Category: Speeches

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many completed inspections were carried out by HM Revenue and Customs as part of its duty to enforce minimum wage legislation in 2014-15.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker.

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforces the national minimum wage (NMW) legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It does so by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, and carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.

    I refer the honourable member to the answer provided at UIN 28587 for information on recovery of arrears and on the number of incidences of non-compliance on 26 November 2015.

    In 2014/15, HMRC issued financial penalties on 735 employers totalling £934,660 for non-compliance with NMW legislation.

    In 2014/15, HMRC completed 2,204 investigations as part of its duty to enforce minimum wage legislation.

    Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should contact Acas on 0300 123 1100. HMRC reviews every complaint that Acas refer to it but these may not always lead to an investigation. In 2014/15, HMRC received 2489 worker complaints via the helpline.

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Ruth Smeeth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he intends to publish the responses to his Department’s call for evidence on the National Lottery and raising funds for good causes, launched in December 2014.

    David Evennett

    The responses to the Government’s Call for Evidence on the National Lottery, society lotteries and competing gambling products in raising funds for good causes will be published, excepting those that are commercially sensitive, in due course.

    The Gambling Commission is also providing advice to Government on society lotteries in response to the CMS Select Committee report and we understand they will make this public in due course.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance NHS England provides for prescribing therapeutic support for children in care; and what funding is available within the Government’s mental health budget for the provision of such support.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England is not responsible for providing guidance on prescribing and treatment of therapeutic support for children in care, this is the role of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

    The Government is committed to making the full £1.4 billion investment available over the course of this Parliament to improve mental health services for children and young people.

    In line with NHS England’s guidance to support the development of Local Transformation Plans (LTPs) for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing all clinical commissioning groups have produced plans that have now been assured and funding allocated for implementation. These LTPs required all key partners to agree locally how best to meet the mental health needs of children and young people in their local populations and should cover the whole spectrum of need, which includes improving access to mental health services for vulnerable groups such as children in care, so that they can receive high quality mental health care when they need it.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department’s South East Flexible Ticketing programme’s Strategic Business Case was completed; and if he will place a copy of that document in the Library.

    Claire Perry

    The South East Flexible Ticketing Programme’s Strategic Business Case was approved by the Rail Investment Board on 24th June 2014 and subsequently confirmed by Her Majesty’s Treasury on 22nd July that same year. The release of this document into the public domain could prejudice current policy making so it will not be placed into the Library at this stage.

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what contribution his Department is making to Government steps to reduce the incidence of serious youth violence.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    This Government is committed to reducing youth violence. On 13 January 2016 the Home Office published the new Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation approach. This has a twin focus concerned with both reducing violence and protecting vulnerable individuals from exploitation by gangs, and how the Home Office want to work with national and local partners to respond to this.

    The Home Office’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, published on 23 March 2016, sets out a range of measures they are taking, including working with the police and industry to ensure there are effective controls on the sales of knives, particularly to under-18s. The Home Office has agreed a set of principles with major retailers and the British Retail Consortium to prevent the underage sale of knives and to ensure knives are displayed safely.

    Government is also supporting police action taken against knife crime. Most recently, in February 2016, the Home Office supported thirteen police forces who undertook coordinated action against knife crime. This involved targeting habitual knife carriers, weapon sweeps, test purchases of knives from identified retailers, and use of surrender bins.

    In addition, DCMS launched the Sport Strategy in December 2015, which sets out how sport can play a role in inclusivity and giving everyone the best chance in life.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what role his Department has played in the negotiation of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP); and what negotiations on TTIP he has attended as a representative of the Government.

    Anna Soubry

    The European Commission conducts trade negotiations – including the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – on behalf of the EU and its Member States. In the UK, the Department, for Business, Innovation and Skills has the lead policy responsibility for TTIP. Ministers and officials are in regular formal and informal contact with officials from the European Commission, EU Member States and US, as we work to secure an agreement that benefits UK businesses, workers and consumers. This includes discussions with negotiators, legislators, administrations, and various other stakeholders from the EU and US.

  • Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how frequently the funding caps on apprenticeship standards and frameworks will be reviewed.

    Nick Boles

    Provisional funding bands will be published in June 2016, and finalised in October 2016. The Institute for Apprenticeships will play a role in reviewing them once it is operational. The frequency of this will be agreed at that point.

  • Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the government of India encouraging it to (1) ratify the UN Convention against  Torture and its optional protocols; and (2) permit a visit  to India, including Jammu and Kashmir, by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK engages on human rights matters with India, both bilaterally and through the EU-India Human Rights dialogue. We continue to call on the Indian government to expedite the ratification of the UN Convention Against Torture and its Optional Protocol, and adopt robust domestic legislation to this effect. The UK made a specific recommendation on this issue during India’s Universal Periodic Review in May 2012. The EU Delegation in Delhi has also hosted a number of events on the importance of ratifying the Convention.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister’s letter of 10 November 2015 to the President of the European Council, whether the Government has conducted (a) an environmental impact assessment, (b) a sustainability assessment and (c) a carbon emissions assessment of his proposals for a new settlement for the UK in a reformed EU.

    George Eustice

    The Prime Minister has written to the President of the European Council setting out the areas where he is seeking reforms to address the concerns of the British people over our membership of the EU. As the Prime Minister said in his letter, reform in these areas would address the UK’s concerns and provide a fresh and lasting settlement for our membership of the European Union.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions a special adviser in his Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

    Brandon Lewis

    Special Advisers have not undertaken any overseas trips with Ministers since May 2015.