Category: Speeches

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many insurance fraud cases were struck out due to exaggerated or fabricated personal injury claims in the last year for which figures are available.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government is committed to turning the tide on fraudulent personal injury claims. To this end, it is considering what specific reforms might be appropriate, including whether the Law Commission should be asked to consider this issue. We will make our conclusions known in due course.

    No figures are available on the number of exaggerated or fabricated personal injury claims struck out by the courts. Figures for 2011 published by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) indicate that whiplash claims cost customers more than £2 billion a year and add £90 to the average motor insurance premium.

    The ABI describe 7% of all motor claims in 2011 – worth £441m – as fraudulent. In addition, they estimate that a further £1 billion of motor insurance fraud went undetected in 2011.

    As announced last year, we are working with stakeholders in the industry to tighten the medical evidence process so that only evidence from accredited experts can be considered, and the costs for those reports can be fixed. This will mean people can no longer profit from exaggerated or fraudulent compensation claims but victims with genuine cases can still get the help they deserve. We are introducing these reforms later in the year. We are also working to secure better data on motor accident cases, including the number of fraudulent cases.

  • Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will instruct UK Trade and Investment to issue a statement cautioning UK businesses against trade and investment in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.

    Michael Fallon

    We do not advise against trading with or investing in Western Sahara. Companies seeking UK Trade & Investment’s advice on business prospects in Western Sahara will be made aware of the travel advice, information on Overseas Business Risk, and other market conditions.

  • 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 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people of each gender were sentenced in the West Yorkshire Police Force area to immediate custody for a first offence in each year since 2008; and for which offences such people were sentenced.

    Jeremy Wright

    The sentencing framework and sentencing guidelines apply equally to all offenders. Sentencing is entirely a matter for the courts, taking account of all the circumstances of each case. This will include the seriousness of the offence, including all aggravating and mitigating factors, and a guilty plea.

    Defendants are now more likely to be convicted for committing crime and sent to prison for longer than they were a decade ago. In addition criminals convicted since 2010 are more likely to receive an immediate custodial sentence, both overall and for a first time offence.

    Table 1 shows the number of offenders given an immediate custodial sentence in the West Yorkshire Police Force Area for their first offence, by offence class and gender 2008 -2013.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 691W, on Yemen, whether his Department has undertaken any impact assessment of drone strikes in Yemen.

    Mr Mark Francois

    The Ministry of Defence has not conducted any impact assessment of kinetic strikes by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in Yemen. As my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Hugh Robertson) said on 30 January 2014 (Official Report, column 691W), UAV strikes against terrorist targets in Yemen are a matter for the Yemeni and US Governments.

  • Ms Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Ms Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she held with ministerial colleagues on the relocation of central Civil Service posts to Northern Ireland.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    I have had no such discussions with ministerial colleagues.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West of 21 March 2012, Official Report, column 705W on Atos Healthcare, on how many occasions a Jobcentre Plus decision-maker did not follow the advice of an Atos-approved healthcare professional when making a decision on the eligibility for employment and support allowance in each month since May 2010.

    Mike Penning

    The information requested is shown in the table below.

    The number of occasions where the JCP decision maker’s final decision was different to the advice given by the Atos healthcare professional – May 2010 to June 2013

    Month JCP decision differs from Atos recommendation

    May-10 900

    Jun-10 900

    Jul-10 1,100

    Aug-10 1,200

    Sep-10 1,200

    Oct-10 1,900

    Nov-10 2,600

    Dec-10 2,300

    Jan-11 2,700

    Feb-11 3,100

    Mar-11 3,700

    Apr-11 2,800

    May-11 3,100

    Jun-11 2,800

    Jul-11 2,100

    Aug-11 1,900

    Sep-11 1,600

    Oct-11 1,400

    Nov-11 1,500

    Dec-11 1,200

    Jan-12 1,800

    Feb-12 2,300

    Mar-12 2,700

    Apr-12 2,300

    May-12 2,600

    Jun-12 2,700

    Jul-12 3,200

    Aug-12 3,200

    Sep-12 3,800

    Oct-12 4,600

    Nov-12 4,700

    Dec-12 3,700

    Jan-13 4,800

    Feb-13 4,400

    Mar-13 4,000

    Apr-13 4,100

    May-13 4,900

    Jun-13 5,300

    Data sources:

    DWP’s benefit administration datasets covering new claims (starting from 27 October 2008); Atos Healthcare’s face to face assessment, ESA85 data and limited capability for work questionnaire, ESA50 data; and HMCTS’s appeals caseload data.

    Notes:

    1. These figures do not include work capability assessments completed on incapacity benefit (IB) reassessment claims.

    2. The table includes initial assessments only and the figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

  • Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of how much each local authority returned to his Department in unused discretionary housing payment funding in 2013-14.

    Steve Webb

    Local authorities are required to submit their claims for funding for Discretionary Housing Payments by 30 April following the end of the financial year.

    Until the returns have been received from each authority, we are not in a position to say how much of this funding has been unused.

    At the end of the 2012/13 year, of the £67,906,916 made available by central Government towards Discretionary Housing Payments, £12,453,471 (18.34%) was unspent.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of when the Afghanistan Air Force will be ready to function independently of US and UK support.

    Mr Mark Francois

    The Afghan Air Force (AAF) is trained in accordance with the wider International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) development strategy. ISAF envisages that the AAF will be at full operational capability with the required trained personnel, aircraft and equipment by the end of 2017.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Cabinet Office prepares any management information or reports that provide comparisons between departments; and, if so, which areas they cover.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The Cabinet Office runs a system that allows departments and arm’s length bodies to compare their performance across a full range of indicators.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people eligible to be on the most recent (a) census and (b) electoral register who were not recorded.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.