The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-05-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether officials in his Department consulted with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive before publishing the National Space Security Policy.
Mr David Willetts
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2014-03-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many properties built after January 2009 were flooded in winter 2013-14; and what guidance his Department issues to homeowners who are declined insurance by their provider because of risk of flooding. [R]
Dan Rogerson
We do not collect information on the number of properties built after January 2009 which were flooded in the winter of 2013-14. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published a “Guide to obtaining flood insurance in high risk areas” on the GOV.UK website, which sets out steps for households in flood risk areas to access appropriate insurance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-12.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, with reference to the Answer of 24 January 2012, Official Report, column 203W, on the electoral register, what assessment he has made of his Department’s performance in making the public aware of individual electoral registration; and how he measures that performance .
Greg Clark
It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2014-03-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to ensure that the probation contracts in England and Wales are let without risk to the public or waste of public money.
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. Protecting the public must remain our top priority,and the new National Probation Service will manage all offenders who pose a high risk of harm to the public or have committed the most serious offences. The Secretary of State will continue to issue national standards for the management of offenders, and the Government will place contractual requirements on Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) to ensure that the risk of harm posed by offenders is effectively managed. Providers bidding to run CRCs will need to demonstrate in their bids how they would deliver high quality rehabilitative support to offenders, and they will be held to account to deliver these services in their contracts. Bidders will also need to demonstrate how they will maintain a workforce with appropriate levels of competence and training to deliver these services.
Our proposals will be affordable within the context of the MoJ commitment to deliver annual savings of over £2 billion by 2014/15. We plan to make efficiency savings through the use of competition, the introduction of private and voluntary sector providers, and by consolidating back-office functions within the public sector. Releasing these efficiency savings will enable us to invest in rehabilitation and extend provision to support supervision to a wider group of offenders.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Seabeck on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 18 December 2013, Official Report, column 636W, on defence: procurement, what the final costs are of establishing a Golo and running the tendering process.
Mr Philip Dunne
The final cost of supporting our work on the Government Owned Contractor Operated (GOCO) competition is £7.4 million. This investment has provided valuable insight into the challenges involved in establishing a successful GOCO. The outputs from this work will be retained to inform any future GOCO competition should a decision be taken to re-examine this model as part of the continuing transformation of Defence Equipment and Support.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-26.
To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2013, Official Report, columns 455-6W, on the Electoral Register, for what reasons the electoral commission has no plans to undertake a direct assessment of registration rates in specific university towns and cities.
Mr Gary Streeter
The Electoral Commission informs me that it will undertake analysis of the impact of the transition to IER for all local authorities, which will include all university towns and cities, throughout the transition period. This will include publishing data by local authority, and in some cases by electoral ward, at several points during the transition period.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many houses not compliant with Part M building regulations were built (a) in the last two years and (b) since 2010.
Stephen Williams
My Department does not hold the information requested.
Building control bodies (local authorities or private sector approved inspectors) assess new dwellings for compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations, including Part M, at both plans stage and throughout the course of building work on site. If at any stage the building control body considers that a new dwelling would not be compliant on completion it will give the person carrying out the work advice and guidance on what is needed to make the dwelling compliant and a warning that a failure to comply might result in formal enforcement action. In almost all cases this is sufficient to achieve compliance. At the completion of work, if the work complies, the building control body will give a compliance certificate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregg McClymont on 2014-03-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on opt-out rates of auto enrolment.
Steve Webb
The Budget announced that from April 2015, the tax rules for how people access their defined contribution pension savings will be simplified to allow individuals aged 55 or over to withdraw their savings however they wish, subject to their marginal rate of income tax.
Allowing individuals to exercise greater choice over how they access their retirement savings may mean that some people who would have previously chosen to opt out may no longer do so. This is more likely to have an effect on the choices of older workers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the collection and reporting of data relating to the incidence of cancer of the unknown primary.
Jane Ellison
Information has recently been published by Public Health England’s National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) about the routes taken by patients prior to a diagnosis of cancer of unknown primary (CUP), and the links between age and socio-economic deprivation and CUP. These publications increase our understanding of the epidemiology of CUP and allow clinical teams to benchmark their levels of CUP diagnoses.
A survey of CUP registration and reporting practices in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia was recently conducted by the NCIN and the University of New South Wales. The results, which identified differences in CUP registration practice, are currently being analysed by the NCIN and will be used to develop a better understanding of historic data. The findings can also support and inform future standardisation of national and international registration guidance.
Preliminary results from the CUP survey will be presented at the Cancer Outcomes Conference – the Power of Information 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Bob Ainsworth on 2014-03-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the number of tenant evictions resulting from the decision to pay housing benefit direct to claimants rather than landlords.
Steve Webb
The Government does not expect an increase in the number of evictions in relation to the direct payments of housing benefit.
Most tenants in the Private Rented Sector are already used to receiving their housing payments directly, and managing their own finances.
For other tenants, including many in the Social Rented Sector, this will represent more of a change. We are working with the advice sector to ensure that claimants are able to access budgeting support services to help them to manage their money successfully. Money advice will be offered at a national and local level, and include a mix of online, telephone and face to face services.
A minority of claimants may require alternative payment arrangements. This might include paying rent direct to the landlord, making payments more frequently than monthly, or splitting the payment for a couple.