UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2015

  • Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to continue the operation of the Care Leaver Strategy, and what plans they have to ensure that cross-departmental work to support care leavers is maintained.

    Lord Nash

    In 2013, the government published the Care Leaver Strategy. That document set out plans to improve support for care leavers, including in housing, health, employment and education. In 2014, the Department for Education reported that the commitments contained in the Care Leaver Strategy had been implemented or were in the process of being so.

    We recognise, however, that many young people leaving care still face significant challenges. That is why my colleague, the Minister for Children and Families, recently announced that he has asked officials within the department to lead the development of a refreshed strategy, to be published next year. That work will include a consideration of how government departments and agencies can best work together, on an ongoing basis, to ensure that care leavers are offered the support they need in order to manage the transition to independent living successfully.

  • Jack Dromey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jack Dromey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have been absent from work due to stress-related illnesses in each of the last five years.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of officers absent from work due to stress-related illnesses. The number of officers on long term absence at 31 March each year is collected, along with information on the number of officers on long term sickness. This is published annually by HMIC in their Value for Money profiles: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmic/our-work/value-for-money-inspections/value-for-money-profiles/

    These data do not allow the reasons for long term sickness to be identified.

    Chief Constables, working with directly elected police and crime commissioners, are responsible for managing the police workforce effectively and ensuring the welfare of all officers and staff.

  • Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees whether any staff of the House of Lords are paid less than the recommended Living Wage for London, and if so, how many and in which departments they work.

    Lord Laming

    The House of Lords Administration was accredited as a London Living Wage employer in November 2013. We have kept in line with changes to the Living Wage since. No staff employed by the House Administration are paid below the London Living Wage.

  • Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents his Department has recorded of drones operating over prison estates in the last year for which figures are available; what steps his Department took following each such incident; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Selous

    If an incident involving a drone occurs, prisons will invoke appropriate contingency plans and will work alongside the police and CPS to ensure those responsible are caught. NOMS are exploring research options with the Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology (CAST) on detection and mitigation technology for drones.

    There were 30 reported drone related incidents between 1 December 2014 and 30 November 2015. This includes drone finds and drone sightings by prison staff in and around public and private prisons in England and Wales.

    Individual prisons will invoke the appropriate contingency plan relevant to the circumstances of the incident involving a drone. This includes, for example, working with the police and CPS to ensure those responsible for an incident involving a drone are caught and, if appropriate, prosecuted.

    These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

  • Lord Oates – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Oates – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Oates on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average time it takes HMRC to respond to written communications from (1) small businesses, and (2) personal taxpayers.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not collect data in such a way that the average waiting time for responses to written communications can be calculated. The performance is measured as a percentage of post cleared within 15 and 40 working days of receipt. HMRC has published the information on the performance results including post turnaround in the Annual Report and Accounts 2014-15.

    HMRC’s data on response times for written communication cannot be easily analysed by customer group.

  • Adam Holloway – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Adam Holloway – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Holloway on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will not make a decision on the choice of Thames Crossing options A and C until a decision is made on the proposed London Paramount theme park.

    Andrew Jones

    The Government is committed to a new Lower Thames crossing. There is a need for increased capacity across the River Thames due to growth in general traffic and a range of developments in the Thames Gateway, including housing planned around Ebbsfleet. The location and route needs to be decided following further public consultation, expected to begin early this year, to ensure that the new crossing can be in place as soon as possible.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they encourage local authorities and other interested organisations to share best practice regarding the introduction and operation of shared space for vehicles and pedestrians.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    To help identify and disseminate good practice in implementing shared space, the Department for Transport is working with the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, who are preparing updated guidance. This work aims to use the practical experience gained from recent shared space schemes to provide good practice advice to local authorities and other interested organisations. To help inform this work, as the Minister responsible for this issue, my Hon Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, the Hon Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Andrew Jones, has written to all local authorities asking them to provide information on relevant schemes to the Department by the end of November.

  • 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 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect removing the family premium from new claims for housing benefit the ability of claimants affected to move outside their local authority area in order to take up better paid work.

    Justin Tomlinson

    This policy alters just one premium added to Housing Benefit for working families: support continues through the Child Benefit disregard and for families in receipt of Child Tax Credits.

  • Maria Miller – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Maria Miller – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Miller on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what statutory obligations are placed on local authorities to have an accurate assessment of the (a) capacity, (b) location and (c) other aspects of local utility infrastructure.

    Brandon Lewis

    The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local planning authorities should work with other authorities and providers to assess the quality and capacity of infrastructure, and its ability to meet forecast demands.

  • Lord Watson of Invergowrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Watson of Invergowrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Watson of Invergowrie on 2015-12-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the validated results for 2016 (1) Key Stage 2 assessments, and (2) GCSE and equivalent qualifications, to be available in order to calculate whether a school will need to be notified that it is coasting.

    Lord Nash

    The 2016 key stage 2 results will be published in December 2016 on GOV.UK. These results will be used to identify coasting schools, in conjunction with corresponding data from 2014 and 2015.

    The 2016 key stage 4 (GCSE and equivalent) results will be published in January 2017 on GOV.UK. These will also be used to identify coasting schools, in conjunction with corresponding data from 2014 and 2015.