Tag: 2015

  • Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department’s policy is on the maximum travelling time for applicants to personal independence payment assessments; and what proportion of such assessments have complied with that maximum time in the last 12 months.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The requirement placed on the providers delivering Personal Independence Payment assessments is that claimants are not expected to travel more than 90 minutes by public transport to attend assessments. We expect them to minimise travel times wherever possible but, in scheduling appointments, they need to balance both keeping journey times down and ensuring claimants are assessed in a reasonable time period. To increase capacity and reduce journey times the providers have been opening new assessment centres across the country.

    The information requested about the proportion of such assessments having complied with the maximum time in the last 12 months is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people referred to Help to Work since April 2014 have left the scheme after opening a claim for working tax credit.

    Priti Patel

    The information as requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    The information that is available on Help to Work, on the number of programme referrals and Community Work Placement starts can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-work-quarterly-statistics

    The latest published information on Help to Work covers the period from April 2014 to June 2015 inclusive.

    “

  • Amanda Milling – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Amanda Milling – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Milling on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of women taking up apprenticeships.

    Joseph Johnson

    Women made up over 50% of apprenticeship starts in England over the past 4 years, just as they make up more than half of people entering higher education.

    We want to make apprenticeships accessible to the widest possible range of people, as part of meeting our commitment to reach 3 million starts by 2020.

    To increase apprenticeship starts, the Enterprise Bill will set targets for public bodies to employ apprentices. We have amended procurement rules to demonstrate a clear commitment to apprenticeships.

  • Alex Chalk – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alex Chalk – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2015-11-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of the average electricity bill was attributable to the levy imposed by the Levy Control Framework to meet the cost of feed-in tariffs in 2014-15.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The costs of the small scale Feed-in Tariffs scheme in 2014/15 are estimated to have accounted for around 2 percent, on average, of the household electricity bill.

  • Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-11-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with HM Treasury Ministers on the implementation by UK Overseas Territories of public registers of beneficial ownership.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK continues to lead the way on beneficial ownership disclosure and to encourage others to do the same. We are having discussions at both Ministerial and official level with the Overseas Territories to emphasise the importance of this agenda. Any system should meet the following criteria: UK and domestic law enforcement and tax authorities must be able to access company beneficial ownership information without restriction, subject to relevant safeguards; these competent authorities should be able to quickly identify all companies that a particular beneficial owner has a stake in, without needing to submit multiple and repeated requests; and companies or their beneficial owners must not be alerted to the fact that an investigation is under way.

  • Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2015-11-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the costs of the contract for personal independence payment assessments is assigned to cover support and travel costs for claimants who need support to attend assessment centres.

    Justin Tomlinson

    There is no apportionment for travel costs within the Personal Independence Payment contracts but the contractor is responsible for paying all travel expenses.

  • Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2015-11-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are monitoring the numbers of disabled people who have had to give up work after a Personal Independence Payment assessment led to the loss of a Motability car.

    Baroness Altmann

    We recognise that the transition from DLA to PIP can be challenging for individuals, which is why the Department worked closely with Motability as we developed our plans for the introduction of PIP. The Motability charity provide a one-off package of transitional support and advice to support customers who no longer meet the eligibility criteria for the Motability scheme. For most of these customers who entered into their first lease agreement with Motability before January 2013, Motability will provide transitional support of £2,000. This will enable many former Scheme customers to continue to meet their mobility needs by purchasing a used car. For customers who entered into their first lease agreement with the scheme after January 2013 and up to December 2013, Motability will supply transitional support of £1,000 to assist with mobility costs. Motability is also providing help with the cost of adaptations made to non-scheme vehicles and information on non-scheme motoring and insurance. The Scheme also offers customers an opportunity to purchase their vehicle after the end of the lease.

    Support is also available through the Access to Work Scheme, which is potentially available on application to anyone with a health condition or disability that affects the way they perform their job and who needs practical support above and beyond the reasonable adjustments that an employer has a duty to make under the Equality Act 2010. The type of support Access to Work provides is tailored to an individual’s needs and can include travel to work.

    DLA and PIP are available regardless of whether claimants are in or out of work. We do not hold information about the employment circumstances of recipients of either benefit, including those who are members of Motability.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information has been provided to businesses to ensure that they are aware of their obligations under the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration scheme.

    Damian Hinds

    Guidance explaining the obligations of the scheme and who it applies to, the timeline for implementation and what businesses will need to do to prepare, is available on the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme web-page on Gov.UK. Available at:
    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-alcohol-wholesaler-registration-scheme-awrs
    HMRC has consulted with industry on a detailed public notice for the scheme and intend to publish the final version by 1 December. HMRC has also made available to industry an information pack that explains all the key features of the new scheme. Further publicity is also planned in the coming months to enhance industry awareness of the new scheme.

    “

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the Voyager fleet has been fitted with the enhanced defensive aids suite; and what estimate he has made of the cost of fitting that suite to the remainder of that fleet.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I am withholding information on the precise fitment of defensive aids to Voyager as its disclosure would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Paul Monaghan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the tri-partite agreement between the UK, the Republic of Ireland and France on the importation and exportation of horses is achieving its aims; and if she will establish a comprehensive audit trail of movements to protect (a) consumers from exposure to illegal horse meat and (b) animals from cruelty.

    George Eustice

    The Tri-Partite Agreement (TPA) implements a derogation from the animal health conditions that normally apply when horses are moved between EU member states. In recognition of an increased, but still low risk of disease being spread through such movements, a new TPA with France and Ireland came into effect on 18 May 2014. The TPA does not apply to horses moving directly for slaughter, these are subject to harmonised EU certification. It also does not affect the requirement to comply with welfare legislation.

    For movements between the United Kingdom and France, only horses with a higher health status can benefit from the derogation. All such movements must be pre-notified on the European Commission’s TRACES system and be accompanied by a commercial document (DOCOM) produced by an approved TPA body as well as an official identification document. The TPA is generally restricted to thoroughbreds and non-thoroughbreds involved in racing, training and breeding plus horses participating in events regulated by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI).

    As part of the conditions of their approval, TPA bodies have had to demonstrate to Defra that they can deliver good traceability and that they comply with the relevant welfare legislation as part of their normal governance arrangements.

    The Chief Veterinary Officer has met several times with his French and Irish counterparts and with representatives of the equine sector to review the operation of the new TPA. This has included discussions on the arrangements for auditing the agreement to ensure that there is a consistent approach between the three countries. The TPA will be audited by the Animal and Plant Health Agency in Great Britain.

    Local authorities are designated as enforcement bodies under the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011, the Horse Passport Regulations 2009 and the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 and corresponding legislation in Wales and Scotland.