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  • Andrew Bingham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Bingham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bingham on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many businesses were registered in High Peak constituency in each of the last five years.

    Michael Fallon

    Companies House is only able to provide figures on the number of new companies it registered in each of these years by postcode area. As postcode areas can cross constituency boundaries, the figures below must be considered approximations.

    Year

    Number of Companies Registered

    2009-2010

    15

    2010-2011

    35

    2011-2012

    33

    2012-2013

    28

    2013-2014

    17
  • Andrew Bingham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Bingham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bingham on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many small businesses in High Peak constituency have received support from the Regional Growth Fund.

    Michael Fallon

    We do not hold the information requested. However, businesses in High Peak constituency are eligible to bid to the Regional Growth Fund programme administered by Derbyshire County Council as well as national programmes.

  • John Redwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    John Redwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

    Jenny Willott

    The information requested is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    Staff are encouraged to help reduce waste in the Department by avoiding printing documents unless completely necessary and by reusing or recycling stationery where appropriate. The default setting on BIS printers is to print in black and white and to print double sided. This uses less energy and ink and cuts down on the demand for paper and reduces costs.

  • John Redwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    John Redwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Attorney General, what levels of stock the Law Officers’ Departments hold of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

    Oliver Heald

    The Crown Prosecution Service has reduced its expenditure on stationery substantially since 2010, however inventories of stationery items and office consumables are not maintained and to calculate the stock levels held would incur a disproportionate cost.

    The remaining Law Officers’ Departments operate "Just in Time" purchasing for most stationery items and do not therefore keep details on the exact levels of stock of stationery, printer cartridges, treasury tags and other fasteners, or other office consumables. Providing such information would incur a disproportionate cost.

  • Jim McGovern – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jim McGovern – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McGovern on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many sanctions were applied to jobseeker’s allowance claimants in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Dundee in each of the last three years.

    Esther McVey

    Statistics on the number of Jobseeker’s Allowance benefit claimants, who have been sanctioned in Great Britain, Scotland and Dundee, are published and can be found at:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

    Guidance for users is available at:

    https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

    Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:

    http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm

    “

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2014, Official Report, columns 218-9W, on social security benefits, when he expects to make available the requested data.

    Mike Penning

    In the production of new statistics the Department works to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.

    All releases will be preannounced via the UK National Statistics publication hub at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/index.html

    “

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people currently receiving a UK state pension and living in the UK who would move abroad if pensions were up-rated for all UK pensioners living overseas.

    Steve Webb

    The Department has not made any estimate of the number of people currently receiving a UK state pension and living in the UK who would move abroad if pensions were up-rated for all UK pensioners living overseas.

    It would be difficult to develop a robust estimate of this, as in practice there will be a wide range of factors that determine decisions to emigrate.

  • Julian Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Julian Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Smith on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that the staging dates for automatic enrolment for workplace pensions are being effectively communicated to businesses in Skipton and Ripon constituency.

    Steve Webb

    The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has responsibility for educating and enabling employers in order to maximise compliance. TPR is writing to employers 12 months and 1 month prior to their staging date to alert them to their new responsibilities.

    Where an employer provides an email address to TPR they will also receive a series of emails informing them what stage they should be at and signposting guidance and tools that have been provided by the Regulator. This includes an interactive planning tool to assist employers in getting ready, a staging date tool to find out your staging date, and detailed guides. They have also established a customer support centre for employers to discuss any questions they may have.

    An advertising campaign aimed at employers has also been used to raise awareness and guide employers to the regulator’s website to help them in their preparations.

  • Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pamela Nash on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken was between an application being made and benefit paid for (a) attendance allowance, (b) bereavement benefits, (c) carer’s allowance, (d) disability living allowance, (e) employment and support allowance, (f) jobseeker’s allowance, (g) maternity benefits, (h) housing benefit, (i) council tax benefit and (j) pension credit in the most recent period for which figures are available in (i) Airdrie and Shotts constituency, (ii) Scotland and (iii) the UK.

    Mike Penning

    The information regarding when a benefit is paid is not available as this can vary from each claim depending on circumstances, payment type and frequency of payment.

    The data that is available is the Actual Average Clearance Time (AACT) which is the average time taken between an application being made and the date the customer was notified of the decision on their claim.

    Please see the most recent AACT data in the table below.

    Claims Actual Average Clearance Time (AACT)

    National Year-End 2013/2014

    Scotland Year End 2013/2014

    Attendance Allowance claims AACT

    14.3

    N/A

    Bereavement Benefit Claims AACT

    15.9

    N/A

    Carers Allowance claims AACT

    N/A

    N/A

    Disability Living Allowance claims AACT

    22.4

    N/A

    Employment & Support Allowance claims AACT

    8.6

    8.3

    Jobseekers Allowance claims AACT

    8.1

    7.9

    Maternity Allowance Claims AACT

    7.3

    N/A

    Pension Credit claims AACT

    7.15

    N/A

    Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are administered by local authorities and not the DWP. Processing statistics for these benefits can be found at

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?publication_filter_option=statistics

    “

  • Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many representations he has received opposing the removal of customer access phones from Jobcentre Plus offices; which Jobcentre Plus offices serving constituents of Ogmore constituency have been affected by the removal of customer access phones from such offices; and how many people in Ogmore constituency are being serviced by each such Jobcentre Plus office.

    Esther McVey

    The Department has received a number of representations on the removal of Customer Access Phones. The Department operates an Operational Stakeholder Engagement Forum, made up of charities, community organisations and customer representative groups, and this issue will be discussed at the next meeting of the Forum in May.

    Jobcentres provide face to face support for claimants. Following the removal of Customer Access Phones, claimants who require access to a phone in connection with their benefit or job search will still be given controlled access to a telephone in a Jobcentre.

    Ogmore constituents are served by several Jobcentres as the Jobcentre network does not reflect constituency boundaries. A summary follows by Jobcentre in the constituency:

    Bridgend Jobcentre

    Customer Access Phones have not yet been removed.

    Maesteg Jobcentre

    Customer Access Phones were withdrawn, replaced by a new assisted service of face to face support in 2014.

    Llantrisant Jobcentre

    Customer Access Phones were withdrawn, replaced by a new assisted service of face to face support in 2014.

    Porth Jobcentre

    One Customer Access Phone is currently available; three were withdrawn between November 2013 and January 2014, because of falling demand.

    Jobcentre boundaries do not match constituency boundaries so we can only provide a breakdown for Ogmore in total, these follow below:

    · Total JSA claimants (March 2014): 1,559

    (Source: ONS claimant count with rates and proportions)

    · Total claimants (Working-age client group – key benefit claimants (August 2013)): 10,510

    (Source: DWP benefit claimants – working age client group)