Blog

  • Tommy Sheppard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tommy Sheppard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people subject to benefit sanctions applied to a hardship fund in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Edinburgh in 2015.

    Priti Patel

    The information is not available at the level requested and could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

    The Department has, however, published information on the number of hardship applications and awards for Jobseekers Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance which can be accessed via the link below.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/jsa-and-esa-hardship-applications-and-awards-apr-2012-to-jun-2015

    “

  • Tommy Sheppard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tommy Sheppard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time a person waited after applying to a hardship fund to receive funding was in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Edinburgh in the last 12 months.

    Priti Patel

    The information is not available at the level requested and could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

    The Department has, however, published information on the number of hardship applications and awards for Jobseekers Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance which can be accessed via the link below.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/jsa-and-esa-hardship-applications-and-awards-apr-2012-to-jun-2015

    “

  • Mrs Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mrs Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Louise Ellman on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the use of in-service emissions testing to ensure compliance with vehicle type approval emissions standards.

    Andrew Jones

    The annual periodic inspection (MOT test) is an effective means that ensures vehicles are well maintained, safe and have no serious defects that cause high emissions or excessive noise. Due to the large number of MOT stations across the UK and approximately 30 million vehicles being tested each year, the test must be straightforward, use equipment that is readily available in garages and be cost effective for motorists.

    Ensuring compliance with type approval standards would require expensive laboratory-type instruments at MOT stations and increases in the time taken for the test that would inevitably raise the cost for motorists.

  • Mrs Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mrs Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Louise Ellman on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles (a) underwent and (b) failed in-service emissions tests conducted by the (i) Vehicle Certification Agency and (ii) Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in each of the last 10 years.

    Andrew Jones

    The figures below show how many vehicles and models the VCA has tested for in-service emissions and those that failed those in-service emissions tests.

    (a) Number of vehicles tested (figures in brackets are the number of models tested)

    (b) Number of vehicles failed-in service emissions (figures in brackets are the number of model failures)

    2005 / 2006

    38 (13)

    18 (1)

    2006 / 2007

    35 (8)

    17 (0)

    2007 / 2008

    35 (10)

    7 (0)

    2008 / 2009

    45 (10)

    21 (1)

    2009 / 2010

    44 (10)

    17 (0)

    2010 / 2011

    30 (10)

    7 (0)

    Overall from 2005/06 to 2010/11, 227 individual tests were completed (76 Petrol, 151 Diesel) and 87 vehicles failed to achieve a pass for all pollutants (14 Petrol, 73 Diesel).However, it should be noted that the pass / fail criteria involved a statistical process looking at the average of the vehicle tests carried out. This generally involved a minimum of 3 tests, but any individual failures resulted in more vehicles being tested. Using this process, there were 2 Model Failures (1 Petrol and 1 Diesel).

    Following the work in 2010-2011, the focus of the VCA’s emissions testing changed to consider aftermarket alteration of vehicles, both light and heavy duty.

    The figures below show how many vehicles the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has tested and those that failed in-service emissions tests. In-service emissions testing is interpreted to refer to emissions testing through the MOT service. DVSA does not hold figures for 2005/06.

    Car and light Goods vehicles up to 3000kg – DVSA

    Financial Year

    Tests

    Emission Failures

    2006/07

    26,299,000

    771,696

    2007/08

    24,912,548

    809,498

    2008/09

    25,537,682

    791,818

    2009/10

    26,047,520

    766,371

    2010/11

    26,637,490

    734,246

    2011/12

    26,827,367

    710,877

    2012/13

    26,872,425

    656,279

    2013/14

    27,481,013

    641,477

    2014/15

    27,669,148

    607,400

    Light goods vehicles between 3000 up to 3500kg – DVSA

    Financial Year

    Tests

    Emission Failures

    2006/07

    522,875

    11,902

    2007/08

    520,682

    11,329

    2008/09

    541,307

    10,415

    2009/10

    563,829

    9,424

    2010/11

    602,080

    8,702

    2011/12

    608,144

    8,965

    2012/13

    587,779

    7,731

    2013/14

    601,942

    8,004

    2014/15

    616,126

    8,308

  • Mrs Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mrs Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Louise Ellman on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) budget for and (b) expenditure on in-service emissions testing was for the (i) Vehicle Certification Agency and (ii) Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in each of the last 10 years.

    Andrew Jones

    The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) in-service emissions budget is in the table below:

    Budget

    Expenditure

    2006 / 2007

    Not available

    Not available

    2007 / 2008

    Not available

    £170k

    2008 / 2009

    Not available

    £205k

    2009 / 2010

    £200K

    £200K

    2010 / 2011

    £200K

    £200K

    2011 /2012*

    £0

    £0

    2012 /2013

    £40K

    £40K

    2013 /2014

    £50K

    £29.5K

    2014 / 2015

    £150K

    £42.3K

    2015 / 2016

    £123.2K

    **

    * Following the work in 2010-2011, the focus of emissions testing changed to consider aftermarket alteration of vehicles, both light and heavy duty.

    ** Ongoing £96K anticipated.

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does not hold a budget for in-service emissions testing and it does not have expenditure for in service emissions testing.

  • Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

    Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the average salary is for employees of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

    Mr Charles Walker

    The average basic salary for IPSA employees in £36,625 and the median figure is £29,652, as at December 2015. IPSA publishes details of salary bands paid to its employees on its website.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Prime Minister, if he will amend the Memorandum of Understanding of 25 November 2014 under section 2(2) of the Justice and Security Act 2013 to enable the Intelligence and Security Committee to review documents related to the military action against Reyaad Khan in Syria.

    Mr David Cameron

    I discussed the scope of the Intelligence and Security Committee’s (ISC) Inquiry with the Chairman, my Right Honourable Friend the Member for Beaconsfield (Mr Grieve) and we have reached agreement on the disclosure of material to the ISC that will enable them to conduct a robust review of the threat posed by Reyaad Khan. The ISC have received contemporaneous intelligence assessments of Khan and will take further evidence in the coming weeks.

    The Chairman of the ISC has written to the Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, the right hon. Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman), to set out the Committee’s views and this has been published on the ISC’s website. I understand that the letter makes it clear that the ISC’s remit is intelligence not military action.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect of the legacy of the troubles on changes to the number of deaths by suicide in Northern Ireland.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    I acknowledge the sense of devastation felt by families and communities bereaved by suicide. The Stormont House Agreement set out proposals to deal with the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past, including a Mental Trauma Service to be established and to work closely with the Victims and Survivors Service. This work is currently being taken forward by the Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, in partnership with the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what anti-racism training is given to youth court magistrates.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    All judicial office holders are required to apply the law fairly and objectively regardless of the ethnicity of those who appear before them. A key principle of judicial training is that it should include the social context within which judges and magistrates operate, such as awareness of diversity issues. Additionally, the Judicial College, which oversees the delivery of judicial training on behalf of the Lord Chief Justice, maintains an Equal Treatment Bench Book to assist judicial office holders to deal fairly with those who appear before them. The Bench Book is publicly available at: https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications/equal-treatment-bench-book/

    “

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which community rehabilitation companies have informed his Department of plans to reduce staff in the last 12 months.

    Andrew Selous

    All Community Rehabilitation Companies informed the MoJ of their plans to restructure as part of the bidding process, which was robustly evaluated. They are contractually required to maintain a professional and appropriately skilled workforce to deliver the services set out in their contracts. We are robustly managing the contracts to make sure the providers deliver services which reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.