Tag: Frank Field

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people working for her Department or its executive agencies on a (a) directly employed, (b) agency or (c) outsourced basis are paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation; and how many of those people are employed on zero-hours contracts.

Nick Gibb

All directly employed staff, agency workers and outsourced contractors who work for the Department for Education and its executive agencies are paid at least the Living Wage Foundation rate.

No staff or agency workers are employed via zero-hours contracts and only 23 of 164 outsourced contractors are employed on this basis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the government of Israel on that government’s resettlement programme and the demolition of Susiya and Umm al-Hiran.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The village of Susiya is located in the Occupied Palestinian Territories whilst the village of Umm al-Hiran is located within Israel.

Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has repeatedly raised our opposition to demolitions with the Israeli authorities, including our specific concerns about Susiya, and urged them to provide a legal route for Palestinian construction. On 18 August, officials from the British Consulate General in Jerusalem, along with an official from our Embassy in Tel Aviv, visited Susiya again to highlight our serious concern and demonstrate our continuing support for the village. We most recently raised Susiya with Defence Minister Lieberman on 24 August.

The UK has been encouraging the Israeli authorities and Bedouin communities to find a satisfactory solution to Umm al-Hiran, respecting the equality of all of Israel’s citizens in a way which avoids forcible relocations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effect on the level of immigration of each of the measures announced in her speech to the Conservative Party conference.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government will launch a consultation on the proposals announced by the Home Secretary. We will use the feedback from businesses and the education sector to inform our decisions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-10-27.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of in-work households in receipt of tax credits with an underlying entitlement to Working Tax Credit in each of the last five tax years did not have a claim with an underlying entitlement to Working Tax Credit in the following tax year.

Damian Hinds

The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children in each parliamentary constituency and in receipt of disability living allowance are diagnosed with hyperkinetic syndrome.

Justin Tomlinson

The information requested will be placed in the library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and which local authorities have returned childcare grant funding to the Exchequer in each of the last five financial years.

Mr Sam Gyimah

Funding to local authorities for the early years entitlement for two, three and four-year-olds is made via the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). In the last five years, the Department has not recovered money allocated through DSG from any local authority.

Prior to April 2013, funding for the entitlement for two-year olds was paid to local authorities through the Early Intervention Grant and no money allocated by this means was recovered by the Department.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much of his Department’s budget has been allocated to addressing overcrowding in housing in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis

The Government believes that increasing supply of housing is the best way to tackle overcrowding.

Last year, net additions to supply of housing increased by 25% on the previous year, the highest increase for 28 years.

In the recent Spending Review, and in the Prime Minister’s announcement of 4 January this year, we have announced the biggest affordable housing programme since the 1970’s, aimed at bringing land into the system, increasing rates of build out, increasing opportunities for home ownership, and delivering a step change in housing supply.

We have also provided £6.7 million to a number of local authorities to help them tackle acute and complex problems associated with rogue landlords, many of whom rent out overcrowded properties.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Birkenhead to him dated 19 January 2016 on the state pension.

Justin Tomlinson

The information requested in the Rt. Hon Member’s letter was sent to the Work and Pensions Select Committee on Friday 29 January 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government uses the Food Insecurity Experience Scale survey to monitor UK households’ vulnerability to hunger.

George Eustice

Defra does not use the Food Insecurity Experience Scale survey to monitor UK households’ vulnerability to hunger.

There is no single definition of food insecurity and Defra does not estimate numbers of households experiencing food insecurity. The factors that impact on household food security are complex. There are multiple indicators such as quality, variety and desirability of diet as well as total intake, not all of which are measured consistently. It is therefore very difficult and potentially misleading to develop a single classification of food insecurity.

However Defra does publish statistics annually to show the proportion of household income spent on food by (a) all households and (b) the lowest income 20% of households. The most recent statistics are in the food statistics pocketbook 2015 on the GOV.UK website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will include the Food Insecurity Experience Scale survey in the next Family Food survey in order to assess households’ vulnerability to hunger.

George Eustice

We do not intend to measure household food insecurity because there is no single definition of food insecurity. The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) is one method, but the factors that impact on household food security are complex. There are multiple indicators such as quality, variety and desirability of diet as well as total intake, not all of which are measured consistently. It is therefore very difficult and potentially misleading to develop a single classification of food insecurity.

The OECD ‘Society at a Glance 2014’ report published figures showing that the proportion of those who say they are finding it difficult to afford food in the UK declined over the past 5 years 2007 – 2012: from 9.8% to 8.1%. This was based on Gallup World Poll data which actually used one of the questions which form part of the FIES.