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Tag: John McDonnell

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 335W, on the Merchant Shipping (Diving Safety) Regulations 2002, whether it is still his policy to pursue revocation of the regulations.

    Stephen Hammond

    It is still our policy to revoke the Merchant Shipping (Diving Safety) Regulations 2002.

    There have been no specific discussions between Ministers or the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regarding the implications for diver safety or revoking the regulations since May 2013. However, the proposal was raised by the MCA at a meeting with HSE’s Offshore Division in July 2013 to consider a range of regulatory issues affecting the offshore sector, and it was agreed to discuss in more detail as the proposals are developed, and prior to any changes to the regulations.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department plans to take to improve equality monitoring of employment within the media industry; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Promoting greater equality of opportunity in the workforce is a matter the Government takes seriously. The Government is actively engaging with leading organisations in the media industry who are working together through the Creative Diversity Network to help address the under-representation of ethnic minorities in that sector. The industry will outline the steps it intends to take at a roundtable event in early July. Equality data monitoring is among a number of issues that will be discussed. In addition, Ofcom has a number of duties relating to equality of opportunity, as set out in the Communications Act 2003. These include requiring all UK licensed radio and television broadcasters’ licences to have in place arrangements for promoting equal opportunities in employment on the basis of gender, race and disability, and to review those arrangements with regard to any relevant guidance published by Ofcom.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 335W, on the Merchant Shipping (Diving Safety) Regulations 2002, what discussions (a) Ministers in his Department and (b) officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have held with the Health and Safety Executive regarding the implications for diver safety or revoking the regulations; and what the outcomes were of those discussions.

    Stephen Hammond

    It is still our policy to revoke the Merchant Shipping (Diving Safety) Regulations 2002.

    There have been no specific discussions between Ministers or the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regarding the implications for diver safety or revoking the regulations since May 2013. However, the proposal was raised by the MCA at a meeting with HSE’s Offshore Division in July 2013 to consider a range of regulatory issues affecting the offshore sector, and it was agreed to discuss in more detail as the proposals are developed, and prior to any changes to the regulations.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what advice or guidance his Department provides to employers in the media industry on equality monitoring.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Promoting greater equality of opportunity in the workforce is a matter the Government takes seriously. The Government is actively engaging with leading organisations in the media industry who are working together through the Creative Diversity Network to help address the under-representation of ethnic minorities in that sector. The industry will outline the steps it intends to take at a roundtable event in early July. Equality data monitoring is among a number of issues that will be discussed. In addition, Ofcom has a number of duties relating to equality of opportunity, as set out in the Communications Act 2003. These include requiring all UK licensed radio and television broadcasters’ licences to have in place arrangements for promoting equal opportunities in employment on the basis of gender, race and disability, and to review those arrangements with regard to any relevant guidance published by Ofcom.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how long the UK plans to host Syrian refugees who come as part of the resettlement deal; and whether such refugees will be issued with a visa for a specified time period.

    James Brokenshire

    The first beneficiaries of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR)
    scheme arrived in the UK on 25 March. This is the result of excellent
    co-operation with UNHCR, the International Organisation for Migration and local
    authority services, which has allowed us to identify vulnerable individuals in
    need of evacuation and ensure that the support they need is in place in the
    UK. These support packages are tailored on a case by case basis to ensure that
    specific requirements for those relocated under the scheme are met and include
    health, education and integration support.

    Those admitted under the VPR scheme will be granted five years’ Humanitarian
    Protection, with all the rights and benefits that go with that status. This
    includes access to public funds, access to the labour market and the
    possibility of family reunion. If the situation in Syria stabilises, they may
    choose to return home. However, at the end of the five years, if they have not
    been able to return to Syria, they may be eligible to apply for settlement in
    the UK.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department have been asked to assist G4S in the delivery of the new Child Maintenance Options scheme to date; how many more staff G4S estimates will be needed to administer this contract when peak levels of applications are reached; and how much in staffing costs his Department is liable to pay as a result.

