The below Parliamentary question was asked by Crispin Blunt on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what payments his Department has made or is projected to make to Network Rail in respect of the rail network used by Govia Thameslink Railway for each financial year of the franchise period.
Paul Maynard
The Department for Transport does not make payments to Network Rail on a route by route basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-01-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the financial effects of removing contributory third party funding from the Landfill Communities Fund.
Damian Hinds
A policy costing for the changes to the LCF announced at Autumn Statement 2015 was published in Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015: policy costings. This document is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-and-autumn-statement-2015-documents
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) officials, (b) other staff and (c) contracted workers in his Department are working on licensing of taxi and private hire vehicles in the Buses and Taxis division.
Andrew Jones
There are currently (a) two officials, (b) one further official on secondment to the Department and (c) no contracted workers working on taxi and private hire vehicle policy in the Department for Transport. All work in the Buses and Taxis division. The subject forms one part of the officials’ roles. This level of staffing for work on taxis and private hire vehicles is essentially consistent with that going back to 2009/10.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what checks are made to determine whether an individual who is not a British citizen has committed any crimes in the UK on a previous occasion at the time of their entry to the UK from another EU country.
James Brokenshire
We take the issue of preventing criminals entering the UK extremely seriously, and we continue to strengthen our borders so that we can prevent crime and protect the public. We carry out 100% checks at passport control to identify persons of interest entering the UK. All passengers are checked against police, security and immigration watchlists and where we are aware of individuals who pose a risk, Border Force officers can – and do – refuse them entry. Checks are also carried out against the vast majority of passengers before they arrive in the UK and, where we can, we stop them from travelling in the first place.
Those required to obtain a visa to enter the UK are also checked against a range of police, security and immigration databases for details of any UK or overseas criminal record. All applicants are required to provide details of their criminal history. Where they fail to declare relevant offences/convictions, their application will be refused and they will be subject to a ten-year ban from applying to enter the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions the chairs of the (a) Defence, (b) Foreign Affairs and (c) Intelligence and Security Committee were briefed on special forces operations in each of the last 10 years.
Penny Mordaunt
This Government has demonstrated its commitment to our Special Forces by announcing a £2 billion programme of investment over the course of this Parliament. All military operations, including the activities of the Special Forces, are discussed and scrutinised at the highest levels of Government, including at the National Security Council. However, as it is the longstanding policy of the Government not to comment on our Special Forces, or to release information relating to them, I cannot comment on specific questions about personnel, equipment, discussions or activities in relation to these units.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project.
Guto Bebb
My office remains in close contact with the Department of Energy and Climate Change on the potential development of a tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay.
We have announced an independent review into tidal power which will be led by industry expert Charles Hendry, who is well regarded across the energy industry and on both sides of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which types of lorries are being used for the delivery of High Speed 2 projects.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Principal contractors will be required to determine what HGVs are employed on HS2 construction and ensure they comply with relevant quality standards such as Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme. It is anticipated that excavated material will be transported in rigid tippers (up to 33 tonne gross vehicle weight), and concrete will be supplied in 6 or 8 cubic metre capacity rigid lorries. Other materials are likely to be supplied by a mixture of rigid and articulated lorries of various sizes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that public transport is adequately equipped for people with sensory loss.
Andrew Jones
The Government recognises how important improving access to public transport is for people with visual impairments and is committed to making transport more inclusive.
Buses and coaches subject to the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) must incorporate a range of features to make bus travel more accessible for visually impaired people, including priority seating, colour-contrasting hand-holds and step edges, and destination blinds using clear typefaces. PSVAR applies to single-deck buses already, and double-deck buses must comply from 1st January 2017.
The Bus Services Bill will specifically allow enhanced partnership schemes to require all buses within a local area to provide audible and visual next stop information. Authorities using the new franchising powers will be able to place similar requirements on affected operators. The Government has also agreed to consider amendments on this issue which were tabled during the Bill’s committee stage in the House of Lords.
