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  • Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of whether an individual on the minimum wage for a full working lifetime will receive a higher retirement income under the new single tier pension system than under the existing pension system.

    Steve Webb

    It is not possible to answer this question, as in order to calculate how much state pension an individual may receive in retirement under the single-tier system, compared to the current system, it is necessary to make a considerable number of assumptions. For instance: when they reach State Pension age, whether they have been contracted-out of the Additional Pension, or how many years they live after retirement.

    Chapter 3 of the Single Tier Impact Assessment provides a detailed commentary on factors that are likely to influence whether someone is a notional gainer or loser compared to the current system.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/254151/a-pensions-bill-single-tier-ia-oct-2013.pdf

    “

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2014, Official Report, column 366W, on separated people: finance, whether the effectiveness of the seven projects granted £6.5 million of funding in April 2013 under the Help and Support for Separated Families initiative will be independently evaluated; and whether such evaluations will allow for comparisons between those projects.

    Steve Webb

    We are in the process of appointing external specialists to evaluate independently all 17 Innovation Fund projects. Consistent measures will be used across the projects where possible. However, direct comparison between projects is unlikely as the projects vary considerably both in terms of their innovative and diverse approaches and their target groups.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the rationale was for the provisions in the Pensions Bill which allow employers to differentiate pension conditions between previous public sector employees now working in privatised companies and protected persons.

    Steve Webb

    The Pensions Bill creates a statutory override designed to allow employers, to a very limited extent, to make changes to the scheme to recover the increased cost of National Insurance that follows from the introduction of the single tier pension.

    Protected persons are a small group of individuals (approximately 60,000) employed in some formerly nationalised industries, namely rail, including Transport for London, electricity, coal, nuclear waste and decommissioning, where the employers are limited in their ability to change scheme rules by legislation made at the time of privatisation. This legislation prevents employers from making changes to the pension benefits offered to those employees who were previously employed by the State. The Pensions Bill reaffirms that restriction.

    This is a very different situation to other privatisations where a trust deed, rules or other undertaking was made at the time of privatisation, which was not endorsed by Parliament in the same way.

    The important distinction we have made is that where duties to restrict changes to the future pension rights of specific workers, in specific industries have been enshrined in law and endorsed by Parliament, the statutory override should not allow employers to disregard that legislation.

    It should also be noted that contractual agreements between public sector organisations and third parties, which may provide pension protection for staff now working in private companies, are not affected by the statutory override

  • 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 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times a Jobcentre Plus Rapid Response Team has been used since May 2010; and how many deployments have occurred in situations where 20 or more people faced redundancy.

    Esther McVey

    The Jobcentre Plus Rapid Response Service works closely with employers and people facing redundancy to ensure they have access to all the help and information they need. The service aims to address the impact of job losses on workers and on the local community by helping people move into new jobs as quickly as possible.

    The number of people in work has increased by 1.35 million since 2010 – over a million of these jobs are full-time – and the employment rate is now 72.3%, the highest it has been since 2008.

    The level of redundancy is 55,000 lower than in 2010.

    7,506 employers have accepted redundancy support from the Jobcentre Plus Rapid Response Service since May 2010. Of these employers, 6,075 involved potential redundancies of 20 or more employees

  • 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 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the minimum service levels are in the Work Programme.

    Esther McVey

    The minimum service delivery standards for Work Programme providers can be found through the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/minimum-service-delivery-standards-for-work-programme-providers

    “

  • 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 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on the Jobcentre Plus rapid response service in each year since 2003-04.

    Esther McVey

    Information requested can only be provided in part due to 7 year archive period for financials data.

    Spend on Rapid Response Service has therefore been:

    Period £

    2007-08 579,853

    2008-09 851,954

    2009-10 9,963,293

    2010-11 6,472,119

    2011-12 3,432,793

    2012-13 4,020,041

  • Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many drivers have had their licence revoked by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each year since 2010.

    Stephen Hammond

    The table below provides the number of driving licences that have been revoked by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) since 2010:

    Year

    Number of licences revoked

    2010

    96,551

    2011

    126,263

    2012

    117,565

    2013

    112,725

    2014 (up to 29 March)

    28,199

    Total

    481,303

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2014, Official Report, column 245W, on aviation, whether the regional air connectivity fund will be available to both new domestic and new international air routes; and when he plans to publish further information and guidance on eligibility for and the operation of the funding process.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    European Union state aid guidelines stipulate that for airports handling fewer than three million passengers per year only new routes to and from Common European Aviation Area destinations can be supported by start-up aid. The guidelines also state that start-up aid towards new routes is permissible for airports handling between three million and five million passengers per year, but will require additional scrutiny to ensure provision of the aid does not have a distortive impact on the market.

    We are aiming to publish the aforementioned guidance on how the Government will interpret the EU state aid guidelines this summer.

  • Greg Knight – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Greg Knight – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason a 60mph speed limit has been introduced on the A1 in both directions south of Offord near Southoe; and whether that limit is (a) temporary or (b) permanent.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    A permanent 60mph speed limit has now been introduced on the A1 trunk road between the B1041 at Little Paxton and the B661 at Buckden, including the bends at Southoe, for safety reasons. This new speed limit, enforced by average speed cameras, is more suited to the alignment of the A1 at this location.

    This section of the A1 has a higher than average collision severity rate, particularly those involving single vehicles. This is partially due to a high number of vehicles exceeding the current 70mph limit, especially through the sharp bends at Southoe. Problems at this location are also exacerbated by gaps in the central reserve, with vehicles turning across the dual carriageway to access Southoe.

  • Dr Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Dr Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Julian Huppert on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of passenger rail journeys that have been double counted because passengers have used multiple franchises to complete a single journey.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Secretary of State for Transport has made no estimate of the number of rail passenger journeys that have been double counted. The Office of Rail Regulation is responsible for rail passenger usage statistics and may have an estimate. Their contact details are:

    Address:

    Office of Rail Regulation

    One Kemble Street

    London

    WC2B 4AN

    Telephone: 020 7282 2000

    Email: rail.stats@orr.gov.uk