The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many social housing tenants who were liable to pay the under-occupancy penalty have moved house since 1 April 2013.
Esther McVey
The information is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Venezuela.
Mr Hugo Swire
I remain deeply concerned about the situation in Venezuela where protests have been ongoing since early February. I am saddened by the deaths that have occurred and condemn all acts of violence.
I welcome the meetings that have now been held between the government and opposition which are an important step towards genuine dialogue. I support the work of the commission of Foreign Ministers from the Union of South American Nations, whose role is to support and advise on dialogue, as well as the involvement of the Vatican.
In my statement of 26 March I called for all sides to take steps to avoid confrontation, reduce tensions and create the right conditions for genuine dialogue. I have written to the Venezuelan Government emphasising the importance of respecting peaceful protest and offered the UK’s assistance in the reconciliation process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will assess the potential effect on levels of passenger ticket revenue of London Midland’s proposal to reduce the number of revenue protection staff.
Stephen Hammond
London Midland is not currently in receipt of revenue support. Unless revenue was to fall to such an extent that they were to be eligible for such payments, the revenue during this franchise term is entirely its risk. London Midland has assured us that their staff restructuring plans will not prevent them fulfilling their obligations in meeting the requirements of the Franchise Agreement. Therefore, unless revenue was to fall to the extent that London Midland were eligible for revenue support payments, no further assessment is planned.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 213W, on apprenticeships, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on how many individuals who started an apprenticeship in the 2012-13 academic year were existing employees or new employees.
Matthew Hancock
Information will be collected via the Individualised Learner Record for the 2013/14 academic year onwards on the length of time a learner has been with their employer prior to starting their apprenticeship.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Rhondda of 27 March 2014, Official Report, column 347W, on housing benefit: social rented sector, if he will commission a one year evaluation of the effects of the under-occupancy penalty.
Esther McVey
We have already commissioned a two year evaluation of the effects of the removal of the spare room subsidy across Great Britain. The evaluation commenced in April 2013 and is being led by Ipsos-MORI and includes the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research. The final report will be published in late 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will publish guidance for employers on reducing the causes of work-related stress.
Mike Penning
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has already published a comprehensive range of guidance to help employers reduce the causes of work-related stress. http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/.
Guidance on HSE’s Management Standards for work related stress is available free to download from the HSE website http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards/index.htm
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives from Govia on its plan to reduce the number of revenue protection staff working on the London Midland line; what reasons he has been given by Govia for those reductions.
Stephen Hammond
Govia have made us aware of their staffing restructuring plans and the reasoning behind them. They have also provided assurances that these plans will not prevent them from fulfilling their obligations in meeting the requirements of the Franchise Agreement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations he has received from environmental groups regarding beef consumption and the countries from which the UK imports beef.
George Eustice
As of 19 June, no such representations have been received from environmental groups.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons his Department has not published data on the effects of the under-occupancy penalty on the number of social housing tenants who have moved home or fallen into rent arrears.
Esther McVey
It is still too early in the policy’s lifetime to draw any firm conclusions as to its effect, including the number of tenants who have moved home. Rent arrears can have multiple causes and levels tend to fluctuate over time. A longer timeframe than one year is required in order to see whether and, if so, to what extent the removal of the spare room subsidy has impacted on rent arrears levels.
A consortium led by Ipsos-MORI and which includes the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research has been commissioned to carry out a two year monitoring of the effects of the removal of the spare room subsidy measure across Great Britain.
The Homes and Communities Agency reported in February that the median level of arrears among the larger housing associations had fallen from 4.1% in the second quarter of 2013-14 to 3.9% in the third quarter of 2013-14.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require employers to undertake a systematic assessment of psychological risks in the workplace.
Mike Penning
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 already require employers to undertake an assessment of risks to the health and safety of their employees. The Health and Safety Executive’s Management Standards for work related stress provide further practical guidance to support this legislation, and help employers to assess the risk of work-related stress. The Government believes that this represents a proportionate and sensible approach to the assessment of work-related stress and psychological risks.