Tag: 2015

  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-02-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they have given to police forces on the action to be taken in relation to information on persons who have ordered or received copies of Charlie Hebdo from their newsagents or in other ways, and whether such information should be collected; and which police forces have collected any such information.

    Lord Bates

    In line with their operational independence, this is an issue on which appropriate action is taken by the police as required.

    The police Security Review Committee process considers terrorist threats to all communities across the UK, and considers the appropriate policing response, including any protective security requirements, advice and guidance, to respond to any emerging threats.

    I understand that the police assessed the risks arising from the sale of the magazine Charlie Hedbo in the UK after events in Paris, and provided appropriate advice to wholesalers, distributors, and retailers of the magazine. There was no centrally co-ordinated request to collect information on individuals who ordered or received copies.

  • Russell Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Russell Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Russell Brown on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects that a final decision will be made on the final pension age for the Ministry of Defence Police and Defence Fire and Rescue Services.

    Anna Soubry

    Discussions on the future arrangements for Ministry of Defence Police and Defence Fire and Rescue Service personnel pensions are still ongoing.

    I recognise that this is an important issue for both communities and I am therefore seeking to resolve it as soon as possible. This is however a complex matter which raises a number of cross-Departmental issues.

    Although no final decision has yet been taken, I hope to conclude this issue in the near future.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Cathy Jamieson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what certificated training Pension Wise staff providing (a) telephone and (b) face-to-face advice will require prior to the launch of that scheme.

    Andrea Leadsom

    All guidance specialists working for Pension Wise will receive high quality and rigorous training, whether they are delivering guidance face to face or over the phone. They will be required to pass a certificated test to demonstrate they have the necessary technical knowledge and guidance skills to deliver the guidance. The training programme is designed in accordance with FCA standards, and will be accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute, a well-respected professional standards body in the financial services industry.

    HM Treasury’s delivery partners, TPAS and Citizens Advice, Citizens Advice Scotland and Citizens Advice Northern Ireland are currently recruiting guidance specialists. Recruitment strategies and the setting of pay scales is the responsibility of individual delivery partners.

    At Budget 2014, the Chancellor allocated a development fund of up to £20m to establish the initial guidance service. Spending on advertising will be published as part of the government’s Transparency Agenda. Initial funding to The Pension Advisory Service (TPAS) and the Citizen Advice organisations will be included in the HM Treasury Accounts to be published in July.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the reasons were for the change in his Department’s performance in meeting deadlines for responding to Freedom of Information requests between 2010 and quarter three of 2014.

    Kris Hopkins

    The Department for Communities and Local Government, recognise the value of the Freedom of Information Act and as part of our commitment to transparency we aim to respond to these requests as quickly as possible.

    Freedom of Information Act requests by their nature can prove complex to answer and, notwithstanding the statutory guidance on the amount of time that must be spent in responding, we sometimes take longer to reply in order to gather the information requested.

    The change has been driven at least in part by an increased complexity of requests and we have responded to this in recent months by increasing the resources we devote to this area. Early indications show a significant improvement in performance, which we expect will be reflected when figures for cases received after 1 January 2015 are released.

    Ministry of Justice statistics are published on a quarterly basis, approximately three months in arrears, so the next figures to be published will refer to cases received in October to December 2014. The figures showing the improvements we have made will be visible in the following quarter when data for cases received in January to March 2015 are made available.

  • Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the annual staff costs and other operating expenditure of NDA Properties Limited, including through third-party management fees, was in each of the last five years.

    Matthew Hancock

    NDA Properties Limited’s staff costs and other operating expenditure was £44,662 in 2009-10, £122,244 in 2010-11, £163,652 in 2011-12, £315,420 in 2012-13 and £402,140 in 2013-14. The increase in expenditure reflects increased activity, notably relating to the Albion Square development in Whitehaven.

  • Derek Twigg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Derek Twigg – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the oral Answer of 13 January 2015, Official Report, column 718, over what timescale he expects NHS foundation trusts and trusts to move to new and more preventative models of care as envisaged in NHS England’s Five Year Forward View; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England and its national partners have announced a new programme to focus on the acceleration of the design and implementation of new models of care in the National Health Service, as set out in the Five Year Forward View. The programme is intended to give local areas flexibility in adopting the model appropriate to their local needs and context, rather than mandating a one-size-fits-all approach.

    Individual organisations and partnerships, including those with the voluntary sector, were invited to apply to be ‘vanguard’ sites. The first wave of sites will be announced later this year. The intention is that these sites will not only transform care for patients in their areas, but also demonstrate and spread best practice that benefits the rest of the NHS.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of prisoners were released without accommodation from each private prison in England and Wales in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.

    Andrew Selous

    We are fully committed to the rehabilitation of offenders so as to turn their lives around and reduce the risk of their re-offending in future. Dealing with their accommodation needs on release from prison is an integral part of that.

    The table below shows the number and percentage of offenders by recorded type of accommodation on discharge from contracted-out prisons 2013-14.

