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Tag: 2014

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Debbie Abrahams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff are employed in (a) his Department, (b) NHS England and (c) Monitor to undertake work on or relating to competition issues; and what the cost of employing such staff was in each of the last five years.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The following table lists the number of staff currently employed to work on competition issues in the Department, NHS England and Monitor.

    The level of spend on employing staff to work on competition issues in each of the last five years could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

    Organisation

    Number of Staff Employed

    Cost of employing such staff in 2013-14

    Department of Health

    2

    £98,760-£121,8141

    NHS England

    0 full time posts

    n/a

    Monitor2

    30

    £1,588,554

    Notes:

    1 The figures shown are the combined cost of the paybands for the 2 staff.

    2Monitor’s competition functions were established by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. In the transition year 2012-13 Monitor hosted the Cooperation and Competition Panel at a cost of £1,068,099

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will provide support to the Bright Green Energy Group for distributing solar energy systems to rural communities in Bangladesh.

    Lynne Featherstone

    DFID recognises the important role that the private sector plays in developing and delivering products to increase access to energy in poor countries. DFID make funding available to energy in Africa. This includes the Renewable Energy and Adaptation to Climate Change (REACT) window of the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-04-30.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people did not meet the 31 January 2014 deadline for making their tax return.

    Mr David Gauke

    Of the 10.7 million 2012-13 Self Assessment tax returns due by 31 January 2014 around 708,800 (6.6%) were not filed by the filing deadline.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-04-30.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the future implementation of the Debt Management Plan Protocol.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government is committed to improving standards in the debt management industry to deliver a better deal for consumers and greater transparency for creditors. The Debt Management Plan Protocol played a crucial role in meeting this objective, working in complement with the OFT regulatory framework, and paved the way for more robust regulation of the sector by the FCA.

    From 1 April, responsibility for regulating debt management firms, along with all other consumer credit firms, transferred from the Office of Fair Trading to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

    Consumers will be better protected under the new regime – the FCA will:

    · police the gateway to the market more thoroughly;

    · proactively identify risks to consumers;

    · focus its supervisory resources on areas most likely to cause consumer harm;

    · approve individuals in influential roles in firms;

    · operate a flexible and responsive regime;

    · use its wide enforcement toolkit;

    · and ensure consumers have access to redress.

    The FCA will thoroughly assess every debt management firm’s fitness to trade as part of the authorisation process – debt management firms will be amongst the first to require authorisation.

    The FCA has also introduced new requirements for debt management firms, including:

    · Prudential requirements: Debt management firms often hold consumers’ money – the FCA is requiring large debt management firms to hold capital to ensure that consumers don’t risk losing their money if things go wrong.

    · Guidance added that debt management firms should not allocate more than half the money received from customers in debt management plans to meeting their fees and charges.

    With the new FCA regulatory regime in place which will greatly improve consumer protection in the debt management market, the Government decided following discussions with a range of stakeholders that it was the right time to step away from an active role in the Protocol.

    The Government hopes that the stakeholders involved in the Protocol will continue to work together to help the FCA monitor the market and drive best practice in the sector.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools which cater for students with severe or complex disabilities have indicated to his Department that they plan to reduce provision for such students since December 2013; and what reasons have been given for these plans.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    This information is not collected centrally.

  • John Woodcock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Woodcock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Woodcock on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many childcare places for disadvantaged two year olds have been created since September 2013.

    Elizabeth Truss

    The Department for Education does not hold information on how many childcare places for disadvantaged two-year-olds have been created since September 2013. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that every eligible child, whose parents want a childcare place, is able to take one. We are reforming the early education market so that places are both more affordable and accessible. We are encouraging more schools to provide places for two-year-olds, including as part of an offer of provision between 8am and 6pm. The introduction of childminder agencies will also provide a new way for parents to find places that are suited to their needs.

  • Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brent Central of 31 March 2014, Official Report, column 411W on asylum, what the (a) gender and (b) age of each applicant represented in the table in Scotland was; and whether each such applicant had (i) family and (ii) dependants in Scotland.

    James Brokenshire

    Data specific to part a) of your request can be found in the following table.

    Region/Country

    Band

    Female

    Male

    All

    Scotland

    Less than 2 years

    64

    133

    197

    Scotland

    More than 2 years

    30

    35

    65

    Scotland

    More than 4 years

    22

    51

    73

    Scotland

    More than 6 years

    2

    12

    14

    Scotland

    All

    121

    231

    349

    We are unable to provide data for part b) of your request for reasons of data
    protection.

  • David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) meetings she or Ministers in her Department have had with and (b) representations she has received from Kalayaan on tied domestic workers visas.

    James Brokenshire

    Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of
    international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public
    and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
    Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are
    passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently
    published on the Cabinet Office website which is available here:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-ministers-gifts-and-hospi
    tality-july-to-september-2013.

    Kalayaan has sent a number of representations to the Home Office on the subject
    of overseas domestic workers.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place in the Library a code of practice on the circumstances in which recovery action will be taken for overpayments of universal credit, jobseeker’s allowance and employment and support allowance.

    Esther McVey

    A copy of the Code of Practice What happens if you are overpaid Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance will be placed in the House Library.

    The Code of Practice is available on GOV.UK and can be accessed through the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-happens-if-you-are-overpaid-universal-credit-jobseekers-allowance-or-employment-and-support-allowance

    “

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) purpose and (b) cost of international travel undertaken for official purposes by (i) directors of Public Health England and (ii) members of its advisory board has been since 1 April 2012.

    Jane Ellison

    The purposes of Public Health England’s (PHE) international travel include:

    – to provide expert advice to international agencies such as the World Health Organization and to the Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom (UK);

    – to co-ordinate the global preparedness for serious health threats that might affect the UK;

    – to provide advice and support to other national public health agencies on public health incidents and initiatives to improve health;

    – to contribute to humanitarian responses; and

    – to present PHE contributions at international scientific conferences.

    The cost of international travel undertaken for official purposes is as follows:

    (i) Directors of PHE: £12,458.57

    (ii) Members of PHE’s Advisory Board since April 2013: £817.74

    International travel has been defined as the cost of transportation wholly outside the UK or tickets to/from a destination outside the UK.