Tag: Kate Hoey

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average length of time was for a Disclosure and Barring Service check to be completed in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley

The Disclosure and Barring Service is a non-departmental public body which provides access to appropriate criminal record information for employers through its disclosure service for England and Wales. It also makes independent barring decisions about people who have harmed, or where there is considered to be a risk of harm to, a child or vulnerable person within the workplace. Given the sensitive nature of this work and the reliance on police forces to provide locally held intelligence, it would not be appropriate to introduce competition.

Whilst no assessment has been made of the affect of timeliness on the number of job opportunities which may have been lost, the impact which delays may have on applicants is recognised. The DBS is reliant on police forces completing their checks in a timely manner and is working closely with those forces whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. In very exceptional cases, where it is apparent that a delay is likely to cause undue hardship to an applicant, the DBS will do all it can to expedite the process by raising an escalation with the relevant police force.

The average end to end time taken to complete a DBS check, including the time taken by police forces, is listed in following table.

Financial Year	Average calendar days for a disclosure to be processed
13/14	11.5
14/15	14.4
15/16	14.5

The proportion of checks which took longer than (a) eight weeks (b) 12 weeks and (c) six months is listed in the following table.

Financial Year	Disclosures which took longer than 8 weeks	Disclosures which took longer than 12 weeks	Disclosures which took longer than 6 Months
% of Disclosures	% of Disclosures	% of Disclosures
13/14	2.6%	0.8%	0.0%
14/15	4.9%	2.1%	0.1%
15/16	5.2%	3.5%	0.3%

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2015-12-07.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from (a) the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington and (b) the Labour Party on reform of EU state aid rules; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke

The Chancellor receives a large number of representations on a wide range of issues including both the EU Budget and EU State Rules. As has been the case with previous administrations, it is not normal practice to release details of such representations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with London Underground (LU) on the effect on passenger safety of reducing staffing on LU.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Department’s Ministers and officials have regular meetings with Transport for London (TfL) where many issues are discussed, including TfL’s plans to change the way Underground stations are operated and staffed, and to improve the service they provide to customers. I am assured that the changes introduced by TfL will not have a detrimental impact on passenger safety.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which government websites include a link to information on the EU referendum.

John Penrose

The only Government websites currently linking to information on the EU referendum are Gov.uk and eureferendum.gov.uk.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2015-12-07.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from (a) the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington and (b) the Labour Party on reform of the EU budget; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke

The Chancellor has not received any representations from the Member for Hayes and Harlington on this matter in this Parliament. The Chancellor receives a large number of representations on a wide range of issues including the EU Budget from MPs, including Labour MPs. As has been the case with previous administrations, it is not normal practice to release details of such representations.

This Government has secured substantial reform to the EU budget, with the Prime Minister’s deal in 2013 cutting spending for the first time. This deal continues to deliver on prioritising EU spending towards UK priorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the merits of staffing (a) railway stations and (b) trains.

Claire Perry

The safety of passengers and rail users is paramount on the railway and the Department for Transport would never do anything to put passengers at risk.

We do regulate Ticket Office opening times through the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, but staffing levels beyond this are a matter for the operators as we believe that they are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of their passengers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to change fire safety regulations governing staffing levels and other procedures on London Underground.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Fire safety regulations on London Underground are a matter for Transport for London (TfL), who have no plans to change them. TfL will continue to ensure that there are sufficient staff in place to maintain each London Underground station’s security, congestion, control and emergency plans, including adhering to minimum staffing levels where they exist.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2015-12-07.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will request that the European Commissioner for Competition investigate whether McDonald’s has reduced its UK tax liability through an unlawful state aid agreement with Luxembourg.

Mr David Gauke

As set out in its press release of 3 December, the European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Luxembourg’s tax treatment of McDonald’s. Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs officials will examine the Commission’s final decision when it is published.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that rail companies improve their passenger safety procedures.

Claire Perry

Britain is known for having one of the safest railways in Europe for both passengers and for workers, but we cannot be complacent.

The Office of Rail and Road’s duty is to ensure that those responsible for keeping Britain’s railways safe for passengers and providing a safe place for staff to work do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Government has made of the adequacy of the fire safety regulations governing staffing levels and other procedures on London Underground.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Fire safety regulations on London Underground are a matter for Transport for London (TfL). Under London Underground’s new staffing model introduced in April 2016, all London Underground stations continue to be staffed during traffic hours in line with the London Underground Rule Book – which includes defined minimum numbers of staff at sub-surface stations as required by the Fire Precautions (Sub-Surface Railway Stations) (England) Regulations 2009.

The introduction of the new staffing model followed a review of individual stations’ Congestion Control and Emergency Plans, which identified various improvements to help maintain London Underground’s good safety record.