Tag: 2014

  • Mr Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mr Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Gregory Campbell on 2014-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the pension entitlement is of people of pensionable age who served long sentences in prison.

    Steve Webb

    A persons entitlement to the contributory state pension is dependent on the National Insurance contributions they have paid or had credited to them over their working life (from the age of 16 upto the year before they reach State Pension age) which builds up Qualifying Years. This will also be the case for the new single tier pension, but with a requirement to have a minimum number of qualifying years.

    A person who has served a long prison sentence during their working life is likely to have a below average entitlement to contributory state pension. However, Pension Credit is available where the person’s (and partner’s) income from all sources is inadequate.

  • Priti Patel – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Priti Patel – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Priti Patel on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which schemes have provided support for small and medium-sized from central government funds in each of the last 10 years; what the total amount of funding so provided was in each such year; and how much such funding was spent in each local authority are in each such year.

    Matthew Hancock

    Support for small and medium-sized businesses is an important objective for a number of Government Departments and schemes can take various forms which can include direct and indirect support, advice and information. Over the last 10 years the range of support measures has been very wide and a full answer to this question cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs. Additionally, the Department does not record how much spending or funding is given by local authority area so would not be able to provide this information.

    However, since May 2010 the Department has routinely published details of all expenditure including funding provided through Departmental schemes and programmes. Additionally, the Department’s annual report and accounts also provide summary information on a range of programmes that include direct and indirect support to all businesses – including some that directly support SMEs. The most recent annual report can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bis-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-to-2013

    “

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Andrew Rosindell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2014-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many migrants from non-EU countries claim benefit payments.

    Esther McVey

    The information requested is not available in the form requested however the department has published some statistics on working age benefit recipients. This information is known as “Nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP benefit claimants” and is included in the Statistical Bulletin on National Insurance Number Allocations to Adult Overseas Nationals Entering the UK – registrations to March 2013, available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nino-allocations-to-adult-overseas-nationals-entering-the-uk-registrations-to-march-2013

    “

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest total number of life sentences given to any single offender is in the last 30 years.

    Jeremy Wright

    A life sentence is mandatory for murder and discretionary life sentences are available for other very serious offences. This Government has introduced an automatic life sentence for a second very serious violent or sexual offence.

    The number of offenders who receive two or more life sentences is small. A number of life sentence prisoners commit offences in prison which result in a second life sentence, as is the case with the offender identified in response to this question. Some life sentence prisoners can also receive a second life sentence on conviction for offences committed prior to being imprisoned (e.g. a previous murder or rape).

    Of all offenders sentenced to life imprisonment between the years 2000 and 2013, the offender with the highest number of life sentences imposed on separate sentencing occasions in the 30 years prior to their most recent life sentence is an offender with four life sentences. All of the offender’s life sentences were imposed for the attempted murder of fellow inmates and a guard.

    The figure provided has been drawn from an extract of the Police National Computer (PNC) data held by the Department. The PNC holds details of all convictions and cautions given for recordable offences committed in England and Wales. Full criminal histories are only available for offenders convicted or cautioned for a recordable offence from the year 2000 onwards. In addition, as with any large scale recording system the PNC is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the total value is of all bids received from Local Enterprise Partnerships for the Local Growth Fund to date.

    Michael Fallon

    All 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships submitted their Strategic Economic Plans to Government on 31st March. All proposals are currently being reviewed and assessed against the published criteria and it is too early to know the total call on the fund. However from an initial review it is clear that the Local Growth Fund is significantly over-subscribed, with bids totalling approximately three or four times the amount available.

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Robertson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the average waiting time for people (a) applying for a passport renewal and (b) waiting for a call back from the Passport Office.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is as follows:

    (a) Expected service standards for passport renewals are published at
    https://www.gov.uk.
    (b) The current guideline for returning calls to customers is to do so within
    48 hours. Her Majesty’s Passport Office gives priority to those with the
    most immediate travel plans.

  • Lord Jopling – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House of Lords

    Lord Jopling – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House of Lords

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jopling on 2014-03-11.

    To ask the Leader of the House what steps he has taken to ensure that Ministers make sure, before signing replies to Questions for Written Answer, that the replies answer the questions which have been put.

    Lord Hill of Oareford

    It is the responsibility of individual ministers to decide what answers they give to Questions for Written Answer (QWAs), and they are of course accountable to the House for those answers. The importance of this direct accountability is such that I recently decided, following the introduction of a new system for answering QWAs electronically, to require Ministers in this House to continue providing personally signed answers to noble Lords. The Ministerial Code states that “It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament”.

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to carry out a post-implementation review of the local government standards framework in the Localism Act 2011.

    Brandon Lewis

    [Holding Reply: Thursday 12 June 2014]

    As stated in the impact assessment on the abolition of the Standards Board regime (published in January 2011), a post implementation review will be carried out three to five years after implementation of the policy which was in July 2012.

    My Department routinely receives representations about standards arrangements in local government, and indeed, on a whole range of local government issues. We will have regard to representations and comments when we undertake our post implementation review.

    However, Ministers are clear that the new provisions are a significant improvement on the old, discredited regime. The Localism Act has clarified predetermination rules allowing elected councillors to campaign and speak up on local issues. We have reversed the petty culture of malicious and unfounded complaints that wasted time and energy and undermined the good reputation of local government. We have increased transparency on councillors’ interests, and put in place criminal sanctions for the very rare instances of corruption. This is complemented by the role of political parties in ensuring good conduct, the law of libel, and the ultimate sanction: the ballot box.

  • Mr Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mr Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Frank Field on 2014-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) men and (b) women who are victims of human trafficking are nationals of non-EEA countries have received return and reintegration assistance through the Assisted Voluntary Returns for Irregular Migrants programme since April 2011; and how much was so made available to those trafficked from (i) inside and (ii) outside the EU.

    Karen Bradley

    16 victims of trafficking (1 male, 15 female) have received financial
    assistance under the programme since April 2011.

    While the Assisted Voluntary Return for Irregular Migrants (AVRIM) programme
    does not normally include financial assistance, a discretionary sum of up to
    £1000 is provided for specified vulnerable cases, and this includes victims of
    trafficking. Assisted Voluntary Return is only available to non-EEA nationals
    and the support is not dependent upon whether the individual has arrived from
    inside or outside the EU.

    The figures provided are sourced from a Home Office management information
    system which is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols and is
    subject to change due to internal data quality checking. Figures provided from
    this source do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated
    as provisional.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which charitable projects based in Northern Ireland have benefited from the armed forces covenant (Libor) fund.

    Anna Soubry

    The importance of the covenant to the Government was highlighted by the decision of the Chancellor to transfer £35 million from fines levied on the banks for attempting to manipulate LIBOR to the Ministry of Defence for use in supporting the Armed Forces community. The fund has now closed and money has been allocated to some 97 projects.

    The Northern Irish Armed Forces community will benefit from a number of UK-wide projects which have been allocated over £16 million of LIBOR funding. In addition, we have provided £50,000 of funding to the UDR & Royal Irish Aftercare Service to set up a welfare support network and advisory service for veterans and their dependants in Northern Ireland.