The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2014-06-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department issues to employers on helping employees with the cost of childcare.
Nicky Morgan
HM Revenue & Customs has published extensive guidance to help employers run successful childcare schemes, including the Employer Helpbook E18 ‘How you can help your employees with childcare’.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has issued any authorisations under section 42(3) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 which permit intrusive surveillance by unmanned aircraft systems in the UK.
James Brokenshire
As a matter of long-standing practice we do not comment on the operational use
of covert surveillance, or provide a breakdown of the number of warrants signed
by particular Secretaries of State, or in relation to specific circumstances or
methods of surveillance.
Existing regulation relating to surveillance includes the surveillance camera
code of practice issued under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, which
provides a framework of good practice for surveillance camera operators and
sets out obligations arising from other legislation including those for the
processing of personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998 and a public
authority’s duty to adhere to the Human Rights Act 1998. Any covert
surveillance undertaken by a public authority which is likely to obtain private
information would be subject to authorisation under the Regulation of
Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pamela Nash on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what arrears validation processes are carried out on Child Support Agency cases which do not form part of the caseload before those arrears are transferred to the Child Maintenance Service for collection.
Steve Webb
The Department is prioritising the closure over the next three years of cases with an ongoing child maintenance liability, and taking steps to minimise disruption as far as possible for parents who wish the statutory service to continue collecting maintenance on their behalf. Plans for handling cases where there is no ongoing liability, but arrears are owed, are still under consideration. Where there is a link between one of these arrears only cases, and an application to the 2012 scheme, action will be taken to bring that arrears only case up-to-date, before moving it across to the Child Maintenance Service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Lewell-Buck on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department makes available to applicants for Tier 4 student visas on maintenance funding requirements; and what types of accounts or financial instruments count towards meeting this requirement.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office provides guidance on the maintenance funding requirements for Tier 4 student visas to applicants in Appendix C of the Immigration Rules, in
the Tier 4 Policy guidance for applicants, and on the Tier 4 application form. The Tier 4 application form also calculates the level of funds an applicant requires and advises them which documents they can submit as evidence.
The guidance does not specify an exhaustive list of accounts or financial instruments that can be used to satisfy the maintenance requirement. Instead,
the Immigration Rules set out the attributes an acceptable account must satisfy. The rules specifically exclude financial instruments such as shares, bonds, credit cards and pension funds from use as acceptable evidence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Attorney General, if he will place in the Library the numbers of cases of (a) rape, (b) domestic violence, (c) child abuse and (d) human trafficking referred by each police force in England and Wales to each regional division of the Crown Prosecution Service in 2013.
Oliver Heald
Tables have been deposited in the Library of the House showing the number of requests for a charging decision referred to the CPS from each police force split by the categories requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions practical driving tests have been appealed to magistrates’ and sheriff courts in each year since 2008; how many such appeals were upheld; and for what reasons.
Stephen Hammond
Since 2008 DVSA holds record of 12 practical driving test appeals that have come before the magistrate’s court; we have no record of any practical driving test appeals that have come before the Sheriff’s court. None of these appeals were upheld as detailed in the chart below.
| Date and place of hearing | Under S90 or S133 RTA | Outcome |
| 11.06.2008 – Croydon | S133 | Dismissed |
| 27.01.2009 – Bexley Heath | S90 | Dismissed |
| 25.03.2009 – Caernarfon | S133 | Withdrawn |
| 01/06/2009 – UNKNOWN | S90 | Settled without prejudice prior to hearing |
| 15.07.2009 Leicester | S90 | Dismissed |
| 31.07.2009 Leicester | S133 | Withdrawn |
| 5.11.2010 – UNKNOWN | S90 | Failed to attend preliminary hearing |
| 28.02.2011 Coventry | S133 | Withdrawn |
| 13.09.2011 Sheffield | S90 | Not upheld |
| 26.07.2012 Wakefield | S90 | Cancelled preliminary hearing |
| 02.08.2012 Bournemouth | S90 | Withdrawn |
| 11.11.2013 Wolverhampton | S133 | Withdrawn at hearing on judge’s advice |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2014-06-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance and support (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) National Savings and Investment will provide for parents who encounter IT problems during the quarterly reconfiguration process for tax-free childcare; and if he will make a statement.
Nicky Morgan
On the 23 May the Government published a further consultation on the delivery of childcare accounts within Tax-Free Childcare. The consultation will be open until 27 June and the Government will consider the responses alongside those to the first consultation before it makes its decision on the provision of childcare accounts. Following this decision the Government will work with stakeholders to develop guidance to support parents, and assisted approaches will be provided to parents without access to the internet.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to take mortgage payments into account when calculating pension credit.
Steve Webb
Pensioners who are entitled to State Pension Credit may receive an additional element called Support for Mortgage Interest. This makes a contribution towards the interest on eligible loans taken out to purchase the property, and specific loans for repairs and improvements which are necessary to maintain the home’s fitness for habitation
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of local authorities which have adopted powers under the London Local Authorities Act 2007 to re-use graves where burial rights have been extinguished since that Act came into force.
Simon Hughes
The Ministry of Justice has not made an estimate of the number of grave spaces created since the introduction of the London Local Authorities Act 2007 or the number of local authorities who have used powers under the Act to re-use graves. However, as the Ministry of Justice has responsibility for burial law and policy, I am keeping the issue of burial space under active review including considering what legislative changes might be necessary to address a shortage of graves.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time for a decision for a reconsideration of an employment and support allowance decision has been since 28 October 2013.
Mike Penning
While mandatory reconsideration data is being collected, it is not sufficiently robust and reliable to make available.
The Department is looking into what can be published. The data will need to be validated in order to ensure that it satisfies the relevant standards.