Tag: Kate Green

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of his Department’s policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps he has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage

The Family Test was introduced in October 2014 and can be located at the following link Family Test Guidance

The Family Test is part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of new policy in line with the guidance. Potential impacts of policy on family functioning and relationships are identified and brought to the attention of Ministers where appropriate.

There is no requirement to publish the Family Test assessments. The Ministry of Justice does not collect information on the number of full Family Test assessments completed.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many probation officers have been employed by the National Probation Service since its establishment in each month in that period, and for each such month in each region of England.

Andrew Selous

Information on the number of probation officers employed in each NPS Division is published quarterly in the National Offender Management Service Workforce Statistics Bulletin. The information on probation officer numbers can be located in table 11 of the publication, which can be found at the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects to lay before Parliament the results of the 30-month review required under Section 141 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 of the effect of the Child Support Fees Regulations 2014.

Priti Patel

The department has a statutory obligation to complete the 30 month review of the impacts of charging by 31 December 2016.

Outcomes of the review are expected to be published in spring 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with water suppliers on tariffs for customers who do not elect to pay for services online.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

The Department has not had any discussions with water companies about their charges or tariffs in the context of payment methods.

As regulated private businesses, water companies must follow Ofwat’s charging rules and their licence conditions in setting tariffs for customers. Ofwat’s charging rules set out that companies must include a reasonable choice of payment methods.

Water companies do not generally differentiate between customers that access their account online or pay their water bill by direct debit, and those that choose paper billing and annual payment. However, there are some that offer a discount, reflective of the cost saving, to customers that pay by direct debit. This is an incentive to encourage greater sign up as there are benefits for both the customer and the company.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to implement the family test.

Caroline Dinenage

The Family Test was introduced in October 2014 and can be located at the following link Family Test Guidance

The Family Test is part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of new policy in line with the guidance. Potential impacts of policy on family functioning and relationships are identified and brought to the attention of Ministers where appropriate.

There is no requirement to publish the Family Test assessments. The Ministry of Justice does not collect information on the number of full Family Test assessments completed.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) what the total value of payments is and (b) how many payments have been made from the Flexible Support Fund to assist with childcare costs in (i) each region and (ii) each constituency in each of the last two years.

Priti Patel

The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people have taken shared parental leave to date; how many people have made a claim for shared parental pay since April 2015; and what proportion of such claimants were fathers and partners.

Nick Boles

The Government does not yet have any reliable information on the take up of Statutory Shared Parental Pay. We expect information for the 2015-16 tax year to be available from May 2016, although it will also include Additional Statutory Paternity Pay information up to December 2015. This will give an estimate for the total number of claims for Statutory Shared Parental Pay.

The Government does not collect information on the number of employees who have taken Shared Parental Leave. We will evaluate the policy by 2018 and this will enable us to better estimate the actual take up for leave.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with energy suppliers on tariffs for customers who do not elect to pay for services online.

Jesse Norman

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Ministers will be meeting energy supply companies in due course to discuss a range of issues.

Under the terms of the supply licence, suppliers are required to offer customers a wide choice of payment methods, and this must include payment by cash and payment in advance through a prepayment meter.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department is taking to implement the family test.

Mr Ben Wallace

The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. The Department of Works and Pensions published guidance for Departments and officials on how the test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance.

The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance. While the guidance states that departments should consider publishing assessments carried out under the Test, there is no requirement to do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training has been given to Jobcentre Plus staff on the application of benefit sanctions in circumstances where a parent is unable to comply with conditions for benefit because of lack of suitable childcare.

Priti Patel

The Government sees sanctions as playing an important part in the labour market system, encouraging people to comply with conditions which will help them move into work. We want the sanctions system to be clear, fair and effective in promoting positive behaviours and we will continue to keep it under review so that it meets those aims.

Benefit sanction decisions within Jobcentre Plus are made by Decision Makers and Work Coaches. It is made clear that claimants’ caring responsibilities must always be taken into consideration, as well as emphasising the importance of a personalised and individual approach in every case.

This Government spent £5bn on childcare in 2014-2015– more than any previous administration and an increase of £1bn since 2010. We are now going further still, with a new package of support designed to improve the affordability and accessibility of childcare for working families. We are extending the free entitlement for 3 and 4 years from 15 hours to 30 hours per week for working parents, from September 2017, worth £5,000 per child per year. We are also introducing Tax-Free Childcare for working parents from early 2017, with a Government contribution of up to £2,000 per child.