Category: Speeches

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to penalise companies who have failed to carry out medical assessments for personal independence payments in a timely manner.

    Mike Penning

    We are committed to ensuring personal independence payment (PIP) claimants receive high quality, objective, fair and accurate assessments. Since the introduction of PIP new claims in April 2013, we have been closely monitoring all aspects of the process.

    As personal independence payment (PIP) is a new benefit, processes are currently bedding in. Our latest analysis is telling us that the end-to-end claimant journey is taking longer than expected. We are working closely with the assessment providers to ensure that they are taking all necessary steps to improve performance, speed up the process and ensure claimants receive a satisfactory experience. We are also seeking to ensure that all the steps in the process run as smoothly as possible and that there are no barriers in our processes and systems that contribute to claims taking longer than necessary to progress.

    Whilst there are no statutory (legal) requirements to complete action on a claim to PIP within a specified time, we have set both personal independence payment assessment providers a target for the length of time to complete assessments of 30 working days.

    Any delays experienced in the new claims process will not affect the date from which claimants are paid; all successful claims will be paid from the date the claim was initially made or the date the qualifying period is met, whichever is the later.

    As for the administration of all benefits, a claimant is free to complain about the service they have received from the Department for Work and Pensions. Complaints about the service received from our assessment providers should be made direct to the relevant assessment provider. A complaint may result in a special payment if the claimant has experienced unfair treatment or suffered financially.

    The Department has robust expectations for provider performance and contracts include a full set of service level agreements setting out expectations for service delivery, including quality of assessments and the number of days to provide advice to the Department. Officials meet regularly with both assessment providers to discuss performance. The contracts include a range of remedies and failure to meet contractual obligations will result in the Department applying service credits in line with the contract.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

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

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, with reference to the Answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 623W, on electoral register, what steps he has taken to improve student registration in the run up to individual electoral registration.

    Greg Clark

    The Government is working with the Higher Education sector to maximise the registration of students.

    Measures include provision of data from the universities to the EROs to help them contact students individually and promoting the use of online registration, when it becomes available, particularly during course enrolment.

    The Government has produced guidance for university registrars to help them implement these steps before the start of the 2014/15 academic year when students will register under Individual Electoral Registration.

  • Lord Bradley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Bradley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have been recognised as homeless in each local authority area of England and Wales as a result of mental health problems in each of the last three years.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    A table containing the requested information for England has been placed in the Library of the House; to assist public scrutiny, I have included data from 2003 to 2013. The table shows there were 4,480 homeless people due to a mental illness/disability in England in 2013, compared to 12,040 in 2003; it also shows the average level in England under this Government is far less than the average rate under the last Administration.

    This Government has invested £470 million in England to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness over the spending review period. The homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world. The law ensures that people who are vulnerable as a result of old age, mental illness or handicap or physical disability will have priority need for accommodation if they become homeless through no fault of their own.

    Data on homelessness outside England are a matter for the devolved Administrations

  • Lord Lea of Crondall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Lea of Crondall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lea of Crondall on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average number of annuities purchased in each of the last five years for which data are available.

    Lord Newby

    There is no requirement for individuals to report the purchase of an annuity and the Government does not collect data on the number or purchase value of annuities. Industry data is collected and published by the Association of British Insurers and may be found on their website https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savings/Industry-data/

    “

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people applied to the 2014 Sirius Programme for young entrepreneurs; and if he will make a statement.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Sirius Programme, led by UK Trade and Investment, enables talented graduates with innovative start up ideas to start a business in the UK. Successful applicants receive support via a structured mentoring programme and participants requiring a visa, are able to access support through a dedicated visa route for the Sirius Programme. The current programme is a 2 year pilot – the first round was launched on 6 September 2013 and closed on 15 January 2014. A total of 1543 people applied.

    A second round of the Sirius Programme will open shortly.

  • Dan Byles – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Dan Byles – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy on the need for additional gas storage capacity in the UK of recent events involving Russia and Ukraine; and if he will make a statement.

    Michael Fallon

    We have no plans to reassess the need for additional gas storage capacity in the UK in the light of events between Russia and Ukraine. The Department commissioned from Redpoint Energy analysis on the case for Government support for additional gas storage in the UK, which was published in September 2013. This cost-benefit analysis did not support intervention to deliver additional gas storage capacity due to a combination of low risk, poor rates of return for the taxpayer, and the risk of unintended consequences within the market.

    Disputes between Russia and Ukraine affecting gas supply to Europe do not change this stance. Previous analysis has demonstrated that the UK gas market is resilient to all but the most unlikely combination of high-demand conditions and supply disruption. The UK has a diverse range of gas suppliers and routes to market and receives less than 1% of its gas from Russia.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Andrew Stephenson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the number of properties in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire that do not have mains gas access and which use domestic heating oil.

    Gregory Barker

    Estimates for the number of households which do not have mains gas and which use domestic heating oil are not available. However, the number of households that did not have access to a mains gas supply can be estimated bycombining figures for the lower layer super output areas that most closely match the Pendle Constituency.

    In 2012, there were approximately 1,300 households (three per cent) which had no access to mains gas in Pendle.The number of households that did not have access to mains gas in Lancashire is estimated to be32,000 (six per cent of households within Lancashire).

    These data are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lsoa-estimates-of-households-not-connected-to-the-gas-network.

    “

  • Miss Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Miss Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations he has received on support for moorland farmers; and if he will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    We consulted on proposals for changes to the regional direct payment rates in October 2013, and announced our decision in December to align the payment rates in relation to the lowland and severely disadvantaged areas (SDAs). We also said that we would undertake further analysis and consultation on the appropriate payment rate for the moorland region. We received several contributions to the analysis from stakeholders, and consulted further through the Direct Payments Consultative Group and other forums. Our decision in April confirmed that the payment rate in the moorland will be increased by approximately the same cash amount as the uplift previously announced for the rate in the rest of the SDA. The decision has been welcomed by a number of organisations representing hill and moorland farmers.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department allocated to microfinance schemes in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

    Lynne Featherstone

    DFID’s work on microfinance is integrated into broader financial sector development programmes that work to strengthen policy and regulation, build infrastructure and innovate new products and services that meet the needs of poor people.

    DFID monitors expenditure in terms of actual spend. Actual spend on the financial sector development portfolio totalled £50.9 million in 2010-11; £50.9m in 2011-2012 and £59.2m in 2012-2013. Cumulative spend between 2007 and 2012 totalled £282.0m.

  • David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what direct steps the Government has taken to ensure the safety of Christians in countries where they are being persecuted for their faith.

    Mr David Lidington

    Freedom of religion or belief is a priority for this Government internationally. On 15 November 2014, the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend, the right hon. Baroness Warsi gave a speech in Washington stressing the need for an international response to the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities. The full text of her speech is available on our website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/an-international-response-to-a-global-crisis. We are concerned about the rising tide of persecution of individuals on the basis of their religion and belief. We regularly raise individual cases and discriminatory legislation with other governments and we support overseas programmes designed to overcome prejudice, discrimination and sectarianism. We also work in multilateral fora to ensure that the right to freedom of thought, conscience and belief is afforded the international legal protection that it deserves. Furthermore the Senior Minister of State has convened meetings of international leaders to generate practical steps to promote freedom of religion or belief and to fight religious intolerance within our societies.