The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-10-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Government plans to respond to the fifth Report of the Work and Pensions Committee of Session 2014-15, Benefit sanctions policy beyond the Oakley review, HC 814.
Priti Patel
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 July 2015 to Question 3938
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-10-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2015 to Question 8778, what level of fine was levied on each company; and how much each such company owed in arrears.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are unable to provide an individual breakdown of penalties and arrears. This would risk identifying individual employers outside of the naming policy and breach HMRC’s statutory duty of confidentiality.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what meetings his Department has had with representatives of (a) the Taxpayers’ Alliance, (b) the Confederation of British Industry, (c) the Institute of Economic Affairs, (d) the Adam Smith Institute, (e) the Freedom Association, (f) the Politics and Economic Research Trust and (g) the Midlands Industrial Council in the last 12 months.
Joseph Johnson
Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published up to 31 March 2015 and can be accessed on Gov.uk at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=Ministers&publication.
Further publications of Ministerial meetings will be published in due course across Government in the usual way.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government has taken in response to the recommendation in the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission’s report, State of the Nation 2014: Social Mobility and Child Poverty in Great Britain, published in October 2014, that unpaid internships should be eliminated by 2020.
Nick Boles
The Government believes in fair wages for fair work and opportunity for all. When an intern meets the legal definition of a worker they must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. We actively promote fair and open access to paid internships through the BIS-funded Graduate Talent Pool, and our Social Mobility Business Compact and Common Best Practice Code for High Quality Internships ask employers to ensure that any internships they offer are advertised openly and transparently and are paid fairly. We have also made it simpler to name and shame employers that do not comply with national minimum wage regulations and, in addition, complaints from interns are now fast-tracked by HMRC.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to confirm and add attainers and young voters to the electoral register before December 2015.
John Penrose
Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are currently conducting the first full canvass of households under Individual Electoral Registration (IER). This will help to identify new attainers with Household Enquiry Forms specifically asking for the names of all residents who are over the age of 16.
The Government has funded youth organisations, including Active Citizens FE, Bite the Ballot and UK Youth, for activities that engage attainers and young people in the democratic process. Cabinet Office has also developed free resources, including Rock Enrol!, for use in schools, colleges and youth groups to encourage people to participate in democracy and register to vote.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-10-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have booked free guidance sessions with Pension Wise on defined contribution pensions schemes since April 2015; and how many such sessions Pension Wise is forecast to run by the end of the current financial year.
Harriett Baldwin
As announced on 16 September, more than 20,000 Pension Wise appointments have taken place, and the website has received over 1.5 million visits.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential economic effect on small businesses of changing Sunday trading laws.
Anna Soubry
Devolving the power to extend Sunday trading hours will enable local areas to determine the Sunday trading hours that best reflect the need of local people. There are many reasons why people will continue to choose small retailers. They offer a diverse range of products and services from convenient locations. This is perhaps why the convenience sector last year saw the opening of two new stores a day and growth in turnover of 5%.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Howell on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what obligation there is on local authorities to publish online a property asset register; and to what timetable such an obligation must be met.
Mr Marcus Jones
Local people expect their local authorities to make the most of its land and assets, sharing their estate with other organisations and selling empty or high value property that is unnecessarily being retained. To ensure local people are able to scrutinise how their local authority manages its assets the Government made it a legal requirement for local authorities to annually publish details of the land and assets it owns in a readable format.
Under the Local Government Transparency Code 2015, local authorities are required to publish details about the land it owns (subject to a few exceptions), including details of its location, and the value of its social housing stock.
Local authorities were required to first publish details of its land and assets by February 2015 and details of their social housing stock by September 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps with his EU partners and the US Department of Defense to improve the traceability and tracking of small arms and light weapons provided to the Kurdish Regional government for use in fighting against ISIS.
Michael Fallon
All military equipment exported from the UK, including the gifting of small arms to the Kurdistan Regional Government is subject to stringent assessment against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. This includes assessment of the end-use and likelihood of the equipment being diverted. As part of the provision of small arms to the Kurdistan Regional Government, the UK also requested and received assurances on handling, secure storage and useage from the Ministry of Peshmerga as the responsible Government authority in charge of end-use.
The Government is committed to the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW). This is a core international instrument for tackling these issues and the Government is committed to its full implementation. The Government also supports the work carried out by the EU as part of its Small Arms and Light Weapons Strategy to combat the illicit accumulation and trafficking of SALW and their ammunition.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on continuing free school meals for children between the ages of four and seven; and if she will make a statement.
Mr Sam Gyimah
The continuation of universal infant free school meals was a commitment in the Conservative Party’s election manifesto.
The government is currently conducting a Spending Review across all its programmes.