Blog

  • Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-04-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Falkland Islands Government regarding the future of its territorial waters.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    As a self-governing Overseas Territory of the UK, it is up to the Falkland Islanders to determine their own future. The UK is in no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and surrounding maritime areas, or about the principle and the right of the Falkland Islanders to self determination. We have discussed with the Falkland Islands government the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS)’s remit, and the fact that the UN itself has noted that the CLCS cannot consider claims relating to disputed areas. In this case that would include the Falkland Islands. Furthermore, the CLCS has no jurisdiction over the sovereignty of any land territory, including the Falkland Islands.

  • Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-04-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for the Falkland Islands of the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf finding that they are in Argentinian territorial waters.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the member for East Devon (Mr Swire), on 13 April 2016 (PQ 33811).

    "The UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) has no jurisdiction to consider areas subject to competing claims and therefore has no locus to make recommendations in relation to the Falkland Islands. The UN itself has acknowledged that the CLCS could not consider those parts of the original Argentine submission of 2009 that were subject to dispute. This would include the Falkland Islands."

    Furthermore, the UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falklands and surrounding maritime areas, nor about the Falkland Islanders’ right to decide their own future. We will continue to make that clear to Argentina and other countries in the region.

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the language and terminology used in written communications to people attending personal independence payment or work capability assessments to ensure that those communications are readily understood by recipients.

    Justin Tomlinson

    We are undertaking a full review of PIP and ESA communication products and messages. This work includes customer testing to ensure that the language and terminology used is clearly understood by recipients.

    As part of our work to review claimant communications we are working with our Health Assessment Providers for PIP and ESA, to align the notifications sent to claimants invited to attend a face-to-face consultation with content produced by the Department.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment assessment appointments were cancelled by Capita in (a) Corby, (b) East Northamptonshire and (c) the UK in the last year; and for what reasons such appointments were cancelled.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many infraction proceedings the EU has initiated against his Department in each of the last 10 years; what the reasons were for each such proceeding being undertaken; and what the outcome was of each such proceeding.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The information requested is publicly available on the website of the European Commission where the infringement cases for each member state can be found. This includes the infringement and the decision. These records go back to 2002 and can be found here.

    http://ec.europa.eu/atwork/applying-eu-law/infringements-proceedings/infringement_decisions/?lang_code=en

    “

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment claimants have had their claim re-assessed more than six months before the end of their initial award period in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department does hold the requested information and it could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

    For all PIP claimants with a fixed term award, except where the claimant would be expected to have little or no functional limitation within a two year period, a review date is set when the award is made. This review date is based on advice from a health professional and is communicated to the claimant when the award is made. A review process is then initiated on this date. In all such cases the review process is initiated a year in advance of the award end date.

  • Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of people who require adapted housing in England in 2016-17.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Government recognises the critical importance housing adaptations have in sustaining wellbeing and helping older and disabled people to live independently. Since 2010 we have invested over £1 billion in the Disabled Facilities Grant, providing around 250,000 adaptations to older and disabled people’s homes in England. We secured a year on year increase for the Disabled Facilities Grant over the Spending Review, meaning that the grant will increase 79% in 2016-17 to £394 million, rising to over £500 million by 2020.

    We also acknowledged the vital part adaptations play in the integration of housing, health and social care by incorporating Disabled Facilities Grant into the Better Care Fund in 2015.

    Most recent data on the number of homes needing adaptations will be available in the 2014-15 English Housing Survey, due for publication in July 2016.

  • Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who will receive a lower state pension under the single-tier pension system.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested can be found in the Impact of the New State Pension (nSP) on an Individual’s Pension Entitlement – Longer Term Effects of nSP published in January 2016. The link can be found here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/491845/impact-of-new-state-pension-longer-term-reserach.pdf

    Figure 1 of the assessment shows the proportion of all pensioners from 2016 until 2060 at each time point with changed notional State Pension outcomes under the new State Pension.

    “

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People on 13 April 2016, Official Report, column 151WH, on personal independence payments, what the statistical evidential basis is for the statement that more often than not decisions are overturned at reconsideration and appeal because of additional evidence that has been provided.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department gathers information on the reasons why PIP decisions have been overturned from its Presenting Officers and the summary reasons it gets back from the Tribunal hearing. Internal Management Information for 2015/16 indicates that either new oral or documentary evidence supplied at the hearing are the leading reasons for PIP decisions being overturned in 75% of overturns recorded.

    These figures are from internal DWP systems, where only one of possible multiple reasons can be recorded, and are derived from unpublished information and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard.

    This is consistent with findings from a pilot held in 2012 which published statistics on why benefit decisions by DWP decision makers were overturned at Tribunal. Early analysis of appeals allowed from pilot data based on pilot data from July to October 2012 is available here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223139/sscs_appeals.pdf

    “

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the DVLA plans to implement the European Commission’s advice on lifting that authority’s prohibition on driving for people who experience night-time hypoglycaemia.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) led a campaign to change European legislation to exclude hypoglycaemic attacks while sleeping or “night-time hypoglycaemia” as a bar to driving. A proposal for a Commission Directive was submitted through the European Commission’s Regulatory Fitness Programme and is awaiting approval by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament.

    Member States will be required to apply the provisions from 1 January 2018.