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Tag: 2016

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers taking voluntary early departure since May 2010 have had (a) up to six, (b) six to 12, (c) 12 to 18, (d) 18 to 24 and (e) over 24 months’ continuous service.

    Andrew Selous

    Information on the number of prison officers taking voluntary early departure has been published in PQ 25478. The total and average amount of severance they received and their average length of service in each month since May 2010 is contained in the table below. The severance amounts in the table relate to the payments made to the officers who left during the particular month and may not reflect the actual date that the money was received. For this reason the information will not match with accounting records.

    All prison officers who left on voluntary early departure had at least 24 months continuous service.

    Voluntary exit was used in the last Parliament as a result of the closure of uneconomic prison places. These prison closures and benchmarking reforms have delivered savings of £300 million a year, with the average cost per prison place falling in real terms by 19% since 2009/10.

    Prison Officers Taking VEDS, May 2010 to September 2015

    Year

    Month

    VEDS Leavers

    Total Severance Received (£)

    Average Severance Received (£)

    Average Length of Service of VEDS leavers (Years)

    2010

    May

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    June

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    July

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    August

    70

    £2,132,290

    £29,209

    17.6

    September

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    October

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    November

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    December

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    2011

    January

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    February

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    March

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    April

    30

    £1,108,573

    £38,227

    17.1

    May

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    June

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    July

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    August

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    September

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    October

    20

    £617,345

    £38,584

    22.7

    November

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    December

    10

    £360,949

    £36,095

    21.8

    2012

    January

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    February

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    March

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    April

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    May

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    June

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    July

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    August

    30

    £1,257,194

    £41,906

    21.1

    September

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    October

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    November

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    December

    40

    £1,121,641

    £30,315

    14.6

    2013

    January

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    February

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    March

    180

    £6,204,024

    £33,718

    19.5

    April

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    May

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    June

    180

    £6,353,177

    £35,100

    20.3

    July

    170

    £7,010,396

    £40,290

    19.7

    August

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    September

    720

    £25,920,953

    £35,802

    18.9

    October

    130

    £4,964,209

    £37,608

    20.8

    November

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    December

    40

    £1,298,680

    £29,515

    17.2

    2014

    January

    100

    £3,152,467

    £32,838

    20.0

    February

    10

    £425,167

    £38,652

    24.5

    March

    30

    £1,308,937

    £39,665

    19.8

    April

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    May

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    June

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    July

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    August

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    September

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    October

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    November

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    December

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    2015

    January

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    February

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    March

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    April

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    May

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    June

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    July

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    August

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    September

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Notes:

    All figures are rounded to the nearest 10, with numbers ending in 5 rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. As with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time, to ensure consistency of reporting. However the database itself is dynamic, and where updates to the database are made late, subsequent to the taking of the extract, these updates will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this reason, HR data are unlikely to be precisely accurate, and to present unrounded figures would be to overstate the accuracy of the figures. Rounding to 10 accurately depicts the level of certainty that is held with these figures.

    ~ denotes suppressed values of 5 or fewer or calculations based on a population of 5 or fewer. Low numbers are suppressed, in conjunction with the rounding policy to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998.

    Information in the table relates to cases of voluntary exits where payment information is available. In a small number of cases information on severance payments does not reflect the reason for leaving held on the central reporting system and may vary slightly from leavers figures published from that source in the NOMS Workforce Bulletin.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about the effect of bus franchising in the vehicle manufacturing sector.

    Andrew Jones

    I refer my hon Friend the Member for Brigg and Goole to the answer I gave on 15th February, to Question UIN 26533.

    “

  • James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will ensure that a cost impact assessment, including the potential impact assessment on the mobile seed cleaning industry, is made for any future emergency order relating to the use of neonicotinoids.

    George Eustice

    Any future application for authorisation of neonicotinoids for emergency use will be assessed according to the legal requirements. These cover: the risks from use; whether the use addresses a danger which cannot be contained by any other reasonable means; and the means by which the use will be limited and controlled.

    The requirement for limited and controlled use includes ensuring that the product is demonstrably targeted towards those growers with the greatest need. The applicant would need to establish an auditable supply chain to ensure this requirement was met.

    The assessment of the application would be based on the case made by the applicant. If the requirements outlined above are met, the Government would have no grounds for withholding authorisation.

    However, there is no clear reason why it would be necessary to exclude farm-saved seed in designing appropriate control measures for an emergency authorisation of pesticide use on oilseed rape. We have drawn this issue to the attention of potential applicants.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Written Statement of 18 April 2016, on immigration detention, HCWS679, how many pregnant women (a) are detained and (b) have been detained for immigration purposes in each of the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    Management information for 19 April showed that two pregnant women were held at the border and there was one pregnant woman held in an IRC. Information on those held at the border and in IRCs in each of the last five years is not held centrally and providing it would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-05-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the recent elections in the Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus on the UK’s aims for the talks process on the reunification of Cyprus, and on their foreign policy position regarding that island.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Following elections to the legislature in the Republic of Cyprus, the UK will continue to support strongly the efforts of the two communities to reunite Cyprus. We also look forward to continuing to work closely with the Republic of Cyprus across a range of shared interests, including security and defence issues, and reinforcing the values that underpin the Commonwealth.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what effect the change in eligibility criteria for free school meals has had on schools funding in Hounslow in 2016-17.