We are also aware that positive interactions with bus drivers can make a big difference to the experience of visually impaired people taking the bus. We are working with the bus industry and disabled people to design best practice guidance in delivering disability awareness training which, we hope, will help to give bus drivers the skills and knowledge to assist every disabled passenger.
The Government also intends to publish an Accessibility Action Plan for consultation by the end of the year which will present its ambition for further progress on this agenda.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2016-01-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the effect of the HM Revenue and Customs Location Strategy on future tax revenues.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Location Programme is the result of an extended period of consultation and deliberation. The Department has taken account of a number of criteria in reaching its decisions, including the quality of local transport links, the local labour market and future workforce supply, the cost of buildings and asset value, and the need to retain the staff and skills it needs to continue its transformation. These changes will reduce HMRC’s estates costs by around £100 million a year by 2025.
HMRC’s modelling estimates that the majority of staff in Scotland live within Reasonable Daily Travel of Glasgow or Edinburgh. Reasonable Daily Travel is calculated in line with established HR policies and procedures. Every worker at HMRC will have a one-to-one meeting with their manager to discuss their individual circumstances.
HMRC conducted high level People Impact and Equality Assessments to inform its planning. The Department plans to update these once discussions have been held with its staff.
Activities of trade union representatives are governed by long-standing agreements with departments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2016-02-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on using debt collection agencies in each of the last seven years.
Justin Tomlinson
The Department’s policy is to recover outstanding debt whenever possible. Where a person is not in receipt of benefit and all the Department’s attempts at recovery have been unsuccessful, the overpayment will be referred to a debt collection agency. The debtor is always given an opportunity to make an agreement to pay the Department before the debt is sent to a debt collection agency to recover.
With the exception of one service provider currently being used by the Child Maintenance Group, the Department does not hold extant, direct contracts with any debt collection agencies although the nature of some of the expired contracts means that a number of collections are still being made. DWP now makes use of one main contract with Indesser. The Framework Contract is managed by Cabinet Office. Indesser manage relationships with a number of Debt Collection Agencies on behalf of all Government Customers.
Under the terms of the Framework Agreement, Indesser and its sub-contractors must comply with relevant industry and public sector standards for service delivery including those of the Credit Services Association, the Code of Practice and the Financial Conduct Authority guidelines. The standards are listed in the DMI Framework Agreement. Indesser reviews subcontractor compliance with these standards through audit and assurance activity, including responsibility for ensuring that they comply with relevant industry standards, managing their performance, and monitoring any complaints. Customer departments (i.e. DWP) in turn receive Letters of Assurance which they review to ensure standards are being achieved and the audits are effective.
The breakdown of figures you have requested is derived from operational processes and systems designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As it was not originally intended for publication, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics.
The debt collection agency costs of the Child Maintenance Group and DWP are given separately. Please note that the figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000.
The cost to the DWP of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:
|
Financial Year |
Spend |
Recoveries |
|
2009/2010 |
£1.59m |
£8.50m |
|
2010/2011 |
£1.33m |
£9.77m |
|
2011/2012 |
£2.11m |
£13.94m |
|
2012/2013 |
£1.95m |
£14.15m |
|
2013/2014 |
£2.12m |
£15.00m |
|
2014/2015 |
£2.52m |
£17.30m |
|
2015/2016* |
£1.64m |
£11.05m |
|
*to date |
||
The cost to Child Maintenance Group of the debt collection agencies, and the related recovery made by them, is as follows:
|
Financial Year |
Spend |
Recoveries |
|
2009/2010 |
£1.25m |
£10.20m |
|
2010/2011 |
£0.56m |
£4.68m |
|
2011/2012 |
£0.35m |
£1.35m |
|
2012/2013 |
£0.21m |
£1.71m |
|
2013/2014 |
£0.05m |
£1.21m |
|
2014/2015 |
£0.10m |
£0.86m |
|
2015/2016 to date |
£0.07m |
£0.53m |