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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Graeme Morrice – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Graeme Morrice – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graeme Morrice on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many meetings (a) officials and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with (i) disability groups and charities and (ii) providers of the Work Capability Assessment in each of the last five years.

    Mike Penning

    Ministers and officials meet regularly with a range of stakeholders about the Work Capability Assessment, including our health assessment providers, disability representative groups and charities.

    The current contractual agreement between DWP and Atos Healthcare contains a number of key performance indicators. DWP monitors and discusses performance with Atos on a weekly basis.

  • Lord Hoyle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Hoyle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hoyle on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is any regulation of heir hunters in the way they operate or the fees they charge beneficiaries; if not, whether they have plans to introduce such regulations; and, if not, why not.

    Lord Deighton

    There is no regulation in place that specifically covers the way probate researchers operate or the fees they charge beneficiaries.

    Relationships between probate researchers and their clients are normally contractual arrangements and subject to contract law.

    The Government is planning to introduce regulation of the activity of conducting private investigations, surveillance or inquiries, which could bring some probate and asset researchers into scope for statutory licensing by the Security Industry Authority.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people currently receiving a UK state pension and living in the UK who would move abroad if pensions were up-rated for all UK pensioners living overseas.

    Steve Webb

    The Department has not made any estimate of the number of people currently receiving a UK state pension and living in the UK who would move abroad if pensions were up-rated for all UK pensioners living overseas.

    It would be difficult to develop a robust estimate of this, as in practice there will be a wide range of factors that determine decisions to emigrate.

  • Lord Rennard – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Rennard – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rennard on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to include, in their consideration of the future of the national census, the possibility of collecting data for electoral registration purposes in addition to other purposes.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the Insolvency Service paid for fruitless payments in respect of individual and corporate insolvencies in each of the last five years.

    Jenny Willott

    The information requested is presented in the following table.

    Year

    Amount Paid

    Number of cases

    2012-13

    172,560.24

    55

    2011-12

    247,231.73

    100

    2010-11

    279,527.57

    93

    2009-10

    575,783.47

    80

    2008-09

    256,956.93

    41
  • Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stowell of Beeston on 6 May (WA 384), when they expect to receive the report of the review being carried out by Social Finance into innovative models of providing temporary accommodation for homeless families.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    A final report from Social Finance has been received. The report will be published in due course and I will write to the Noble Lady with a copy when it is available.

  • Priti Patel – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Priti Patel – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Priti Patel on 2014-04-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the loss to the public purse as a result of illicit, illegal and smuggled tobacco in each of the last five years.

    Nicky Morgan

    Estimates of the volume and total revenue losses associated with the tobacco illicit market are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap estimates: 2012-13′. The figures are available in tables 4.1 and 4.5.

    These estimates cannot be disaggregated by the type of illicit activity, e.g. through smuggling, counterfeiting or other fraud.

    The methodology for producing the estimates are provided in the ‘Methodological Annex for Measuring Tax Gaps 2013′.

    Both documents can be accessed via the following page on the HMRC website:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/measuring-tax-gaps

    “

  • Ian Swales – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Ian Swales – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Swales on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on redundancy payments for special advisers since May 2010.

    Mr Francis Maude

    The Government publishes annual statements on special adviser numbers and paybill costs, including severance pay. Information for each financial year going back to 2010/11 is available at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs-october-2013

    “

  • Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help older people with their housing needs; and if he will make a statement.

    Kris Hopkins

    The Government is committed to increasing the supply of suitable housing for older people and also to helping people to live independently at home for longer.

    The Government is improving choice for those who wish to move by providing £315 million between 2013-14 – 2017-18 through the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund. Phase I of the fund was announced last year and will deliver more than 3,500 affordable homes for older people and adults with disabilities or mental health needs. The successful bids for Phase II of the programme, which aims to stimulate development in the wider private market, will be announced later this year.

    The National Planning Policy Framework asks local planning authorities to assess the full housing requirements in their area and plan for a mix of housing based on demographic trends and the needs of different groups in the area, including older people. The planning guidance advisesthat local planning authorities should count housing provided for older people, including residential institutions in Use Class C2, against their housing requirement. The approach taken, which may include site allocations, should be clearly set out in the Local Plan. Copies of the Framework and the guidance have been placed in the Library of the House.

    To help extended families, the Government introduced in April a 50 per cent council tax discount on family annexes. We have also made amendments to the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations, exempting from the levy those wanting to extend their own homes, or install residential annexes within their own property boundary.

    The Department for Communities and Local Government is providing funding of £785 million between 2011-12 – 2014-15 for the Disabled Facilities Grant which is administered by local authorities in England and provides adaptations to the homes of disabled people to help them to live as independently as possible in their own home. A further £220 million will be made available in 2015-16.

    Since 2011-12, the Government has funded FirstStop with over £2 million to provide a national information and advice service to older people, their families and carers on housing, care and finance.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of diversity in employment in public and private sectors of the media industry.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Promoting greater equality of opportunity in the workforce is a matter the Government takes seriously. The Government is actively engaging with leading organisations in the media industry who are working together through the Creative Diversity Network to help address the under-representation of ethnic minorities in that sector. The industry will outline the steps it intends to take at a roundtable event in early July. Equality data monitoring is among a number of issues that will be discussed. In addition, Ofcom has a number of duties relating to equality of opportunity, as set out in the Communications Act 2003. These include requiring all UK licensed radio and television broadcasters’ licences to have in place arrangements for promoting equal opportunities in employment on the basis of gender, race and disability, and to review those arrangements with regard to any relevant guidance published by Ofcom.