The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to commission an independent review of the benefits and sanctions regime.
Priti Patel
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 June 2015 to Question UIN 170.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of Child Support Agency enforcement rates for payment of child maintenance.
Priti Patel
The latest published figures show 88% of cases on the 1993 and 2003 schemes and 88% of case groups on the 2012 scheme contributing towards their current maintenance liability.
Where a non-resident parent fails to meet their liabilities, the Child Support Agency has a range of enforcement powers. For example, child maintenance can be taken directly from bank accounts and wages; and the Government has also introduced a new power to disclose non-compliance to credit reference agencies.
The total number of enforcement actions taken by the Agency can be found on page 41 of the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics June 2015 available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-statistics–2.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report by the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, Downward mobility, opportunity hoarding and the glass floor, published in June 2015, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of that report’s findings that relatively high levels of income inequality are a contributing factor to why social mobility in the UK is relatively low by international standards and has not increased in the past 40 years.
Priti Patel
This Government is committed to tackling poverty, extending opportunity and ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, can fulfil their potential. We know that having parents in work, and educational attainment are the strongest determinants of future life chances.
Our approach to improving life chances is based on high levels of employment, a welfare and tax system that supports work and allows people to keep more of what they earn, and raising educational attainment for all children.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2015-10-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider introducing identity cards for all United Kingdom residents.
Lord Bates
The Government has no plans to introduce an identity card system for British Citizens. The Biometric Residence Permit is issued to non-EEA nationals staying in the UK for more than six months. These provide evidence of the holders’ immigration status in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-10-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they have given to acute trusts about how to respond to Care Quality Commission inspection report recommendations to increase staffing levels whilst meeting Monitor requirements to reduce spending.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government has been clear that acute trusts are responsible for delivering high quality care within available resources. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) looks at staffing levels as part of its rating of safety in its programme of comprehensive inspections. These assessments include ward level discussions of acuity levels and achievement of planned staffing levels. Where an acute trust is failing to use staff in the best way to support patient care, the CQC is right to make that public. Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority are responsible for ensuring that acute trusts are providing high quality care in a financially sustainable manner. It is in the interests of future care quality that the finances of acute trusts are healthy; and many of the improvements that are needed to improve quality of care will also improve efficiency.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kramer on 2015-10-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many meetings (1) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, (2) ministers within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and (3) civil servants at the level of private secretary or above in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, have had with companies employing fewer than 50 employees since May.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate costs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2015-10-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 16 September (HL1895), how many male prisoners over the age of 80 who are currently serving prison sentences were over the age of 70 when sentenced.
Lord Faulks
As at 30 June 2015, of the 133 male prisoners over the age of 80 who are currently serving prisons sentences in England and Wales, 123 were sentenced when they were over the age of 70 years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2015-09-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to set out the steps and timescale by which the refugees currently in Hungary, Austria, Italy, and Germany would have the unfettered right to move to the United Kingdom.
Lord Bates
The United Kingdom does not participate in the border aspects of the Schengen acquis and continues to operate border controls with other EU Member States. Individuals granted refugee status in another Member State will therefore be subject to the same entry clearance requirements as third country visa nationals resident in the EU if they wish to enter the United Kingdom. Free movement rights can only be obtained once a refugee becomes a citizen of an EU country. This process varies from Member State to Member State.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2015-09-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the National Health Service Litigation Authority’s Sign Up to Safety maternity-related projects include measures to improve the care of multiple pregnancies; and if so, when they expect to report the findings on those projects.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Under the Sign up to Safety Scheme £8 Million has been awarded to 25 maternity units who submitted a successful bid to the National Health Service Litigation Authority incentivisation scheme. Most of the successful bids related to improvements in foetal monitoring (equipment and training) supervision, human factors and team working or a combination of these themes.
All 51 bids (successful and unsuccessful) had to demonstrate a link to their claims. As such none of the bids made a specific reference to multiple births, the focus was on the causes within maternity that resulted in a particular injury outcome, for example resulting in brain damage
A full evaluation of the impact of this scheme will be available next year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2015-09-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to publish best practice guidelines as part of water resource management plans to ensure that the right solutions can be delivered at competitive prices.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ofwat and the Environment Agency published joint water resources management planning guidance in 2012. This included the expectation that water companies should consider all options to balance supply with demand, including water trading, cross boundary solutions and third party supplier solutions. Updated guidance is currently being prepared for publication for the next planning round.