Tag: Gregory Campbell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that employees who initially opted out of the automatic enrolment into pension provision are informed of the importance of revising of their individual pension status.

Justin Tomlinson

Automatic enrolment has been a great success to date. Since the roll out of automatic enrolment, nearly 6 million people have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension. Only 10% of individuals that have been automatically enrolled so far have chosen to opt out. This is one of the key indicators of the policy’s success in increasing participation in pension saving.

Individuals who have opted out of automatic enrolment and have subsequently changed their mind can discuss with their employer how to opt back in. Furthermore, employers are required by law to automatically re-enrol eligible workers every three years. This prompts individuals to periodically reconsider their saving arrangements. Employers also have duties to provide certain information to their workers within prescribed time limits.

In addition, the national communications campaign, Don’t Ignore the Workplace Pension, raises awareness of pension saving among both employees and employers, and promotes the idea that saving in a workplace pension is normal. The campaign directs individuals to the campaign website, The Pension Regulator’s website, and the relevant gov.uk website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications from residents of the Republic of Ireland were processed through the Belfast Passport Office between 31 March 2014 and 31 March 2015.

James Brokenshire

The table below shows the total number of passport applications processed through the Belfast Passport Office from residents of the Republic of Ireland between 31 March 2014 and 31 March 2015. Please see the below table.

Month	Passport Applications Processed
Apr-14	600
May-14	837
Jun-14	603
Jul-14	704
Aug-14	1,335
Sep-14	1,117
Oct-14	557
Nov-14	549
Dec-14	492
Jan-15	830
Feb-15	956
Mar-15	1,027
Total	9,607

The table above details the number of applications processed by Belfast Office that had come from a Republic of Ireland Country of residence for the period April 2014 to March 2015.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what change there was in the proportion of the working age population employed by the public sector in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland between 2005 and 2015.

Mr Rob Wilson

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-06-07.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will introduce a payment of £1,000 to each person reaching the age of 100.

Harriett Baldwin

This government is committed to ensuring that older people are able to live with the dignity and respect they deserve and the State Pension is the foundation of state support for older people. That is why the government has committed to increasing the State Pension by the triple lock, with someone on a full basic State Pension receiving around £570 more in 2016-17 than if it had been uprated by average earnings since the start of the last Parliament.

In total, the government will spend around £95 billion on the State Pension in 2016-17.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the UN Security Council on the persecution of Christians and other minorities living in Syria in the last three months.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK Government has consistently supported the need for accountability for atrocities that have been committed in Syria, in the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council (HRC).

On 19 September, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), alongside the Foreign Ministers of Iraq and Belgium, launched a global campaign to bring Daesh to justice for its crimes at the UN General Assembly – this initiative includes crimes committed against religious minorities.

The UK plays a leading role in the tri-annual Syria resolutions at the UN HRC, the latest of which took place in September. The HRC resolutions draw attention to the ongoing violations and abuses of human rights in Syria, the vast majority of which are the responsibility of the Asad regime, and refer to the need to protect ethnic, religious and confessional communities. We will continue to use our leadership role in the HRC to shine a spotlight on the dire human rights situation, and make clear our strong condemnation of the Asad regime.

We consistently use our interventions at the UN Security Council – most recently at an emergency session on Aleppo on 25 September – to highlight the suffering of the Syrian people, of all ethnic and religious backgrounds.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Leader of the House, if he will consult political parties on proposals to change the sitting days of the House during party conferences.

Chris Grayling

The sitting days of the House are kept under review and I would welcome representations on the issue the hon. Gentleman raises, either from individual Members or political parties.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what targets he has set for the creation of numbers of apprenticeships between now and 2020.

Nick Boles

We are committed to 3 million apprenticeship starts in England and will ensure they deliver the skills employers and the economy need for growth.

The locations and sectors where apprenticeships are available are determined by employers choosing to offer opportunities – so our aim is to create the conditions for employers to offer more apprenticeships. So that the public sector plays a full part in delivering more apprenticeships, we are taking forward legislation on targets for public bodies in relation to apprenticeships in England.

Through the Welfare Reform and Work Bill we are legislating to report annually on progress towards meeting the 3 million. This duty will be a clear statement to reconfirm Government’s commitment to that policy ambition, as well as ensuring transparency on progress.

Apprenticeships policy is a devolved matter and it is for the devolved administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to determine how they manage their own programmes. However, we recognise the value of an aligned approach to apprenticeships across the United Kingdom, particularly for employers with staff in more than one area.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on establishment of a Northern Ireland University Air Squadron.

Mr Julian Brazier

The two newly established staff posts in the Northern Ireland Universities Air Squadron were filled in October and November 2015, and the first students were accepted on 25 November. Of the 24 student places, 11 have so far been filled.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-05.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will discuss with the Financial Conduct Authority the effect of the savings products offered by providers with almost zero interest rates on people with savings.

Harriett Baldwin

In January 2015, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published its Cash Savings Market Study report, which found that competition in the cash savings market was not working well for many consumers. In response, the FCA has consulted on and will subsequently be introducing new rules from 1 December 2016 designed to improve competition by encouraging easier and quicker switching and improving the information savers receive.

These new rules will require firms to provide key information in a product summary box at point of sale and to be clear on what interest rate consumers are getting. The FCA will also introduce a new rule which requires firms to provide a prompt and efficient service so that a customer can switch to a better account offered by the same firm.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to take account of lower fuel costs in its reform of the Bus Service Operators Grant.

Andrew Jones

The Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) is paid to operators based in England on a fixed rate of £0.3457 per litre and is no longer directly linked to fuel duty. As a result, changes in fuel costs should not have any direct impact on the uptake of BSOG. We will be publishing more details of our plans to reform BSOG later this year.