    Edward Timpson

    There has not been a change in the eligibility criteria for free school meals (FSM) since 2013 when Universal Credit was added to the list of qualifying benefits. Nationally, the proportion of pupils eligible for FSM has continued to fall across all age groups due to improvements in the economy over recent years.

    FSM rates are used to determine pupil premium funding, and are targeted to each pupil who has been registered for FSM at any point in the last six years. FSM rates can also be used to determine a school’s core budget. Local authorities devise their own formulae through which they distribute the Dedicated Schools Grant to schools in their locality. They must include a deprivation factor, and can allocate this funding on the basis of FSM status, an area level measure of deprivation, or both. The core schools budget has been protected in real terms for the duration of this Parliament.

  • Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Lord on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to build on the achievements of Team GB at the Rio Olympics 2016; and if she will make a statement.

    Tracey Crouch

    Team GB and ParalympicsGB reached new heights in Rio, with a best ever away Olympics and a London-beating Paralympic medal count. But this success is also about more than medals. Since 2012 UK Sport funded athletes have given back over 18,000 days visiting schools and local projects as part of our commitment to inspire the next generation, in a scheme that will extend through through the Tokyo cycle. We will continue, via UK Sport, to ensure that elite athletes have the opportunity to fulfil their potential on the Olympic and Paralympic stages, and we remain equally committed to getting more people from every background involved in sport and physical activity, supporting initiatives that enable more people to play, watch and volunteer in sport.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what expenditure his Department was on (a) temporary agency staff, (b) consultants, (c) non-payroll staff, (d) administration and (e) marketing and advertising on making the Defence Infrastructure Organisation government-owned in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14 and (iv) 2014-15.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has been led by a Strategic Business Partner (SBP) since September 2014. The SBP contract allowed for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to instruct the incorporation of DIO as a Government-owned company (GovCo), subject to a value for money review.

    I announced the conclusions of the review in my written statement of 10 December 2015 (Official Report, columns 55-56WS). The GovCo model would have been led by the SBP but 100% owned by the Secretary of State for Defence. A GovCo is distinct from a Government-owned contractor-operated organisation (GOCO) which has a different legal construct. The MOD has never proposed for the DIO to become a GOCO.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, which local authorities in Scotland on what dates he (a) has visited and (b) plans to visit.

    David Mundell

    a) I have visited the following local authorities in Scotland:

    1. City of Edinburgh – 29 July 2015
    2. Western Isles – 30 July 2015
    3. Highland – 25 August 2015
    4. Angus – 2 September 2015
    5. Dundee City – 2 September 2015
    6. Perth and Kinross – 22 September 2015
    7. East Lothian – 23 September 2015
    8. Aberdeen City – 28 September 2015
    9. Aberdeenshire – 28 September 2015
    10. Ayrshire – 29 September 2015
    11. Shetland Islands – 30 September 2015
    12. Orkney Islands – 1 October 2015
    13. South Lanarkshire – 8 October 2015
    14. South Ayrshire – 8 October 2015
    15. Glasgow City with PUS – 19 October 2015
    16. Renfrewshire – 5 November 2015
    17. East Renfrewshire – 5 November 2015
    18. Inverclyde – 5 November 2015
    19. North Ayrshire – 6 November 2015
    20. Midlothian – 23 November 2015
    21. West Lothian – 23 November 2015
    22. Scottish Borders – 23 November 2015
    23. East Dunbartonshire – 3 December 2015
    24. Fife – 4 December 2015
    25. Falkirk – 7 December 2015
    26. Clackmannanshire – 7 December 2015
    27. North Lanarkshire – 10 December 2015
    28. Stirling – 14 December 2015

    b) I plan to visit the following local authorities in Scotland in early 2016 (dates to be confirmed):

    1. Argyll and Bute
    2. Moray
    3. Dumfries & Galloway
    4. West Dunbartonshire
  • Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2016-02-24.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of successful prosecutions for tax evasion.

    Mr David Gauke

    At Summer Budget 2015, the Government announced an investment of £800 million to tackle non‑compliance and tax evasion.

    This investment includes £266 million and 670 new HMRC staff to tackle tax fraud, which will lead to a tripling of the number of criminal investigations into the most serious and complex tax crimes.

    The Government is also consulting on new criminal powers to tackle offshore tax evasion and corporate facilitation of tax evasion.

    This all builds on the Government’s earlier investment into HMRC, which enabled the Department to achieve a seven-fold increase in the number of prosecutions over the course of the last parliament and contributed to the protection over £2 billion of vital public revenue last year.