Category: Speeches

  • Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many outstanding cases of social fund loan repayments his Department is curretnly pursuing; in what year each such loan was issued; what estimate he has made of the total value of such outstanding repayments; and how much his Department is paying a debt management service to pursue such repayments.

    Steve Webb

    At March 2013, there were 10,118,298 loans outstanding relating to 2,940,087 customers. The table below indicates the age of loans and their volumes and values.

    Age of loan

    Loans

    Value £000

    Five years and over

    1,837,896

    218,840

    Between one and five years

    5,898,911

    595,737

    Less than one year

    2,381,491

    373,729

    Total

    10,118,298

    1,188,306

    The Department pursues all debts available for recovery. Where we have difficulty with locating a customer and obtaining payment from them we will employ a private sector company to do this for us; for year ending March 2013 we paid £880,000 and recovered £6.1m.

    Data has been included for the financial year 2012-13, the latest year for which the audited Social Fund White Paper Account is available. The 2013-14 Account will be publicly available from July 2014.

  • 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 recent estimate his Department has made of the RAB charge for student loans issued after 2012.

    Mr David Willetts

    We estimate the RAB charge on these loans to be around 45%.

    The actual cost of issuing student loans will be dependent on future macro-economic circumstances, in particular earnings and we will continue to update our forecasts on a regular basis to take account of changes to short term and long term macro-economic assumptions.

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

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

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

    Elizabeth Truss

    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 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 721W.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils in Peterborough constituency achieved (a) Level 1 and (b) Level 2 skills in English in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Laws

    A table showing the number of pupils in Peterborough constituency that achieved a Level 1 or a Level 2 in English (key stage 4) since 2005/06 has been placed in the House Library.

    Information on pupils for 2004/05 is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Sarah Champion – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sarah Champion – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for the contracting-out of the Probation Service during 2014.

    Jeremy Wright

    Under our reforms the market will be opened up to a diverse range of new rehabilitation providers, so that we get the best out of the public, voluntary and private sectors, at the local as well as national level. A more diverse market of rehabilitation providers will bring innovation in rehabilitative services, helping to deliver a real reduction in reoffending rates. The process to establish the owners of the 21 new Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) with responsibility for the provision of rehabilitation services is well underway. We will assess the bids we receive over the summer, and expect to sign contracts with new CRC owners later this year. We remain committed to seeing Payment by Results rolled out across the system by 2015.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Ministers or officials of his Department have (a) met the Attorney General of Nigeria since January 2012 and (b) had any conversations about the sale of the OPL 245 oil concession in Nigeria involving Shell and ENI with (i) the Attorney General of Nigeria and (ii) any other senior official of the Nigerian government.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at Gov.uk.

    Information on meetings by other officials is not held centrally.

  • Teresa Pearce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Teresa Pearce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer 6 March 2014, Official Report, columns 971-2W, on Remploy, which businesses were sold; and whether profit from such sales has been passed back to HM Treasury.

    Mike Penning

    The automotive, filters, healthcare, e-cycle and CCTV managed services were the five businesses that were sold as part of Remploy’s commercial process.

    The overall cost of the exit of the factory businesses included profits from the sales of the businesses with total costs estimated to be below budget.

  • 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 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on which occasions Ministers in his Department have taken decisions on (a) moving prisoners into open conditions and (b) releasing prisoners on temporary licence since May 2010.

    Jeremy Wright

    An indeterminate sentence prisoner is transferred to open conditions only after a robust risk assessment and, in most cases, upon the recommendation of the independent Parole Board. In making its risk assessment, the Parole Board is provided with reports from a range of professional staff from within the National Offender Management Service, all of whom can be required to attend the Parole Board hearing and give evidence directly to the Board if required to do so. In making its recommendation, the Board’s overriding priority at all times is the safety of the public.

    Decisions as to whether to accept a Parole Board recommendation to transfer an indeterminate sentence prisoner to open conditions or to direct the transfer of such a prisoner without a Parole Board recommendation are taken by officials within the National Offender Management Service on behalf of Ministers, in accordance with the Carltona principle. Such decisions are not referred to Ministers.

    Decisions to transfer determinate sentence prisoners to open conditions are taken by population managers within the National Offender Management Service. Only prisoners who have been thoroughly risk assessed and categorised as suitable for open conditions will be considered for transfer to open prisons. Decisions on re-categorising prisoners as suitable for open conditions are taken by experienced prison staff with input from offender managers, healthcare and other professional staff using recent information about the prisoner including behaviour whilst in closed conditions, security and intelligence information and any other risk information that might demonstrate the prisoner’s proven trustworthiness. Decisions are not taken by ministers.

    Decisions to release prisoners on temporary licence (ROTL) are taken by prison governors and directors, or their delegates, on behalf of the Secretary of State and in line with national guidance issued by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). Decisions are taken on the basis of recommendations from a risk assessment board that has taken account of the nature of the offence and any indentified risk factors, the position of known victims, the offender’s record on previous ROTL; their behaviour in prison and progress in tackling their offending behaviour, and any other specific areas of concern relevant to that case. Decisions are not taken by Ministers.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Valerie Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the extent of the availability of free telephones in jobcentres for jobseekers to contact officials within his Department.

    Esther McVey

    Jobcentres provide face to face support for claimants. There is also controlled access to telephones for claimants who need to contact officials in this department over the phone.

  • Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2014-06-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their stated intention of building more houses, what is their assessment of the ability of the United Kingdom building supplies industry to provide bricks, timber and other materials; and what measures they are taking to encourage growth in the building supplies industry to provide sufficient materials to ensure the success of the house building programme.

    Viscount Younger of Leckie

    The Government has noted advice from the Construction Products Association that there is no general lack of capacity in UK products manufacturers. The Association advises that only 19 per cent of companies producing heavy building materials are currently operating at near capacity. As the products sector adjusts to the return to growth it expects that capacity will increase further in response to demand.