The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Woodcock on 2014-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the effects on the community energy sector of removing eligibility for Enterprise Investment Scheme awards from business qualifying for renewable obligation certificates.
Michael Fallon
Eligibility for the Enterprise Investment Scheme is a matter for HM Treasury who will be consulting stakeholders on the proposals in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-11.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many of the financial penalties for non-compliance with the minimum wage issued by HM Revenue and Customs in 2013-14 were for the then maximum sum of £5,000.
Mr David Gauke
The Government takes the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) very seriously. HMRC review every complaint that is referred to them by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (0800 917 2368). In addition, HMRC conduct targeted compliance activity based on data received from various sources and robust risk assessment processes, to identify the sectors and employers across the United Kingdom, who are considered more likely to be failing to pay NMW.
The Government has increased the financial penalty percentage that employers pay for breaking minimum wage law from 50 per cent to 100 per cent and the maximum penalty has increased from £5,000 to £20,000. The revised penalty is calculated as 100 per cent of the total underpayment for all of the workers specified in a Notice of Underpayment relating to pay reference periods that commence on or after 7 March 2014.
HMRC issued the maximum penalty of £5,000 to 52 employers identified as owing workers arrears of pay under national minimum wage legislation in 2013/14.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr David Hanson on 2014-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many failed removals of foreign national offenders there were in each year since 2010.
James Brokenshire
I will write to the Rt. hon. Member.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of those held in open prisons in each month in 2010 to 2013 had previously (a) absconded, (b) attempted to abscond, (c) escaped and (d) attempted to escape.
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.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-24.
To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the introduction of online voting in (a) Australia and (b) South Africa and its relevance to the UK.
Mr Gary Streeter
The Electoral Commission informs me that it monitors developments in voting technology in other countries, including the limited online voting pilot schemes which have so far taken place at an individual state level in Australia. South African overseas voters can go online to register to vote, but cannot actually vote online.
The Commission will continue to take account of relevant experience from other comparable democracies as it develops a strategy for modernising voting at elections in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2014-06-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their stated intention of building more houses, what is their assessment of the availability of skilled personnel to carry out the building work necessary; and what measures they are taking to train sufficient numbers to ensure the success of the house building programme.
Viscount Younger of Leckie
There has been no specific assessment of the availability of skilled personnel for the home building sector. The Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) latest Construction Skills Network Report forecasts an annual recruitment requirement for the construction sector, including home building, of 36,400 a year for the 2013 – 2018 period.
Under the auspices of the Construction Leadership Council, the house building industry is developing an action plan to address two immediate priorities: improving the image of house building and attracting back experienced workers who left during the recession, and other workers with relevant skills. More widely, the Government is making a number of reforms to the skills system to improve skills supply, putting employers in the driving seat and making providers more responsive to their needs.
The Government is also currently undertaking a triennial review of the way the CITB operates and challenging it on the service it delivers to the sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Nicholas Brown on 2014-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the suitability of the medical assessment undertaken for personal independence payment claims.
Mike Penning
The assessment for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) looks at how an impairment or condition affects an individual’s ability to live an independent life by assessing their ability to carry out key everyday activities.
As with all our reforms we will closely monitor its introduction/roll out, refine the process if required and learn lessons early on.
We are committed to the highest quality of assessment and will carry out two independent reviews.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2014-06-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information is currently given to female patients concerning the potential problems of taking valproate in pregnancy; and how that information reflects the guidelines established by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on those issues.
Earl Howe
The Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) that accompanies the medicine is intended to supplement the information provided by the prescriber. The PIL for Epilim (a brand of valproate for the treatment of epilepsy) states that women who are pregnant or of childbearing age should not take valproate unless explicitly advised by their doctor and provides information on birth defects, impaired development and other problems which may occur in babies born to mothers who take valproate during pregnancy. The PILs for other brands of valproate used in the treatment of epilepsy and to control mania in bipolar disorder contain similar warnings. The warnings in the information for healthcare professionals, the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) and the PIL are currently the subject of a Europe–wide review which was prompted by new data on the risk of developmental disorders in children born to mothers who took valproate during pregnancy.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline on epilepsy made the following recommendation as a key priority for implementation: "Women and girls with epilepsy and their partners, as appropriate, must be given accurate information and counselling about contraception, conception, pregnancy, caring for children, breastfeeding and menopause." NICE’s clinical guideline on bipolar disorder recommends that valproate should not routinely be prescribed to pregnant women with bipolar disorder.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2014-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 2.42 of Budget 2014, whether the Regional Air Connectivity Fund will only be available to new domestic routes; which regional airports will be eligible; when funding is likely to become available; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Chancellor announced in this year’s Budget that funding to maintain existing air connectivity to London – first announced in the 2013 Spending Round last June – will increase from £10million to £20million per year. The Chancellor also announced that support from this funding will be provided for start-up aid for new air routes from UK regional airports. European Union aviation State aid guidelines allow for start-up aid to be provided under certain conditions to facilitate the development of new routes from airports which handle fewer than five million passengers per year. This currently includes Newcastle Airport.
The Department for Transport is working with the Treasury to develop guidance that will clarify how the Government will ordinarily expect to interpret the European Union State aid guidelines, and explain how the funding process will operate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2014-06-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have sought assistance from the Royal Household in recovering records of royal pardons granted between 1987 and 1997.
Baroness Randerson
The review of Departmental record keeping ordered by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is ongoing.
Northern Ireland Office officials continue to seek information on use of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (RPM) for the years 1987 to 1997. This includes contact with the Royal Household to ascertain whether they hold any relevant information.