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  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his letter of 20 March 2014, what the evidential basis is for his statement that allowing people receiving employment and support allowance to do some work within a specified 52 week period is the best way of encouraging a move towards work of 16 hours or more a week.

    Esther McVey

    The permitted work rules in Employment and Support Allowance are based on those which applied to Incapacity Benefit. This approach was supported by evidence contained in DWP Research Report 268 “Final outcome from Permitted Work Rules”.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2013, Official Report, column 419W, on employment and support allowance, whether his Department expects to complete the incapacity benefit reassessment process in April 2014.

    Mike Penning

    I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I made on 27 March 2014. Official Report col. 56-57WS.

    http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm140327/wmstext/140327m0002.htm#14032769000011

  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many posts in his Department will be relocated to the South West in the next five years.

    Mike Penning

    The deployment of staff and efficient use of the departmental estate is always subject to review. At the present time, there are no plans to relocate Departmental staff to the South West in the next five years.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what funding the European Social Fund will contribute to community work placement contracts in England for 2014-15.

    Esther McVey

    We have been allocated up to £60M in 2007-2013 ESF programme funding to help support people back into employment through community work placements.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which companies have entered into contracts to deliver community work placements in each region and country of the UK.

    Esther McVey

    The procurement exercise is still in progress. As a consequence, at this stage the information requested is not yet available and therefore cannot be disclosed.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what subsidiary companies of Directly Operated Railways have been created in connection with the direct awards programme.

    Stephen Hammond

    The following subsidiary companies owned by Directly Operated Railways have been used in connection with the Direct Awards programme.

    · West Coast Main Line Company Limited

    · Northern Trains Limited

    · GW Railway Limited

    · South Eastern Trains Limited

    · Thameslink Limited

    All of these companies are currently dormant.

    The company also owns the East Coast Main Line Company Ltd which operates rail services on the East Coast Main Line and the following companies, both of which are dormant.

    · OQS Rail Limited

    · Hay’s Rail limited

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who is responsible for enforcing standards in the hygiene of toilets on trains; and who is accountable for any failings in this area.

    Stephen Hammond

    It is a matter for the Train Operator to ensure that the appropriate standards of cleanliness are met on trains.

    More information can be obtained from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) which can be contacted at:

    2nd Floor

    200 Aldersgate Street

    London
    EC1A 4HD

    Tel: 020 7841 8000

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff were employed by Directly Operated Railways in March (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

    Stephen Hammond

    The total budgeted staff costs for the years in question are as follows.

    £000’s

    Salaries

    Other Staff Costs

    Consultants

    Total

    2010/11

    539

    77

    412

    1028

    2011/12

    476

    52

    386

    914

    2012/13

    194

    32

    853

    1079

    2013/14

    378

    10

    455

    843

    2014/15

    1245

    61

    187

    1493

    2015/16

    No Budget

    As with all other costs associated with Directly Operated Railways (DOR), these are recovered through a combination of a management charge to their subsidiary (East Coast Main Line Company Ltd), charges to the performance bond which was secured from National Express following the early termination of their franchise in 2009 and fees charged to the Department for Transport for services in connection with the Rail Franchising (Direct Awards) programme.

    The total headcount in DOR for the years in question are set out in the table below.

    Year ending March

    Core DOR

    Direct Award

    2010

    7

    2011

    7

    2012

    7

    2013

    8

    2014

    7

    6*

    *Prior to the year ending March 2014, DOR’s work in respect of the Direct Award programme was staffed by a combination of the core DOR team and consultants.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what Directly Operated Railways’ total staffing budget was in each of the years since 2010-11; and what its planned staffing budget is for 2014-15 and 2015-16.

    Stephen Hammond

    The total budgeted staff costs for the years in question are as follows.

    £000’s

    Salaries

    Other Staff Costs

    Consultants

    Total

    2010/11

    539

    77

    412

    1028

    2011/12

    476

    52

    386

    914

    2012/13

    194

    32

    853

    1079

    2013/14

    378

    10

    455

    843

    2014/15

    1245

    61

    187

    1493

    2015/16

    No Budget

    As with all other costs associated with Directly Operated Railways (DOR), these are recovered through a combination of a management charge to their subsidiary (East Coast Main Line Company Ltd), charges to the performance bond which was secured from National Express following the early termination of their franchise in 2009 and fees charged to the Department for Transport for services in connection with the Rail Franchising (Direct Awards) programme.

    The total headcount in DOR for the years in question are set out in the table below.

    Year ending March

    Core DOR

    Direct Award

    2010

    7

    2011

    7

    2012

    7

    2013

    8

    2014

    7

    6*

    *Prior to the year ending March 2014, DOR’s work in respect of the Direct Award programme was staffed by a combination of the core DOR team and consultants.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners being held in prisons in England and Wales are serving sentences passed in jurisdictions outside England and Wales.

    Jeremy Wright

    As at 31 December 2013, 231 prisoners held in prisons in England and Wales were serving sentences imposed in jurisdictions outside England and Wales. This includes 125 who were convicted overseas, for example in Thailand, Panama and Venezuela, and 106 who were convicted in another UK jurisdiction or the Islands (Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle Man).

    These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.