Category: Speeches

  • Nicholas Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nicholas Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether people classed as homeless will be defined as vulnerable under the proposed mechanism within universal credit to pay housing benefit directly to landlords.

    Steve Webb

    We do not want to automatically label any claimant as financially incapable. Alternative payment arrangements (including payments to landlords) are assessed on their individual merits. The nature of the accommodation status of a claimant is one of a number of factors to be considered when assessing the necessity for an alternative payment arrangement, and this is set out in the operating guidance we published in February last year.

  • Tessa Munt – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tessa Munt – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tessa Munt on 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2014, Official Report, column 61W, on radiotherapy, what reports he has received of the reasons NHS England has paid for gamma knife treatment at University College Hospital London for a patient referred there from Plymouth Derriford Hospital by James Palmer, NHS England’s Clinical Director of Specialised Commissioning.

    Jane Ellison

    For reasons of patient confidentiality, it is not possible to comment explicitly on either case referred to. However, any primary care trust authorisations made for the gamma knife prior to 1 April 2013 were honoured by NHS England and the invoice associated with the agreed work was paid. University College London Hospitals (UCLH) were required to forward any referrals made after 1 April 2013 to NHS England, along the prescribed pathway, in accordance with the contract between the two. No invoices for work carried out by Queen’s Square Radiotherapy Centre at its own risk on behalf of UCLH have been paid by NHS England for referrals after 1 April 2013.

  • – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the United Kingdom Ambassador to North Korea has raised with the authorities there the terms of the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution (A/HRC/25/L.17) condemning long-standing and ongoing systematic

    Baroness Warsi

    We regularly raise concerns about the appalling human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic
    of Korea (DPRK) during our meetings with the DPRK authorities. We have raised the Commission of Inquiry report and will be raising the UN Human Rights Council Resolution (UNHRC) in our next meetings. The UK played a key role in ensuring a strong Resolution and will continue to work with partners to ensure the matter remains in the spotlight. It is unfortunate that some UNHRC members chose to either abstain or vote against the Resolution and, as we made clear in the UK statement at the time of the vote, we consider that doing so was a failure in their responsibility to help resolve the crisis and improve the lives of the North Korean people. Nevertheless, the resolution was passed with a significant majority and provides a solid platform for ongoing work in this area, not least through increased support for the Special Rapporteur. We are pleased that it includes a provision encouraging all states who have relations with the DPRK to use their influence to encourage the DPRK to take immediate steps to end all human rights violations. In our bilateral contacts with these states we will be encouraging them to act in accordance with this provision.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what target she has set for the time in which applicants should receive a call back from the Passport Office when making enquiries about applications.

    James Brokenshire

    Her Majesty’s Passport Office’s current guideline for returning calls is to do so within 48 hours. Her Majesty’s Passport Office gives priority to those with the most immediate travel plans.

  • Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent comments by the Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, regarding who should lead the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, what consideration they have given to the consequences should the leader of one constituent authority decide to withdraw from the combined authority.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    This Government has helped these councils set up a combined authority, something that all the local leaders asked for. I understand that they are now working together to make it work.

    As I explained during the recent debates in Grand Committee on the draft Orders providing for the establishment of the combined authorities, if in the future councils decide that changes to a combined authority are in the area’s best interest – perhaps another council joining, or one leaving – and the statutory conditions have been met, the Government would seek Parliamentary approval to a new draft Order providing for the changes to take place.

    The Order allows for any local authority to change their representative member on the Combined Authority.

  • 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 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many 16 year olds claimed employment and support allowance in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

    Esther McVey

    The information as requested is shown in the table below:

    Number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants aged 16 Great Britain, 2010 – 2013

    Total

    Nov-10 1,220

    Nov-11 1,210

    Nov-12 1,120

    Nov-13 1,030

    Source: DWP Information Governance and Security Directorate 100% WPLS.

    Notes:

    1. Figures are rounded to ten.

    2. Incapacity Benefit was replaced by Employment Support Allowance (ESA) from October 2008.

  • Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Transport for London (TfL) about the use of other smart ticket systems in the TfL area; and if he will make a statement.

    Stephen Hammond

    Department for Transport officials work regularly with Transport for London (TfL) both on the national strategy for smart and integrated ticketing and on implementation in and around London. Cooperation with TfL is integral to any smart ticketing system which includes the London area, in order to ensure full integration of systems and a positive passenger experience.

    TfL will shortly have completed the delivery of the “ITSO on Prestige” project, specified and funded by the Department, which has equipped the capital with readers that can now accept the national open standard for transport ticketing (ITSO) as well as contactless bank cards. We have been working closely with them to make the most of this investment, including accepting Southern’s “The Key” card which was successfully launched at Victoria by my Noble Friend the Minister of State for Transport, Baroness Kramer, last year. Southern is also working closely with us and TfL to roll out more products progressively as the capability becomes available.

    TfL is also a key delivery partner for the South East Flexible Ticketing programme (SEFT) and has been a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding and a member of the Programme Board since the beginning. Significant work continues to be undertaken with them in order to ensure that the SEFT scheme will interoperate properly with their existing infrastructure in the London area.

  • Lord Willis of Knaresborough – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Willis of Knaresborough – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many 18–21 year olds and 22–24 year olds in England are (1) employed, (2) employed and claiming housing benefit, and (3) employed and claiming housing benefit and on an apprenticeship.

    Lord Freud

    Since May 2010, the number of out-of-work Housing Benefit claimants has fallen. Action this Government has taken is bringing the ballooning housing benefit bill under control – saving the taxpayer around £6bn by the end of this Parliament

    Housing benefit has always helped those in and out of work. The average rate of increase of housing benefit claimants in work has slowed under this Government, having increased by more than 50% in just 18 months under the last Government. And we have seen a fall in the number of housing benefit claimants in the last year.

    (1) Analysis of the Labour Force Survey for the most recent period Jan-Mar 2014 shows that:

    Of those aged 18-21 in England, around 1,567,000 are employed.

    Of those aged 22-24 in England, around 1,242,000 are employed.

    (2) (3)The information for those in work or undertaking apprenticeships, is only available for HB recipients whose claim is not passported: that is for those who do not receive the following benefits: Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance (Income-Based), Employment and Support Allowance (Income-Based), or Pension Credit (Guaranteed Credit).

    The information that shows those in work for HB recipients whose claim is not passported can be found at:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

    Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

    https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

    Those in apprenticeships are recorded as being in work and cannot be separately identified.

    The economic status of all Housing Benefit (HB) recipients is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    “

  • Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterpart on further steps to prevent benefit tourism.

    Esther McVey

    Ministers and officials are in regular dialogue with the European Commission and other Member States about the coordination of social security in the European Union. DWP Ministers and officials have met with a number of their European counterparts in recent months to discuss mutual matters of interest where reforms to the social security coordination system have been discussed.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with their European partners with regard to listing Israeli settler groups such as Hilltop Youth as terrorist groups, following the United States State Department’s description of recent settler acts of violence as terrorist incidents.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    We do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.

    A decision to proscribe an organisation must be based on a belief that it is concerned in terrorism as defined in the Terrorism Act 2000, and it must be proportionate.

    The list of proscribed terrorist organisations can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/301777/ProscribedOrganisationsApril14.pdf.

    “