Tag: 2014

Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Dr Daniel Poulter

Detailed information which specifically identifies dismissals following formal disciplinary proceedings is not held for this full period. The Department publishes workforce information on the .GOV website, which includes figures for staff that have left the Department.

From 1 April 2013 changes have been made to how leaving reasons are recorded on the internal Human Resources System. For the financial year 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 14% of staff who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings were white British and for a further 14% ethnic origin is not recorded on the internal HR system as declaration of ethnicity is voluntary for staff.

November 1, 2022
Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-04-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many British heavy good vehicles (HGV) are not expected to be fully compensated by the reduction in vehicle excise duty introduced as part of the HGV User Levy; and whether this has changed since estimates were made in 2012.

Mr Robert Goodwill

We estimate that 94% of UK HGVs paying the levy will pay no more than they did before its introduction, taking into account the reductions in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) that happened at the same time. This figure is the same as was published in the consultation document in January 2012, and discussed during the HGV Road User Levy Act’s passage through Parliament.

November 1, 2022
Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Simon Hughes

The Ministry of Justice is committed to promoting equality and diversity in its procurements. Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 outlines the Public Sector Equality Duty. The following three duties which form the basis of Departments’ policy and to which due regard must be given during the procurement process:

1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act;

2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

3. Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

The level of due regard given to the three duties will vary depending on their relevance to each individual procurement. There will be greater significance for example where the procurement involves direct contact with the public or employees of the Department or where services are to be carried out in the Department’s premises.

Where a need to consider equality has been identified at the beginning of a procurement process, consideration to this is given at every stage of the process as detailed below:

· Planning and preparation includes the consideration of whether the duties are relevant to the procurement.

· The Pre-Qualification stage of the tender process contains mandatory fields including questions to make sure that the bid is in line with legislation. Suppliers that do not pass these questions are not progressed onto the next stage.

· The Request for Information and Request for Quotation contain questions in line with legislation. These question are proportionate so as not to disadvantage smaller suppliers.

· The evaluation of tenders can include equality criteria if it formed part of the specification. However, if included, the criteria are given proportionate consideration to the bid as a whole.

· Contract award where the specification set out equality criteria can be used to determine the most economically advantageous tender

· Ongoing consideration is given to the equality duties in every review meeting for those relevant contracts.

In addition to these processes implemented during the procurement process, the Department reports annually its obligations to the Cabinet Office. All procurement staff within the Department are required to undertake mandatory Equality and Diversity Training which makes sure that the duty can be considered and applied correctly.

November 1, 2022
Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-04-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of trends in (a) take-up of workplace pensions and (b) anticipated retirement income from current workplace pension accounts.

Steve Webb

a)

Automatic enrolment is increasing the take-up of workplace pensions and will continue to do so as the reforms continue to be rolled out over the next few years. The latest figures from The Pensions Regulator show that over 3.2 million individuals have now been enrolled into a workplace pension as a result of the reforms.

In 2013, 50 per cent of all employees were a member of a pension scheme, rising from 47 per cent in 2012. This was the first increase in participation since 2006 and represented the largest rise since records began in 1997. In particular, for the largest private sector companies (those with more than 5000 employees), 51 per cent of employees were members of a workplace pension scheme, up from 36 per cent in 2012. These figures were collected in April 2013 when automatic enrolment had been running for just 6 months.

(b)

Without automatic enrolment, median private pension income was expected to fall from around £3,900 a year in 2020 to around £2,200 a year in 2050. However, with automatic enrolment the median private pension income is expected to be around £3,600 by 2050.

November 1, 2022
Laurence Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2014-06-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on ensuring that people claiming benefits receive medical treatment that has been identified as enabling them to return to work; and if he will make a statement.

Mike Penning

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has not had any recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health on this subject.

November 1, 2022
Baroness Whitaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2014-04-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Nash on 27 March (WS 53–4) on primary and 16 to 18 assessment and accountability, how the progress which is to be measured will be disaggregated into ethnic groups.

Lord Nash

The detail of the new accountability measures has yet to be fully developed. However, we expect to mirror current practice and to publish information on attainment and progress by ethnic group at national and local authority level rather than at school or college level.

