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Category: Speeches

  • Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2016-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to enforce section 54 of the Pensions Act 2008.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Section 54 of the Pensions Act 2008 prohibits employers from taking any action for the sole or main purpose of inducing a worker to leave a workplace pension scheme.

    The Government takes potential inducement by employers very seriously. The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is responsible for all matters relating to employers’ compliance with their enrolment duties, including investigations into individual cases of potential inducement by employers.

    Through automatic enrolment we are delivering a fundamental shift in workplace pension saving that is changing the way that people are enabled to save for retirement. Already 100,668 employers have completed their declaration of compliance with the Regulator, resulting in more than 6 million eligible jobholders being automatically enrolled into a qualifying pension scheme.

    The law relating to inducements is an important safeguard for workers and the Regulator has statutory powers of investigation and enforcement it can use in appropriate circumstances. We are working with the Regulator to monitor the number and nature of possible inducement cases as the roll-out of automatic enrolment continues. That will enable us to judge whether the current legislation covering inducement, and the guidance and messaging provided by the Regulator, are operating effectively to protect employees, and whether change may be appropriate.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what reports he has received on the NHS investigation into the performance of the non-urgent transport service provided by Coperforma in Sussex; who will conduct that investigation; what the terms of reference and expected duration of that investigation are; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England advises that the High Weald Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), on behalf of all seven Sussex CCGs, has begun an enquiry on 18 April 2016 into the non-emergency Patient Transport Service (PTS) in Sussex.

    We are informed that the CCG has engaged TIAA, an independent company and a provider of assurance services to the public sector, to carry out the enquiry. This is an independent investigation into the transition and mobilisation of the PTS contract from the South East Coast Ambulance Service to Coperforma and is supported by the CCGs in Sussex, Coperforma and the South East Coast Ambulance Service. We are advised the CCG has asked for a draft final report to be available for review by June 2016 with interim progress reports.

    We are advised the following terms of reference have been agreed by South East Coast Ambulance Service, High Weald Lewes Havens CCG and Coperforma:

    ― consideration of the transition arrangements set out in such as contract specification and tender submission;

    ― the extent to which compliance with agreed handover arrangements can be evidenced;

    ― a root cause analysis of a sample of incomplete bookings;

    ― establishing the causes of poor service delivery on commencement of the new contract and whether these could have been reasonably anticipated prior to the contract commencement date;

    ― the appropriateness and timeliness of the actions taken by the CCG; and

    ― any lesson learned which could be incorporated into other future major contracts let by the CCG.

  • The Earl of Sandwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The Earl of Sandwich – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Sandwich on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which local authorities have offered places to unaccompanied refugee children from (1) Europe, and (2) Syria, and which councils other than Kent County Council have already filled their quota.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    As the Prime Minister announced on 4 May and as set out in the new Immigration Act 2016, we will work to admit unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK. The very nature of this legislation means we must take the time to consult others before bringing final proposals on how to implement this scheme.

    We will consult local authorities to establish how best to implement this commitment and the recently announced Children at Risk resettlement scheme, which is the only other resettlement to include unaccompanied children, as part of our wider discussion with them about the transfer of unaccompanied asylum seeking children who have arrived spontaneously, which is designed to relieve the pressure on authorities such as Kent. We are not proposing to ask local authorities to distinguish between which unaccompanied children they accept.

    We are determined to ensure that no local authority is asked to take more than the local structures are able to cope with. That is why we are talking to local authorities and other partners including non-governmental organsations to ensure that capacity can be identified and the impact can be managed in a fair and controlled way.

    Work has already begun and we are committed to act as quickly as we can but it is important we take the necessary time to ensure we have the capacity to resettle and support those who are resettled. We must also ensure that we fulfil our obligations to children who are already in the UK.

  • Shabana Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Shabana Mahmood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Shabana Mahmood on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of electoral registration arrangements for UK nationals abroad in (a) general and (b) Germany in advance of the EU referendum.

    Chris Skidmore

    Online registration has made the application process for overseas electors easier than ever before. Between the start of the EU referendum campaign on 18 April and the extended registration deadline on 9 June over 151,000 overseas electors submitted an application to register to vote.

    The Cabinet Office does not hold data on overseas elector applications by country.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in the Turcs and Caicos Islands on improving LGBT rights.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The British Government works closely with the Overseas Territories (OTs) on LGBT rights to ensure that all OTs meet their international human rights obligations in this area. In September, the UK Solicitor General chaired a human rights session at the annual conference of OT Attorneys General where LGBT equality was extensively discussed. The Solicitor General will co-chair a session in November with the Minister for the Overseas Territories, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns, on human rights at the Joint Ministerial Council. We expect all OT Governments to comply with their evolving international obligations in the field of human rights. Legislating in this area is for OT Governments.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken to process a Security Industry Authority licence application has been in the last year.

