Tag: Charlotte Leslie

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on jobseeker’s allowance claimants taking up volunteer work of the requirement for them to spend 35 hours each week searching for work; and whether that assessment was conducted prior to implementation of that policy.

Priti Patel

There is no requirement for Jobseekers Allowance claimants to undertake 35 hours of job search a week. Claimants must however be actively seeking work in each week of their claim. This means they are expected to do all that they reasonably can to give them the best prospects of securing employment.

We recognise the benefits that volunteering can offer in enhancing a claimant’s prospects of finding suitable employment. Time spent volunteering may therefore be taken into account when considering whether a person has taken all appropriate steps to actively seek work each week.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provision exists for the Syrian spouses of British nationals to come to the UK to join their families.

James Brokenshire

There are several refugee schemes in operation under which a Syrian national may be able to qualify to come to the UK, including the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and Mandate – which resettles those recognised as refugees and judged to be in need of resettlement by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and who have a close family member in the UK who is willing to support them.

In addition, a Syrian national can apply to join their British citizen spouse or partner in the UK under the Family Immigration Rules. If the requirements of the rules are not met, the entry clearance officer will consider whether there are exceptional or compassionate circumstances which may warrant a grant of entry clearance outside the rules.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of helping to provide a legal address at which homeless people can register better to enable them to apply for jobs.

Mr Marcus Jones

One person without a home is one too many. That is why the Government has increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million, including a new £10 million fund to support innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, and a new £10 million Social Impact Bond to support rough sleepers with the most complex needs. This will build on the success of the world’s first homelessness Social Impact Bond in London, which aimed to turn around the lives of 830 entrenched rough sleepers. So far, over half have achieved positive outcomes, including employment outcomes.

Employment can be an important part of an individual’s recovery from a homelessness crisis, and homeless people can use addresses at hostels and day centres to make job applications.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings he has had with homecare providers to discuss how to improve recruitment and retention rates in the care sector.

Alistair Burt

I have responsibility for adult social care. I regularly meet with homecare providers to discuss a range of topics including improving recruitment and retention rates in the care sector.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 19163, what assessment his Department has made of reasons for changes in the level of prosecutions for tachograph violations.

Andrew Jones

Although the numbers of prosecutions in relation to drivers’ hours and tachograph offences decreased in 2014/15 from previous years, the number of offences found actually increased. In 2013/14 the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency found 10,283 drivers’ hours and tachograph offences, whereas in 2014/15 DVSA found 15,183.

The main reason for the decrease in prosecution figures was a drive to deal with all but the most serious offences by way of fixed penalty, freeing up court time and making more effective and efficient use of enforcement resources in line with Government policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many officials of his Department undertook language classes at (a) his Department and (b) post in (i) 2001 and (ii) 2010.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

I refer my rt hon. Friend to my answer of 10 February 2016 set out in PQ 25525.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the (a) cost to GPs of and (b) average time taken per week by GPs for administration of the new Capita patient note transfer system.

Alistair Burt

Capita are improving the process for moving medical records between general practitioner (GP) practices. The changes will ensure that records can be fully tracked and traced through the movement process, to both increase the security of the record in transit and reduce the frustration for GP practices of waiting for records to arrive and not knowing where they are.

The service will continue to be provided to GPs for free.

In designing the new solution, Capita have engaged with GP practices via a stakeholder forum, user panels, observational studies and a National Engagement Team.

The user panels and observational studies have included consideration of any additional time taken to place medical records in secure pouches for transit. This needs to be considered against the time savings that GPs will make by no longer needing to chase records for which they are waiting, since they will be able to track these on the Capita system. Although we do not have a precise estimate, the studies indicate the new process takes a few seconds per record.

A national simulation was successfully completed during February 2016, and a live pilot is being undertaken in the West Yorkshire area during March 2016 to further test the solution ahead of national rollout.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many allegations of fraudulent benefit claims have been reported by members of the public in each year since 2010; and by what means such allegations were reported.

Priti Patel

The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of British nationals with Syrian spouses still residing in Syria.

James Brokenshire

We have made no estimate of the number of British citizens with a Syrian spouse or partner residing in Syria. In 2015, 88 settlement visas were granted to the Syrian spouse or partner of a British citizen or person settled in the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 32920, where the allegations of fraudulent benefit claims are collected.

Caroline Nokes

There are a variety of ways that allegations of Benefit Fraud are received by the DWP including telephone calls to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline (NBFH), online and letter. Once an allegation has been received and, if it meets the required criteria containing enough information, a Fraud Referral Form (FRF) is completed which is then entered into the internal Fraud Referral and Information Management System (FRAIMS).