Category: Speeches

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average fine was for people found guilty of non-payment of (a) a television licence, (b) vehicle excise duty and (c) council tax in each of the last four years.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The average amount of the number of fines issued to defendants proceeded against in magistrates’ courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts for installing or using a television receiver without the appropriate licence, in England and Wales, from 2008 to 2012, can be viewed in Table 1.

    The average amount of the number of fines issued to defendants proceeded against in magistrates’ courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts for keeping a motor vehicle on the highway without a current vehicle excise licence, in England and Wales, from 2008 to 2012, can be viewed in Table 2

    Failure to pay council tax is not a criminal offence so cannot be dealt with by a fine.

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2014-06-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to devolve Air Passenger Duty to Scotland.

    Nicky Morgan

    Beyond the powers in the Scotland Act 2012, the Government has no plans for further devolution of tax powers to Scotland until the referendum on Scottish independence has been settled

    Budget 2014 announced the reform of air passenger duty with the abolition of bands C and D from 1 April 2015. This will eliminate the two highest rates of air passenger duty charged on flights to countries over 4,000 miles from Britain, cutting tax for millions for passengers to travelling to China, India, Brazil and many other emerging markets. This will mean that flights to South Asia and the Caribbean will pay tax at the lower band B rate.

  • 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 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department collects information from Jobcentre Plus offices on the number of people referred to local advice providers to use telephones.

    Esther McVey

    It is not our policy to refer people to other organisations for the purposes of making a phone call.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what individual student number controls his Department has set for each provider which has been granted specific course designation under his Department’s financial sustainability, management and governance checks.

    Mr David Willetts

    Provisional student number allocations have been issued to providers. However, those numbers will only be confirmed and where necessary adjusted when the provider has received designation or re-designation for the 2014/15 academic year. For the majority of providers that process is still on-going. We will publish student number control data when that process has been completed for all providers.

  • Bill Esterson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Bill Esterson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he plans to allow Ofsted to inspect bodies which run chains of academy schools.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    Ofsted already inspects academy chains through batched inspections of schools within chains. It has recently undertaken focused inspections of academies within the E-ACT multi-academy trust and has previously inspected a group of academies within the AET chain. This has shown to be an effective approach and there are no plans to widen Ofsted’s role to inspect head offices.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the revised plans for the roll-out of universal credit announced on 5 December 2013, what estimate he has made of the number of families which will be eligible for support for childcare through universal credit in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18 and (d) 2018-19.

    Steve Webb

    I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given by my Rt. Hon. Friend the member for Wirral West (Esther McVey) to the hon. Member for Leeds West, Rachel Reeves, Official Report, 11 June 2014, column 174W.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by his Department were in each financial year since 2009-10.

    Stephen Hammond

    I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given by the Right Honourable Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Francis Maude) on 2 April 2014, Official Report, Column 721W.

  • Karen Lumley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Karen Lumley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Lumley on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cancer patients aged between 13 and 24 have (a) accessed treatments through the already approved Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) list, (b) applied for individual CDF requests, (c) had individual CDF requests put forward for consideration by the CDF panel, (d) had individual CDF requests approved by the CDF panel and (e) had individual CDF requests refused by the CDF panel in each of the last three years.

    Norman Lamb

    Prior to April 2013, information on the Cancer Drugs Fund was administered through clinical panels based in each strategic health authority and information on the age of patients who received cancer drugs was not collected.

    NHS England has had oversight of the Fund since April 2013 and advises that it does not analyse Cancer Drugs Fund data by age ranges.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Stornaway, was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in March 2014.

    Stephen Hammond

    During March 2014 Stornoway Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed below risk assessed levels on 6 occasions out of 62 shifts.

    Where there are specific issues at a MRCC Her Majesty’s Coastguard is using the current long established pairing arrangements between MRCCs. This enables each MRCC to be connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support.

  • Simon Hart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Simon Hart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Hart on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what checks are in place to ensure that multiple property owners do not vote twice in European or general elections on the same date as local or council elections; how many people have been charged with attempting to vote twice in the last three such elections; and how many fines have been issued as a result of those charges.

    Greg Clark

    It is illegal for an individual who is registered in more than one local authority area to vote more than once at a European Parliamentary or general election; however electors are not prevented from voting in local government elections in those areas.

    The presiding officer at a polling station may ask any elector if they have already voted at an election, and may withhold a ballot paper from an elector if they do not answer the question satisfactorily. The electoral register is marked to record the issuing of ballot papers to individuals at polling stations, and similarly a list is maintained of returned postal votes. These records can assist with an investigation should any voting irregularities be suspected.

    The Government does not collect or hold data on electoral fraud.