Tag: 2014

  • Julie Elliott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Julie Elliott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2014-03-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Sunderland Central dated 27 February 2014 relating to the Eggborough power station.

    Gregory Barker

    I would like to apologise on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change for the delay in replying to the Hon Member for Sunderland Central. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy has since responded to this letter on 1 April 2014.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners serving sentences in open conditions have previously absconded for their current or previous establishments (a) once, (b) twice, (c) three times and (d) four or more times.

    Jeremy Wright

    Keeping the public safe is our priority. Absconds and escapes have reached record lows under this Government but each incident is taken seriously. Immediate changes have already been ordered to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. Prisoners will no longer be transferred to open conditions or allowed out on temporary release if they have previously absconded, escaped, or attempted to do either.

    My officials are currently working to provide the information requested. I will write to you in due course.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Paul Blomfield – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2014-03-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2014, Official Report, column 318W, on Personal Independence Payment, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of personal independence payment claim processing times.

    Mike Penning

    Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a new benefit and processes are currently bedding in. There are no time limits or targets on processing times to claims for PIP.

    We recognise the new processes are taking longer than expected and we are taking robust action to improve these, including working closely with the providers to ensure performance expectations.

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Robertson on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent assessment he has made of the effects of membership of the EU on jobs in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow and (c) Scotland.

    David Mundell

    The Government does not collate figures for the number of jobs in Scotland that depend on UK membership of the EU. However, independent analysis published by the Centre for Economics and Business Research in March 2014 suggested that, in 2011, approximately 335,000 jobs in Scotland were associated with Scottish exports to the EU. The analysis was not broken down to the level of individual UK cities or by Parliamentary constituency

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Bridget Phillipson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the armed forces will tender for the successor to the SA80 L86A2.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    There are currently no plans to replace the SA80 L86A2.

  • David Ruffley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Ruffley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Ruffley on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) new national insurance numbers registered and (b) new workers in (i) Bury St Edmunds constituency, (ii) Suffolk and (iii) England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Esther McVey

    Information on the number of National Insurance Numbers registered to individuals including new workers, via constituency, county and country, can be found at:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

    Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

    https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

    “

  • Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tim Loughton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what dates the National Panel on Serious Case Reviews has met; and if he will publish the minutes of that Panel’s meetings.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The national panel of independent experts on Serious Case Reviews has met on the following dates:

    1. 25 July 2013

    2. 9 September 2013

    3. 11 November 2013

    4. 13 January 2014

    5. 10 February 2014

    6. 10 March 2014

    The key output of the panel meetings is letters from the panel to Local Safeguarding Children Boards making recommendations on the cases put to them, about the application of the SCR criteria, the appointment of reviewers and the publication of SCR reports. The letters refer to sensitive material not in the public domain and would not therefore be routinely publishable.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which charitable projects in Scotland have received funding from the Armed Forces Covenant (LIBOR) Fund to date.

    Anna Soubry

    The allocation of some £35 million in LIBOR fines to the Ministry Of Defence to support the Armed Forces community is just one example of the importance this Government places on the Armed Forces covenant.

    We have provided £5.5 million of funding for 12 Scottish projects. In addition, the Armed Forces community in Scotland will benefit from a number of UK-wide projects which have been allocated over £16 million of LIBOR funding.

  • 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 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fines have been levied under The Immigration (Employment of Adults Subject to Immigration Conrol) (Maximum Penalty) Order 2008 of a value of (a) up to £1000, (b) between £1000 and £2000, (c) between £2000 and £5000 and (d) between £5000 and £10000 to date.

    James Brokenshire

    Enforcement operations against illegal working have increased significantly,
    with a 47% increase in 2013 compared to 2012. The administration of the penalty
    scheme and administrative debt recovery processes have been reviewed, including
    with Cabinet Office input and are being streamlined and further improved.

    The information on the number of civil penalties levied is provided in the
    following table. Data has been provided from £2,500 upwards as this is the
    minimum penalty value that is levied in line with the published penalty
    calculation framework. The table includes values of £10,000 upwards to account
    for multiple workers per penalty.

    Please note the figures are for penalties levied at the initial decision stage
    which may be reduced, cancelled, increased or reissued at the objection or
    appeal stage.

    Value of Penalty £2,500-£5,000 £5,000-£10,000 £10,000 plus
    Total Penalties levied 5701 2774 1954

  • Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of all UK visa applications processed by TPContact in (a) Israel, (b) Russia, (c) South Africa and (d) Ukraine have been subject to delays outside the stated service standards.

    James Brokenshire

    Any failure against the contractual critical service levels may result in
    deductions against their submitted invoices. In the event of continuous and
    unacceptable failures the Department has the ability to terminate the contract.

    The performance of Teleperformance as with all of our contracts is subject to
    close Home Office scrutiny. The governance processes include regular meetings
    at all levels, from local operational teams up to senior official levels, to
    allow in-depth reviews of performance against the service standards set out in
    the contract, and to provide an escalation route to resolve any issues that may
    arise. We also expect suppliers to provide continuous improvement in delivery
    of customer services over the course of the contract, which is also monitored
    through these processes.

    The Department withheld payment of the contractual transitional payment until
    transition was complete in each country where Teleperformance operates. This
    has now been has now been approved for payment in countries where visa
    application centres (VACs) are operational but withheld in locations still to
    be transitioned. Ongoing contractual payments will be subject to the service
    credit process outlined above.

    The data required to judge performance against contractual service standards is
    not yet available. We are not aware of any withdrawn applications linked to
    delays in processing at the identified visa application centres since they took
    over this service. The Home Office is currently collating data on complaints
    for the period since Teleperformance commenced operations and it is not
    available for publication.

    UK Visas & Immigration has worked closely with Teleperformance from the point
    at which contracts were awarded to prepare for live operations, including the
    summer peak. Annual and monthly application volumes and forecast figures for
    2014 were provided to Teleperformance as part of the tender process and local
    discussions have taken place to determine the number of appointment slots
    available. Opening hours have been extended and appointment availability has
    been increased in a number of locations to prepare for the summer period. Where
    VACs are open every day, the availability of appointment slots is continually
    monitored, with further measures being taken if appointments are consistently
    fully booked.