Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Peter Grant – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Peter Grant – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Grant on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families have accessed support from the (a) Child Maintenance Service and (b) Child Support Agency in each (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) local authority in each of the last three years.

    Priti Patel

    The attached excel file (PQ40836) provides the number of cases administered by the Child Support Agency (CSA) by (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) local authority in each of the last three years.

    With regard to cases administered by the Child Maintenance Service, the information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

    Notes for the spreadsheet

    1. Figures rounded to nearest 10

    2. Figures are the number of live cases.

    3. Figures are as at December 2013, 2014 and 2015

  • Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many letters his Department has sent to recipients of tax credits cancelling payments because of claims by HM Revenue and Customs that an unreported adult is living at the claimant’s property in the last year; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    Between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) stopped 57,961 tax credit awards following a decision that the claimant was living with an undeclared partner. Where HMRC identifies an undeclared partner, the single tax credits claim is ended. The customer is able to reclaim in the correct joint capacity if entitlement exists.

  • Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on winter fuel payments for UK citizens living in (a) Cyprus, (b) France, (c) Gibraltar, (d) Greece, (e) Malta, (f) Portugal and (g) Spain in 2014-15.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not available. However, the annual numbers and amounts of Winter Fuel Payments paid to all recipients in the EEA and Switzerland, by country, are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/winter-fuel-payments-by-eea-country

    “

  • Mrs Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mrs Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for the HMRC public service helpline.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has recruited 3,000 new staff into customer service roles this year. In particular, this has increased the number of people available on its telephone helplines outside normal office hours, when many customers choose to call.

    HMRC has also undertaken its biggest-ever training programme as it seeks to build its customer support teams. This has included training 1,600 existing staff on a wider range of work to better meet customer demand.

    Average call waiting times have improved significantly. From April to June it was 19 mins; from July to September it was 13 mins; in November it was under 10 minutes.

  • Angela Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Angela Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Eagle on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect that China’s potential Market Economy Status will have on the UK steel industry; and when he last met the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to discuss that matter.

    Anna Soubry

    My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues, EU Commissioners and EU counterparts about a range of issues, including Market Economy Status (MES) for China. He most recently discussed trade aspects of the steel industry with Trade Commissioner Malmstrom on 20 January.

    We are awaiting a European Commission proposal on granting MES. We understand that the Commission will also be undertaking a detailed assessment of the economic impacts of granting MES as part of their consideration of this issue. We will examine any proposal and assessment carefully. The Prime Minister has previously stated that he will make the case for China to be granted MES but China will need to show that it is committed to becoming more open as it becomes more prosperous. In considering the Commission’s proposal it will be important to consider the wider trade and international political context including compliance with international commitments. If China is granted MES, the Commission will still be able to pursue anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases and impose measures where evidence of dumping or subsidy is found.

    The government is strongly in favour of effective trade defences to tackle unfair trade practices. The Government voted in favour of anti-dumping measures on steel products in July and November and lobbied successfully for an investigation into re-bar. The Government is also pushing for faster, more effective action to deal with dumping of steel: this was one of the conclusions of the Extraordinary Competitiveness Council on Steel in November. The Secretary of State also raised the issue with the Trade Commissioner.

    The Government is playing an active role in the European Commission’s steel stakeholder’s conference summit on 15 February and is supporting a robust discussion of the issue of overcapacity through the EU’s ongoing dialogue with the Chinese.

  • Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers were being accommodated by G4S in the (a) North East, Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) Midlands and East of England regions on the latest date for which figures are available.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office publishes quarterly data on the number of asylum seekers in Section 95 dispersal accommodation, by local authority. In Q3 2015 there were 2,713 in dispersed accommodation in the North East; 3,736 in Yorkshire and the Humber; 4,351 in the West Midlands; 2,289 in East Midlands; 387 in East of England (Asylum Vol 4. Table 16q). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2015/asylum.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of officials of his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in each of the last five years; and what proportion of total sick leave that leave was in each such year.

    Mike Penning

    The tables below set out the information you have requested on sickness absence taken by officials in the Ministry of Justice relating to stress for each year in which figures are currently available. Data prior to 2011 is not available as this information is not held centrally.

    Total Number of staff Sick with Stress

    Proportion of staff off with Stress

    2014-2015

    2,593

    3%

    2013-2014

    2,344

    3%

    2012-2013

    2,043

    3%

    2011-2012

    2,221

    3%

    Proportion of Sick Days due to Stress

    2014-2015

    15%

    2013-2014

    13%

    2012-2013

    11%

    2011-2012

    10%

    The information includes staff within Ministry of Justice Headquarters, National Offender Management Service, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service, Office of the Public Guardian and Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority for all four years. Staff within Legal Aid Agency are included from 2013 and UK Supreme Court is in scope for 2011-2012.

    As a department we are actively managing attendance in order to reduce the number of days lost due to sickness. A large proportion of staff absence is within the Prison Service and the challenges they face do not bear a direct comparison with the working conditions of most civil servants. They perform a difficult, physical and sometimes dangerous job.

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2016 to the hon. Member for St Albans to Question 30489, on schools: admissions, if she will estimate the number of those new school places which are needed up to 2021 due to immigration from (a) EU and (b) non-EU countries.

    Edward Timpson

    As set out in the written response to PQ 30489, supporting local authorities in their responsibility to ensure sufficient school places remains one of this Government’s top priorities. The basic need capital funding we allocate to local authorities to create new school places is based on their own data on school capacity and future pupil forecasts. Any increase in need for places should be reflected in the local authority’s final basic need allocation. We allocate basic need funding three years ahead to give local authorities time to plan and deliver the new places needed in their area.

    The Government has committed to investing £7 billion in new school places up to 2021, which, when added to our investment in the free schools programme, will help to create 600,000 new places.

    Beyond the information already provided to the Department by local authorities, we do not plan to commission further research on the effect of inward migration on the need for school places.

  • Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which (a) communities and (b) projects will receive funding from the English Language scheme.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    We are working to develop the new English language programme, including ensuring it is focused on those areas where we know women are at greatest risk of isolation and are more likely to have no or little proficiency in the English language. We will make an announcement as soon as possible.

  • Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the projected increase in defence spending during this Parliament.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for South East Cambridgeshire (Lucy Frazer) and Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski).