Tag: Helen Jones

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

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy that no Department be permitted to (a) employ staff at wages below the living wage and (b) sign a contract with contractors who pay their staff less than the living wage.

Matthew Hancock

We are the first Government ever to deliver a National Living Wage. Every employer in the country will pay the National Living Wage, including all Government contractors, from April 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of nursing posts which are currently (a) vacant and (b) filled by temporary staff in (i) the North West and (ii) England.

Ben Gummer

The information is not collected by the Department.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the proportion of the actual cost of living in supported accommodation that will be met by discretionary housing payments in Warrington when housing benefit us capped at the rate of local housing allowance.

Justin Tomlinson

The information is not available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the Government is providing for Yazidi women who have been enslaved by Daesh; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne

To date, the UK has committed £79.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. This assistance is reaching hundreds of thousands of people across Iraq, including the most vulnerable groups, such as Yazidis. All UK-funded aid is distributed on the basis of need, regardless of race, religion and ethnicity.

The UK is the largest donor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund which, amongst other projects, has funded specialist protection and rehabilitation for escapees of Daesh terror in Iraq.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) hospitals and (b) GPs release medical records required in clinical negligence cases within appropriate time limits.

Ben Gummer

The timetable for the release of medical records in clinical negligence cases is determined by the Pre Action Protocol for clinical negligence claims. This prescribes 40 days for the release of the records, or the ability to request an extension to that time.

The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) works with National Health Service trusts to ensure prompt release of medical records and other information which will inform the outcome of a claim for compensation. Often expert evidence will be required to give conclusive evidence as to whether there was negligence and if so, whether that caused injury to the claimant. As claims are often resolved in-house by the NHSLA, any costs which arise as a result of delays in receiving medical records are not recorded separately as they will fall within overall administration costs.

46% of claims were resolved without payment of damages in 2014/15; however, as above, it is often necessary to obtain expert medical advice to determine whether compensation is due.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to ensure that companies do not offset the costs of paying the new minimum wage by reducing rates of pay for (a) some workers and (b) night and weekend working.

Margot James

We recognise that employers will respond to the National Living Wage in a variety of ways depending on their circumstances, but the Government does not consider it acceptable for companies to use it as an excuse to cut staff benefits.

In a growing economy, the National Living Wage should represent an opportunity to invest in talented staff and improve productivity. Employers need to ensure their pay and reward packages are competitive to retain and develop the people they need for their business.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the contribution that the Hoo Green to Bamfurlong spur of High Speed 2 is likely to make to reducing capacity constraints on the West Coast Main Line; and what account that estimate takes of (a) rail freight and (b) passenger services to Warrington Bank Quay and elsewhere.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Network Rail has identified^[1] that crowding issues on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) mean that, whilst there is the potential to run a small number of additional services, the WCML will be effectively full by 2024. The lack of capacity will become even more acute beyond 2024 as demand continues to grow. This will negatively affect both freight and passenger services. The western leg of HS2 Phase Two alleviates these capacity constraints in the Warrington area.

^[1] Network Rail: West Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-12-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information the Financial Conduct Authority holds on (a) the reasons for which Mourant Fund Services Ltd did not complete its transaction to take over the operation of the Connaught Income Fund in 2009 and (b) whether at the time Mourant Fund Services Ltd was in possession of information about the Connaught Income Fund which should have been reported to the regulatory authorities.

Harriett Baldwin

This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government.

This question has been passed on to the FCA. They will reply directly to the Honorable Member Helen Jones by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of pupils (a) in Warrington and (b) at schools in Warrington North constituency achieved GCSE grades A to C in (i) mathematics, (ii) a modern foreign language and (iii) physics in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb

For 2010/11[1] to 2014/15[2] [3] [4] [5], the proportion of pupils achieving GCSE[6] grades A* to C entered for mathematics, a modern foreign language and physics at local authority level can be deduced from school level subject data published in the Department’s school performance tables. Information for 2009/10 is not available in the format required. Parliamentary constituency level information is not available.

[1] http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2011/download_data.html

[2] http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2012/download_data.html

[3] http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2013/download_data.html

[4] http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2014/download_data.html

[5] http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html

[6] Full course GCSEs only

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of nuisance calls which appear to be from local numbers but which are being forwarded elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Based on an analysis of reported concerns, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has previously estimated that approximately 12% of nuisance calls carry ‘spoofed’ Calling Line Identification (CLI), but this does not mean that all the calls have originated from overseas. The Government has recently consulted on making it a requirement for direct marketing callers to provide valid CLI. The Government plans to bring this measure into force in due course.