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  • Mr Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mr Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the role of firefighters in responding to the recent floods.

    Brandon Lewis

    [Holding Reply: Monday 31 March 2014]

    More than 1,000 firefighters from across the country assisted with the flood response over December, January and February. We are extremely grateful for the work that they did to reduce water levels and help communities deal with the flooding.

  • Mr Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mr Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the appropriateness of the current recommended age of retirement for firefighters.

    Brandon Lewis

    [Holding Reply: Monday 31 March 2014]

    An independent review for the Firefighters’ Pension Committee in 2013 found that, under current practices, firefighters would be operationally fit at age 60 if they maintain a physically active and healthy lifestyle. One in three members of a firefighters’ pension scheme is in the New Firefighters’ Pension Scheme 2006, which already has a Normal Pension Age of 60. The Public Service Pensions Act 2013 set the Normal Pension Age for the reformed firefighters’ pension scheme to be age 60 from 2015, in line with the recommendation from Lord Hutton’s independent report.

    A firefighter with a full career earning £29,000 will be able to retire at age 60 with a pension of £19,000 per annum. Firefighters will be able to retire before the scheme’s Normal Pension Age with an actuarial reduction.

  • Mr Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mr Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to change the contribution rates to the Firefighters Pension Scheme.

    Brandon Lewis

    [Holding Reply: Monday 31 March 2014]

    The Government response to the consultation on employee contribution rates to apply in the Firefighters’ Pension Schemes from 1 April 2014 was published on 6 March alongside the amending regulations. The Government response can be found at www.gov.uk/government/consultations/firefighters-pension-scheme-1992-and-new-firefighters-pension-scheme-2006

    “

  • Mr Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mr Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in local government spending on the effectiveness of fire brigades.

    Brandon Lewis

    [Holding Reply: Monday 31 March 2014]

    Fire and rescue authorities are best placed to assess and manage their services and do this through integrated risk management planning. Fire and rescue authorities now attend 46 per cent fewer incidents than ten years ago and they allocate their resources according to local risk.

    There is still scope for fire and rescue authorities to make sensible savings, e.g. through reforms to flexible staffing and crewing arrangements, better procurement; shared services, collaboration with emergency services and other organisations on service delivery and estates, sickness management; sharing of senior staff, locally led mergers and operational collaborations, new fire-fighting technology, preventative approaches and working with local businesses.

    In his independent review, Sir Ken Knight concluded that fire and rescue authorities need to transform themselves to reflect the entirely different era of risk and demand they now operate in.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision.

    Brandon Lewis

    As I indicated in my answer of 13 September 2013, Official Report, Column 884W, Ministers in this Department do not believe it is appropriate for public resources to be used to support the collection and administration of membership subscriptions and believe is an outdated and unnecessary 20th century practice.

    It is also unsatisfactory that some trade unions collect the political levy via check-off, but make no attempt to inform would-be members that the political levy is optional, or even mention the right to opt out on their membership forms. It is the view of Ministers that this is a misleading and dubious marketing practice through omission.

    I can confirm that we are taking further steps to review such practices.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Arrangements of this sort are kept under review.

  • 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 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, with reference to the Answer of 19 June 2012, Official Report, columns 923-4W, on electoral register: fraud, how many successful prosecutions for electoral registration fraud there were in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014 to date.

    Greg Clark

    The Government does not collect this data.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 40W, how many offences charged under section 14(1) and 22 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 reached a first hearing in magistrates’ court in each year since 2008.

    Oliver Heald

    The number of offences charged under section 14(1) and 22 of the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 that reached a first hearing in magistrates’ courts in each year since 2008 are:

    Make a counterfeit of a

    protected coin with intent

    Make a counterfeit of a

    currency note with intent

    Total

    2008

    2

    22

    24

    2009

    0

    4

    4

    2010

    0

    4

    4

    2011

    3

    17

    20

    2012

    2

    12

    14

    2013

    2

    13

    15

    Total

    9

    72

    81

  • Dr William McCrea – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Dr William McCrea – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr William McCrea on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Health and Safety Executive has taken to recommend or mandate the use of automated traffic management technology to lift and lay cones on the motorway network in the last 10 years for which information is available.

    Mike Penning

    The Health and Safety Executive has not taken any action to mandate or recommend the use of automated traffic management equipment to lift and lay cones.

    The highway maintenance industry has trialled cone laying machines and the decision to use such machines rests with them on a commercial operational basis

  • Mr Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mr Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Frank Field on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2014, Official Report, column 233W, on vacancies: internet, what additional checks and safeguards for jobseekers have been introduced in each year since the launch of Universal Jobmatch.

    Esther McVey

    Since Universal Jobmatch was launched in November 2012, we have introduced additional checks on all new vacancies placed by new employer accounts.