    Steve Webb

    The Child Maintenance Options service is not a new service and was introduced in 2008. It offers information and support to help separating and separated parents make an informed choice about their child maintenance arrangement. It is not a child maintenance scheme.

    The Department has in place planned and agreed business continuity arrangements with its supplier. This includes utilising the Department’s staff to take some calls where volumes exceed contracted levels. Over the past nine months the Department has used anything from 5 to 20 people for periods ranging from minutes to hours.

    The child maintenance reform programme includes ending liabilities on Child Support Agency cases in the 1993 and 2003 schemes over the next three years and it is too early to accurately predict when peak call volumes into Child Maintenance Options will be reached. Child Maintenance Options calculates resource requirements based on forecast volumes provided by the Department on a rolling three month basis. The number of staff Child Maintenance Options employs will increase in line with these forecasts over the next three years before returning to more normal levels when the reforms have completed. The associated costs are reflected in the contract.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, how many police officers have been employed in office-based roles in SO17 Palace of Westminster in each of the last 10 years.

    John Thurso

    The number of police officers employed in office-based roles in SO17 Palace of Westminster since the start of the current contract in April 2010 is as follows:

    April 2010 to March 2011: 7
    April 2011 to March 2012: 7
    April 2012 to March 2013: 8
    April 2013 to March 2014: 9

    At the start of 2013/14 there were 164 police officers and 356 security officers in SO17. These figures are provided by SO17. I understand that data for previous years could only be derived from manual records and are not readily available.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons the G4S contract to provide the Child Maintenance Options programme was underestimated; for what reasons staff in his Department were assisting G4S with its work on this programme; and if he will consider transferring G4S staff under TUPE regulations to his Department.

    Steve Webb

    Call forecasting volumes used as part of a re-tendering exercise for delivery of the Child Maintenance Options service were based on historic call volume data. From November 2013, Child Maintenance Options became the mandatory gateway for all new applicants to the statutory scheme, which led to an incremental increase in demand.

    This, among other recent changes, added an increased level of uncertainty into forecasting call volumes, in anticipation of which the Department has in place planned and agreed business continuity arrangements with the supplier. This includes the use of colleagues from the Department in order to take some calls where volumes exceed contracted levels.

    This service was introduced in 2008 and has never been delivered in-house, and there are no plans to do so. Therefore, the transferring of staff under TUPE regulations is not applicable.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, how many police officer managers have been deployed at SO17 Palace of Westminster in each of the last 10 years.

    John Thurso

    The average number of police officer managers, defined as Chief Superintendent, Superintendent, Chief Inspector, Inspector and Sergeant, deployed at SO17 Palace of Westminster since the start of the current contract in April 2010 is as follows:

    April 2010 to March 2011: 20
    April 2011 to March 2012: 21
    April 2012 to March 2013: 19
    April 2013 to March 2014: 21

    The numbers vary from month to month so the figures above are rounded averages for the 12 month periods shown. At the start of 2013/14 there were 164 police officers and 356 security officers in SO17.

    These figures are provided by SO17. Data for previous years could only be derived from manual records and are not readily available.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Government will receive from deductions of charges and from charges for enforcement action in child maintenance cases under the Child Maintenance Options contract; and what profit will be made by G4S in running this contract.

    Steve Webb

    The Child Maintenance Options service offers information and support to help separating and separated parents make an informed choice about their child maintenance arrangement. The service has operated under contract to the Department since 2008, most recently by G4S.

    Once client charges are introduced they will be applied by the Department only once a client is within, or applies to, the 2012 Scheme run by the Child Maintenance Service, which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions. Charging does not in any way form part of the Child Maintenance Options contract.

    Details of the Child Maintenance Options contract can be viewed at: https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/Common/View%20Notice.aspx?site=1000&lang=en&noticeid=1072427&fs=true

    The level of profit that a supplier makes through a commercial contract cannot be disclosed as this action would be prejudicial to the supplier’s commercial interests.

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