UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many representations he has received opposing the removal of customer access phones from Jobcentre Plus offices; which Jobcentre Plus offices serving constituents of Ogmore constituency have been affected by the removal of customer access phones from such offices; and how many people in Ogmore constituency are being serviced by each such Jobcentre Plus office.

    Esther McVey

    The Department has received a number of representations on the removal of Customer Access Phones. The Department operates an Operational Stakeholder Engagement Forum, made up of charities, community organisations and customer representative groups, and this issue will be discussed at the next meeting of the Forum in May.

    Jobcentres provide face to face support for claimants. Following the removal of Customer Access Phones, claimants who require access to a phone in connection with their benefit or job search will still be given controlled access to a telephone in a Jobcentre.

    Ogmore constituents are served by several Jobcentres as the Jobcentre network does not reflect constituency boundaries. A summary follows by Jobcentre in the constituency:

    Bridgend Jobcentre

    Customer Access Phones have not yet been removed.

    Maesteg Jobcentre

    Customer Access Phones were withdrawn, replaced by a new assisted service of face to face support in 2014.

    Llantrisant Jobcentre

    Customer Access Phones were withdrawn, replaced by a new assisted service of face to face support in 2014.

    Porth Jobcentre

    One Customer Access Phone is currently available; three were withdrawn between November 2013 and January 2014, because of falling demand.

    Jobcentre boundaries do not match constituency boundaries so we can only provide a breakdown for Ogmore in total, these follow below:

    · Total JSA claimants (March 2014): 1,559

    (Source: ONS claimant count with rates and proportions)

    · Total claimants (Working-age client group – key benefit claimants (August 2013)): 10,510

    (Source: DWP benefit claimants – working age client group)

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in South Sudan to prevent famine, to prevent the spread of cholera, and to promote humanitarian access.

    Baroness Northover

    The UK is a leading donor to the humanitarian response in South Sudan. We have announced £82.5 million for support inside the country, and £12.5 million for support to refugees. Improved access is critical to the effectiveness of the humanitarian response. At the Oslo Humanitarian Conference on 20 May, the DFID Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State called on all parties to facilitate safe and speedy access. The FCO Minister for Africa also raised this with senior Ministers when he visited Juba in April. UK officials raise our concerns regularly with the parties in Juba and Addis Ababa.

    The UK is actively supporting work to help tackle the food security crisis and cholera. We are providing £16 million of funding to the World Food Programme (WFP) to help provide food aid or cash for around 160,000 people, and £8.3 million to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to help provide livelihoods support for 40,000 households. To help counter the growing cholera epidemic our support through the United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF – £4 million) will include funding for the UNICEF cholera response and for critical Water, Sanitation and Hygiene supplies. We are also funding two technical experts in the World Health Organisation (WHO) who are currently supporting the cholera response.

  • 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, what facilities his Department has identified to allow (a) company directors, (b) bankrupts and (c) others to be interviewed locally after the closure of the Hull Official Receiver’s office.

    Jenny Willott

    The Insolvency Service announced its decision to close its Hull office on 27 March 2014 and indicated that the intention was to preserve the services to customers by opening an interview facility in the Hull area. Also on 27 March 2014 I wrote to local Members of Parliament to share their views on local issues that might influence the location of a local interview facility. These views, along with analysis of customer information, will be used to select the precise location. The facility will be operational by the time of the closure, in November 2014.

  • Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which local authorities received additional Discretionary Housing Payment funding from the extra £20 million announced in October 2013; and how much was made available in each case.

    Lord Freud

    The information that has been requested was published on 24 March 2014 on GOV.UK and can be accessed through the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295291/s3-2014.pdf

    “

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many VAT431NB claims have been submitted in each of the last 32 quarters.

    Mr David Gauke

    Data on these forms is not kept on a quarterly basis.

  • Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many company formations were recorded in (a) Gillingham and Rainham, (b) Medway and (c) Kent in the last year.

    Michael Fallon

    The number of company formations in (a) Gillingham and Rainham, (b) Medway and (b) Kent in the financial year 2013/14 were as follows.

    Region

    Number of Company Formations

    Gillingham and Rainham

    616

    Medway

    3,966

    Kent

    15,583

    These figures, which include all corporate bodies for the financial year, including limited liability companies, should be considered as approximations as the data is derived from postcode areas that can cross regional boundaries.

  • Rushanara Ali – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Rushanara Ali – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate has he made of the proportion of youth services commissioned by local authorities from (a) in-house bids from directly-funded providers, (b) voluntary organisation and (c) private-sector companies in each year since 2010.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    Local authorities are expected to make arrangements for continuity of provision of services and activities to young people throughout any commissioning activity. Statutory guidance on this duty was issued by the Department for Education in July 2012.

    Local authorities are required to submit to Government separate budget and outturn statements outlining planned and actual expenditure for their education and children’s social care functions annually. This includes spend information on youth work and youth services, however this information does not allow a complete breakdown by different categories of organisation to be calculated.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2014, Official Report, column 27W, on the Royal Air Force, whether any UK personnel other than Remotely Piloted Air System personnel are embedded in the 732nd Operations Group.

    Mr Mark Francois

    There are no UK personnel embedded in the 732nd Operations Group.

  • John Spellar – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    John Spellar – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when Ministers in his last met their counterparts from (a) Norway, (b) Finland and (c) Sweden.

    Dr Andrew Murrison

    Defence Ministers meet their counterparts regularly at multinational meetings throughout the year. The Secretary of State for Defence most recently met the Defence Ministers of Norway, Finland and Sweden at the Northern Group meeting in Helsinki in December 2013, and I had a bilateral meeting with the Defence Minister of Sweden at the EU Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) meeting in Luxemboug in April 2014.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons a review of the scope of Project Pegasus is being undertaken at the Atomic Weapons Establishment; and what changes he expects to be made to the scope of the project as a result of the review.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Pegasus is the replacement highly enriched uranium component manufacturing and storage facility, and forms part of the Government’s programme of investment in the Atomic Weapons Establishment sites.

    In accordance with normal industry best practice, the project is under regular review to ensure that the facility will meet the Ministry of Defence’s requirements while also achieving the optimum balance of performance, cost and schedule. No changes to the approved scope of the project have been made.