Tag: Parliamentary Question

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Forsyth of Drumlean on 2015-11-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the minimum wage in sterling in each EU member state.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

In the Low Pay Commission’s National Minimum Wage Report 2015, Appendix 3 outlines details of 2014 adult minimum wage rates in 12 comparator countries, including EU member states. Minimum wages vary in level and structure between countries given the context of their economic and labour market conditions. These comparisons are broken down in the table below.

Comparison of Adult Minimum Wage, by Country, End 2014

In national currency expressed as hourly ratea In UK £, using: Date of last uprating % increase in national currency from 2012/2013 to 2014 Age full minimum wage usually appliesb
Exchange rates PPPs
Australiac AUS$16.87 9.37 8.44 Jul-14 3.0 21
Belgium € 8.67 6.88 7.80 Dec-12 0.0 21
Canadad C$10.39 5.79 6.29 e 1.5 16
France € 9.53 7.54 8.57 Jan-14 1.1 18
Greece €3.52f 2.73 3.82 Feb-12 0.0 25
Ireland € 8.65 6.84 7.20 Jul-11g 0.0 20
Japanh JPY780 4.46 5.31 Oct-13 2.0 15/18i
Netherlands 8.63j 6.83 7.59 Jul-14 1.2 23
New Zealand NZ$14.25 7.12 7.05 Apr-14 3.6 16
Portugall € 2.91 2.30 3.33 Oct-14 4.0 16
Spainl € 3.72 2.94 3.82 Jan-12 0.0 16
United Kingdom $6.50 6.50 6.50 Oct-14 3.0 21
United States US$7.25m 4.45 5.63 Jul-09 0.0 20
Source: British Embassies and High Commissions, Low Pay Commission (LPC) calculations of country minimum wage rates in pounds sterling using exchange rates and PPPs. PPPs derived from Comparative Price Levels (CPLs), OEDC Main Economic Indicators, September 2014. Exchange rates, Bank of England month average spot exchange rates, September 2014.

Notes:
a. For countries where the minimum wage is not expressed as an hourly rate, the rate has been converted to an hourly basis assuming a working time of 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week and 173.3 hours per month.

b. Exemptions and special rules apply in many cases. For example, in France and the US the full adult rate applies to young workers with tenure of more than six and more than three months respectively.

c. The Australian Federal National Minimum Wage Order, effective from first pay period on or after 1 July 2014.
d. Weighted average of provincial/territorial rates.
e. Date of last uprating varies between provinces.
f. Minimum hourly rate for ‘employees’. Different hourly rate operates for ‘blue collar’ workers.
g. The hourly minimum rate was reduced from €8.65 to €7.65 for adult workers on 1 Feb 2011. That reduction was reversed and the hourly rate went back up to €8.65 on 1 July 2011.

h. Weighted average of prefectural rates.
i. Age 15 to receive the regional minimum wage. Age 18 to receive the sectoral minimum wage.
j. Excludes 8 per cent supplement for holiday pay. Minimum wage based on a 40 hour working week. There are different minimum wage rates for those working a 38 or 36 hour week.

k. For all employees aged 16 and over, who are not either on the training minimum wage or the starting out minimum wage

l. Not including annual supplementary pay of two additional months of salary for full-time workers.
m. Federal minimum wage. Tipped employees receive a lower minimum wage depending on state laws.

01/01/2023
Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the publication, Towards a one nation economy: A 10-point plan for boosting rural productivity, how many rural exception sites for starter homes will be made available in 2015.

Brandon Lewis

Rural exception sites are identified by communities to meet a local housing need. We are currently consulting on the provision of Starter Homes on such sites and subject to the outcome will bring forward new policy in 2016. We will be supporting communities in bringing these sites forward.

01/01/2023
Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for Tier 2 visas were made by people holding job offers to become chefs in each year since such visas were introduced; and how many such applications were successful.

James Brokenshire

Acquiring this information on visa applications from chefs would involve examining each individual case record held by UK Visas & Immigration for the Tier 2 category. To do so would incur a disproportionate cost.

The Home Office regularly receives representations to lower the criteria (including the salary requirement) for sponsoring chefs under Tier 2, the skilled worker route. Tier 2 is, however, reserved for graduate level occupations. We continue to welcome the very top chefs who promote innovative and authentic cuisine here in the UK — and these types of skilled chefs are on the shortage occupation list. The salary threshold applied to chefs was based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee.

