Category: Speeches

  • Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure claimants experiencing delays in their personal independence payments assessments are kept better informed of the status of their applications.

    Mike Penning

    We have taken immediate action to ensure that claimants receive all the information they need.

    This includes a number of actions:

    – SMS updates acknowledging receipt of the ”How your disability affects you” form.

    – Updated Gov.uk to include clear information.

    – Detailed information on estimated journey times.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the effect of using Wolverhampton as a redistribution centre for all mail relating to processing benefit claims, payments and appeals on (a) time taken to process and (b) the reliability of the claims process.

    Mike Penning

    DWP post opening arrangements are delivered as part of a contract for Office Services awarded to Cofely (formerly Balfour Beatty Workplace) which commenced on 1.3.07. The contract was let in line with EU procurement legislation and offers significant cost savings and efficiencies over the previous arrangements which were a mixture of third party contractors and in house teams.

    In 2013 and in partnership with Cofely, DWP has introduced a new initiative to transform DWP’s mail services. The Mail Opening, Scanning and Indexing Project will provide a single strategic service for post opening and scanning across DWP allowing our front line staff to work more efficiently and effectively whilst drastically reducing our paper consumption, storage requirements and demonstrating the Departments commitment to the Government’s digital agenda.

    As part of the overall efficiencies we have consolidated the number of MOUs from 29 sites operated by the Royal Mail Group to just 2 locations operated by Cofely, but underpinned by a new Royal Mail sorting office in Wolverhampton.

    The consolidation to 2 MOUs is currently being transformed; the Department is working with all the Providers impacted in the supply chain to optimise quality, performance and service delivery

    As with any new way of working, time is needed for processes and procedures to be bedded in and the Department continues to work closely with the supplier, regularly reviewing their performance. The Department is confident that this new way of handling inbound mail when coupled with the increase in scanning, will deliver efficiencies and a better service to our customers in the long term.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many hospital beds per head of the population there were in (1) England, (2) London and (3) Lewisham, in each year from 2008–09 to 2013–14.

    Earl Howe

    Hospital beds data per head of population are not collected centrally.

    Hospital beds data are collected for each National Health Service trust and NHS foundation trust.

    Population estimates and projections are available for local NHS commissioning bodies; primary care trusts (PCTs) up to 2011 and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) from 2012. These data can be aggregated up to larger areas such as strategic health authorities (SHAs) up to 2011 and local area teams from 2012.

    A table has been placed in the Library which shows the estimated hospital beds per 1,000 population in England and London each year from 2008-09 to 2013-14.

    It is not possible to show the hospital beds per head of population in a local commissioning body such as Lewisham, because this would be based on the assumptions that the beds in a trust are available only for the population of the local commissioning body and that this population only uses these beds. These assumptions will not reflect reality as trusts serve populations from outside their commissioning areas and patients will access services in hospitals outside their local commissioning area.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times he has met work programme providers or their representative body to discuss the progress of employment support allowance claimants since June 2011.

    Esther McVey

    The Secretary of State has not met with work programme providers or their respresentative body about the progress of employment support allowance claimants since June 2011.

  • Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what projects other than refuges for women who are the victims of sexual violence will be set up by the Home Office with the £28 million for the spending review period allocated by the Home Office for specialist domestic and sexual violence services.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    Over the spending review period the Home Office funding of £28million provides for:

    144 Independent Domestic Violence Advisers and 75 funded IDVA training places; 87 dedicated Independent Sexual Violence Advisers; 54
    Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference co-ordinators and funding to Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse to provide support and advice to MARACs, as well as running a programme of quality assurance; and £1.2 million for 3 years from 2012 to improve services for young people suffering sexual violence in major urban areas.

    The Home Office also provides over £900,000 per year to support the following free phone national helplines: the National Stalking Helpline which offers information and advice to stalking victims; the National Domestic Violence Helpline which offers support for victims of domestic violence and is run jointly by Women’s Aid and Respect; Broken Rainbow which offers help to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender victims; the Male Advice (and Enquiry) Line which offers help to male victims of domestic violence and advice to perpetrators; and RESPECT which offers information and advice to people who are abusive towards their partners and want help to stop.

    Decisions about the provision of refuge accommodation for victims of domestic abuse are a local matter and it is the responsibility of the individual local authority to identify any gaps in service provision and put in place appropriate solutions to address this. We would expect local authorities to build services based on the needs of their communities, taking account of locally available data sources.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what comparative assessment he has made of the long-term effects on the level of war pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments being uprated annually in line with (a) price inflation, (b) average earnings and (c) whichever is the higher of consumer price index price inflation, average earnings or 2.5 per cent; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    No comparative assessment of the kind suggested has been made. The aim of uprating is to protect War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments against rising prices. In line with other public sector schemes, payments through the Armed Forces pensions and compensation schemes have increased with reference to the Consumer Price Index.

  • Robin Walker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Robin Walker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robin Walker on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps are being taken to promote UK trade with Latin America in connection with the 2014 Football World Cup taking place in Brazil.

    Michael Fallon

    During the 2014 Football World Cup, the UK Trade and Investment network in Brazil will host a series of events to promote the UK as a destination for business, investment, education and tourism. The programme includes 20 events focussed on our prosperity campaigns to promote British expertise and partnership in priority areas that includes culture, energy, infrastructure, inward investment and legacy opportunities associated to the 2012 London Olympic games.

    Events will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Manaus and Belo Horizonte, the cities hosting the England team which will be supported by Prince Harry, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and my Hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Equalities.

    One of the highlights of the UK programme isthe GREAT Britain House in Sao Paulo. Specially developed for the agenda of events, the venue will be set up at the British Consulate in Sao Paulo to present the best the UK has to offer.

  • Jim Dowd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Jim Dowd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dowd on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Prime Minister, if he will list the fiduciary duties applying to Ministers.

    Mr David Cameron

    The Ministerial Code sets out the duties and responsibilities of Ministers.

  • Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Seabeck on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled.

    Andrea Leadsom

    None.

  • Ann McKechin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ann McKechin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann McKechin on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to introduce customer service training in the apprenticeship programme.

    Matthew Hancock

    An apprenticeship is a job with an accompanying skills development programme designed by employers in the sector to meet the key requirements of the job role. In many cases this will include an aspect of customer service as many jobs recognise the importance of such skills and these will be reflected in the apprenticeship framework.

    More than 400 employers are involved in the development of new apprenticeship standards as part of our Trailblazers programme. Where they see customer service skills as crucial to an occupation, they will include these within the new employer-led standards.

    For individuals in jobs that are specific customer service roles there is a dedicated Customer Service Apprenticeship available.