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  • 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, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 443W, on electoral register, what progress he has made with private sector credit reference agencies on ensuring the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register.

    Greg Clark

    The Government is using public data to confirm the vast majority of electors on the register when the transition to individual electoral registration takes place this year.

    There are no plans to use private sector credit reference agency data.

  • Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of employees in his Department of each (a) Civil Service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    This information is not available in the format requested as flexible working patterns are agreed at a local level.

  • John Glen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    John Glen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will introduce an online pension calculator for use by those who have left the armed forces.

    Anna Soubry

    The Armed Forces Benefits, Pension, Scheme Pays and Redundancy Calculators are available for serving Armed Forces personnel, but will not provide an accurate forecast for ex-Service personnel. They are able to request pension forecasts directly from the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) which will be re-named Defence Business Services – Veterans UK with effect from 1 April 2014.

  • Mrs Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Mrs Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Madeleine Moon on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his Answer of 17 March 2014, Official Report, column 534, what the date and location is of his planned small and medium-sized enterprise meeting in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I look forward to visiting Wales to meet small and medium-sized enterprises which support defence, as part of my routine engagements with defence suppliers. I plan to visit in coming months.

  • Vernon Coaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Vernon Coaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget Statement on 19 March 2014, Official Report, column 784, what effect making departmental underspends permanent and locked-in will have on his Department’s budgetary assumptions in relation to his Department’s (a) revenue and (b) capital budget until 2015-16.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    (holding answer 31 March 2014)

    The Chancellor’s Budget statement did not change the Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s budgetary position until 2015-16 from that set out at the Autumn Statement in December 2013.

    The Treasury has confirmed that Defence’s overall position remains unchanged as a result of the Budget: there has been no change to the MOD’s budgetary baseline for 2015-16.

  • Michael Fabricant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Michael Fabricant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2014 to the hon. Member for Crawley, Official Report, column 219W, on War Memorials: World War II, what the reasons are for the disparities between the income per visitor from grant-in-aid and LIBOR fines allocated to the (a) Royal Navy Museum, (b) National Army Museum, (c) Royal Air Force Museum and (d) National Memorial Arboretum; if he will take steps to reduce such disparities in future; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Service museums and the National Memorial Arboretum play an important role in the heritage of the three Services and the nation, and it would be inappropriate for visitor numbers to determine the provision of funding.

  • Andy Sawford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andy Sawford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Sawford on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government Response to Lord Heseltine’s report No Stone Unturned: in Pursuit of Growth, when he expects to publish a draft legislative reform order to ensure that the current legislation on combined authorities is fit for purpose.

    Brandon Lewis

    As I told the House on 18 March 2014, Official Report, Column 704, and as my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Eric Pickles) indicated on 3 March 2014, Official Report, Column 621, we are minded to amend legislation to allow councils that do not share the same boundaries to join a combined authority, if they wish. This change can be delivered through a Legislative Reform Order, subject to statutory consultation and approval of Parliament.

  • Mr Laurence Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mr Laurence Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Laurence Robertson on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2014, Official Report, column 558W, on land drainage, what funding will be made available to SuDS Approving Bodies to enable them to maintain balancing tanks and sustainable urban drainage systems; who will be responsible for providing that funding; and if he will make a statement.

    Dan Rogerson

    The Department will be consulting shortly on funding arrangements for the maintenance of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) that will be subject to the provisions of Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

  • Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of employees in his Department of each (a) Civil Service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time.

    Brandon Lewis

    The proportion of Department staff currently working reduced hours by Civil Service pay grade is as follows:

    Administrative

    Officer

    Executive Officer

    Higher Executive Officer

    Fast Stream

    % Part-Time

    8.7%

    11.4%

    10.3%

    2.1%

    Senior Executive Officer

    Grade 7

    Grade 6

    All Senior Civil Servants

    Total

    % Part-Time

    12.5%

    14.8%

    10.0%

    12.5%

    11.7%

    The proportion of Department staff currently working reduced hours by gender is as follows:

    Male

    Female

    Total

    % Part-Time

    2.7%

    20.3%

    11.7%

    With regards to flexi-time, the Department operates a Flexible Working Hours system of attendance under which managers may agree that staff work flexibly within certain set hours. This policy applies to all non-Senior Civil Service staff at all office locations and is subject to operational need.

    The Department does not hold a central record of staff working from home, a compressed working week, job share, and term-time only. These arrangements are agreed between managers and staff and may reflect very short term arrangements as well as those of a more enduring nature. As home working and compressed hours arrangements do not impact on pay or employment terms these arrangements are not recorded on the Department’s central HR system. Where job share and term-time arrangements have an impact on pay or employment terms and conditions these staff are recorded as part-time on the Department’s central HR system.

    The Department’s definition of part-time working is the same as reduced hours and so the above proportions still apply.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides on how much funding from the Local Government Finance Settlement local authorities should allocate to virtual headteachers.

    Brandon Lewis

    Both Revenue Support Grant and retained business rates, the two local authority funding streams directly included within the Local Government Finance Settlement, are unringfenced, therefore, authorities can use them to fund any service, provided they meet their statutory duties. It is up to authorities to decide how to set their budgets, taking into account local priorities.