We have been clear, however, that the restaurant industry needs to move away from an unsustainable reliance on migrant workers. We want to nurture more home-grown talent and encourage young people in this country who want to pursue a skilled career. This means the restaurant sector offering training to attract and recruit resident workers to meet their staffing needs.

The industry is starting to make progress in this area, recruiting and training more chefs in the UK, and this needs to continue.

01/01/2023
Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure that oil price reductions are fully passed on to customers.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government believes that it is important that consumers get a fair deal and any falls in oil prices are passed on to lower prices for consumers. We have made this clear to energy providers.

DECC continuously monitors pump prices, and publish average prices of petrol and diesel every Monday. Movements in pump prices are primarily driven by changes to crude oil prices; though pump prices are also influenced by a range of other factors, including refining capacity, stock levels, distribution costs and retail margins.

Analysis by the Department has found that crude price changes are being reflected in pump prices and suggests that on average, at a national level, sustained crude price changes are fully passed through into pump prices within 6-7 weeks; though much of the change is passed through earlier.

01/01/2023
Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the mortality rate of people with mental health issues has been (a) nationally and (b) in each local authority in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt

Information on the mortality rate of adults under 75 years old with serious mental illness in England and in each local authority in England between 2010/11 and 2013/14 is given in the attached table Mortality rate of people with mental health issues in (a) England and (b) in each local authority in England between 2010/11 and 2013/14.

01/01/2023

Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many property maintenance requests have been received by CarillionAmey on behalf of his Department in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster

The National Housing Prime contract was fully implemented on 1 December 2014 replacing the previous separate UK arrangements.

On that date, CarillionAmey became responsible for the repair and maintenance service. The number of maintenance requests received from that date (by month) is shown in the following table:

	Financial Year 2014-15	Financial Year 2015-16
April	n/a	21,585
May	n/a	20,020
June	n/a	21,213
July	n/a	22,144
August	n/a	20,945
September	n/a	24,224
October	n/a	23,185
November	n/a	23,627
December	13,493	24,648
January	23,205	24,634
February	25,188	–
March	23,520	–
Totals	85,406	226,225

Data is not yet available for February or March of financial year 2015-16.

01/01/2023

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Eagle on 2016-05-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment the Government made of the effectiveness of the insolvency system after the collapse of Comet in 2012; and what steps he has taken to improve that system.

Anna Soubry

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

01/01/2023
Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent reports he has received on the practice of restricting staff that have recently been on strike from working overtime on (a) Govia Thameslink Railway and (b) other rail franchises.

Claire Perry

Management of staff is a matter for the rail operators. I have been assured by the operator of the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise that they are not restricting the staff who have recently been on strike action from working overtime.

01/01/2023
Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which reports commissioned by his Department from external bodies between 1 January 2015 and 31 August 2016 have not yet been published; when each report was commissioned for research; what the nature of the research commissioned was; from which external body or individual person the research was commissioned; what the value was of each such piece of research commissioned; on what date each report was received by his Department; for what reasons the research has not yet been published; and when he plans to publish each report.

Caroline Nokes

During this period the Department has commissioned a significant number of research reports. Of these, most are either still in progress, or have been completed and published on GOV.UK in line with our standard process. Two publications are currently with the Department awaiting publication. Both comply with the Department’s research publication protocol in accordance with Government Social Research Service guidance. To collate the requested information on all reports commissioned during this period that are yet to be published would incur disproportionate cost.

01/01/2023
Lord Warner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their experience with the collapse of Southern Cross, what contingency plans they have in the event of a significant withdrawal of large and medium-sized providers of residential and nursing home care from the provision of publicly-funded social care.

Lord Prior of Brampton

It is unacceptable for vulnerable people who need care and support to have their services interrupted if their provider fails financially.

The Care Act 2014 placed duties on local authorities to step in and ensure people’s needs continue to be met if their provider fails financially and their services cease. These duties apply to all people receiving care services, regardless of who pays for them, and there are reciprocal arrangements in all countries of the United Kingdom. The Government has supported local authorities with this duty and recently published guidance for local authorities to assist them in developing contingency plans for managing provider failure. This guidance was co-produced with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Local Government information Unit.

The Care Act also established the Care Quality Commission (CQC) with a new function to oversee the finances of the largest and most difficult to replace providers. This oversight function would provide early warning to relevant local authorities in the event that one of the providers in the CQC scheme was likely to fail financially and their services cease. This would allow local authorities time to implement contingency plans. This CQC Market Oversight scheme is now fully functional.

01/01/2023