Category: Speeches

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-03-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on the ability of small businesses to manage sickness absence of abolishing the Percentage Threshold Scheme for recovering statutory sick pay.

    Mike Penning

    The SSP Percentage Threshold Scheme compensates employers with high levels of sickness absence but an independent review of sickness absence[1] found it does nothing to tackle the causes of absence. As a result, the Government accepted a recommendation in the Review to abolish the Percentage Threshold Scheme. The Government also accepted a recommendation to establish a Service (now known as the Health and Work Service) to offer specialist occupational health assessment and advice to employers, employees and GPs. The Service is designed to reduce the costs of sickness absence for employers by addressing the obstacles preventing a return to work, and supporting employees back to work as quickly as appropriate. It will be funded from the savings made from the abolition of the PTS and will provide a more proactive way to manage sickness absence.

    Small businesses are least likely to have access to occupational health services, and will benefit from having access to occupational health assessments and advice through the HWS.

    [1] Black, C. and Frost, D (2011) Health at work – and independent review of sickness absence.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to encourage insurance companies to set travel insurance premiums for the elderly based on their state of health rather than their age.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Insurers take into account a range of different factors when considering risk and decisions concerning the pricing of insurance products are a commercial matter for individual insurers. The Government does not seek to intervene in these decisions.

    The insurance industry recognises that older people can face difficulties finding appropriate travel insurance and in 2012 signed an agreement, endorsed by the Government, to re-direct older customers to an alternative insurer or to a specialist insurance broker where they cannot provide insurance themselves.

  • Mr Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mr Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Chuka Umunna on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of teachers teaching in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) London, (d) Lambeth and (e) Streatham parliamentary constituency have undertook specialist training on educational provision for children and young people on the autism spectrum in each of the last five years.

    Edward Timpson

    These figures are not collected centrally. Schools make their own decisions on what training their staffs need to support their pupils based on the individual circumstances of the school.

    The Department for Education funds the Autism Education Trust (AET) to provide tiered training on autism: basic awareness training for teaching and non-teaching staff at level 1; practical knowledge and hands-on tools and techniques for all staff working directly with children and young people with autistic spectrum disorders at level 2; and level 3 training for those seeking more advanced knowledge and those pursuing a training role, such as lead practitioners in autism and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators. Between 2011 and 2013 the AET received grant funding to provide training to schools and from 2013 to 2015 is receiving funding under contract to provide training to early years providers, schools and further education colleges.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he or officials of his Department have had on the effects of digestion of sycamore tree seeds on horses; and what estimate he has made of the number of horses that have died as a result of ingesting such seeds.

    George Eustice

    Digestion of sycamore seeds can cause equine atypical myopathy. However, like many other equine illnesses, such as strangles and equine influenza, this is not a notifiable disease so there has been no need for active government intervention.

    Defra works closely with the Animal Health Trust (AHT) and the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) in identifying cases of this emerging condition in the British equine population. This includes monitoring scientific developments and inclusion of data in the joint Defra/AHT/BEVA Equine Quarterly Disease Surveillance Report published on the AHT’s website.

    This type of surveillance and communication enables private veterinarians to advise horse keepers to avoid pasture containing sycamore trees during high risk periods and to provide additional forage on fields where grazing is poor. This should be sufficient to mitigate against this illness. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep in touch with the equine veterinary profession to be aware of developments.

  • Ms Karen Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ms Karen Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Karen Buck on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many households have been placed in temporary accommodation in each London local authority by councils other than their own since March 2010.

    Kris Hopkins

    [Holding Reply: Monday 17 March 2014]

    I refer the hon. Member to my answer to her of 19 December 2013, Official Report, Column 713W.

  • David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Winnick on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will arrange for replies to be sent to the hon. Member for Walsall North to his letters to (a) the Chief Operating Officer, Pension, Disability and Carers Service of 7 April and 7 May; and if he will arrange for a substantive reply to be sent to that hon. Member to his letter to the Chief Executive, Capita-PIP ref PIP100 34851/101 of 7 April 2014 on behalf of a constituent.

    Mike Penning

    A reply to all of the issues that you raised in both of your letters will be sent to you by one of our Directors by 13 June 2014.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance he has issued on the requirement to have £16,000 or less in savings for eligibility for income-based jobseeker’s allowance.

    Esther McVey

    For Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), guidance on the requirement to have £16000 or less in capital and savings is in the JSA procedural guidance. Corresponding guidance for Decision Makers is in the Decision Makers Guide, chapter 29.

    Public facing communications are available via the:

    · Government website www.gov.uk;

    · information leaflet INF4: changes you must tell us about; and

    · Jobseeker’s Allowance: help while you look for work leaflet.

    There has always been a level above which income-based JSA was not payable if savings were held since 1996.

    “

  • Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many marriages were reported to the Home Office as suspicious or sham in each year since 2009.

    Karen Bradley

    Sections 24 and 24A of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 place a duty on
    registration officers to submit a report to the Home Office where they have
    reasonable grounds to suspect that a marriage or civil partnership is a sham
    being entered into for immigration purposes. Table 1 shows the
    number of section 24/24A reports received in each year since 2009. Same sex
    marriages only came into effect this year there is therefore no data relating
    to this period, or for civil partnerships before 2011.

    The Home Office Intelligence Management System (IMS) records allegations from
    the public regarding immigration-related offences. Since 30 September 2012 we
    have recorded the following numbers of reports relating to sham marriage as set
    out in Table 2.
    These figures relate to reports identified by the public as possible sham
    marriage.

    Table 1

    Year

    Number of section 24/24A reports

    Of which refer civil partnerships

    2009

    561

    2010

    934

    2011

    1,741

    28

    2012

    1,891

    28

    2013

    2135

    25

    Table 2

    Year

    Number of reports relating to sham marriage recorded on IMS

    2012 (from 30 September)

    984

    2013

    6909

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department collects on the number of (a) men and (b) women in prison who had alcohol-related issues prior to conviction.

    Jeremy Wright

    Prisoners are assessed on entry to prison for addiction problems and there is a package of support available to them. The MoJ’s Transforming Rehabilitation programme will provide individual support to all released prisoners. This will include identifying risks and needs for individual ex-prisoners, and providing services to address them.

    The Ministry of Justice does not collect these data centrally on a regular basis. However, a survey of 1,435 adult prisoners sentenced to between one month and four years in 2005 and 2006 (Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction – SPCR) provides self-reported estimates for each question.

    The full reports can be accessed on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/surveying-prisoner-crime-reduction-spcr

    “

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total amount is of the financial risk provision within the Joint Strike Fighter programme budget.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The financial risk provision within the UK Joint Strike Fighter Programme has been calculated in line with Ministry of Defence policy. The Department does not publish its financial risk provision as to do so could undermine its commercial position.