Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to sell unused property from the prison estate; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Selous

    On 9 November 2015, the Chancellor and Secretary of State announced their intention to build nine new prisons with physical conditions to improve rehabilitation, thereby enabling prisoners to turn away from a life of crime. We will close ageing and ineffective prisons which do not support the aims of a redesigned estate.

    No decisions have yet been made on which prisons will be closed, beyond those already announced for closure. The Ministry of Justice will seek to maximise best value for the taxpayer when disposing of any surplus property.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 11 February (HL5795), what aspects of treatment provided by drugs and alcohol services are not funded by the NHS.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    All public funding for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is provided by the National Health Service.

    Depending on local arrangements, drug and alcohol services commissioned by local authorities in England and funded from the Public Health Grant, may provide service users with aspects of HCV treatment. These would usually include initial testing and counselling, referring and supporting patients who test positive to engage with and complete HCV treatment provided by the NHS. They might also cover providing premises for NHS diagnosis and treatment to take place in the community.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is being done to ensure there is clear communication to people about the new state pension.

    Baroness Altmann

    The Department undertakes extensive research to ensure our communications are clear, targeted and effective.

    The ‘Know the Facts’ campaign, launched in November 2014, uses radio, print and digital advertising to raise awareness of the changes to the State Pension. It directs people to detailed information and material including blogs, videos and resource packs on GOV.UK, and encourages those closest to State Pension age to get a new State Pension statement.

    We continually improve all our communications, based on regular evaluation and feedback, to ensure messages are clear and informative. We also work closely with key intermediaries and stakeholders to share our messages widely.

    The new State Pension campaign includes specific messages to those who may benefit from ways to increase their State Pension; those who may be most at risk of not meeting the minimum qualifying period; and to explain the impact of past periods of contracting-out. We have also reassured pensioners on the old system that they are not affected by these changes.

    People can now also get a personalised State Pension statement online. They will be given a forecast of how much they could get when they reach State Pension age, and find out how to increase this amount. People who do not want to, or cannot use the online service, can continue to request a statement by phone or post.

  • Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on alleged violations of freedom of religion or belief in Crimea by the Russian authorities; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Lidington

    I am aware of concerning reports of violations of freedom of religion and belief in Russia. The Jehovah’s Witnesses community, for example, has found itself under attack in several parts of Russia, often through misuse of legislation designed to combat extremism. As set out in the FCO Human Rights Report, the UK is deeply concerned about the deteriorating environment for human rights in Russia. We will continue to offer our support to all those who seek peacefully to pursue their freedom of religion and belief.

  • David Nuttall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    David Nuttall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Nuttall on 2016-07-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what processes HM Revenue and Customs has for resolving complaints relating to class 2 national insurance contributions.

    Mr David Gauke

    Each year HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) receives and responds to 50 million phone calls and 15 million letters from Self Assessment and PAYE customers. HMRC commits to responding to complaints within 15 days of receipt and therefore expects that, excluding any that may be received in the last few weeks before abolition, outstanding complaints will have been cleared.

  • Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the total number of employers who are potentially responsible for paying Pension Act 1995 section 75 debts of previous employers who are no longer part of their non-associated multi-employer defined benefit pension scheme.

    Lord Freud

    The information requested is not held by Government or the Pensions Regulator.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Julian Sturdy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Universal Service Obligation on broadband download speed for all properties will be achieved by 2016.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Plans have been set out by the Government to ensure that every home and business can have access to fast broadband by the end of this Parliament. We will launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband Universal Service Obligation by 2020.

  • Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what arrangements have been made to ensure that fire cover remains available whilst fire crews are responding to major floods.

    Mike Penning

    I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Office.

    The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 requires that fire and rescue services have plans in place, working with local partners, to deal with emergencies such as flooding, and to ensure that the appropriate level of resource is available. Fire and rescue authorities are also required by the statutory Fire and Rescue National Framework for England to produce Integrated Risk Management Plans which identify the full range of risks to which an authority’s service is expected to respond, and to consult the local community on those plans.

    In addition, fire and rescue authorities’ mutual aid arrangements are well established under Section 13 and Section 16 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. These arrangements ensure continuity of service provision across authority boundaries, through mutual assistance from supporting authorities and other agencies other than the host fire and rescue authorities. The National Coordination and Advisory Framework, a collaborative arrangement between the Government, the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser and Chief Fire Officers Association, is in place to both support and supplement these arrangements.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2016 to Question 22948, whether her Department has recorded all EU countries other than Greece as complying with the Dublin Convention.

    James Brokenshire

    The Dublin Convention no longer governs the determination of responsibility for examining an asylum claim: it was replaced by the EU “Dublin II” Regulation in 2003 for all EU Member States apart from Denmark, which implemented the Dublin Regulation in 2006. An updated “Dublin III” Regulation has applied since 2014.

    The European Commission is the body responsible for overseeing the correct implementation of EU Regulations. All EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein use the Regulation to make requests to take responsibility for asylum applicants.

    As noted in the Answer of 21 January to Question 22948 it is not possible to return asylum applicants to Greece. The Government is satisfied that it remains lawful to transfer to and from all other countries bound by the Regulation asylum applicants who qualify under its provisions.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the numbers of driving examiners in England on waiting times for tests; and what steps he is taking to encourage more examiners to qualify.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) undertake quarterly test forecast reviews to identify the likely demand of driving tests, from which it calculates the numbers of examiners required in order to service those demands. Those numbers are reviewed against the current examiners numbers and where increases are identified, these are factored into DVSA’s recruitment campaigns. DVSA usually run two recruitment campaigns per year, with additional campaigns where necessary i.e. where there has been insufficient take-up/success in geographical areas.

    This process has, over the years, generally worked well, but the unforeseen and exceptionally high increase in demand for driving tests in 2015. Across the whole of DVSA it has recruited 167 new driving examiners during 2015/16 with a further 60 either attending or booked on to new entrant courses. DVSA has also offered posts to a further 40 potential examiners.

    DVSA has also been re-prioritising the activities of examiners and offering them additional overtime in order to increase testing capacity.

    Over 2015 DVSA introduced a number of changes to the marketing of its recruitment campaign in order to try and encourage interest from wider and more diverse groups, additionally DVSA undertook two targeted campaigns for motorcycle examiners and LGV examiners.