    Contracted Prisons: Accommodation on Release

    Settled Accommodation on Release

    % Settled Accommodation on Release

    Not in Settled Accommodation on Release

    % Not in settled Accommodation on release

    Total Offender Releases

    2011/12

    13,775

    90.5%

    1,445

    9.5%

    15,220

    2012/13

    14,297

    84.9%

    2,537

    15.1%

    16,834

    2012/13 excluding HMP Thameside

    13,892

    90.2%

    1,506

    9.8%

    15,398

    2013/14

    16,076

    91.6%

    1,472

    8.4%

    17,548

    Notes

    Settled accommodation covers the following categories: permanent housing, supported housing, approved premises, other hostels and BASS accommodation.

    Not in settled accommodation means: transient/short term accommodation, No Fixed Address, or No Information.

    Figures for 2012/13 are shown both including and excluding HMP Thameside, whose low outcomes in their first year of operation impacted on the overall outcomes.

    The figures show that less than 5% of prisoners were recorded as being of no fixed abode upon release from contracted-out prisons in 2013-14.

    The figures in the above table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

    It should also be noted that recorded accommodation type is based on prisoner self-reporting. We are aware of the inherent limitations in relying on self-reporting and are developing alternative measures aimed at ensuring that prisons and Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) managing low and medium risk offenders fulfil their respective roles in preparing prisoners for release and helping them to find suitable accommodation.

    Under the Government’s Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, all prisoners will benefit from a universal resettlement service and genuine continuity of provision ‘Through the Gate’ from custody to the community. We have established a network of Resettlement Prisons to facilitate the smooth transition from custody to community to enable the new CRCs to work with those prisoners returning to their local area.

  • Lord Beecham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Beecham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances and with what conditions access to any prison by a journalist would be permitted.

    Lord Faulks

    The External Communications team at the Ministry of Justice receives a significant number of requests by local and national media for access to prisons. For operational reasons and resource implications it is not possible to facilitate all requests.

    Each request is considered on its own merit, with careful thought over the subject area, resource and security implications, victim impact, and value to the taxpayer. In a similar way to the police or the NHS, there are operational considerations to be made when filming or reporting in prisons. When facilitating media access we must ensure that the needs of victims are met, which may involve concealing identities, carrying out relevant checks and liaising directly with victims about the access request. We must also ensure that media access does not breach any security restrictions, for example filming keys or locks. Consideration is also given to protecting the identities of prisoners and staff.

    We are committed to providing open and transparent access to prison and regularly provide access to journalists for news items, features and documentary programmes. We aim to provide a range of access to different journalists covering both print and broadcast media, local, national and online media.

    Since the beginning of January 2015 we have provided access to a range of media outlets, a few examples are listed below:

    • The Guardian were given access to HMP New Hall – http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/30/new-hall-womens-prison-inmates-equals
    • BBC and the Sun were giving access to HMP Coldingley
    • Regional BBC were giving access to HMP Northumberland (Sodexo run prison)
    • Telegraph and Heart Radio were giving access to HMP Drake Hall
    • Evening Standard and regional BBC were giving access to HMP Thameside (Serco run prison)
    • BBC Radio 4 were giving access to HMP Prescoed/HMP Cardiff
    • Sky Sports were giving access to HMP Feltham
    • National BBC, regional ITV and the Manchester Evening News were giving access to HMP Styal
    • Evening Standard and London Live were giving access to HMP Isis
    • East Anglia Daily Times and regional BBC radio were giving access to HMP Hollesley Bay
    • Sky News were given access to HMP Ranby
    • ITV were given access to HMP Norwich
  • Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of her Department have had with representatives of (i) the Taxpayers’ Alliance, (ii) the Confederation of British Industry, (iii) the Institute of Economic Affairs, (iv) the Adam Smith Institute, (v) the Freedom Association, (vi) the Politics and Economics Research Trust and (vii) the Midlands Industrial Council in the last 12 months.

    Caroline Dinenage

    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/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

    Further publications of Ministerial meetings will be published in due course.

    “

  • Ian Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons his Department has not published a distributional analysis showing the effect on families of the reduction of the higher income threshold for child tax credit from £16,105 to £12,125.

    Damian Hinds

    The Summer Budget offered a new deal for working people. It means Britain moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society.

    A new National Living Wage for workers aged 25 and above, initially set at £7.20 per hour from April 2016, will directly benefit 2.7 million low wage workers, and up to 6 million could see a pay rise as a result of a ripple effect up the earnings distribution. The new National Living Wage will boost pay for those currently earning the National Minimum Wage by £4,800 a year by 2020 when the National Living Wage is expected to rise to over £9 per hour.

    To help working families keep more of what they earn, the personal allowance will increase to £11,000 in 2016-17 and £11,200 in 2017-18. The government has committed to increase the personal allowance to £12,500 by 2020 which will mean that a typical basic rate taxpayer will see their income tax cut by £1,205 a year compared to 2010.

    The government set out its assessment of the impacts of the Summer Budget policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July 2015. Taken together, the introduction of the National Living Wage, increases in the personal allowance and welfare changes mean that 8 out of 10 working households will be better off as a result of the Summer Budget.

    In response to a request from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, the government has chosen to produce and release an impact assessment on the tax credit changes to the Committee. The impact assessment shows that 60% of the tax credit savings come from the half of tax credit claimants with the highest income.