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Tag: 2014

  • Stephen Hepburn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Hepburn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hepburn on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate the Government has made of the number of working families which will be affected by its reforms to benefits.

    Priti Patel

    The welfare system we inherited from Labour was uncontrolled, unaffordable and favoured welfare over work. This Government is undertaking widespread reform to ensure that work always pays, and restoring fairness for the hardworking taxpayers who pay for it.

    Universal Credit will radically reform working-age benefits system via improved work incentives, increased simplicity and increased conditionality. Once fully rolled out, we estimate that around 3.8 million working households will be affected by the move to UC.

  • Baroness Berridge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Berridge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Berridge on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the need for funds to enable the disarmament, demobilisation and re-integration of those perpetrating violence in the Central African Republic.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) is essential to create the conditions for stability and security in the Central African Republic (CAR). The UN peacekeeping force in CAR, the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), is the lead on DDR work in CAR. The UK works closely with MINUSCA to ensure it provides adequate support to CAR authorities to launch DDR in CAR.

    MINUSCA has budgeted $28 million for a DDR programme aimed at what they expect will amount to 3,500 ex-Seleka fighters in total and 1,500-3,500 dependants. Through the UK’s contribution to MINUSCA, we support this vital work on pushing DDR forward in CAR.

    MINUSCA is currently in the pre-DDR phase, preparing for the launch of DDR. This entails a sensitisation process/education process for former combatants who will take part in DDR.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel about the level of collective punishment being imposed on Palestinians by both Jewish settlers and the Israeli Defence Forces, and in particular about the use of live fire in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We regularly raise with the Government of Israel the implementation of its obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention as the occupying power, including the point that any use of force must be proportionate. Our Ambassador to Tel Aviv most recently raised our concerns on 26 October about the use of force, including live fire, with the Israeli Commander of Government Activities in the Territories, General Mordechai. Israel, like all countries, has a legitimate right to self-defence, and the right to defend its citizens from attack. But in doing so it is vital that all actions are in line with International Humanitarian Law.

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) whether United Kingdom law complies with the judgment concerning the retention of fingerprints and DNA samples in S and Marper v United Kingdom [2008] ECHR 1581; and (2) whether the proposed retention of biometric data in Northern Ireland in the form of a snapshot” to be used by the expected Historical Investigation Unit will be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights and that judgment.”

    Lord Dunlop

    Following the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of S v Marper v United Kingdom [2008] ECHR 1581, the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 was passed to introduce a new legislative framework for the retention and destruction of biometric data (including fingerprints and DNA samples) taken under the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) legislation in England and Wales and for material taken under UK wide terrorism powers. The Government believes that the new framework strikes the right balance between the rights of individuals under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the public interest in the prevention, investigation and detection of crime. In Northern Ireland, broadly similar provisions have been taken forward by the devolved administration in the Criminal Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2013. The relevant PACE (Northern Ireland) provisions, when brought into force, will ensure that the appropriate balance is also struck in respect of Northern Ireland.

    The Historical Investigations Unit, when established, must have access to historic evidence to support the investigation of past crimes, including relevant fingerprint and DNA evidence. The Government is satisfied that the proposal for the Historical Investigations Unit to access relevant biometric data is proportionate and, pursuant to the provisions of the Northern Ireland (Stormont House Agreement) Bill, sufficient restrictions on the retention of, access to and use of the data will be put in place to ensure compatibility with Article 8 of the European Convention.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been their response to the report by Amnesty International in June that the government of Burma has created a climate of fear by pursuing policies of surveillance, harassment and intimidation.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are increasingly concerned by limits to freedom of expression and assembly in Burma, and a tightening of the democratic space as the November elections approach. These issues have been well documented by Amnesty International and others. We have expressed our concerns to the Burmese authorities a number of times, including during the visit to Burma in July by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), and most recently, when Mr Swire met the Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin in New York in September.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what process his Department has for informing hon. Members of the announcement of area-based reviews of post-16 education and training institutions affecting their constituencies.

    Nick Boles

    The Joint Area Review Delivery Unit supporting the area reviews will arrange for Hon. Members to receive a letter informing them when a review is being launched in any part of their constituency, which will also invite them to give their views.

    Area reviews of post-16 education and training institutions are predominantly focused on general further education and sixth form colleges in order to ensure there is a high quality and financially resilient set of colleges in each area of England. Schools with sixth forms can opt in to a review if they wish to and the review’s local steering group agrees.

    Each review will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current post-16 provision in the area which will include the offer made by schools with sixth forms. Regional Schools Commissioners will sit on local area review steering groups and will identify any issues with school sixth form provision, particularly academy and free school sixth forms and University Technical Colleges, and feed these into the reviews. We expect Regional Schools Commissioners to take account of the analysis from area reviews in any decisions they make about future provision.

    The area reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. Existing government resources are being reprioritised to support delivery of the area reviews.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish a distributional analysis of the effect of the changes to thresholds and taper rates for tax credits for each income decile.

    Damian Hinds

    The distributional analysis published at Summer Budget 2015[1] is the most comprehensive available, showing the cumulative effect of policies on welfare, tax, and public service spending measures since 2010.

    This analysis shows the proportion of spending received by households in each quintile has not changed since 2010-11: around half of all spending on welfare and public services is still going to the poorest 40% of households.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443229/PU1822_Distributional_Analysis.pdf

    Additional HMT analysis that fed into the published Impact Assessment[1] shows how the share of savings from the tax credit changes are distributed for each income decile on the income distribution for tax credit claimants. This has clearly demonstrated that tax credit claimants on the highest incomes – on average £42,000 a year – will contribute nearly 4 times as much as the claimants on the lowest incomes to the savings from this policy.

    [1] http://www.parliament.uk/documents/lords-committees/Secondary-Legislation-Scrutiny-Committee/DraftTaxCreditsRegs2015-ImpactAssessment.pdf

  • Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2015 to Question 12065, which EU and US regulators and which representatives from the UK are assessing the Comparing Motor-Vehicle Crash Risk of EU and US Vehicles report; and whether that assessment will take account of the report’s finding that there is 33 per cent greater risk in front-end collisions of US vehicles compared to EU vehicles.

    Anna Soubry

    The report is being assessed by the European Commission’s Directorate General for GROWTH, and the US regulator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

    The report will help inform negotiations, but is the first side-by-side comparison of predicted risk for EU-regulated and US-regulated vehicles. It recommends further work to replicate results, identify patterns, and establish links between results, design and regulatory differences.

    The European Commission has commissioned its own research into vehicle safety and has published the findings so far on its website. Negotiators will look to use all of the evidence available to ensure we capture the trade benefits without compromising EU safety standards.

  • Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2015 to Question 12348, what estimate he has made of the number of families whose income will reduce as a result of the proposed changes to tax credits.

    Damian Hinds

    No such estimate has been made.

    This Government is committed to moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society. As the Chancellor has made clear, the Government will set out at Autumn Statement how we plan to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits, saving the money we need to save to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to promote the use of credit unions in the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for West Worcestershire (Ms Baldwin) on 2 November 2015, UIN 13524.