Tag: Helen Goodman

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implication for his Department’s policies of the Children’s Society’s recent report, Damage of Debt; and if his Department will introduce a statutory breathing space scheme for families in debt.

Simon Kirby

The Government noted the report with interest and is grateful for the important work that The Children’s Society does. The Government is committed to supporting individuals in problem debt.

The Government is exploring whether some form of “breathing space” would be a useful and viable addition to the range of formal and informal debt solutions available to consumers and creditors. Officials in HM Treasury and the Insolvency Service have been asked to discuss this issue with stakeholders and the Government will report back this autumn.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2015-10-30.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what work his Department is undertaking to contribute to the development of the Government’s 25 year plan for nature.

Greg Hands

HM Treasury is working closely with Defra and other Government Departments on the development of the 25 Year Environment Plan. A cross-Government group, which includes Treasury officials, will ensure the Plan reflects the full breadth of relevant policy interests and levers that influence the environment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with opposition politicians and groups in Bahrain.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We engage with a broad range of political groups in Bahrain to encourage their participation in inclusive political dialogue. I had the opportunity to do so during my recent visit to Bahrain in June 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assistance British service personnel are providing to Saudi Arabian forces in Yemen.

Penny Mordaunt

The UK and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have a long history of defence cooperation. As part of this long standing relationship, the RAF provides training and shares best practice to the Royal Saudi Air Force, including training on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) compliant targeting.

In addition we have provided guidance and advice to the Saudis on their processes to ensure continued compliance with IHL.

Finally the UK has deployed a small number of military personnel serving as Liaison Officers in Saudi headquarters. Their role is to build our relationship and provide insight into Saudi operations. Liaison Officers are not involved in directing or conducting operations in Yemen or selecting targets and are not involved in the Saudi targeting decision-making process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of how many people in supported housing specifically designated for (a) disabled people, (b) victims of domestic violence, (c) people with substance misuse problems and (d) others will be affected by the change in housing benefit to the Shared Accommodation Rate.

Justin Tomlinson

The information requested is not available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-03-01.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with small businesses and small business associations on the proposal to move to a quarterly digital tax reporting system by 2020.

Mr David Gauke

Both I and officials from HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs have discussed the Making Tax Digital reforms with a wide range of professional bodies and advisory groups representing small businesses and the self-employed.

The Government has recently concluded an initial 4 week consultation with businesses on the Making Tax Digital reforms. Further consultations will take place with all stakeholders throughout 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on ad-blocking and platform regulation.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Over recent months DCMS Ministers have met with both Vice President Ansip and Commissioner Oettinger to discuss several issues, including potential platforms regulation. There have also been meetings with a number of MEPs and Member States. DCMS Ministers have not held any recent discussions with the European Commission on ad-blocking.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-06-20.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the additional staffing and resources required to deal with the backlog of employment histories for occupational disease compensation claims requested from HM Revenue and Customs.

Mr David Gauke

In response to the significant increase in demand for employment histories in recent years, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has looked at a range of options for improving the Record Retrieval Service; this has included introducing measures such as prioritising requests relating to serious and life-threatening conditions (when specifically identified).

However, the key constraint to reducing turnaround times is the existing machinery used to manually access the microfilm records – as these machines are no longer manufactured. Therefore, the deployment of additional staff would have negligible impact on service levels. It is not possible to provide a figure for the number of HMRC staff currently allocated to the production of employment histories for occupational disease compensation claims, as requesters of this information are not required to specify the reason for their employment history request. However, around 200 full time equivalent staff are allocated to the department’s Record Retrieval Service.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what public protection orders or other legal instruments are available to prevent adults without violent or sexual convictions working with children in non-governed extracurricular sports or activities.

Sarah Newton

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is able to bar individuals who pose a risk from working in certain roles with children, regardless of whether they have committed an offence. In addition, individuals working with children are eligible for Enhanced DBS certificates which, alongside criminal records information, disclose any non-conviction information that a chief officer believes to be relevant, for example Sexual Risk Orders.

The Government introduced Sexual Risk Orders (SRO) to protect the public from those who pose a risk of sexual harm but have not been convicted. The key elements of a SRO are that it may be made by the magistrates’ court on application by the police or National Crime Agency where an individual has done an act of a sexual nature and, as a result, is considered to pose a risk of harm to the public in the UK.

An SRO can be applied to any individual who poses a risk of sexual harm in the UK or abroad, even if they have never been convicted. An SRO may prohibit the person from doing anything described in it and any prohibition must be necessary for protecting the public in the UK from sexual harm. The Home Secretary has issued statutory guidance in relation to the orders to the police and the National Crime Agency.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has made to the (a) Soil Association, (b) Rivers Trust and (c) RSPCA on running eco-friendly accreditation schemes for farmers.

George Eustice

I have regular meetings with farming and environmental organisations to discuss the options for future policy after we leave the EU. While no formal proposals have been made regarding the running of eco-friendly accreditation schemes for farmers, the concept of developing UKAS accredited environmental schemes has been discussed with representatives from all three organisations.