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  • Hannah Bardell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Hannah Bardell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hannah Bardell on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps he is taking to provide crèche services for the children of hon. Members.

    Tom Brake

    Following consultation with Members, a nursery model of childcare was determined as best fulfilling their needs and the needs of the children. The Nursery opened in 2010. A crèche would need to be separate from the nursery, and would require appropriate accommodation. The Nursery Governance Committee discussed this at its meeting in October 2015 and was not persuaded of the case for a crèche.

    However, I am sure that the Commission would welcome fuller consideration of the case for such services, and of an appropriate funding model.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government plans to take to improve transparency to aid consumer choice on broadband providers.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    As well as clear information about broadband speeds, consumers also need to understand costs to exercise effective choice. We expect the Advertising Standards Authority, following research it published in January, to produce new standards to make advertised broadband prices clearer by the end of May.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff employed by his Department (a) receive working tax credits and (b) work part-time; and what proportion of each such group are women.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested in part (a) is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    On 31 December 2015 in the Department for Work and Pensions 35,834 employees work part-time and 88% of this group are women.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2016 to Question 21433, how many employees of his Department will be affected by the reduction in the work allowance element of universal credit.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not available.

    DWP does not require employees to identify themselves as Universal Credit claimants and therefore does not have a record of the numbers.

  • Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 136 of his Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, if he will publish a breakdown of the full cost figure for the application and collection fees from the 2012 Child Maintenance statutory scheme in 2014-15.

    Priti Patel

    The full cost of the 2012 statutory maintenance scheme for the financial year 2014/15 is shown on Page 136 of the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts as £49.432m which comprises:

    £46.1m of staff costs on all aspects of the 2012 scheme.

    £3.332m of goods and service expenditure.

  • Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to which countries of the UK his Department’s target to halve the disability employment gap during the current Parliament applies.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Employment is a reserved matter. Progress towards halving the disability employment gap is a key part of our aim to achieve full employment across the whole of the UK. This is consistent with the Government’s manifesto commitment which said ‘as part of our objective to achieve full employment, we will aim to halve the disability employment gap’.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of pension freedoms policy on the cost to local authorities of residential care.

    Alistair Burt

    The pension freedom reforms are a fundamental change to how people can access their pension savings. The Government believes it is important to monitor these changes to understand their effects on the market and consumers. The impact of people’s pension choice can affect the extent to which they have to contribute to their social care costs.

    The Department of Health, working with other Government Departments, assessed the potential effect of the policy on the cost to local authorities of residential care to be small compared to overall expenditure on residential care.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how access to pension provision at the age of 55 affects eligibility for benefits.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The rules relating to the treatment of pension funds in means-tested benefits have not changed. How someone’s (or their partner’s) pension fund is treated depends on whether they have reached the qualifying age for Pension Credit, and the way in which they have accessed the fund (released money can be treated as either income or capital). Each case is decided on its own circumstances.

    Information is available in terms of how income and capital are treated in the means-tested benefits. A factsheet on this subject can be found at

    www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-flexibilities-and-dwp-benefits.

    Further information can also be found in the decision-making guidance at www.gov.uk.

    “

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who were in receipt of disability benefits re-joined the workforce in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014 and (f) 2015.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not available. Disability benefits are comprised of Attendance Allowance (AA), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). These benefits are all non-means-tested, cash benefits available to disabled people to provide a contribution towards extra costs and can be paid regardless of the employment status of the claimant. Because of this, the employment status is not collected during the claims process or at any other point during the lifetime of a claim.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many employees in (a) Burnley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West are earning less than the national minimum wage rate which will apply from 1 April 2016.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.