A new web portal, which is under development, will improve access to 16-18 performance data including the core demographic information such as ethnicity which is currently available for primary and secondary schools.

November 1, 2022
Baroness Thornton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thornton on 2014-06-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have conducted a review of the effectiveness of the UK Border Agency’s training manual Gender Identity Issues in the Asylum Claim” which is primarily used to educate UK Border Agency case officers in trans-related issues and in evaluating testimonies.”

Lord Taylor of Holbeach

The document referred to is guidance to asylum decision makers rather than a training manual. The guidance was last reviewed and revised in June 2011.

Separately, training for new asylum caseworkers is provided through the Foundation Training Programme, which has been developed in consultation with stakeholders including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and A:gender, the cross-civil service staff support network for transgender staff.

November 1, 2022
Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2014-04-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 27 March (WA 141), what steps they will take to ensure that legal aid resources are spent in the most equitable way and are not concentrated on fewer high-profile defendants.

Lord Newby

In the vast majority of cases, legal aid fees are based solely on factors such as the type of alleged offence, the length of trial and the amount of paperwork involved. They are not increased just because a defendant is “high-profile”. We plan to reduce these fees in 2015, subject to consideration of a number of reviews currently taking place. In addition, a very small number of the longest cases (Very High Cost Cases) are paid based on the work required and the substance of the case. These cases account for approximately 0.1% of criminal cases, but 7.5% of the legal aid spend. The Government is committed to controlling the cost of these cases, and has recently introduced a 30% cut in fees.

November 1, 2022
Lord Temple-Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Temple-Morris on 2014-06-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the effect of sanctions on Iran on exports from (1) the United Kingdom, and (2) the European Union.

Baroness Warsi

A significant set of EU, UN and US sanctions have been imposed on Iran because of its nuclear programme. UK exports to Iran fell to £79 million in 2013, down from £100 million in 2012, and £180 million in 2011. EU exports to Iran have also fallen, totalling €5.4 billion in 2013. This is down from €7.4 billion in 2012, and €10.5 billion in 2011.

November 1, 2022

Stephen Pound – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Pound on 2014-03-31.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many claims for asbestos-related illnesses were made against his Department in each year since 2003.

Jenny Willott

The asbestos-related personal injury claims for which the Department is responsible are mainly historical liabilities that were assumed by the Department from various bodies, including former nationalised industries, whose liabilities transferred to the Department (as previously constituted) when those bodies ceased to exist.

Based on available data, the number of claims for the years in question are listed by category, and are as follows:

Year	National Dock Labour Board	British Shipbuilders[1]	British Shipbuilers Chester Street[2]	British Coal[3]	Others[4]
2003		645	31	11
2004		854	37	103
2005		771	15	47
2006		214	4	42
2007		119	8	42	1
2008	115[5]	126	4	36	2
2009	44	168	2		2
2010	45	133	7		3
2011	47	124	4		1
2012	45	232	3		1
2013	37	160	4		2
2014	6	33	1		2

The footnotes below provide further information on these numbers.

[1]British Shipbuilders was a separate legal entity, with BIS, as formerly constituted, as its sponsor department. British Shipbuilders was wound up in March 2013. Since then responsibility for these claims has passed to BIS.

[2]BIS is responsible for compensation claims made against former British Shipbuilders’ companies that were sold with their liabilities during privatisation, and which subsequently became insolvent, as did their insurer, Chester Street Insurance Holdings Ltd. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme does not compensate former employees in respect of periods of employment with nationalised industries (such as British Shipbuilders) and the Department (the then DTI) assumed liability for this compensation by way of a Minute to Parliament in 2003.

[3] BIS does not hold complete figures for asbestos claims for British Coal for calendar years 2003, 2005 and 2006. British Coal liabilities transferred to the Department for Energy & Climate Change (DECC) on its creation in October 2008, so no figures have been included after that date.

[4]The claims listed in the column headed “Others” are claims for which the Department is responsible as the successor to partner organisations and executive agencies which no longer exist.

[5]The figure of 115 NDLB claims for 2008 is the complete number for the years 2006 – 2008 as the figures for these years have been aggregated.

November 1, 2022