    Brandon Lewis

    The average time taken to process applications is unavailable in the format requested. The SIA’s new IT system (introduced in July 2016) enables more detailed performance analysis. The system shows that the average number of days for processing applications (including renewals) was 38 days in July and 30 days in August. Once fully embedded, the SIA expect that the processing time for applications will be quicker than under the old system. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) have an annual performance target to process 80% of applications (including renewals) within 25 working days. The SIA met this annual target in the 2015/16 financial year. Performance for 2016/2017 to date is included in the table below.

    Applications

    Percentage within 25 working days

    Sep-15

    11618

    89%

    Oct-15

    10799

    85%

    Nov-15

    10499

    83%

    Dec-15

    8589

    76%

    Jan-16

    9905

    80%

    Feb-16

    10597

    83%

    Mar-16

    10352

    85%

    Apr-16

    9951

    86%

    May-16

    9889

    81%

    Jun-16

    9277

    80%

    Jul-16

    6305

    46%

    Aug-16

    9208

    72%
  • Stephen Hepburn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen Hepburn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hepburn on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS doctors were employed in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2005.

    Ben Gummer

    The number of hospital and community health services doctors employed in the National Health Service for South Tyneside and the North East region since 2005 is in the attached table. The figures are taken from the NHS annual workforce statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

    Figures are only available for recognised NHS geography and therefore no information has been provided for Jarrow constituency.

    The provision of health services in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter so total figures are for England only.

  • Sheryll Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Sheryll Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheryll Murray on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what changes she proposes to introduce to the regulation of recreational sea anglers who capture sea bass for the period from 1 January to 30 June 2016.

    George Eustice

    The European Commission has issued proposals[1] on fishing opportunities to be agreed for 2016, which includes EU bass management measures for the commercial fishing and recreational sea angling sectors consisting of a moratorium on fishing for bass in the first six months, and reduced catch limits for the latter half of the year. The UK response to these proposals is being considered in advance of negotiations at the December Fisheries Council.

    The latest available assessment of the bass stock, from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, was published in June this year before the full set of EU bass management measures for 2015 was finalised in September. Its next assessment is due in June 2016.

    [1] http://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:f4d9701d-87b1-11e5-b8b7-01aa75ed71a1.0011.02/DOC_1&format=PDF

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  • Rob Marris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rob Marris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2015-12-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent members of staff were employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2005.

    Mr David Gauke

    The number of full-time equivalent members of staff employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2005 is shown in the following table.

    Year

    Full-time equivalent staff in post

    April 2005

    97,073.36

    April 2006

    92,888.45

    April 2007

    88,935.55

    April 2008

    83,827.84

    April 2009

    81,159.89

    April 2010

    70,699.64

    April 2011

    66,880.89

    April 2012

    66,466.00

    April 2013

    64,476.36

    April 2014

    61,370.12

    April 2015

    57,138.24
  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total crew complement by rank and specialisation was of each of the Royal Navy’s (a) Type 45 Destroyers and (b) Type 23 Frigates on their most recent deployment.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Ships’ and submarines’ complements are not fixed; they vary, even across a Class, due to equipment fits and in response to specific tasking.

    The table below shows the average number of liability positions for each ship when in their normal operating role.

    Complements of Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers and Type 23 frigates by branch and rank

    Type 45 Destroyers

    Type 23 Frigates

    Number of Positions

    Warfare and Exec Department

    Commander

    1

    1

    Lieutenant Commander

    3

    3

    Lieutenant

    8

    5

    Warrant Officer

    1

    1

    Chief Petty Officer

    3

    3

    Petty Officer

    12

    8

    Leading Hand

    21

    19

    Able Rate

    32

    28

    Engineering Department

    Lieutenant Commander

    2

    2

    Lieutenant

    3

    2

    Warrant Officer

    3

    2

    Chief Petty Officer

    9

    7

    Petty Officer

    15

    15

    Leading Hand

    17

    17

    Able Rate

    33

    31

    Logistics Department

    Lieutenant Commander

    1

    1

    Lieutenant

    1

    1

    Chief Petty Officer

    1

    1

    Petty Officer

    3

    3

    Leading Hand

    10

    10

    Able Rate

    13

    12

    Medical Department

    Petty Officer

    1

    0

    Leading Hand

    0

    1

    Able Rate

    1

    1

    TOTAL

    194

    174

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