Category: Speeches

  • Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he next plans to meet the Ukranian Foreign Minister; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) is in regular contact with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andriy Deshchytsia. He met him most recently on 31 March, in the margins of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Foreign Ministers’ meeting. The Government will continue to maintain regular contact with the government of Ukraine at all levels, to support their efforts to deal with the serious economic, political and security challenges that they are facing.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

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

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

    Andrea Leadsom

    In common with other government departments the Treasury has diversity targets for its workforce (gender, ethnicity and disability), monitors progress and implements diversity initiatives where appropriate.

    HM Treasury diversity targets for its Senior Civil Service (SCS)

    Group

    Target

    Women

    42 %

    BME

    5%

    Disability

    5%

    HM Treasury’s diversity targets for its employees below the SCS

    Group

    Target

    Women Range E

    50%

    Women Range D

    50%

    BME Range E

    14%

    BME Range D

    18%

    Disability Range E

    6%

    Disability Range D

    8%

    On progress against the targets the Treasury publishes information on the proportion of its employees by gender, ethnicity and disability by each Civil Service pay scale. The most recent information, March 2013, is in HM Treasury’s Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13, page 43, available on the Treasury’s external website.

    The March 2014 data will be published in the Annual Report and Accounts 2014 in due course

  • Seema Malhotra – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Seema Malhotra – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the statement of 5 July 2013, Official Report, column 74WS, on the Azelle Rodney Inquiry, and with reference to the report of the Azelle Rodney Public Inquiry, what assessment she has made of the responses of the Metropolitan Police Service and the Independent Police Complaints Commission to the Inquiry’s findings and recommendations; and if she will make a statement.

    Damian Green

    The recommendations made in the Azelle Rodney Inquiry report have been
    considered fully by the Metropolitan Police Service and the IPCC and, as
    appropriate, are being taken forward by each organisation.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

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

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what proportion of staff within his Office who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    Mr Nick Clegg

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by My Rt Hon Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office today.

  • Alison McGovern – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Alison McGovern – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of former jobseeker’s allowance claimants moving into work from the Work Programme in the Merseyside, Halton, Cumbria and Lancashire contract area started work on (a) a full-time, (b) a part-time, (c) a zero hours and (d) an apprenticeship contract.

    Esther McVey

    The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics suggest that most job opportunities being created in the recovery are full-time and permanent. The number of people in work has risen by more than 450,000 in the last year. Within this full-time employment has risen by 430,000 and part-time employment by 29,000, while the number of people in temporary jobs has fallen, meaning the vast majority of the rise is full-time and permanent jobs.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

    Mr David Lidington

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 434W.

  • 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, how many apprentices aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) between 19 and 24 and (c) 25 years or over are employed at the Competition and Markets Authority.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Competition and Markets Authority employs no apprentices at this time.

    As a supporter of apprenticeships, the Government launched the first Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme in 2013.

    As at September 2013, the most recent date for which figures are available, the Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme had 100 18-21 year old apprentices employed in permanent posts across government on the 2-year scheme.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what targets her Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

    Mr Alan Duncan

    DFID has aligned with the Civil Service-wide diversity targets for levels of representation in the Senior Civil Service (SCS). These targets are:

    · 39% of the SCS to be women – DFID has achieved this target as 39% of our SCS are women.

    · 34% of top management posts (Director and above) to be held by women DFID has exceeded this target as 42% of such posts are held by women.

    · 5% of the Senior Civil Service to be minority ethnic staff – DFID has exceeded this target as 7% of our SCS are minority ethnic.

    · 5% of the Senior Civil Service to be disabled people – DFID has exceeded this target as 6% of our SCS identify as having a disability.

    In addition to this DFID has made a commitment to improve staff engagement survey scores for people with disabilities as this is recognised as an issue across government. DFID has improved the overall staff engagement survey score for staff with disabilities from 65% in November 2012 to 71% in November 2013.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people with (a) two, (b) three, (c) four and (d) five or more jobs; and how many of such people’s total earnings do not meet the lower earnings threshold.

    Mr David Gauke

    Estimates of the number of (a) people and (b) women who work in more than one job but do not pay national insurance, even though their total earnings are above the lower earnings threshold; and, of those, how many are women, are available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-pension-coverage-lower-earnings-limit-and-multiple-jobs

    The rest of the information requested is not available.

    “

  • Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) appeals and (b) successful appeals against Atos assessments in (i) Nottingham and (ii) Ashfield constituency there were in each of the last three years.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The First-tier Tribunal – Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits including a person’s entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

    Whilst a work capability assessment (WCA) can be a key factor in an ESA decision, it is not the only consideration. Appeals are brought against ESA refusals, and not WCA decisions themselves. The Tribunal does not record information on those ESA appeals in which the WCA decision is a factor, and as such HMCTS does not hold the specific information requested.

    Information on appeals against ESA decisions is published by HMCTS in Tribunal Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report for the period January to March 2014, published on 12 June 2014, can be viewed at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2014.