Tag: Daniel Kawczynski

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what notification was given to women affected by the Pensions Act 1995.

Justin Tomlinson

Following the Pensions Act 1995, State Pension estimates, issued to individuals on request, made the changes clear. The DWP’s State Pension estimates have been providing individuals with their most up-to-date date of reaching State Pension age since 1995. Over that period, we have encouraged anyone seeking to plan for their retirement to get a pension statement. Since April 2000, the Department has issued more than 11.5 million personalised State Pension statements to people who requested them. We continue to encourage people to request one, as part of our on-going communications.

DWP also ran a pensions education campaign in 2004, which included informing people of the future equalisation of SPA. The campaign included:

• Advertising features in the press and women’s magazines
• A ‘Women’s Pensions Pack’ containing leaflets for women about changes in State Pension age, made available through the Pensions Service
• Direct mailings targeted specifically at women highlighting that women’s SPA is changing
• Sending State Pension forecast letters and accompanying leaflet showing the person’s SPa and explaining who is affected by the changes to women’s SPa (issued to those who requested them)
• Developing an interactive State Pension date/age calculator facility on the Pensions Service website

In addition to these efforts, all those affected by the 1995 Act changes were sent letters between April 2009 and March 2011 using the address details held by HMRC at that time.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on the use by HM Ambassadors of their official Twitter accounts to promote arguments for staying in the EU ahead of the referendum on 23 June.

Mr David Lidington

The Government has published official guidance for Government departments on activities during the period 27 May to 23 June 2016, which is publicly available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/526184/eu-referendum-guidance-for-uk-government-departments-on-activities-during-the-period-27-may-to-23-june.pdf

The guidance states that: “Updates to government websites or social media feeds must not deal with any issues raised by the referendum question or put any arguments for or against any outcome, or be designed to encourage voting at the referendum. Civil servants may respond to specific online queries by providing links to published material. Material that has already been published before 27 May will be regarded as part of the public record and does not need to be removed from websites and social media sites, although links to these sites should be removed.”

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what timetable he has set for the sale of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency testing station in Ennerdale Road, Shrewsbury.

Andrew Jones

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA’s) heavy goods vehicle testing station in Ennerdale Road, Shrewsbury is a fully operational site. As part of its testing transformation programme, DVSA anticipate that the site will cease testing and close by 2019, at the latest. However, DVSA does not currently have a timetable for the closure and subsequent disposal of the site.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Attorney General, what his policy is on use of the charge of treason; and what is his Department’s guidance on sentencing those charged and convicted of that offence.

Robert Buckland

In all cases referred for a charging decision, the Crown Prosecution Service uses whichever offence is appropriate to the facts of the case. Modern criminal offences, including terrorism offences, usually offer a better chance of a successful conviction than a prosecution for treason would. Prosecutions for treason are therefore extremely rare and there is no applicable guidance from the Sentencing Council. The maximum sentence for treason is life imprisonment and it would be for the Courts to determine the appropriate sentence in an individual case, having regard to any analogous case law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will commission a cost-benefit analysis on the potential benefit of extending the M54 to Shrewsbury on Shrewsbury and the surrounding area.

Andrew Jones

Highways England’s forthcoming work on the next iteration of their Route Strategies is the means of assessing pressures and needs and generating proposals across the entire strategic road network, including the M54 and A5. The Route Strategies will inform the preparation of the next Road Investment Strategy. Any specific proposals that require investment will of course need to be underpinned by a strong and clear business case.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that those non-UK citizens who are not eligible to vote are not able to vote in the EU referendum.

John Penrose

The EU referendum will be overseen by the Chief Counting Officer, chair of the Electoral Commission, who is responsible for making sure the referendum is held in accordance with the legislation governing the conduct of the poll. The Electoral Commission has issued a statement setting out the actions that have been taken to address an issue with elections software used by a number of local authorities in England and Wales that meant that some non-eligible EU citizens had mistakenly received poll cards and, in some instances, postal votes. The Commission explains that the software provider has resolved the issue and none of the affected electors will be shown as eligible on the electoral registers to be used at polling stations on the 23 June. Any incorrectly issued postal votes will be cancelled.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what work her Department is undertaking with agencies outside the UN High Commissioner for Refugees system in order to assist and resettle the most vulnerable refugees.

Richard Harrington

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is the internationally recognised and mandated agency for dealing with refugees. We therefore work exclusively with the UNHCR in identifying which vulnerable refugees are selected for resettlement in the UK, based on the UNHCR’s vulnerability criteria. We also work very closely with other bodies to deliver services on the ground to resettle Syrians through this scheme. These include the International Organisation for Migration, local authorities and national and regional NGOs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support military efforts to tackle Islamic State in Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are extremely concerned about the growing threat from extremist groups in Libya, including Daesh. The recent attacks in the Oil Crescent and Zliten in western Libyan highlight the threat these groups pose to the stability of Libya and the region, and potentially to the UK and our interests. We are working closely with international partners to deepen our understanding of Daesh’s presence in Libya and to develop a comprehensive approach to defeating it.

This includes working closely with Libya’s neighbours to enhance their ability to protect themselves against threats from terrorists in Libya and prevent weapons’ smuggling across the region.

We continue to urge all Libyans to unite against these extremists. A lasting and inclusive political agreement and the establishment of a Government of National Accord (GNA) is the best way to tackle the threat in the long term. Engaging with the new Libyan Government on this issue will be a high priority.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the financial consequences of the EU sanctions on Russia on Serbia.

Mr David Lidington

The EU imposed sanctions on Russia in response to the annexation of Crimea and the crisis in Eastern Ukraine. Serbia has not currently imposed sanctions on Russia. No assessment on the financial consequences of EU sanctons on Russia has been made.

Neither I, nor the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), have had any disucssions with our Serbian counterparts on the financial consequences to Serbia of EU sanctions on Russia, but the UK Government has regularly encouraged Serbia, as an accession country, to align itself fully with EU foreign policy. The UK Government has not received any represenations from the Serbian government about the impact of EU sanctions on Russia on the Serbian economy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will request that the Electoral Commission investigate the extent to which the electoral roll prepared for the EU referendum on 23 June 2016 contains citizens of EU countries who are not eligible to vote.

John Penrose

The EU referendum will be overseen by the Chief Counting Officer, chair of the Electoral Commission, who is responsible for making sure the referendum is held in accordance with the legislation governing the conduct of the poll. The Electoral Commission has issued a statement setting out the actions that have been taken to address an issue with elections software used by a number of local authorities in England and Wales that meant that some non-eligible EU citizens had mistakenly received poll cards and, in some instances, postal votes. The Commission explains that the software provider has resolved the issue and none of the affected electors will be shown as eligible on the electoral registers to be used at polling stations on the 23 June. Any incorrectly issued postal votes will be cancelled.