Tag: Corri Wilson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-02-05.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to improve HM Revenue and Customs’ response times to written correspondence from members of the public.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has taken major steps to improve their customer service, including recruiting 3,000 new staff into customer service roles and undertaking their biggest-ever training programme to enable them to build customer support teams that can move across a wide range of work according to customer demand. HMRC have also introduced digital mail scanning to help manage the more than 1million items of post they receive every month.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what key priorities have been agreed by the National Autism Programme Board on improving data and information collected on autism to support the effective commissioning of services for autistic people.

David Mowat

Since the meeting of the cross government Autism Programme Board on 16 June 2016, discussions with NHS England have focused on taking forward the actions agreed to improve diagnostic waiting times and outcomes for people with autism. The National Autistic Society and the report of the Westminster Commission on Autism have both suggested that NHS England create a new role of National Clinical Director for autism, and this is a matter for NHS England to consider.

The Autism Programme Board at its last meeting also considered current and possible future sources of autism data. The Board asked that further consideration be given to this issue and for the Department to report back to them before their autumn meeting. This work is on-going.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-02-05.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the efficiency of HM Revenue and Customs in handling written correspondence from members of the public.

Mr David Gauke

Such a review has not been carried out recently. However, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) regularly publish general performance reports at Gov.uk. HMRC targets for post are to reply to 80% within 15 working days, 95% within 40 working days, and 90% accuracy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what charges the Government plans to levy for connection to the National Grid on the proposed interconnector cable from Iceland.

Andrea Leadsom

My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a UK/Iceland taskforce to consider the potential for interconnection between the two countries. The taskforce is considering a high-level assessment of the costs and benefits and will make recommendations to Government in May as to whether to continue with a more detailed stage of discussions. This will include an assessment of the impact of the interconnector on system costs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what (a) timetable and (b) process his Department plans for its forthcoming review of the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

Anna Soubry

The Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013 requires the Department to review the performance of the Groceries Code Adjudicator every three years. The first review will cover the period up to 31 March 2016 and will be carried out later this year.

We are currently considering options and making final decisions on the timetable and process for the review. These will be published shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions have taken place with the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development on the situation in the dairy industry since the early support payments were made in November 2015.

George Eustice

Difficulties with low prices in the dairy sector were discussed with Commissioner Hogan at Agriculture Council on 15 February. Member States have been invited to present their initial suggestions for how to deal with the ongoing pressure on EU farmers ahead of further talks at Council on 14 March.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress has been made on introducing a Europe-wide groceries adjudicator.

Anna Soubry

On 29 January, the European Commission published its report on the existing regulatory and voluntary frameworks for tackling unfair trading practices in the food supply chain. The Commission concluded that there would be no added value in a specific harmonised regulatory approach at EU level at this stage.

The Commission will continue to monitor the situation and, before the end of its mandate, it will re-assess its position on harmonised regulation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people living with the long-term effects of cancer can access appropriate financial support through the welfare system for as long as they need it.

Priti Patel

Most Employment and Support Allowance claimants with cancer will be placed in the Support Group. People with long-term health conditions can also claim Personal Independence Payment to help meet the extra costs of their disability, whether they have a job or not.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of (a) disability living allowance and (b) personal independence payments are (i) undergoing treatment for and (ii) recovering from cancer.

Justin Tomlinson

The information requested is not available as information on treatment is not recorded centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Corri Wilson on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if the Government will bring forward proposals to enable the prosecution of UK businesses through the UK courts for breaches of human rights abroad when the UK’s National Action Plan to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights is next updated.

Anna Soubry

Victims of overseas human rights abuses by UK businesses can already seek redress through UK courts. We have one of the few jurisdictions in the world where this can happen. I am proud it was a Conservative government that introduced the Modern Slavery Act, which requires companies to report on steps they have taken to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in its supply chains.