Category: Speeches

  • Anne Main – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Anne Main – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much local authorities in (a) St Albans, (b) Hertfordshire, (c) the East of England and (d) the UK have returned to his Department in unused discretionary housing payment funding since 2011; and what steps he is taking to ensure that such funds are targeted towards those most in need.

    Esther McVey

    The Department has responsibility for the funding of Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in Great Britain, but not the UK. The table below shows the amounts of unused DHPs returned to the Department since 2011 for the respective areas. The figures for 2013/14 will be available in due course once the information has been collated from local authorities.

    Local Authority Area

    Under Spend since 2011

    St Albans

    £18,717

    Hertfordshire

    £72,108

    Eastern England

    £1,494,137

    Great Britain

    £20,982,679

    The Department provides local authorities with a guidance manual and good practice guide to aide them in the administration of the DHP scheme. This has recently been updated following informal consultation with stakeholder groups and local authority practitioners. The new guidance encourages councils to make longer term awards where appropriate to those with ongoing needs.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    Dan Rogerson

    The data in the table relates to staff in core Defra only.

    Financial Year

    Percentage of staff subject to formal disciplinary proceedings who have not declared their ethnicity

    Percentage of staff subject to formal disciplinary proceedings who have declared themselves to be white British

    2009-10

    33%

    67%

    2010-11

    75%

    25%

    2011-12

    33%

    67%

    2012-13

    17%

    67%

    2013-14

    25%

    67%

    Employees declare their ethnicity and national identity on a voluntary basis.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what incentives were (a) offered to (b) accepted by priority investors in relation to Royal Mail privatisation.

    Michael Fallon

    No incentives were offered to priority investors.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what proportion of staff within the House of Commons Commission who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    John Thurso

    The breakdown of staff who classed themselves as white British and who were dismissed following formal disciplinary procedures addressing poor performance, unsatisfactory attendance or misconduct is as follows:

    2009/10 – 0%
    2010/11 – 100%
    2011/12 – 80%
    2012/13 – 0%
    2013/14 – 25%

    Over the five years as a whole there were 15 such dismissals of which eight described themselves as White and British. In a further four cases the ethnic background was unknown or not stated and the nationality was unknown or not stated in three cases.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many business rates appeals to the Valuation Office Agency are currently classified as (a) outstanding, (b) received and (c) cleared, by region; and what the current median time taken in days is to clear business rates challenges in each region.

    Mr David Gauke

    Table 1 shows the latest available statistics on proposals (appeals), by region, to amend the 2010 rating lists. The numbers provided cover England and Wales for the duration of the 2010 rating list as of 30 September 2013.

    Table 1: Proposals to amend the 2010 Rating Lists

    Region

    Total Received1,2

    1 Apr 10 to 30 Sept 13

    Total Cleared1,2

    1 Apr 10 to 30 Sept 13

    Total Outstanding1,2 at 30 Sep 13

    Median time to clear (days)

    30 Sept 13

    England and Wales

    572,780

    409,680

    163,100

    360

    England

    544,550

    388,850

    155,700

    360

    North East

    23,030

    17,370

    5,660

    360

    North West

    79,090

    58,620

    20,470

    370

    Yorkshire and the Humber

    52,920

    41,150

    11,770

    330

    East Midlands

    34,530

    26,520

    8,010

    300

    West Midlands

    53,310

    40,540

    12,770

    320

    East

    53,340

    37,530

    15,820

    380

    London

    119,130

    71,540

    47,590

    400

    South East

    77,700

    56,440

    21,260

    380

    South West

    51,500

    39,150

    12,350

    350

    Wales

    28,230

    20,830

    7,400

    360

    1 Figures may not sum to the totals due to the rounding of figures.

    2 VOA Official Statistics, Local Rating Lists: Business Rates

    (Experimental Statistics): Table As, November 2013

    http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/_downloads/xls/NDR_TableA_All_2010.xls

    “

  • Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment he has made of the average waiting time for claimants of the personal independence payment who require a home consultation in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the UK.

    Mike Penning

    The information you have requested is not currently available.     

  • John Healey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Healey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library the model and detailed methodology used for the forecast of the effects of affordable rent on housing benefit expenditure published by his Department in the document, Impact Assessment for Affordable Rent, in June 2011.

    Kris Hopkins

    The Affordable Rent Impact Assessment, published in June 2011, sets out the methodology and assumptions used at the time to model the expected impact of Affordable Rent on Housing Benefit expenditure. The Impact Assessment is published here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6021/1918816.pdf

    “

  • Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2014-06-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to tackle employment discrimination amongst transgender people.

    Baroness Northover

    The Government is strongly committed to advancing equality for transgender people and ending discrimination in the workplace. The Equality Act 2010 provides protection from discrimination because of gender reassignment in employment.

    In March 2011 the Government published Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality: Moving Forward; and in December 2011 Advancing transgender equality: a plan for action both of which set out the actions to be taken across Government to enhance equality for transgendered individuals. Actions included the Department for Work and Pensions and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs improving the experiences of transgender people seeking work. These include providing employers with help on employing transgender people and ensuring training is available to Jobcentre Plus staff on the specific challenges faced by transgender people.

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

    Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department takes to support parents whose children attend a school in special measures; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The Government is clear that the best way forward for any school judged inadequate by Ofsted is for it to become an academy with the support of a strong sponsor. We consider that sponsored academy arrangements will safeguard the long-term future of such schools and will secure rapid and sustained improvement, which should reassure parents.

  • Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2014-06-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to allow colleges to provide free meals transactions on individual student smart cards.

    Lord Nash

    We published guidance for further education funded institutions, including colleges, on 16 April setting out full details of the requirement on institutions to provide free meals to their disadvantaged 16- to 18-year-old students from September 2014.

    Exactly how those requirements are met is for individual institutions to determine, and will depend on current practices and systems already in place. Institutions have the flexibility to be able to provide either a meal or a voucher or credit for the student to exchange for a meal. Smart cards would be an ideal way to make such provision.