Tag: 2014

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the use of zero hour contracts on workers’ wellbeing.

    Jenny Willott

    No assessment of the effects of zero hours contracts on worker’s wellbeing has been made by this Department. However the Workplace Employers Relations Study (WERS) found that overall well-being of employees increased between 2004 and 2011 despite the recession. Overall job satisfaction also increased and is very high by international standards.

    Zero hour contracts have a place in today’s labour market, supporting business flexibility, making it easier to hire new staff and providing pathways to employment for young people.

    Following a public consultation, which closed in March this year, this Government has introduced legislation via the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill to ban the use of exclusivity clauses in contracts which do not guarantee any hours.

  • Alan Reid – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Alan Reid – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Reid on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Indian nationals there are serving a prison sentence in England and Wales.

    Jeremy Wright

    As of 31 December 2013, the latest period for which figures are available, there were 223 Indian nationals serving a prison sentence in England and Wales.

    All foreign national offenders (FNOs) sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office for them to consider deportation at the earliest possible opportunity.

  • Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Sheridan on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the prevalence of blacklisting amongst employment agencies.

    Jenny Willott

    Blacklisting is an unacceptable and illegal practice and we take any allegations of blacklisting very seriously. We have always encouraged anyone with evidence of blacklisting to come forward so that we can investigate. Any evidence of blacklisting should be referred to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Individuals who believe they are being excluded from employment because of a blacklist should seek redress in the county courts in England and Wales, or Court of Session in Scotland.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Association of Train Operating Companies on the National Rail Conditions of Carriage.

    Stephen Hammond

    Information on all Ministerial meetings and their purpose is available on the Gov.uk website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-and-special-adviser-meetings-data-for-department-for-transport.

    “

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve regulation of the shadow banking sector.

    Andrea Leadsom

    When appropriately conducted, shadow banking can benefit the economy by increasing the availability of credit to a range of individuals or firms, and provide a valuable alternative to bank funding. It provides credit and liquidity to the real economy and can improve efficiency and drive innovation in the financial system through firms developing expert knowledge in a particular area.

    However, the Government is aware of the risks shadow banking activities pose to financial stability when things go wrong. The crisis showed that some shadow banking entities created pro-cyclical build-ups of leverage, did not fully transfer credit risk, were susceptible to rapid sell-offs, and were very complex. It also became clear that the shadow banking sector had very complex interconnections with the traditional banking system.

    Recognising the need to improve the transparency and supervision of the shadow banking sector, the Government has taken steps to improve the way shadow banking entities are regulated.

    Domestically, the Government has created new Financial Policy Committee (FPC) within the Bank of England to ensure emerging risks and vulnerabilities across the financial system as a whole are identified, monitored and effectively addressed. In September last year, the Committee agreed as one of its medium term priorities the identification and management of potential systemic risks from shadow banking.

    At the international level, the Government is actively supporting the effective regulation of the sector in EU policymaking, and the UK is instrumental in shaping the global regulatory response at the Financial Stability Board.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff of his Department’s staff worked in a Jobcentre Plus Rapid Response team in each year since 2004.

    Esther McVey

    We do not hold this information.

  • David Lammy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    David Lammy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects to reach a decision on whether Haringey Council will be issued with a Compulsory Purchase Order in relation to the site of 1-3 Paxton Road, London N17 0PB.

    Nick Boles

    We are currently considering whether to confirm a Compulsory Purchase Order known as The London Borough of Haringey (Northumberland Development Project) (No 1) submitted by Haringey Council which includes the site of 1-3 Paxton Road. The Order was received in the Department on 5 September 2012.

    This is a complex case. After the close of the inquiry there were matters in respect of which further views of the interested parties were sought and considered. This has delayed the decision in this case.

    We hope to issue the decision on this shortly. It is not appropriate to comment further as to do so may prejudice the Secretary of State’s decision.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nicholas Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether people classed as homeless will be defined as vulnerable under the proposed mechanism within universal credit to pay housing benefit directly to landlords.

    Steve Webb

    We do not want to automatically label any claimant as financially incapable. Alternative payment arrangements (including payments to landlords) are assessed on their individual merits. The nature of the accommodation status of a claimant is one of a number of factors to be considered when assessing the necessity for an alternative payment arrangement, and this is set out in the operating guidance we published in February last year.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria he will use in deciding in which schools to establish a new Combined Cadet Force detachment.

    Anna Soubry

    The cost of setting up a new Combined Cadet Force (CCF) unit under the Cadet Expansion Programme depends largely on the number of cadets in the unit.

    Decisions on opening new CCFs in schools are made jointly by the Department for Education and Ministry of Defence (MOD). The key criteria for deciding which schools can establish a new CCF are the ability of the school to fund the new unit and provide sufficient adult volunteers to run it. However, we are particularly interested in establishing CCFs in areas of deprivation.

    No assessment has been made of the effect of establishing new CCFs in state schools on recruitment to community cadet units. However, it should be noted that CCFs and community cadet units deliver different but complementary elements of the MOD’s youth engagement strategy.

  • – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the United Kingdom Ambassador to North Korea has raised with the authorities there the terms of the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution (A/HRC/25/L.17) condemning long-standing and ongoing systematic

    Baroness Warsi

    We regularly raise concerns about the appalling human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic
    of Korea (DPRK) during our meetings with the DPRK authorities. We have raised the Commission of Inquiry report and will be raising the UN Human Rights Council Resolution (UNHRC) in our next meetings. The UK played a key role in ensuring a strong Resolution and will continue to work with partners to ensure the matter remains in the spotlight. It is unfortunate that some UNHRC members chose to either abstain or vote against the Resolution and, as we made clear in the UK statement at the time of the vote, we consider that doing so was a failure in their responsibility to help resolve the crisis and improve the lives of the North Korean people. Nevertheless, the resolution was passed with a significant majority and provides a solid platform for ongoing work in this area, not least through increased support for the Special Rapporteur. We are pleased that it includes a provision encouraging all states who have relations with the DPRK to use their influence to encourage the DPRK to take immediate steps to end all human rights violations. In our bilateral contacts with these states we will be encouraging them to act in accordance with this provision.