The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timetable for publication is of the Freud Review into housing benefit changes and their impact on supported accommodation.
Caroline Nokes
The Secretary of State has confirmed that the Government expects to make an announcement on the way forward for supported housing in early autumn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the judgment in the case of R v Secretary of State [2015] EWHC 3382 (Admin).
Justin Tomlinson
The Government is considering the judgment and will set out its position in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans his Department has to publish a national strategy for English for speakers of other languages for England.
Nick Boles
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Home Office, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities and Local Government work together to support the policy ambitions of state-funded ESOL: to enable unemployed people on benefits to get the skills they need to get into and stay in work; and to support the integration of long-standing migrant communities and particularly those individuals most at risk of isolation from services and wider society.
There are no plans to publish a national strategy. We fund ESOL through the Adult Education Budget, and colleges and training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use this budget to meet the needs of their local communities. It is therefore their responsibility to plan which ESOL courses they deliver locally, within their resources.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to deliver hyper-speed broadband coverage in urban areas.
Mr Edward Vaizey
As announced at the 2016 Budget, the Government intends to support the development of the ultrafast market by establishing, in partnership with the private sector, a new broadband investment fund to support the growth of alternative network developers by providing greater access to finance. Ofcom also recently announced its strategy to promote large-scale roll-out of new ultrafast broadband networks as part of its Digital Communications Review. The Government is committed to ensuring that ultrafast broadband should be available to nearly all UK premises, as soon as practicable. We are proposing to take action in a number of areas which will help support existing commercial investment plans and encourage the ultrafast market to develop further, including reforming the Electronic Communications Code, the statutory framework governing rights of access to private land; implementing the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive to help reduce the cost of rolling out high speed broadband; reviewing the effectiveness of the fixed planning changes introduced in England in 2013 to determine whether they should be made permanent; and encouraging and supporting innovative approaches in street works which can lower the cost and speed up deployment of faster broadband.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-04-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People on 13 April 2016, Official Report, column 151WH, on personal independence payments, what the statistical evidential basis is for the statement that more often than not decisions are overturned at reconsideration and appeal because of additional evidence that has been provided.
Justin Tomlinson
The Department gathers information on the reasons why PIP decisions have been overturned from its Presenting Officers and the summary reasons it gets back from the Tribunal hearing. Internal Management Information for 2015/16 indicates that either new oral or documentary evidence supplied at the hearing are the leading reasons for PIP decisions being overturned in 75% of overturns recorded.
These figures are from internal DWP systems, where only one of possible multiple reasons can be recorded, and are derived from unpublished information and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard.
This is consistent with findings from a pilot held in 2012 which published statistics on why benefit decisions by DWP decision makers were overturned at Tribunal. Early analysis of appeals allowed from pilot data based on pilot data from July to October 2012 is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223139/sscs_appeals.pdf
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance appeals his Department conceded prior to their being heard at first-tier tribunals in the last 12 months.
Justin Tomlinson
The requested information in relation to Personal Independence Payment could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
For ESA the figures for the latest 12 months available are as follows:
|
Month |
Total |
|
April 2015 |
260 |
|
May |
190 |
|
June |
240 |
|
July |
360 |
|
August |
230 |
|
September |
230 |
|
October |
240 |
|
November |
280 |
|
December |
250 |
|
January 2016 |
250 |
|
February |
210 |
|
March |
270 |
|
Total |
3010 |
These figures represent the number of appeals revised and lapsed before the appeal is heard. A decision will be revised at this stage of the decision making process mainly because of new information provided by the claimant in his grounds of appeal.
– Figures have been rounded to the nearest ten.
– This is unpublished data and, as such, it does not meet the quality standard required for official statistics publication. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.
– Data taken from the Decision Making and Case Recording system
– Figures are for GB only
– Figures are correct as at 7 June 2016
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role her Department plays in Government plans to ensure a higher rate of prosecution for knife crimes.
Sarah Newton
The decision whether or not to bring a prosecution is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The Home Office works closely with the CPS, other Government departments, and the police to tackle knife crime and ensure that offenders are dealt with effectively.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people have benefitted from the Government’s extension of the Access to Work scheme to cover work experience placements in the last two years; and how the £2 million allocated to that initiative has been spent.
Justin Tomlinson
We do not hold official statistics to the standard of the National Statistical Authority and so are unable to provide this information.
Access to Work supported 36,760 disabled people to take up or remain in employment during 2014/15 (up from 35,560 in 2013/14).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-02-22.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce the productivity gap.
Greg Hands
The government has published “Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation”, its plan for productivity growth in the UK. This plan outlines the steps the government is taking to encourage further investment in the drivers of productivity growth, including science, education, skills and infrastructure. It also sets out the ways the government is promoting a dynamic economy through reforming planning laws, boosting competition and creating a Northern Powerhouse.
These steps include: investing £6.9 billion in the UK’s research infrastructure up to 2021; introducing a levy on large employers to help deliver 3 million apprenticeships starts this Parliament; guaranteeing that all revenue raised from VED in England from 2020-21 will be allocated to a new Roads Fund and invested directly back into the strategic road network; and creating a new “zonal” system which will grant automatic permission in principle on brownfield sites.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-03-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 14 March 2016, Official Report, on unemployment, if he will publish the Government’s employer engagement strategy referred to in that Answer.
Priti Patel
In December 2015 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published ‘English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision’, which sets out how government will engage with employers and increase the quality and quantity of apprenticeships, achieving three million new starts by 2020. This is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeships-in-england-vision-for-2020
A new approach to working with employers is in development. This is a new engagement strategy and is an internal work plan. We have no plans to publish it at this time. The strategy aims to ensure that we engage with the right employers in the right sectors in the most productive ways.
“