Tag: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2015-11-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts they are making to protect low- to middle-income earners in the public sector from the proposed £95,000 public sector exit payment cap.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The Government set out its proposals for the cap on public sector exit payments in the consultation document published on 31 July 2015 and confirmed the design of the cap in the consultation response document published on 16 September 2015. The consultation document gave details of the number of exits over recent years that cost the taxpayer more than £100,000.

The precise number of those affected by the public sector exit payment cap will depend on the number and type of exits in coming years. However, in recent years the large majority of exits in the public sector are below the level of the cap. For example, the Whole of Government Accounts states that, in 2013-14, 1,838 out of 72,445 pay outs were in excess of £100,000.

The exit payment clauses currently before the House of Lords in the Enterprise Bill set out how the cap is expected to apply.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-02-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on government consultations and their policy-making processes of the new policy on charitable campaigning for charities in receipt of government grant funding, published on 6 February.

Lord Bridges of Headley

This clause does not contravene any organisation or individuals’ right to take part in government consultations or prevent government seeking input on policy in other ways.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-03-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new Cabinet Office guidelines that no government grants may be used to lobby for new regulation or more government funding would preclude Historic England from carrying out its statutory function as an adviser on the historic environment.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The new clause will not prevent recipients from performing activities that are part of the intended purpose of the grant. It makes sure that taxpayers’ money is not diverted from their intended purpose and wasted on political campaigning and political lobbying.
As indicated at the House of Lords Science Technology Committee, BIS and Cabinet Office are looking into how this new clause will apply to academic research.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-07-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have conducted a review of trading standards this year and, if so, when they plan to publish the outcome of that review.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The evidence and material from the recent Review of Trading Standards will be taken forward as part of the Cutting Red Tape Review of Local Authority Regulation and Enforcement. This review has closed for general comments and further evidence is being gathered and analysed. The Government will publish the findings from the Cutting Red Tape Review in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-10-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to repeal the European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002 which provides for elections to the European Parliament.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

On 23 June, the EU referendum took place and the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. That is exactly what this Government will deliver. We will review in due course the appropriate legislative changes needed to enable Britain’s exit from the European Union. Our Great Repeal Bill will end the primacy of EU law in the UK, and transpose the acquis into domestic law, helping us in this process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2015-11-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultations they have conducted on the impact of the cap on low- to middle-income earners in the public sector, and what protections were considered when setting the level of the exit payment cap at £95,000.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The Government set out its proposals for the cap on public sector exit payments in the consultation document published on 31 July 2015 and confirmed the design of the cap in the consultation response document published on 16 September 2015. The consultation document gave details of the number of exits over recent years that cost the taxpayer more than £100,000.

The precise number of those affected by the public sector exit payment cap will depend on the number and type of exits in coming years. However, in recent years the large majority of exits in the public sector are below the level of the cap. For example, the Whole of Government Accounts states that, in 2013-14, 1,838 out of 72,445 pay outs were in excess of £100,000.

The exit payment clauses currently before the House of Lords in the Enterprise Bill set out how the cap is expected to apply.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to seek agreement on a comprehensive package of party funding reform, as set out in the Cabinet Office Departmental Plan 2015–20 published on 19 February.

Lord Bridges of Headley

We remain committed to seeking a comprehensive cross-party reform agreement. No cross-party discussions are currently taking place.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-03-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will announce the membership of the Steering Group referred to on page eight of the Government’s Response to the Independent Recall Review by Lynn Faulds Wood, published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 18 February.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

On 11 March, The Minister of State for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise wrote to potential candidates who have until 6 April to respond. We will issue a statement shortly after.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-07-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made to bring forward regulations to introduce electrical safety checks, as set out in the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

The Government is committed to protecting tenants and, as part of this, introduced the enabling power into the Housing and Planning Act 2016, allowing regulations to protect private sector tenants from electrical hazards in the home to be set at a later date.

This is a highly technical area and we need to explore appropriate options with relevant experts in the sector to test the most effective approach. My Department intends to set up a working group to identify what, if any, legislative requirements are needed and envisage this work being completed this year. This will ensure any introductions are beneficial and strike the right balance by protecting tenants while not over burdening the sector.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-10-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to retain the right of non-British EU citizens to vote in local government elections once the UK has left the EU; and, if so, by what legislative means.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

This issue will be a matter for the EU exit negotiations.