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  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-12-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they plan to make to the state government of Telangana about following the example of the state government of Andhra Pradesh in introducing rules to prevent the sexual exploitation of Dalit women and girls through the Devadasi and Jogini systems of ritualised prostitution.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    This is ultimately a matter for the Union Government of India and state governments. Nevertheless, the British Government has worked closely with the Union and state governments in India to strengthen the protection of women’s rights and would welcome any legislative change that provided further protection to women and girls.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-12-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the state government of Andhra Pradesh to enable the enforcement of the Andhra Pradesh Devadasis (Prohibition of Dedication) Act 1988 through the Andhra Pradesh Devadasis Prohibition of Dedication Rules 2015, and of the impact of that decision on Dalit women and girls in that state.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    This is ultimately a matter for the Union Government of India and state government of Andhra Pradesh. The UK has worked closely with the Union and state governments in India to strengthen women’s rights and welcomes any new legislation which seeks to further protect women and girls.

  • The Earl of Dundee – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The Earl of Dundee – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Dundee on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to provide at least three years’ financial assistance, where such subsidy is independent of paid work, for maternal care in the home.

    Baroness Altmann

    There are currently no plans to provide at least three years’ financial assistance, where such subsidy is independent of paid work, for maternal care in the home.

  • The Earl of Dundee – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The Earl of Dundee – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Dundee on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of studies which show that children benefit most from home care provided by close family members rather than from that available in children’s day centres.

    Lord Nash

    Research suggests that children need secure attachments with adults in order to feel safe and happy[1]. Good home care can provide this support, which is a real benefit to children as they learn and develop.

    There is also a wide body of evidence, including evidence from abroad, which demonstrates that early education delivered by childcare providers can play an important role in children’s early development and later attainment. For instance, the Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE 3-16) Project showed that children who had experienced a good home learning environment and attended a good quality childcare setting went on to obtain better grades in English and maths, and to earn more than those who received little or no pre-school experience.

    Additionally, the ongoing Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) shows that the chances of disadvantaged children becoming high achievers by the end of primary school were doubled when they had attended any pre-school, compared to those of disadvantaged children who had not attended pre-school.

    In recognition of the crucial role that parents and carers play in children’s development, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires childcare settings to form strong partnerships with parents. The EYFS also requires settings to allocate each child a key worker to help ensure that every child’s learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs.

    [1] Early Years Learning and Development Literature Review 2009, and WAVE Trust report ‘Conception to age 2: the age of opportunity’ January 2013.

  • The Earl of Dundee – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The Earl of Dundee – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Dundee on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of studies which conclude that there is a correlation between early direct maternal care and adult stability.

    Lord Nash

    Research, such as the Early Years Learning and Development Literature Review 2009, and the January 2013 WAVE Trust report on early years, suggests that children need secure attachments with adults in order to feel safe and happy. Good home care can provide this support, which is a real benefit to children as they learn and develop.

    The Department has extensively assessed the impact of formal early education compared to home care, through its longitudinal research programme Effective Pre-School, Primary & Secondary Education Project (EPPSE). EPPSE followed both groups of children through preschool and school ages, examining their cognitive and social behavioural development up to their AS and A Level exam results in 2015. The EPPSE results show that young children benefit from formal childcare, go on to have better GCSE results and, as a result, are more likely to enter A Level exams.

    In recognition of the crucial role that parents and carers play in children’s development, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires childcare settings to form strong partnerships with parents. The EYFS also requires settings to allocate each child a key worker to help ensure that every child’s learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs.

  • Lord Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have conducted any test purchases in online markets to provide evidence of the evasion of VAT.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a range of operational activity in place to tackle evasion and to establish evidence of the scale of the problem. HMRC does not routinely carry out test purchases through online platforms.

  • Lord Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the liability of online marketplaces for unpaid VAT where a business trading in that marketplace evades VAT.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Online marketplaces have no liability for unpaid VAT where the operator merely provides a marketplace for businesses to sell goods. However, HM Revenue and Customs is continuing to work with major online marketplaces to tackle this issue.

  • Lord Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of their obligation under EU law to prevent VAT evasion.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    In considering fraud against European own resources, including VAT collection, the European Court recently clarified in the Taricco judgment that Member States are obliged under EU law (Article 325 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) to have in place effective and dissuasive criminal penalties against VAT fraud. The UK applies a full range of penalties to address various behaviours from dishonesty and deliberate inaccuracies through to criminal prosecutions for VAT offences.

  • Baroness Prosser – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Prosser – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Prosser on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government (1) what is the cost per call of the Equality Advisory Support Service, including the wrap-up time after each call; (2) how this cost compares to benchmarked comparators; and (3) how many calls the service handled each year since 1 October 2012.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS) costs are calculated on a per case basis, covering everything from an initial inquiry through to final action on behalf of the customer, but the EASS estimate of the call element of a case is under £10.

    The costs per call or per contact of similar services to EASS are treated as commercially confidential information by the providers concerned.

    The numbers of calls handled by the service each year since 1 October 2012 are provided in the table below.

    Year

    Contacts via telephone

    Oct 2012 to Sept 2013

    37,379

    Oct 2013 to Sept 2014

    39,095

    Oct 2014 to Sept 2015

    41,032

    Oct 2015 to Nov 2015

    7,630

    Total

    125,136
  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the difference between the public finance forecasts for 2015–16 and the actual financial figures available to date, and what assessment have they made of the reasons for the difference.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Office for National Statistics (ONS) jointly with HM Treasury publish the public sector finances statistical bulletin on a monthly basis, which provides the latest available estimates for key aspects of Public Sector Finances.

    The latest release was published on 22 December covering the November 2015 public sector finances.[1]

    Borrowing for the 8 months to November is £6.6 bn less than the same period last year against an Autumn Statement forecast of a £15.7bn full year fall. It’s clear that there is no shortcut to fixing the public finances. That’s why the Chancellor used the Autumn Statement and Spending Review to set out our plan to finish the job and build a resilient economy.

    The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) are responsible for producing the forecasts of the public finances. They have published a detailed commentary on 22 December, which assesses the latest estimates included in the bulletin against their latest forecast[2].

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-sector-finances-bulletin

    [2] http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/wordpress/docs/Dec-2015-Commentary-on-the-Public-Sector-Finances-release.pdf

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