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Tag: 2014

  • Charles Walker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Charles Walker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Law Society on its inclusion of Sharia succession rules in its guidance; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Sharia law has no jurisdiction in England and Wales and the Government has no intention to change this position.

    The legal profession is independent of Government and is regulated by approved regulators for which the Legal Services Board has oversight responsibility. The Law Society is the approved regulator for solicitors under the Legal Services Act 2007. On 13 March it published a practice note on Sharia succession rules to assist its members preparing wills for clients under the law of England and Wales. The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with The Law Society about its practice note. It is not for the Government to comment on the compatibility of the guidance with equalities legislation as the courts in England and Wales interpret and apply the law.

    The guidance does not, and cannot, change the law of England and Wales. The courts will continue to apply the law of England and Wales relating to the making of wills in exactly the same way as they did before the practice note was issued.

    The judiciary of England and Wales is independent of the Government and it would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Justice to issue guidance to the judiciary on how judges are to apply or interpret the law.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value is of duplicate supplier payments identified by his Department since 2010; and what proportion of such payments have since been recovered in each of the last two financial years.

    Claire Perry

    In 2011, £28,861 of duplicate supplier payments were identified by the Department and its agencies, and were all recovered. No duplicate payments have been identified in subsequent years.

    In accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines, the Department commissioned a spend recovery audit in 2010. This reported that:

    The quantity of payment errors identified during our review (0.0002%) highlighted that the internal controls used by DfT have been effective in limiting supplier overpayments. Overall the accounts payable function is well managed and controlled.

    In view of this advice, the DfT decided that formal appraisal of potential duplicate payments, either internal or external, did not represent a good use of public money for the years after 2011.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, where people from Brighton and Hove are being asked to travel to in order to have face-to-face personal independence payment (PIP) interviews; what assessment he has made of the range of challenges faced by people going for assessment for PIP payments who are asked to travel to another town for a face-to-face interview; if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of taxis for people from Brighton and Hove who cannot use public transport to get to PIP assessments up to 90 minutes away from their homes; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Mark Harper

    There are currently two assessment centres situated in the BN21 and BN41 postcode area. A third assessment centre based in the BN3 postcode will be opening shortly.

    PIP assessment providers must ensure that claimants do not have to travel for more than 90 minutes by public transport (single journey) for a consultation. This limit is an absolute maximum and we expect that only a small minority of claimants will have to make a journey approaching this duration. In the exceptional circumstance where a claimant is unable to make a journey within 90 minutes via public transport the assessment provider will offer either a home visit or the ability to use a taxi.

    We are encouraging assessment providers to identify consultation venues that are as local and convenient as possible.

    Payment of claimant expenses including taxi fares is the responsibility of the PIP assessment provider, the Department does not meet these costs.

    This information is therefore not available within the Department.

  • Kevan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many new apprenticeship starts there were in each year since 2010, in the age groups (a) 25 to 34, (b) 35 to 44, (c) 45 to 59 and (d) and over 60.

    Nick Boles

    Information on Apprenticeship starts by age is published in a supplementary table, entitled Breakdown by geography, equality & diversity and sector subject area: starts 2002/03 to 2013/14, to a Statistical First Release (SFR).

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/324021/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls

    “

  • David Amess – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    David Amess – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has (a) taken in each of the last three years and (b) plans to take in the next two years to ensure that war memorials are properly maintained and kept in a good state of repair; and if he will make a statement.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    DCMS has spent the following amounts maintaining national memorials in each of the last three years. The Memorials Grant Scheme is available to charities and faith groups, and can be used for works involving war memorials. The scheme will be available until 31 March 2015.

    Year

    Spend (£)

    2013/14

    529,000

    2012/13

    269,000

    2011/12

    334,000

    The Government has announced this week that it will give the War Memorials Trust up to £3 million over the First World War centenary period to boost the funds available to local communities for the repair and conservation of war memorials. English Heritage, Imperial War Museums and Civic Voice will together be given £1.5 million over the same period to deliver better protection through Listing, a greater pool of specialist skills, a national register of war memorials, and a network of trained volunteers.

  • Mark Menzies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Mark Menzies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps he is taking to ensure that the distribution of shale gas community benefit funds go to those households closest to potential drilling sites.

    Michael Fallon

    We have welcomed a package of community benefits that was put forward by industry. It is encouraging that industry will offer £100,000 per fractured well site during exploration, so communities can benefit early, as well as 1% of revenues at production.

    The UK Onshore Operators Group has provided more information about the community benefits scheme and will be partnering with the UK Communities Foundation for two pilot schemes during the exploration stage. The UK Communities Foundation will work with local residents to use the funding according to their needs and priorities. UKOOG also announced further consultation on payments at production stage.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of potential links between alcohol and obesity.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government’s “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A call to action on obesity in England”, October 2011, states that alcoholic drinks can be high in calories and contribute to the energy imbalance that can lead to being overweight and obesity. A copy of the document has already been placed in the Library.

  • Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what monetary thresholds were applied to the cost-per-quality adjusted life year quoted in the evidence submitted as part of the Food Standards Agency’s work with the Inter-departmental Group for the Valuation of Life and Health review in 2008.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    I refer my Rt. hon. Friend to the answer given on 26 June 2014, Official Report, column 283W.

  • Jim Dowd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Dowd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dowd on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made towards ending the testing of household products and ingredients on animals; and if she will make a statement.

    Norman Baker

    We have made a commitment to ban the testing of household products on animals.

    Although superficially straightforward, the details have not been easy to
    resolve. Any solution has to be legally viable since we cannot ban testing
    which may be required under UK or EU law.

    The key issue is around ingredients. I am looking to develop a solution that
    is workable and sensible, but does not have a chain of unforeseen circumstances.

    We are looking to publish progress on the commitment later in the year.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions on potential job losses in Newport took place between his Department, the Home Office and Steria prior to the decision to privatise the Ministry of Justice Shared Services.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Ministry of Justice are entering into detailed discussions with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) regarding the future delivery of their back office services, with the intention of awarding a contract in August 2014. We expect this to bring increased savings and efficiency in back-office functions, provide further benefits across wider Government and offer better value for money to the tax payer.

    SSCL have stated their intention of providing 12 months job protection for all transferring staff from the point of transfer in October 2014. This means that there will be no compulsory redundancies during this period. No decisions have been made to close buildings and we expect all sites to remain open during this period.

    Following the transfer of staff, services and IT, there will be a stabilisation stage during which SSCL will look at how the service is currently delivered. No decisions will be made until SSCL has had the opportunity to fully understand the operation.

    We will continue to work with staff, trade unions and other stakeholders to assess any impacts on staff.