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Tag: 2015

  • Martin Vickers – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Martin Vickers – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martin Vickers on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all young people who wish to participate in the National Citizen Service are able to do so.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    We are committed to expanding NCS, which is why the Chancellor announced our ambition that 300,000 young people participate in NCS every year by 2019/20 so that they can learn new skills and give back to their communities.

    We take great care to ensure that all young people, regardless of background, can take part, providing bursaries and additional support where necessary.

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to encourage young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue a career in medicine.

    Ben Gummer

    The Government has set out in its Mandate to Health Education England (HEE) the need to improve access to healthcare education and employment within the health sector for underrepresented groups, which includes those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

    HEE’s ‘Widening Participation: It Matters’ strategy is in place to drive widening participation through partnership working. The strategy’s purpose is to ensure that the National Health Service workforce is more representative of the communities it seeks to serve and that personal development and progression is based upon merit, ability and motivation and not social background, nepotism or privilege.

    HEE has also been working with the Medical Schools Council, in partnership with the Sutton Trust in extending the Pathways to Medicine Programme and the Social Mobility Foundation in supporting disadvantaged participants interested in a medical career.

    The Department has also worked with the Medical Schools Council and other key groups to produce the “Selecting for Excellence” report which looks to highlight areas for Medical Schools to consider and tackle around widening participation in to UK medical schools a copy of which can be access from:

    http://www.medschools.ac.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Selecting-for-Excellence-Final-Report.pdf

    “

  • John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people were diagnosed with melanoma in the most recent period for which figures are available.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions were held with the two Jobcentre Plus staff dismissed from Plaistow Jobcentre in May 2014 after a complaint about misuse of the Flexible Support Fund on (a) whether that misuse was part of a pattern of malpractice and (b) by whom it was authorised.

    Priti Patel

    Allegations of misuse of the Flexible Support Fund at Plaistow Jobcentre during 2013 and 2014 were investigated fully by the Department’s investigators. Various discussions were held and investigators also undertook further work, completed in July 2014, which examined whether there was a pattern of malpractice or any evidence of wider misuse, of which none was found, of the Flexible Support Fund at this office or other offices in the immediate area.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total budget allocated to HM Revenue and Customs’ (a) National Minimum Wage Risk Unit, (b) National Minimum Wage compliance teams and (c) Criminal Investigations Directorate was in each of the last six years.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW should contact the confidential Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) review all complaints that are referred to them. However, some complaints may not lead to the commencement of an investigation. This might be due to incomplete information being provided, or the worker subsequently wishing to withdraw their complaint. Similarly, multiple complaints about the same employer would only be recorded under one investigation.

    In 2014/15, 2489 worker complaints and 691 pieces of third party information were referred to HMRC. However, I reiterate that not all complaints will lead to an investigation. In previous years, HMRC did not record statistics by complaints received, but by investigations completed. In 2014/15, HMRC completed 2204 investigations. I refer the honourable member to the answer provided to her on 6 May 2014 at Hansard Column 110W for information on prior years.

    Staff across HMRC contribute to enforcing NMW, including people who work in legal advice, debt management, technical support and criminal investigation amongst others, but HMRC does not record the specific numbers of those staff involved beyond this. The budget allocated to HMRC by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is provided as an overall amount. I therefore refer the honourable member to the answers provided to her at UIN 16853 for budget details & UIN 16938 for information on staffing.

  • Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Newlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11080, on deportation: appeals, how many appellants (a) had a legal representative at their panel and (b) gave evidence at the appeal via video link.

    James Brokenshire

    Such data is not aggregated in national reporting systems, which would mean these questions could only be answered through a disproportionately expensive manual case search to collate the data.

  • Paul Farrelly – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Paul Farrelly – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Farrelly on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings he has had with representatives of (a) Sky plc and (b) 21st Century Fox since 7 May 2015.

    Tracey Crouch

    Information on Ministers’ meetings with external organisations, including meetings with Media organisations, are included in the quarterly transparency returns.

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

    Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8120, what the range is of the RAF Sea King helicopter resource in its coverage of Atlantic waters.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The operational range of RAF Sea King helicopters is some 210-240 nautical miles.

  • Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 80 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what the 170 investments to sustain and enhance defence capabilities are.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 (Cm 9161) set out the range of capabilities that, taken together, will sustain and enhance our ability to fulfil Defence’s contribution to UK National Security.

  • Craig Mackinlay – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Craig Mackinlay – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Mackinlay on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many foreign vehicles that had overstayed the permitted six months in the UK were identified as a result of the information sharing trial between the police service and HM Revenue and Customs that ran from November 2014 to February 2015; how many such vehicles were impounded; how much was raised in fines in that trial; and what plans his Department has to introduce such a scheme permanently.

    Andrew Jones

    During the trial the police used a combination of information provided by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and on-road interviews to establish whether a vehicle had overstayed the six-month exemption and/or if the vehicle keeper was a resident in the UK.

    Of the 703 vehicles impounded during the trial, 162 were included in the HMRC’s data set.

    The table below shows the amounts awarded by the courts following successful prosecutions:

    Fines

    Costs awarded to the DVLA

    Back Duty paid

    £40,259

    £12,540

    £12,215.10

    The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) also received £20,751 from out of court settlement payments.

    The trial was carried out from within existing resources.

    A full analysis of the trial is underway and will inform the way forward. Police forces which are authorised by the DVLA to seize unlicensed vehicles continue to target non-compliant foreign registered vehicles.