Category: Speeches

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the effect on insurance premiums of personal injury insurance fraud in the last year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government is committed to turning the tide on fraudulent personal injury claims. To this end, it is considering what specific reforms might be appropriate, including whether the Law Commission should be asked to consider this issue. We will make our conclusions known in due course.

    No figures are available on the number of exaggerated or fabricated personal injury claims struck out by the courts. Figures for 2011 published by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) indicate that whiplash claims cost customers more than £2 billion a year and add £90 to the average motor insurance premium.

    The ABI describe 7% of all motor claims in 2011 – worth £441m – as fraudulent. In addition, they estimate that a further £1 billion of motor insurance fraud went undetected in 2011.

    As announced last year, we are working with stakeholders in the industry to tighten the medical evidence process so that only evidence from accredited experts can be considered, and the costs for those reports can be fixed. This will mean people can no longer profit from exaggerated or fraudulent compensation claims but victims with genuine cases can still get the help they deserve. We are introducing these reforms later in the year. We are also working to secure better data on motor accident cases, including the number of fraudulent cases.

  • Conor Burns – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Conor Burns – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor Burns on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations his Department has received from UNESCO on the proposed Navitus Bay Wind Farm development.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    UNESCO has submitted representations from its Advisory Body the IUCN about the proposed Navitus Bay Wind Farm development. The development is being considered by the planning authorities and these views have been submitted as part of this process.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to reform civil procedure rules in a similar manner to the Republic of Ireland’s Civil Liabilities and Court Act 2004 to tackle third party insurance fraud.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government is committed to turning the tide on fraudulent personal injury claims. To this end, it is considering what specific reforms might be appropriate, including whether the Law Commission should be asked to consider this issue. We will make our conclusions known in due course.

    No figures are available on the number of exaggerated or fabricated personal injury claims struck out by the courts. Figures for 2011 published by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) indicate that whiplash claims cost customers more than £2 billion a year and add £90 to the average motor insurance premium.

    The ABI describe 7% of all motor claims in 2011 – worth £441m – as fraudulent. In addition, they estimate that a further £1 billion of motor insurance fraud went undetected in 2011.

    As announced last year, we are working with stakeholders in the industry to tighten the medical evidence process so that only evidence from accredited experts can be considered, and the costs for those reports can be fixed. This will mean people can no longer profit from exaggerated or fraudulent compensation claims but victims with genuine cases can still get the help they deserve. We are introducing these reforms later in the year. We are also working to secure better data on motor accident cases, including the number of fraudulent cases.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of changing the national urban default speed limit to 20 mph on (a) air pollution and (b) other environmental conditions; what similar studies in other developed nations his Department has assessed; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department does not have any current plans to introduce a default 20mph speed limit. Local authorities are best placed to determine the speed limits for their areas, based on local knowledge and the views of the community, and have the powers to do so. We are aware of studies carried out for local authorities, including for the City of London, which showed no overall negative effects on air quality in 20mph speed restrictions.

    However, the Department is about to commission comprehensive research into the effects of 20mph limits. This will cover many aspects including effects on speed, collisions, casualties and modal shift. The research will also consider air quality, best practice, road users’ perceptions and effects on the quality of the environment, as well as relevant research from other countries.

  • Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many drivers have had their licence revoked by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each year since 2010.

    Stephen Hammond

    The table below provides the number of driving licences that have been revoked by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) since 2010:

    Year

    Number of licences revoked

    2010

    96,551

    2011

    126,263

    2012

    117,565

    2013

    112,725

    2014 (up to 29 March)

    28,199

    Total

    481,303

  • Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support an international enquiry into the events at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    This is a matter between the Sikh Community and government of India. The purpose of the Cabinet Secretary’s recent investigation and report on the Indian operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar in 1984, was to establish the extent of UK Government involvement in the Indian government’s plans for military operations, not the operation itself, or the actions of the Indian government.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of changes in the number of nationals of other EU countries accessing benefits in the Peterborough City Council area following changes to (a) the habitual residence test and (b) the minimum earnings threshold; and if he will make a statement.

    Esther McVey

    The department does not currently hold this information.

    While we check the immigration status of benefit claimants to ensure the benefit is paid properly and to prevent fraud, traditionally that information has not been collected as part of the payment administrative systems.

    However, the Government is looking at ways to reform the current administrative system under Universal Credit that will record nationality and immigration status of migrants who make a claim.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

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

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics in formulating policy since the introduction of that Index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that Index since 2010.

    Nicky Morgan

    As the Prime Minister has said “we’ll start measuring our progress as a country not just by how our economy is growing, but by our quality of life.”

    The National Wellbeing Index and Measures of Wellbeing provides a rich contribution to the debate about the health and happiness of the people of the United Kingdom.

    These are relatively new statistical series, meaning that the evidence base on wellbeing, and the implications for policy making, are still being developed. The ONS Wellbeing statistics released on the 4th June made a helpful contribution to this debate. They revealed for example, that those households that receive more of their income from benefits are more likely to have lower life satisfaction. This government has overseen record employment levels and is reforming the benefit system so that it always pays to work and people are not trapped in a life on benefits.

  • Lord Beecham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Beecham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the workforce deemed to be in employment is estimated to be on (1) full-time, (2) part-time, and (3) zero-hours, contracts.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics in formulating policy since the introduction of that Index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that Index since 2010.

    Gregory Barker

    The National Wellbeing Index contains two measures directly related to DECC’s priorities: “Energy consumed within the UK from renewable sources” and “Total greenhouse gas emissions”, where latest data shows the positive impact being made by DECC. For example in 2013, provisional data shows 15% of electricity being produced from renewable sources – a new high. To provide further support for renewable and other forms of low carbon generation DECC is implementing Electricity Market Reform, in particular provisions for Feed-in-Tariffs with Contracts for Difference. Since 2010 DECC has also launched the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme to provide support for renewable heat in both the domestic and non-domestic sectors.

    More broadly, a number of DECC’s policies, such as the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) which funds efficient boilers and insulation measures to low income and vulnerable households and is now guaranteed until at least 2017, contribute toward other aspects of the National Wellbeing Index, for example “Getting by financially”.