Tag: 2014

  • Teresa Pearce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Teresa Pearce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons his Department paid the majority of the support package for former Remploy workers to Job Centre Plus for a rapid response team; what that rapid response did to assist former Remploy employees; and what the outcome of that assistance was.

    Mike Penning

    The Rapid Response Service (RRS) was made available to all former affected Remploy employees and was funded separately to the £8 million People Help and Support Package (PHSP), which provides help all disabled former Remploy workers made redundant as a result of factory closures.

    RRS support was made available to all affected Remploy employees at the earliest opportunity following the announcement of a Remploy factory closure. Working with Remploy a range of support was agreed taking into account local circumstances and involved partner organisations where appropriate, for example the National Careers Service.

    Typically, RRS included on-site support and advice that helped with; providing information about being made redundant, identifying transferable skills, job options and training needs, learning new skills appropriate to the local labour market, job search skills and finding a new job, overcoming barriers to work and settling into a new job.

    Together, with the PHSP, as at 21 March this support has helped 716 former Remploy workers who are now in work.

  • Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to increase the transparency of NICE’s decisions on the Cancer Drugs Fund to remove any restrictions on treatment use arising from budgetary pressures and increase its level of engagement with members of the public.

    Norman Lamb

    The operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund is the responsibility of NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence does not have a role in the management of the Fund.

    NHS England has a standard operating procedure for the Fund, which is available at:

    www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/

  • Mr Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mr Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Adrian Sanders on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the capability of the Work Programme to provide adequate support to jobseekers with long-term medical conditions.

    Esther McVey

    The Department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the Work Programme, and will publish findings once the evaluation is complete.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 8 May 2014, Official Report, column 288W, on Parkinson’s Disease, over what timeframe NHS England will improve its collection of data concerning individual funding requests for treatments of progressive conditions.

    Norman Lamb

    NHS England has advised us that it is aiming to complete work on improving data collection for individual funding requests in the autumn.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision.

    Elizabeth Truss

    The Department for Education is currently undertaking a review of the check-off union subscription provision.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much has been paid in overtime and other costs incurred in the last three weeks due to changes in HM Passport Office.

    James Brokenshire

    The precise information requested by the Hon Member is not available. Overtime
    payments to staff are recorded by the month in which payment is made. In May
    2014, Her Majesty’s Passport Office incurred overtime costs of £964,742.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision.

    David Mundell

    The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly, all staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies who remain responsible for all employment matters including payroll deductions for union subscriptions.

  • Jeremy Corbyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jeremy Corbyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Corbyn on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what research her Department has undertaken into the humanitarian effects of the occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza.

    Mr Alan Duncan

    Israeli movement and access restrictions do tremendous damage to the Palestinian economy; the World Bank has estimated that easing restrictions on Area C alone could increase Palestinian GDP by 35%. In Gaza, Israeli restrictions on movements of goods and people do tremendous damage to the economy and living standards of ordinary people. 80% of the households in Gaza are below the poverty line, and 57% are food insecure. The UN predicts that by 2020 Gaza may no longer be a ‘liveable’ place.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2014-03-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to tackle unauthorised absences of pupils during term-time.

    Lord Nash

    We know from evidence that pupils who have regular attendance at school are four times more likely to achieve five or more A*-C grades at GCSE including English and maths than those pupils who are persistently absent. This is why the Department for Education reduced the threshold at which pupils are classified as being persistently absent, from 20 to 15 per cent of school missed. This measure enables schools to identify earlier those pupils with troubling attendance patterns, and to do something about them.

    In 2012, we increased the level of the school attendance penalty fines of £50 and £100 to £60 and £120 respectively; and in 2013 reduced the overall timescales for paying fines from 42 to 28 days. Our reforms are working. In 2012/13, 300,895 pupils were persistently absent, down from 433,130 in 2009/10. This is a fall of almost a third. 130,000 fewer pupils were missing 15% of school in 2012/13 compared to 2010/11.

  • Philip Hollobone – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Philip Hollobone – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the level of unemployment in Kettering constituency was (a) in May 2010 and (b) is at present; and how many net new jobs have been created in the Kettering economy since May 2010.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.