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Tag: 2015

  • 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 hours each week Jobcentre Plus work coaches are expected to spend with each participant in the Mandatory Intervention Regime under the Help to Work scheme.

    Priti Patel

    The Mandatory Intervention Regime (MIR) under the Help to Work scheme delivers all the employment support measures available through the JCP Offer and, to supplement those, provides more intensive, personalised support through increased work coach interviews. The length, nature and frequency of these additional interviews is determined locally on a case by case basis and may vary over time.

  • 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, what criteria his Department has set for referral to (a) Community Work Placements and (b) Daily Work Search Review once a claimant has joined the Help to Work scheme.

    Priti Patel

    Under Help to Work Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches have the flexibility to decide which of the three options that are part of the programme, Mandatory Intervention Regime, Community Work Placements or Daily Work Search Reviews, would best suit each individual jobseeker. They base their decisions on an exit report from their Work Programme provider and discussions with the jobseeker about the particular barriers still stopping them from getting work.

  • Ian Blackford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian Blackford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2015-11-20.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people making use of new pension freedoms have sought professional, regulated financial advice since April 2015.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government does not hold the information requested.

    However, the Government is committed to ensuring that all consumers can access high quality, affordable advice so they can make informed decisions about their hard-earned money.

    That is why the Treasury has launched, jointly with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Financial Advice Market Review which will examine how consumers can best be provided with the help and advice the need.

    The Treasury and the FCA published a Call for Input on 12 October seeking views from all interested parties on how financial advice could work better for consumers. The Call for Input will run until 22 December and the review will report back with proposals ahead of Budget 2016.

  • Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information the Government holds on UK-linked companies committing human rights abuses abroad.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Government does not maintain a central log of UK-linked companies who allegedly fail to respect human rights abroad. However, the Government’s expectation is that British companies will build respect for human rights into all aspects of their operations, in the UK and overseas. Responsible action by the private sector is good for business and communities – it helps create jobs, customers and a sense of fairness, and contributes towards to a market’s sustainability.

  • Angela Rayner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Angela Rayner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2015-11-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what role he plans for Rail North in (a) assessing bids for the Northern and TransPennine Express rail franchises and (b) drafting the agreements for those franchises.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport (DfT) has been working with Rail North throughout the process to renew the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises. As well as their active involvement during the development of the franchise specifications and public consultation, Rail North staff have also been part of the DfT teams evaluating the bids and have commented on key parts of the draft Franchise Agreements.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2015-11-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why 450 British extremists who have been, or are believed to have been, fighting in Syria have been permitted to re-enter the UK, and why only three of those individuals have been charged with terrorist offences.

    Lord Bates

    Approximately 800 British nationals have travelled to Syria to take part in the conflict since it began, and of those who are known to have travelled about half have returned.

    It is a general convention of international law that a state should allow entry of its own citizens.

    However, everyone who returns from taking part in the conflict in Syria or Iraq – which includes those who voluntarily decide to live in areas controlled by ISIL – must expect to be subject to review by the police to determine if they have committed criminal offences abroad, and to ensure that they do not pose a threat to our national security.

    British citizens and residents who commit offences abroad can be prosecuted under a wide range of terrorism and criminal law offences including training for terrorism and murder.

    Decisions on charging are taken independently on a case-by-case basis by the Crown Prosecution Service.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 15540, what assistance his Department gave to (a) Kent County Council, (b) other operational organisations and (c) businesses to cover costs and losses during the implementation of Operation Stack in 2015.

    Anna Soubry

    My department provided no direct financial assistance to those organisations or to businesses to cover costs and losses during the implementation of Operation Stack in 2015.

    The Business Support Helpline was available to businesses seeking advice on managing disruption throughout.

    In the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer committed £250 million into finding a long term solution to Operation Stack.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what factors were considered by HM Revenue and Customs when making its decision to locate its regional hub in Leeds rather than Bradford.

    Mr David Gauke

    On 12 November, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the next stage of its ten-year modernisation programme. As part of that, the department demonstrated its long-term commitment to Yorkshire and the Humber by setting out that it would establish a Regional Centre in Leeds.

    A number of factors were considered by HMRC when deciding where to locate its new Regional Centres. In addition to cost, it considered local and national transport links, the local labour market, supply of future workforce and the retention of current staff and skills.

    HMRC modelled the impact of locating the Regional Centre for Yorkshire and the Humber in both Bradford and Leeds. For both scenarios, it took into account the potential loss of jobs for staff expected to be outside of reasonable daily travel (defined as approximately 1 hour from home to work, though dependent on individual circumstances).

    HMRC first shared its transformation plans with its employees 18 months ago. Since then has held more than 2,000 events across the UK, setting out how and why it is changing. The department is committed to continuing to support all of its employees who are affected by these changes.

    Staff in Yorkshire attended a number of face-to-face events, providing feedback on the potential location of the regional centre. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances in one-to-one meetings with their manager.

    This transformation programme will ultimately enable HMRC to deliver better public services at lower cost to the taxpayer. It will generate estate savings of £100 million a year by 2025.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will amend how the pupil premium is paid in order to reward schools that consistently improve results for all pupils while narrowing the attainment gap.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We have no plans to change the basis on which the pupil premium is distributed to schools.

    Our school reforms are intended to deliver educational excellence everywhere so that every child, regardless of background, reaches their potential. This includes the new ‘progress 8’ performance measure for secondary schools, so that schools are recognised for the improved achievement of every child.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Chinese government on the reported disappearance of Gui Haiming and other employees of Sage Communications in Hong Kong.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We are following this issue closely along with EU partners. The UK takes seriously any threats to press freedom. We monitor this constantly including through the Foreign Secretary’s Six-Monthly Reports to Parliament. We have welcomed previous statements that the Hong Kong SAR Government remains committed to protecting the freedom of the press. We hope they and the Chinese authorities will also continue to make every effort to ensure that the environment in which the media, and publishers operate in the Hong Kong SAR is conducive to full and frank reporting.