Tag: Lord Beecham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made on devolution deals for non-metropolitan areas.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Government is determined to rebalance the economy and empower local government through the devolution of powers away from Whitehall. We have already agreed seven ground-breaking devolution deals with areas ranging from Liverpool to Cornwall.

The Government is progressing devolution discussions with non-metropolitan areas that submitted devolution proposals in September 2015. We are at an advanced stage in negotiations with a number of non-metropolitan areas and expect to be able to announce further deals in the near future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-07-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they still intend to publish the consultation on the future of Sure Start, which they promised to initiate in July 2015, and if so when.

Lord Nash

This Government is committed to improving social mobility and extending opportunity so that everyone has the chance to realise their full potential.

Our approach to improving life chances will focus on tackling the root causes of poverty such as worklessness, educational attainment and family stability and we will consider future policy on children’s centres as part of this. We will make it clear how stakeholders and members of the public can contribute in due course.‎‎

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-10-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) EU students, and (2) students of other nationalities, remain in the UK after completing their university courses in the UK; and in each case for how long on average.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. What happens in terms of the migration system that will be established as we leave the EU is a matter that will be very closely scrutinised and looked at in great detail by the government and within the government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many magistrates have resigned from 1 April to 1 November, and how many resigned during the same period in 2014.

Lord Faulks

The information requested is provided in the tables below:

Resignations

1 Apr. – 1 Nov. 2015	1 Apr. – 1 Nov. 2014
584	606

Percentage breakdown of resignations since 1 April 2015

Age	Ethnicity	Gender
>30yrs	31-40yrs	41-50yrs	51-60yrs	61-70yrs	White / BAME*	Male / Female
>1%	4%	11%	21%	63%	91% / 9%	52% / 48%

* BAME = Black and Minority Ethnic

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the annual savings to be achieved by imposing a residence test for legal aid.

Lord Faulks

This Government believes in the principle of the residence test. It is right that individuals should have a strong connection to the UK to benefit from the civil legal aid system.

The Government does not currently record the residence status of civil legal aid clients so cannot accurately estimate the annual savings that may be achieved by introducing a civil legal aid residence test. It is likely there will be a reduction in legal aid volumes and expenditure from imposing residence restrictions on civil legal aid, resulting in savings to the legal aid fund.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will require charities to take to establish that no part of their funding of lobbying activity is derived from Government grants.

Lord Bridges of Headley

Recipients of public money through grants should maintain records of how that money is spent, as required by the grant agreement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 1 August (HL1311), what progress has been made so far in relation to the consultation on the future of Sure Start; whether they intend to publish the result of that consultation; and if so, when.

Lord Nash

The Prime Minister has been clear that tackling poverty and disadvantage, and delivering real social reform, will be a priority for this Government. We will consider future policy on children’s centres as part of this. We will provide further detail in due course and will make clear how stakeholders and members of the public can contribute.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-10-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place between the Home Office and the Department of Health in relation to the increase in the use by the police of powers of detention under section 136 of the Mental Health Act; and with what result.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Home Office and Department of Health have been working to increase the use of alternative joint health and policing approaches and interventions that reduce the need for the police to use their formal powers of detention under section 136 of the Mental Health Act. Whilst overall police use of section 136 has increased, from just under 15,000 in 2011/12 to 19,410 in 2014/15, the use of police cells has reduced from just under 9,000 in 2011/12 to 2,100 in 2015/16.

As a result of joint work with the Department of Health those suffering a mental health crisis are more likely to be offered alternative support. The introduction of initiatives such as street triage schemes and community based places of safety provide an alternative to the use of police cells. These types of interventions are proving successful and the Home Office is seeking to promote their use nationally using the £15m funding made available by the Department of Health to increase the availability of alternative places of safety.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-11-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the percentage of magistrates resigning since 1 April broken down by (1) age, (2) ethnicity, and (3) gender.

Lord Faulks

The information requested is provided in the tables below:

Resignations

1 Apr. – 1 Nov. 2015	1 Apr. – 1 Nov. 2014
584	606

Percentage breakdown of resignations since 1 April 2015

Age	Ethnicity	Gender
>30yrs	31-40yrs	41-50yrs	51-60yrs	61-70yrs	White / BAME*	Male / Female
>1%	4%	11%	21%	63%	91% / 9%	52% / 48%

* BAME = Black and Minority Ethnic

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provisions the contract with Concentrix regarding child tax credits and other benefits makes concerning the time within which decisions must be made about the eligibility for such benefits once they have been withdrawn, and what assessment they have made of how the company has performed against any such requirements in respect of the number of cases in which that period has been exceeded.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) contract with SYNNEX-Concentrix UK Limited, signed in May 2014, provides additional capacity to review and correct tax credit claims that are potentially based on incorrect information.

Full details of the contractual arrangements, including agreed performance indicators put in place in respect of the intervention service, can be found on gov.uk.

HMRC regularly monitors the performance of contractors but, due to the commercially sensitive nature of this information, it does not disclose such information.