must all be paid jobs with substantial training, develop transferable skills and have a minimum 12 months’ duration. Ensuring that, at the end of their apprenticeship, apprentices have transferable skills and can progress their career will all help encourage people to complete their apprenticeship.

01/01/2023
Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2016 to Question 45944, on Department for Exiting the European Union: Staff, how many offers of pro bono support from consultancy firms his Department has (a) been offered and (b) taken up.

Mr Robin Walker

The Department for Exiting the European Union has received a significant number of offers of support from individuals and businesses. To date, the department has utilised the services of seven consultancy firms on a pro bono or nominal (£1) basis.

01/01/2023

Douglas Chapman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the costs of infrastructure improvements at RAF Waddington were in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Mark Lancaster

The costs of infrastructure improvements at RAF Waddington in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15 are shown in the following table:

Financial Year	Grand Total
2010-11	£1,494,929.99
2011-12	£2,794,486.46
2012-13	£2,503,485.61
2013-14	£1,044,565.26
2014-15	£18,857,704.44
Grand Total	£26,695,171.76

The significant increase in Financial Year 2014-15 is due to the Waddington boiler replacement work, the upgrade of Single Living Accommodation, and the start of the construction phases of the reconstruction and resurfacing of the runway and hangar refurbishments.

01/01/2023

Karen Buck – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Buck on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2015 to Question 228147, by when his Department plans to complete its detailed consideration of the policy and processes for validating the arrears accrued on all existing Child Support Agency cases, including arrears accrued from Interim Maintenance Assessments; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that the final policy and processes arising from that consideration and the timetable for implementation are fully transparent.

Priti Patel

As part of the case closure process expected to run until 2017, all existing Child Support Agency (1993/2003) cases with outstanding arrears will go through a series of checks to validate their arrears balance.

We have already started closing Child Support Agency cases by segments based on case characteristics, prioritising those with on-going liability before closing arrears only cases.

Where the arrears balance has been validated and the receiving parent has not indicated that they want their arrears written off, the stable balance will then be transferred to the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme. Our approach to other historical debt, including Interim Maintenance Assessments remains under consideration.

01/01/2023
Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on his Department’s South East Flexible Ticketing programme.

Claire Perry

Smart ticketing was taken forward by the Coalition Government after 2010. The South East Flexible Ticketing (SEFT) programme is proceeding with contractual obligations for five train operators who run commuter services into London – Abellio Greater Anglia, c2c, Govia Thameslink Railway, Southeastern and South West Trains. Together, these five train operators cover 73% of the annual season ticket market. We are discussing with the Rail Delivery Group and the remaining train operators the best and quickest way to deliver smart and more flexible ticketing for commuters in the south east and across all of England.

01/01/2023