The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the maximum period is for which a back payment can be made on universal credit.
Priti Patel
The maximum period by which a claim can be backdated is one calendar month from the date of claim. Backdating is only possible in exceptional circumstances.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum on teacher recruitment and retention.
Nick Gibb
At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department is making on the procurement and appointment process for the construction of a new lorry park around junction 11 on the M20.
Andrew Jones
Highways England have appointed Mott MacDonald Sweco JV as designers and awarded the contract for the potential construction of a lorry area on the M20 to Balfour Beatty.
Following the recent consultation, the Secretary of State will make an announcement on the decision on the preferred site in the summer 2016.
Awarding the construction contract early will ensure that Highways England is in the best position to enable the earliest possible start of construction, following the announcement on the decision on the preferred site by the Secretary of State.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-07-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle online abuse on social media.
Sarah Newton
The Criminal Justice Act 2015 strengthened two existing communications offences: section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988, and section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 which can now be used to prosecute misuse of social media. The police now have longer to investigate either offence, and the maximum penalty for the former has been increased to two years imprisonment.
We have introduced a new law to make ‘revenge porn’ a specific criminal offence. Those convicted will face a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison. We have already seen convictions under this legislation and will continue to monitor its effectiveness.
To improve police capability, the Home Office has allocated £4.6m of the Police Transformation Fund to begin the critical work of setting up a comprehensive programme of digital transformation across policing. This money will help provide a step-change in digital capability, funding police led programmes that will work to equip forces with the tools to effectively police a digital age and protect victims of digital crime.
We are also working with the College of Policing to drive improvements in police capability to investigate and prosecute online Violence against Women and Girls offences. For example, we have introduced an ‘online flag’ allowing police forces to record instances of crimes such as stalking and harassment taking place online.
We are driving work through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) to keep children and young people safe online. UKCCIS brings together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities and parenting groups to help to keep children and young people safe online.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Eagle on 2016-10-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in (a) Wallasey constituency, (b) Wirral and (c) Merseyside have had tax credits claims (i) amended and (ii) cancelled by Concentrix.
Jane Ellison
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold data broken down specifically by constituency areas.
HMRC is currently focussed on resolving the outstanding cases but will be preparing regional analysis, which will be available in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-11-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ensure that all staff in HM Revenue and Customs authorised to cancel late-filing penalties are authorised to provide the person concerned with written confirmation of that cancellation.
Mr David Gauke
All staff in HM Revenue and Customs who are authorised to cancel late-filing penalties and late-payment penalties are also authorised to provide the customer concerned with written confirmation of that cancellation. The process to advise the person of the cancellation may differ between taxes, and the notification may in some cases be on-line rather than in a letter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential cost to the NHS of the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in April 2017.
Ben Gummer
The apprenticeship levy will come into effect in April 2017. It will be payable by employers in the United Kingdom at 0.5% of pay bill. All employers will receive an allowance of £15,000 to offset against payment of the levy which means the levy will only be payable on pay bill in excess of £3 million per year. The NHS contribution to the levy will be dependent on individual NHS organisation’s pay bill at that time. The NHS is fully committed to the apprenticeship agenda and will use the levy contributions to grow the number of apprentices in the NHS.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2016-01-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when the CfD allocation round will open for applications from renewable energy developers; and what the conditions will be for applications to a second CfD allocation round.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government will hold three Contracts for Difference auctions in this Parliament with the next auction for less established technologies expected to take place by the end of 2016. We are currently working with HM Treasury to finalise the budget for future auctions and will set out more information in due course.
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.
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.