Tag: Maria Eagle

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department issues to Jobcentre Plus on giving written appointment cards to claimants with details of future appointments.

Esther McVey

Jobcentre staff are advised to confirm, in writing, the details of all appointments a claimant is required to attend. This includes the date, time and location of the appointment, what the claimant must do if they cannot attend and the consequences of failing to attend any of these appointments without good reason.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-03-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether the estimated cost of the direct damage caused by recent flooding in Somerset meets the eligibility criteria for the European Union Solidarity Fund; and what discussions his Department has had with EU officials on an application to that fund.

Dan Rogerson

EU Solidarity Fund money is available to all Member States suffering from large-scale natural disasters, but is subject to a number of eligibility requirements, including on the level of direct damages. Comparing the damage today to the 2007 floods, and following contact with the Commission, the Government’s assessment was that we had not met these conditions. The Regulation governing the EUSF sets the deadline for applications as ten weeks after the first damage caused by the disaster.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the carbon emissions resulting from the production, transport and disposal or recycling of currently available biodegradable plastic bags.

Dan Rogerson

The calculation of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from bags currently labelled as biodegradable or compostable is available in the 2011 research report Life cycle assessment of supermarket carrier bags, which was commissioned and funded by the Environment Agency. This reviewed the bags available in 2006. I have placed a copy of the report in the library of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any jobseeker’s allowance claimant was sanctioned for not signing on Christmas Day.

Esther McVey

It is not Jobcentre Plus policy to sanction jobseeker’s allowance claimants for not signing on Christmas Day. Jobcentres are closed as this is a Public Holiday.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-03-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants in his Department spent some or all of their time working on the Hunting Act 2004 in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014 to date; and what the grade is of each such staff member.

George Eustice

Since 2010 a range of civil servants in Defra from across all grades have had some responsibilities for working on the Hunting Act 2004 and have spent some of their time doing so. However, the amount of time they spend on this varies considerably according to levels of correspondence, interest and activity at any one time. As these officers also work on a range of other issues, no specific records are kept for how much of their time is spent working on the Hunting Act 2004.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the carbon emissions resulting from the production, transport and disposal or recycling of paper bags.

Dan Rogerson

The calculation of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from paper bags is available in the 2011 research report Life cycle assessment of supermarket carrier bags, which was commissioned and funded by the Environment Agency. This forms part of the evidence base for the Impact Assessment that will be available in due course. I have placed a copy of the report in the library of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department’s policy is when a claimant’s regular signing on date date falls on a bank holiday.

Esther McVey

Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants who are due to attend their local jobcentre on a public holiday are excused from doing so and an advanced payment is issued.

Claimants must continue to meet the conditions of entitlement, by being available for and looking for work and the actions they have taken to do so are reviewed at the claimant’s next attendance.

The claimant is informed of this and issued with a formal notification at their attendance prior to the public holiday.