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  • Fiona Mactaggart – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Fiona Mactaggart – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what discussions the Speaker’s Committee has had on the extent of electoral fraud; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Speaker’s Committee is in regular dialogue with the Electoral Commission on matters concerning electoral fraud, most notably in advance of the Commission publishing its corporate plan on an annual basis.

    The Commission provides advice to those who are involved on the frontline in identifying, investigating and prosecuting cases of electoral fraud. Before each set of elections the Commission provides advice to the police, electoral administrators and others on ways to prevent and detect electoral fraud, based on the best practice it has identified through working with partners across electoral administration and the justice system. Each year the Commission publishes data on allegations of electoral fraud that are reported to the police.

    The Commission targets additional support for those on the front line in 18 areas in England where there is a higher risk of allegations of electoral fraud. This includes Slough and the Commission will be working again with these areas before the elections in May 2016 to build on what was done prior to the General Election. The Commission issued briefings to all honourable members in the last parliament on the work it was undertaking prior to the General Election to help tackle electoral fraud and will do so again before the elections in May 2016.

    In its 2014 review of electoral fraud, the Commission recommended that voters in Great Britain should be required to produce ID at polling stations, although it is yet to receive a response to this recommendation from the Government. The Commission has submitted evidence to the review being undertaken by Sir Eric Pickles and hopes that he agrees with it and that the Government accepts the Commission’s recommendation.

  • Karl McCartney – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Karl McCartney – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote regional food and drink.

    Elizabeth Truss

    Defra launched the Great British Food campaign this week to promote food and drink entrepreneurs from across the UK at home and abroad.

    Through the Food and Drink International Action Plan we have supported over 4,000 businesses and opened 130 new markets.

  • Stewart McDonald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Stewart McDonald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart McDonald on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect on air quality of levels of emissions from motor vehicles.

    Elizabeth Truss

    We have been open about the difference between real world and laboratory testing for diesel cars and our modelling takes into account the gap between laboratory testing and real world emissions. The UK government is committed to taking action on emissions testing. We see real world testing as the ultimate solution and a vital step in tackling air pollution. The vote to introduce RDE in 2017 is an important milestone but we will continue to press at EU level for a comprehensive approach to emissions testing to restore consumer confidence and deliver our wider air quality and climate objectives.

  • Bill Esterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Bill Esterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of his proposals for automatic enrolment of employees in pension schemes on businesses with fewer than 10 employees.

    Justin Tomlinson

    In 2010 the independent Making Automatic Enrolment Work (MAEW) review considered the impact of automatic enrolment on small and micro businesses. DWP’s impact assessments and on-going evaluation of Automatic Enrolment continue to monitor the costs and benefits of automatic enrolment on small businesses, including those with fewer than 10 employees.

    DWP’s evaluation reports and impact assessments are all available online.

  • Bill Esterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Bill Esterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department has given to micro-businesses in adapting to new automatic enrolment pension schemes.

    Justin Tomlinson

    We are committed to supporting small and micro-businesses to adapt to their new automatic enrolment duties. Together with The Pensions Regulator, we have launched a new broadcast-led communications campaign to raise awareness of automatic enrolment amongst small employers.

    The Pensions Regulator has also recently launched a new interactive and simplified online step by step guide to automatic enrolment, designed to meet the specific needs of employers who may not have pensions experience, including those with just one or two staff. Employers using the website can access tailored information relevant to their circumstances. The Pensions Regulator also provides online content for business advisers who play an important role in supporting smaller employers to meet their legal duties. To raise awareness and understanding, the Regulator has had over 500 meetings with intermediary firms and spoken at over 300 events around the UK during the last year

    The Regulator sends a series of letters to every employer starting at least 12 months before their staging date, which is the date that the law applies to them. These letters set out what an employer needs to do and by when to comply with the law and signposts to the relevant information on the Regulator’s website.

    To help employers adjust to the costs of automatic enrolment the minimum employer contribution level starts at 1% and increases gradually to 3% by October 2018. In addition, to ensure that all firms have access to quality, low-cost pension provision, The National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) was established by the Government and has a public service obligation to accept any employer that chooses NEST for automatic enrolment.

  • Richard Graham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Richard Graham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Graham on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many delays to benefit payments there were in (a) Gloucester, (b) the South West and (c) England in each of the last five years.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not available.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the average time it takes in Birmingham for a disability benefit appeal to reach a tribunal; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that average time on the financial position of appellants.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The First-tier Tribunal – Social Security and Child Support, administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ decisions on a range of benefits.

    HMCTS is unable to provide the information requested as it is not held centrally.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time is for a disability benefit appeal to reach a tribunal; and what steps he is taking to reduce that average time.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The First-tier Tribunal – Social Security and Child Support, administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ decisions on a range of benefits.

    HMCTS is unable to provide the information requested as it is not held centrally.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his oral evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee of 28 October 2015, for how long a welfare rights adviser has been placed in the Birkenhead food bank; and when he plans to roll-out the placement of such advisers to all food banks.

    Priti Patel

    Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches regularly undertake outreach work in local communities. We have no specific knowledge of a welfare rights advisor working in a food bank in Birkenhead.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that small and medium-sized businesses are aware of their obligations relating to workplace pensions.

    Justin Tomlinson

    We are committed to supporting small and micro-businesses to adapt to their new automatic enrolment duties. Together with The Pensions Regulator, we have launched a new broadcast-led communications campaign to raise awareness of automatic enrolment amongst small employers.

    The Pensions Regulator has also recently launched a new interactive and simplified online step by step guide to automatic enrolment, designed to meet the specific needs of employers who may not have pensions experience, including those with just one or two staff. Employers using the website can access tailored information relevant to their circumstances. The Pensions Regulator also provides online content for business advisers who play an important role in supporting smaller employers to meet their legal duties. To raise awareness and understanding, the Regulator has had over 500 meetings with intermediary firms and spoken at over 300 events around the UK during the last year

    The Regulator sends a series of letters to every employer starting at least 12 months before their staging date, which is the date that the law applies to them. These letters set out what an employer needs to do and by when to comply with the law and signposts to the relevant information on the Regulator’s website.

    To help employers adjust to the costs of automatic enrolment the minimum employer contribution level starts at 1% and increases gradually to 3% by October 2018. In addition, to ensure that all firms have access to quality, low-cost pension provision, The National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) was established by the Government and has a public service obligation to accept any employer that chooses NEST for automatic enrolment.