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 his policy is on alternative models of compensating small businesses for sickness absence after the abolition of the percentage threshold scheme for recovering statutory sick pay.

    Mike Penning

    The Government believes that reinvesting savings from the abolition of the Percentage Threshold Scheme to establish the Health and Work Service is the most effective means of targeting public funds to tackle sickness absence. The Health and Work Service will reduce the length of sickness absence and offers a more proactive approach to sickness absence management. 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 Health and Work Service.

    We have considered an alternative approach along the lines of restricting access to a reimbursement scheme to employers with fewer than five employees. However, this was discounted because it resulted in additional burdens on employers and additional Statutory Sick Pay reimbursement costs for the state.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have applied to join the Royal Navy cadet force in each of the last five years.

    Anna Soubry

    The number of people who made a formal application to join the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Combined Cadet Force in each of the last five years is shown in the following table:

    2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
    Adult Volunteers 50 40 40 40 50
    Cadets 300 570 1140 1720 1650

    In accordance with convention these figures have been rounded.

  • Mr David Ruffley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mr David Ruffley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr David Ruffley on 2014-03-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the potential cost to the public purse of raising the income tax personal allowance for 2014-15 from £10,000, (a) £10,550, (b) £11,000, (c) £11,500, (d) £12,000, (e) £12,500 and (f) £13,000.

    David Gauke

    The cost of raising the income tax personal allowance may be approximated using the “Direct effects of illustrative tax changes” table as published on the internet at the following address:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/direct-effects-of-illustrative-tax-changes

    “

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the government of Brazil on the issue of the recent increase in the number of disappeared persons in that country.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We have regular discussions on human rights with the Brazilian government. Most recently the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Right Honourable Friend, the Member for Richmond (Yorks)(Mr Hague) raised this during his second visit to Brazil in February for the Strategic Dialogue. The UK also holds regular discussions of Human Rights and public security through the EU namely, initiatives, the Brazil- EU Human Rights Dialogue, the last of which was held on the 25th of April in Brasilia.

  • 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, what the actual and percentage change was in the number of households from each London local authority provided with temporary accommodation outside their home borough between March 2010 and December 2013.

    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 Education

    David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North dated 30 April 2014, ref 2014/0036207, on behalf of a constituent.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The hon. Member wrote to Peter Lauener, Chief Executive of the Education Funding Agency, on 30 April 2014 about admissions arrangements at Walsall Academy. He copied his letter to my Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State. Mr Lauener replied to the hon. Member on 14 May.

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

    Mike Penning

    The Department does not own any buildings. The DWP estate was sold (freehold, feuhold and long leasehold interests) or transferred (short leasehold interests) to Telereal Trillium under a 20 year PFI contract known as “PRIME” in 1998.

    Any properties that become surplus to DWP’s requirements are returned to Telereal Trillium under the PRIME contract.

    The Health and Safety Executive estimate that the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database in the current financial year is £40,143.33. However, this relates to Douglas House in Edinburgh which, strictly speaking, is not empty. There are other occupants in the property but HSE’s space held on e-PIMS is shown as vacant to attract potential tenants. As a result, the e-PIMS entry will make Douglas House appear empty.

  • Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what meetings (a) the Prime Minister and (b) officials in his Office had with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) on the pilot badger culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset in 2013; what advice he has given to the NFU on communications with the media during the commencement of the culls; and if he will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    Meetings were held with the National Farmers Union in the six months prior to the start of the pilot culls in 2013.

    There was no media blackout during the pilots. Defra and the National Farmers Union continued to make spokespeople available to talk to the media throughout the period in which culling was taking place.

    However, both the National Farmers Union and Defra were always clear that operational information that could compromise the effectiveness of the cull or the safety of those involved would not be disclosed during the operation.

  • 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 men in prison who have been victims of sexual abuse.

    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 assessment he has made of the major factors that could change the unit production cost of the Joint Strike Fighter.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Ministry of Defence has a comprehensive understanding of all major factors that effect unit production cost. These are constantly managed as part of our procurement and risk management process.