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  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-03-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they are giving to the Howard League for Penal Reform’s request to the Ministry of Justice to reverse their ban on family and friends sending books to prisoners.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    There are important reasons why we have restricted the sending in of parcels by families and friends of prisoners and we do not intend to withdraw those restrictions. The changes we introduced last year in relation to parcels were to ensure consistency across the estate and to make sure that security can be maintained. There have always been controls on the sending of parcels into prisons, and allowing parcels to be sent in unrestricted would be operationally unmanageable and would lead to a significant risk of drugs and other illicit items being smuggled into prisons.

    We have always recognised the importance of reading and literature in the rehabilitative process, and the positive effects these have on prisoners’ welfare. Every prison has a library, to which every prisoner has access. Prisoners may hold up to 12 books in their cell at any one time, and additional books can be stored locally at the prison. The National Offender Management Service also works closely with the Shannon Trust to support schemes such as ‘Toe by Toe’, which includes peer mentoring to improve reading levels.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-03-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the value of the financial settlement paid to the Department for Work and Pensions by Atos upon their withdrawal from the Work Capability Assessment Scheme.

    Lord Freud

    Information regarding the financial settlement between the Department and Atos Healthcare for early exit from the contract to deliver Work Capability Assessments is commercial in confidence.

  • Alun Cairns – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alun Cairns – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alun Cairns on 2014-03-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding her Department provided for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three years; and how many days staff spent on those activities in those years.

    Karen Bradley

    [holding answer 20 March 2014]

    The Department did not provide specific funding for staff to carry out trade union activities in 2011, 2012 or 2013.

    Information on the amount of paid time spent on trade union activities by staff who are union representatives has only been centrally recorded since November 2012. Between November 2012 and September 2013 our central records show that 1,345 paid days were spent by union representatives on such activities. These central records are based on returns submitted by union representatives to account for the time they have spent on their union roles. Information on the amount of paid time spent on trade union activities prior to November 2012 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    Since October 2013 the Department has not permitted members of staff elected as union representatives to be granted paid facility time for any trade union activities and in future will only grant paid facility time for such activities in exceptional circumstances and with approval from the Secretary of State. In line with our legal obligations members of staff elected as union representatives are able to request time away from their work to undertake trade union activities but any time off granted for this purpose will be unpaid.

  • Stuart Andrew – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Stuart Andrew – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart Andrew on 2014-03-06.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Autumn Statement of 5 December 2013, Official Report, column 1106, which police service-related charities will receive funds from LIBOR fines in 2014; and what criteria are used to determine which organisations receive such funds.

    Nick Hurd

    In the Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced that LIBOR fines will be invested in providing support for emergency services personnel and their dependents who are injured, suffering ill-health, or bereaved, during or as a result of active service for the public. £10 million will be sustainably invested through Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise organisations across the UK.

  • Mr George Galloway – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mr George Galloway – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr George Galloway on 2014-03-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of workers made unemployed, or displaced, as a result of immigration from countries outside the EU in the last year.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to "research
    the labour market, social and public service impacts of non-EEA migration; and
    to advise on the use of such evidence in cost-benefit analyses of migration
    policy decisions". The MAC’s report published in 2012 called ‘Analysis of the
    Impact of Migration’
    (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/25723
    5/analysis-of-the-impacts.pdf), suggested that "between 1995 and 2010 an
    additional 100 non-EU migrants were associated with a reduction in employment
    of 23 native workers".

    Recently, the Government published a report on the ‘Impacts of migration on UK
    native employment: An analytical review of the evidence’
    (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/28708
    6/occ109.pdf). This report is a comprehensive review of the evidence around
    the displacement effect of migrants on UK native employment and builds on the
    MAC 2012 report.

    In addition, a report on the ‘Employment and Occupational skill levels among UK
    and foreign nationals’
    (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/28250
    3/occ108.pdf) finds that over most of the last decade, employment levels in the
    UK rose faster among foreign nationals than among UK nationals. However, this
    pattern has reversed, and over the last year around 90 per cent of employment
    growth was accounted for by UK nationals.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-03-06.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what points he has identified from the recent flooding crisis to enable COBR to work more effectively.

    Francis Maude

    COBR has met regularly over the past 3 months to ensure that affected communities get the support they need quickly and effectively.

    As the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced in his written statement to House on 6 March, in future whenever there is a significant risk we will use COBR systems to ensure that all organisations at national and local level are adequately prepared and ready to respond.

  • Miss Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Miss Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2014-03-06.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will review his Department’s civil contingencies response.

    Oliver Letwin

    As part of the UK’s integrated approach to emergency management, the Cabinet Office works with other government departments, devolved administrations, emergency responders and other organisations to enhance the UK’s ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. The effectiveness of these arrangements are regularly reviewed.

  • Lord Marlesford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Marlesford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2014-03-06.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees how many Members of the House of Lords currently have entries under category 8 (Gifts, benefits and hospitality) of the Register of Lords’ Financial and other Interests.

    Lord Sewel

    As at 7 March 2014, 34 Members had entries registered under category 8.

  • Lord Marlesford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Marlesford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2014-03-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the civil servant who exposed to media view in Downing Street the classified briefing on their policy towards Ukraine has been disciplined; whether the official in question has access to classified documents; and what steps they plan to take to prevent further similar breaches of security.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    In line with the practice of successive Governments we do not normally disclose information on disciplinary issues relating to individual civil servants.

  • Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2014-03-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which former Prime Ministers have been given public duty cost allowances; how much those allowances were; and which specific and itemised duties they performed.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The amounts paid in 2011-12 and 2012-13 are as follows:

    2011/12

    Gordon Brown

    £114,998.17

    Baroness Thatcher

    £109,191.00

    John Major

    £115,000.00

    Tony Blair

    £115,000.00

    2012/13

    John Major

    £114,996.00

    Gordon Brown

    £100,315.68

    Baroness Thatcher

    £74,087.76

    Tony Blair

    £115,000.00

    The current limit for the PDCA is £115,000. The limit is reviewed on an annual basis.

    Former Prime Ministers will continue to receive the PDCA if they are a sitting MP, provided they are not serving as Leader of the Opposition.

    Claims are processed by the Cabinet Office and form part of the annual audit of Cabinet Office expenditure.

    All former Prime Ministers are provided with guidance on the PDCA. A copy of this has been placed in the Library of the House.