Tag: 2016

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the Youth Action Group last met; who attended that meeting; and what the current membership of that group is.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The last Youth Action Group meeting was 25 Nov 2014. A Youth Action Group Workshop was held on 24 Feb 2015.

    Youth Action Group members and meeting participants were drawn from the government departments and national charities that develop policy and deliver programmes for disadvantaged young people. These included the following:

    • Government: Cabinet Office, Department for Education, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Justice, Home Office, Department for Health and Ministry of Defence; and
    • VCSE sector: The Prince’s Trust, Rathbone, The Foyer Federation, Catch22, Groundwork, Barnardo’s, Youth United, YoungMinds, Brook and Action for Children

    There are no current plans for this group to meet.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were moved from receipt of employment and support allowance to jobseeker’s allowance because they did not meet the new points standard in each quarter of 2015.

    Priti Patel

    This is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have regarding claims that UN member states are seeking to minimise the number of Sustainable Development Goal indicators, possibly eliminate the Female Genital Mutilation target, and retain the current restriction of measuring Female Genital Mutilation only in relevant countries”.”

    Baroness Verma

    The UK has continually championed the inclusion of a global goal on gender and the inclusion of a target on ending harmful practices with indicators on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM). With others, we resisted a proposed qualifier which would have restricted the measurement of FGM to ‘relevant countries only’. We anticipate this indicator will remain, and apply to all countries, when the report and indicators are approved by the UN Statistical commission in mid-March.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government is giving to (a) the government of Greece and (b) civil society organisations in Greece to assist the response to the arrival of migrants and refugees.

    James Brokenshire

    The UK has contributed over £19 million in humanitarian support to Greece: almost £8 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), almost £7.5 million to Non Governmental Organistions (NGOs), over £1.6 million to the Red Cross, over £1 million to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and almost £1 million of essential supplies (blankets, sleeping mats, tents, solar lanterns, generators). We are assessing how best to target further humanitarian support in 2016, including through EU routes.

    Through UK aid in Greece, UNHCR expects to support approximately 250,000 migrants and refugees with life-saving humanitarian aid through: reception, protection, accommodation, water and non-food Items. UNHCR and the IOM are also working with the government of Greece to improve their capacity to receive and manage refugees and migrants.

    In bilateral support to the Government of Greece the UK Government is providing direct support to the Hellenic Coast Guard in the Aegean Sea. The UK Border Force hired offshore patrol vessel, VOS Grace, is currently deployed in the Aegean.

    In addition, the Government is funding a voluntary returns programme (£2 million over 2 years 2014-2016) and asylum programmes (totalling £600,000 over 3 years) in Greece through NGOs. The Home Office has a long-term secondee to the Greek Government based in Athens, supporting improvements in Greek asylum system capability.

    In 2016, the UK Government has committed to provide 34 months of staff deployment to Frontex operations in Greece. Debriefing and screening support has also been offered bilaterally to the Hellenic Police. And the UK Government has provided five month-long secondments to the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) for deployment at Hotspot sites in both Greece and Italy.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30456, what proportion of (a) primiparous and (b) multiparous women are discharged from hospital less than 24 hours after giving birth.

    Ben Gummer

    The Care Quality Commission 2015 survey of women’s experience of maternity care found that 27% of primiparous mothers (first time mothers) stayed in hospital for less than 24 hours after birth. 47% of multiparous mothers (women who have previously given birth one or more times) stayed in hospital for less than 24 hours after birth.

    Full details of the survey can be found here:

    http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/maternity-services-survey-2015

    “

  • Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Naz Shah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naz Shah on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Attorney General, how many people were prosecuted in England for forced marriage in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) collects information to show the number of defendants prosecuted for offences relating to forced marriages identified by way of a monitoring flag applied to the case record. The flag is applied where any offence of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse has been carried out in the context of a forced marriage. During the financial year 2014-15 the CPS prosecuted 45 defendants in England and 46 defendants nationally (England and Wales) for offences associated with forced marriages. CPS figures in relation to the financial year 2015-16 will be placed in the House of Commons Library later this year.

    A specific offence of forced marriage was created by section 121 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 and came into force in June 2014. This offence applies to a person who intentionally forces a person to enter into marriage, believing the person does not consent, or a person who deceives someone into going abroad for the specific purpose of forcing them to marry. During 2014-15, the CPS commenced one prosecution in relation to forced marriage and two in relation to breaches of forced marriage protection orders.

  • Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax credit cases which have been processed by Concentrix have involved single parents; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Gauke

    I refer the right honourable gentleman to the answer I gave on 4 February 2016 [24418].

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff in the Government Digital Service have left his Department since 13 July 2016.

    Ben Gummer

    Between 13 July 2016 and 13 September 2016, 71 staff left my Department. The majority of these departures, 50 in total, were planned exits (loans and fixed-term appointments ending, retirements, transfers out to other Departments, and voluntary exits).

    Of those staff who left the Department, six were employed in the Government Digital Service. Over the same period, 67 staff joined the Government Digital Service.

  • Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 7.2, Heading contingent liabilities, page 176 of the Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16 of HM Revenue and Customs, published in December 2015, under what area of legislation are those cases of current liability.

    Jane Ellison

    The Trust Statement is prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards adapted or interpreted for public sector context.

    International Accounting Standard 37 – ‘Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets’ is the standard that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) follows when calculating the level of contingent liability to be included with the disclosure notes to the Trust Statement. The contingent liabilities relate to legal cases for which the outcome is uncertain and HMRC considers that there is only a possible rather than probable likelihood that they will be required to make a payment, or the amount cannot be reliably measured.

    These cases are not current liabilities – they are a possible obligation dependent on whether some uncertain future event occurs.

  • Bill Esterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Bill Esterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) private sector companies, (b) public sector bodies went beyond the maximum 60-day period to repay debt covered by the Late Payment Directive in the last 12 months.

    Anna Soubry

    The Department does not hold the information required. However, BACS data shows that small and medium businesses are owed a total of £26.8 billion, and the average small business is waiting for £31,900 in overdue payments.[1]

    The Government recognises that late payment remains an important issue for small businesses in the UK and is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts. This is part of a package of measures to tackle late payment. We have also legislated for new transparency measures in the public and private sectors.

    The Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 legislated for new reporting requirement on the UK’s largest companies and Regulations will be introduced this year which will compel larger companies to report on payment practices and performance. This information will be published on a six-monthly basis and will be made publicly available.

    The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 introduced a requirement for all public-sector buyers to publish annually, from 2017, their liability to debt interest payments. In central government we have gone further and faster. We will be publishing against these requirements quarterly from April this year. This will allow full public scrutiny of payment performance.

    Through the Enterprise Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business Commissioner to give general advice and to help small businesses resolve disputes relating to payment matters with larger businesses.

    Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour. Once implemented, the Government is confident that these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK’s payment culture.

    [1] BACS Data June 2015.