Tag: 2014

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the introduction of individual electoral registration in Northern Ireland.

    Greg Clark

    The experience of Northern Ireland has helped inform the plans for the transition to Individual Electoral Registration (IER) in Great Britain. As a result the approach in Great Britain differs from Northern Ireland in several key respects. Unlike the transition to IER in Northern Ireland in 2002, in Great Britain data matching is being used to ‘confirm’ the majority of current electors on the existing register without them having to make a new application. The transition is being phased over two years, which means no one who registered to vote at the last canvass will lose their right to vote at the General Election in 2015. The annual canvass is also being retained and on-line registration is being introduced to make electoral registration more accessible.

  • Mr John Leech – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mr John Leech – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr John Leech on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that employers with employees who earn less than £10,000 per year will be legally obliged to provide those employees with an auto-enrolment pension scheme.

    Steve Webb

    Jobholders who earn less than the automatic enrolment earnings trigger of £10,000 and who are not eligible for automatic enrolment may opt in to pension saving. Employers are legally obliged to enrol anyone who opts into an automatic enrolment qualifying scheme and to pay the required employer contribution.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics in formulating policy since the introduction of that Index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that Index since 2010.

    Mike Penning

    The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is measuring National Wellbeing, not as an index but through a framework of 41 indicators which capture social progress around important aspects of life for individuals, communities and the nation. The statistics are experimental and as such we should not expect to have examples of major policies that have been heavily influenced by the wellbeing data at this stage.

    Evidence provided to the Environmental Audit Committee for its Inquiry into Wellbeing can be found at:

    http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/well-being/

    “

  • Mr Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mr Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Andrew Smith on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicle crossings of the Thames were made through the Rotherhithe and Blackwall tunnels in 2013.

    Robert Goodwill

    Data for 2013 are not yet available; the remainder of this answer refers to 2012 data.

    A table providing the 2012 estimated annual average daily flows (AADFs) for road links covering the Rotherhithe and Blackwall Tunnels (for both directions combined) are shown in the table below:

    2012 AADF

    Total Motor Vehicles

    Rotherhithe Tunnel

    32,615

    Blackwall Tunnel

    69,243

    These figures give estimates of the number of vehicles travelling along individual sections of road on an average day of the year.

    To calculate an estimate of the annual usage of the tunnels (for both directions combined); these daily AADF estimates would be multiplied by the 365 days in a year.

    AADF data for individual motorway and ‘A’ road links for 2000 – 2012 are available on our website, here:

    http://data.gov.uk/dataset/gb-road-traffic-counts

    “

  • Michael Dugher – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Michael Dugher – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Prime Minister, whether the Independent Advisor on Ministers’ Interests was consulted as part of the review by the Cabinet Secretary of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism.

    Mr David Cameron

    The Cabinet Secretary will respond to the hon. Member on this matter shortly. I will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

  • Andrew Percy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andrew Percy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of children being cared for by a single parent in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.

    Nick Hurd

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

  • Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Murphy on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make it her policy to support the proposed target to promote formalisation of informal sector and employment in the upcoming Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals.

    Justine Greening

    The UK supports formalisation of informal sector activities and employment. Language on this is included in the most recent draft goals and targets list released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June.

    The final goals and targets in the post-2015 development framework will be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

  • Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether Mary Portas is still engaged as an adviser to the Government on high streets in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    Mary Portas has helped raised the profile of British High Streets and sits on the Future High Street Forum as one of the founding members. All members play an important role and are working with Government to bring the issue of High Streets to national attention.

    This Government is committed to standing up for local shops and high streets. We have done this by cutting business rates for local shops, making sensible changes to planning rules and taking action to tackle unfair parking practices.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department gives to landowners to enable regeneration of land through the burning of heather and moorland.

    George Eustice

    The Department does not support landowners in England to regenerate land through the burning of heather and moorland. However, various agri-environment schemes provide financial support for the positive environmental management of the uplands, including moorland.

  • Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in each police force area have been caught speeding and received points on their driving licence in each of the last five years.

    Damian Green

    The maximum penalty for speeding is a fine of up to £1,000 and for speeding on a motorway, £2,500. The courts also have the power to disqualify the offender from driving and must in any event endorse the offender’s licence by between three and six penalty points. Alternatively, if the police decide that the nature of the offence was less serious, they may offer the motorist the opportunity to receive a fixed penalty notice instead of prosecution. If a fixed penalty is issued, the driver may instead chose to plead innocence or mitigating factors in court, and if convicted, any sentence will be decided within the maximum penalty limit and in line with sentencing guidelines.

    The number of persons receiving endorsements only on their driving licence for speeding offences at all courts in England and Wales by police force area from 2008 to 2012 (latest data available) can be viewed in the attached table.

    Please note that court proceedings statistics for the year 2013 are planned to be published by the Ministry of Justice in May 2014.