The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost of applying in work conditionality once universal credit has been fully rolled out.
Esther McVey
No estimate of the cost of applying in work conditionality has been made as this will be determined using the findings of the in-work progression trials that are due to begin in April 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pamela Nash on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last five years.
Jo Swinson
The majority of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) training budget is delegated to the individual business units. This enables them to target resources to their learning priorities. BIS does not centrally collate details of individual course attendances.
The spend on training in core BIS in the last five years is
|
Year |
Spend £ |
|
2010/11 |
2,340,575 |
|
2011/12 |
2,662,967 |
|
2012/13 |
2,070,999 |
|
2013/14 |
1,840,850 |
|
2014/15 (figure as at end November 2014) |
1,000,995 |
We are unable to provide details of spend in relation to parts (a) and (b). The information is not held against discrete finance headings and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Chief of the Air Staff on transferring responsibility for the risk of Typhoon mid air collision to that role.
Mr Mark Francois
In line with Military Aviation Authority (MAA) Regulatory Articles, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) briefed the Secretary of State in October 2014 that the Typhoon mid-air collision risk with commercial air transport aircraft had been elevated to CAS since June 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the recovery of court fines; and if he will make a statement.
Mike Penning
This Government takes recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to finding new ways to ensure impositions are paid and to trace those who do not pay. This is why there has been a year on year increase in the total amount of financial penalties collected over the last three years. The amount of money collected reached an all time high of £290 million at the end of 2013/14 and collections continue to rise. In 2013/14 the total outstanding balance of financial impositions reduced by £26.7m (5%) in the year.
To build on improvements made in recent years in fine collection HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is embarking on an ambitious programme of reform. When developing and implementing the Criminal Compliance and Enforcement Services Blueprint we identified a number of areas where fundamental change was necessary in order to increase fine collection and better serve the public by delivering value for tax payers’ money.
To meet these challenges HMCTS is looking to work with an external provider for future provision of the service. This will bring the necessary investment and technology HMCTS needs to achieve its aspirations for compliance and enforcement services in the future. It will enable the automation of many of the manual administrative processes and in turn decrease the cost of providing fine enforcement and increase the amount of fines that are paid. The innovation this will bring and the use of automated administrative processes will free up staff time to be more pro-active in pursuing offenders to ensure they comply with their court order.
The competition to identify an external provider commenced in July 2013; the contract is expected to be awarded in early 2015.
HMCTS has also started to pilot the use of data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in fine collection in July 2014, albeit for a number of specifically targeted cases. Early indications are that data from HMRC has enabled HM Courts & Tribunals Service to increase the number of attachment of earnings orders it can make. At present, it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the impact on collection rates; however HMCTS is exploring ways to assess the impact of receiving the data over coming months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Hollingbery on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what reports she has received on the Irish government’s policy for the management of sea bass stocks in their territorial waters.
George Eustice
I met the Irish Minister in the margins of the European Union Agriculture and Fisheries Council of 15-16 December to discuss key fisheries items on the Council agenda including management of sea bass stocks.
Under longstanding Irish national measures to protect bass stocks their commercial fishing vessels are not permitted to land bass for sale, which means a degree of discarding of bass by-catch from mixed fishing activity will occur. I have not, however, seen the Bass Discards report published by the Irish Bass Group.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department is providing support to former employees of City Link to find new employment.
Matthew Hancock
Job Centre Plus’ Rapid Response Service is available to any paid employee, at the discretion of the Jobcentre District, who has lost their job or had their contract terminated as a result of workforce management measures.
This means that employees employed directly by City Link and those sub-contracted to them will be considered for Rapid Response Service support to help them move into new jobs. The service is delivered locally with partners and is tailored to the individual’s needs. It can include some or all of the following elements:
o Information advice and guidance
o Help with job searches including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them
o Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour market)
o Training to update skills, learn new ones and gain industry recognised certification that will improve employability
o Help to overcome barriers to attending training or securing a job or self-employment such as child care costs, necessary tools, work clothes, travel costs etc.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to Our Poorest State Inclusive Programme in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.
Justine Greening
Information on previous budget allocations is available at http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/. 2015-16 allocations remain subject to ministerial approval.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame M. Morris on 2015-01-14.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received on the PAYE status of (a) divers and (b) diving supervisors working in the offshore energy industry.
Mr David Gauke
The Chancellor receives a large variety of representations from a wide range of people.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr Hugo Swire
We are concerned about the incidents that have taken place in recent weeks on both sides of the Line of Control and the International Border in Kashmir. We hope that both sides can take steps to reduce tensions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2015-01-13.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what representations his Department has received on allegations of disproportionate investment towards Local Enterprise Partnership board members by (a) the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership and (b) other Local Enterprise Partnerships; and if he will make a statement.
Greg Clark
The Government has received letters from the Hon. Member and from one of his constituents on this subject. I am assured in all cases that the Greater Lincolnshire LEP has taken appropriate steps to ensure propriety, value for money and avoid conflicts of interest.