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Tag: 2014

  • Drew Hendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Drew Hendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that landlords receive the expected rent payments for tenants in properties in areas where universal credit is rolled out.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Universal Credit is usually paid directly to claimants as a single monthly sum.

    In certain circumstances, such as where a claimant is identified as vulnerable, the Department may make alternative payment arrangements for rent to be paid directly to landlords.

    The Department is also conducting a pilot with a selection of landlords from the social housing sector where the landlord can identify claimants with a need for alternative payments arrangements and make recommendations to DWP for rapid implementation of direct payments.

  • Lord Beecham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Beecham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 20 October (HL2620), how much they expect to save in particular in housing benefit payments from the reductions in social rent levied by housing associations.

    Lord Freud

    Estimates of the total benefit savings due to the reductions in social rent announced in the 2015 Summer Budget were presented in the associated policy costing publication.

    The table below shows the amount of the total benefit savings which relates to housing association tenancies. This includes both Housing Benefit and Universal Credit.

    Estimated reduction in benefit payments to housing association tenants, £millions, cash terms

    2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21
    Benefit savings relating to Housing Associations 145 425 790 1190 1305
  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the governance arrangements of the Herbal Medicines and Practitioners Working Group report on the regulation of herbal practitioners.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    As an independent Working Group the governance arrangements were a matter for the Chair and members of the Herbal Medicines and Practitioners Working Group to determine. The Working Group agreed its terms of reference and membership.

  • Baroness Donaghy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Donaghy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Donaghy on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what analysis they have carried out of the impact of the increase in School Direct and school-centred initial teacher training on the availability of placements for students on mainstream school-university programmes.

    Lord Nash

    The National College of Teaching and Leadership does not collect information on placements. These are negotiated between providers and schools as part of their partnership arrangements.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to support the people of South Sudan who face starvation.

    Baroness Verma

    In 2014, the UK was one of the largest donors to the UN Humanitarian appeal which helped to avert famine and ensure that 3.5 million South Sudanese were reached with life-saving assistance. The 2015 appeal is ongoing, and 3.1 million people have been reached so far this year.

    Overall, the UK is the second largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian response in South Sudan, having contributed £172 million since the start of the conflict in December 2013 and a further £88.9 million for South Sudanese refugees in the region. Limited access for humanitarian workers in the Greater Upper Nile states, particularly in Unity State, has increased the risk of famine; as noted in the recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The UK consistently lobbies for all parties to allow unrestricted humanitarian access.

    In addition, through DFID, the UK continues to deliver food security programmes in South Sudan, prioritising support to the most vulnerable people.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was paid in (a) year-end and (b) in-year bonuses to officials of his Department in each of the last three years.

    Justin Tomlinson

    In line with Civil Service pay guidance, DWP rewards employees for their performance through either end of year non-consolidated payments and/or in-year payments. In year payments are limited to 0.23% of the total DWP paybill.

    Employees who have attained agreed performance levels as part of their performance review may receive an end of year non-consolidated payment based on their grade and end of year performance marking. End of year payments are limited to 1.9% of the total DWP paybill

    At the end of the 2012-13 performance year DWP employed 104,864 staff
    (a) End of year non-consolidated payments
    £44,758,579 paid to staff in delegated and SCS grades
    (b) In-year voucher or cash payments
    £6,515,427 paid to staff in delegated grades (SCS grades not eligible)

    At the end of the 2013-14 performance year DWP employed 95,923 staff
    (a) End of year non-consolidated payments
    £41,488,229 paid to staff in delegated and SCS grades
    (b) In-year voucher or cash payments
    £5,030,126 paid to staff in delegated grades (SCS grades not eligible)

    At the end of the 2014-15 performance year DWP employed 90,018 staff
    (a) End of year non-consolidated payments
    £38,141,345 paid to staff in delegated and SCS grades
    (b) In-year voucher or cash payments
    £3,991,001 paid to staff in delegated grades (SCS grades not eligible)

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what further work remains to be undertaken before he takes a final decision on the future of funding of insolvency litigation.

    Dominic Raab

    The Ministry of Justice is in the process of considering the way forward in relation to the application to insolvency litigation of the no win no fee reforms in Part 2 of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

  • Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of shale gas extraction on aquifers in East Yorkshire.

    Andrea Leadsom

    In the UK, we have been successfully regulating for gas and oil drilling for over 50 years and have tough regulations in place to prevent water contamination.

    All hydraulic fracturing operations will require a groundwater activity permit. The Environment Agency will not grant a permit where the risks to groundwater are unacceptable. They have powers to impose conditions to ensure proper protection or to prohibit activities which they consider to pose unacceptable risks.

    The Infrastructure Act 2015 required the Government to specify protected groundwater source areas within which hydraulic fracturing cannot take place, which we did in draft regulations debated in the House on 27 October. They define these areas as being equivalent to Source Protection Zones 1, which applies to those areas close to drinking water sources where there is the greatest risk associated with groundwater contamination. This will reinforce the regulatory approach, as it is consistent with the approach taken by the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales to control the risks from other groundwater activities.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps she has taken to promote the importance of access to safe water and sanitation to improve climate change resilience.

    Grant Shapps

    Through the International Climate Fund (ICF) the UK government is providing significant investment to help improve water security and support sustainable growth to reduce poverty.

    For example, a UK-funded programme in South Asia is enabling seven countries to manage their shared water resources more effectively and to reduce the risk of conflict. This will help improve the lives of the 700 million people living beside the great Himalayan Rivers of the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra.

    Last month the Prime Minister announced that UK climate funding will increase by at least 50% over the next five years. The UK also reaffirmed its commitment to achieve a 50:50 balance between adaptation and mitigation spend over this period.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to promote the use of credit unions in the work of the Law Officers’ Departments; and if he will make a statement.

    Jeremy Wright

    I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to question 13524 on the 2nd of November by my Hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury.