Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2016 to Question 41331, how many decisions taken on claims for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment have been taken to mandatory reconsideration in (i) Birkenhead and (ii) the UK in each of the past five years; and how many of those mandatory reconsiderations have been successful.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The data for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Mandatory Reconsiderations which have resulted in a decision being changed can be found at:

    Employment and Support Allowance

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/530530/esa-wca-mr-summary-june-2016-tables-version2.ods

    Personal Independence Payment

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/528662/pip-registrations-and-clearances-apr-2016.xls

    The breakdown of data you have requested for Birkenhead can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

    “

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s target is for reducing the defence estate in each year until 2020.

    Mark Lancaster

    As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Ministry of Defence is aiming to reduce the size of its built estate by 30% by 2040 and is committed to release land to accommodate 55,000 houses by 2020 in support of the Government’s public sector land release agenda. This year I have announced the release of 35 sites which will provide land for potentially some 39,000 homes, of which approximately 20,000 are expected in this Parliament. We do not have an annual target for a reduction in the defence estate each year.

    I will announce the results of the Department’s Estate Optimisation Strategy later this year.

  • Lord Avebury – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Avebury – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Avebury on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of their decision to delay the publication of their feasibility study regarding establishing baseline data to evaluate the effectiveness of caste legislation with their commitment to open government.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    This Government has been giving consideration to the legal position on caste discrimination in light of the Tirkey v Chandhok Employment Appeal Tribunal judgment which suggests there is an existing legal remedy for claims of caste-associated discrimination under the ‘ethnic origins’ element of Section 9 of the Equality Act 2010.

    Our consideration of the research report commissioned by the coalition Government, designed to determine the feasibility of conducting a national survey to quantify the extent of caste discrimination in Britain, is part of this process.

    We remain mindful of the Open Government Action Plan published by the Coalition Government in 2013, to the extent that this concerns the results of commissioned research.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs is talking to ensure that payroll taxes are collected from employers who pay wages in cash; what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) employers using cash in hand for payroll and (b) employees receiving wages in cash; and what information he holds on the prevalence of payment of wages in cash in different sectors.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) takes a risk-based approach to employer compliance interventions, checking that employers and contractors have complied with their tax obligations. There are a variety of methods by which employers make payment to their employees, and HMRC will check wages have been received net of the appropriate tax and National Insurance Contributions deductions as part of our compliance intervention activity, regardless of the method of payment. Where this activity identifies that there may be non-compliance with other taxes, HMRC takes steps to address this risk.

    Where inaccuracies are found, HMRC will consider whether a penalty is appropriate based on the behaviour which led to the inaccuracy. The penalty will be highest in circumstances in which the behaviour which led to the inaccuracy was deliberate.

    HMRC is conducting research into the role of cash in facilitating non-compliance, and into the trends which are likely to change that role. As part of this work, on 25 November 2015 HMRC published a call for evidence on cash, tax evasion and the hidden economy, which seeks a better understanding of what implications the trend away from cash has for tax compliance.

    The call for evidence is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/cash-tax-evasion-and-the-hidden-economy-call-for-evidence

    “

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the potential costs to (a) consumers and (b) the public purse of the privatisation of the Green Investment Bank.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government is moving UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) into private ownership so it can continue operating in the same way it does now only funded with private capital rather than relying on taxpayers’ support. The detailed background and supporting case for this move was set out in the policy statement we published on 18 November.

    Decisions on the proposed sale are being taken in accordance with best practice to ensure all available options are properly examined in a detailed business case and that a robust valuation process is followed. We expect taxpayers to gain a receipt to the public purse from a majority sale of GIB, and to benefit from reduced public funding requirements in future.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers who claim to be under the age of 18 have undergone independent testing to determine their age in each of the last three years.

    James Brokenshire

    We publish statistics on cases where the claimant’s age has been disputed and a formal age assessment has been carried out. The table below shows the number of cases in each of the last 3 years.

    Asylum Claims by Year with a disputed age

    Year of Claim

    Totals

    2012

    337

    2013

    323

    2014

    318

    Data is taken from published statistics

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2015/asylum

    “

  • Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne Main on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many citizens of each other EU member state were convicted in the UK of (a) murder, (b) sexual offences and (c) serious violent crimes in each of the last 10 years.

    Andrew Selous

    The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database does not hold the nationality of offenders convicted of criminal offences in England and Wales. Obtaining this information would incur disproportionate cost.

    As announced in the Prime Minister’s speech on 8 February, my officials have been working closely with the Home Office to introduce a legal requirement for defendants appearing in court to provide their name, date of birth and nationality. This will enable earlier identification of foreign national offenders and help with the removals process.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department spent on cultural and arts projects overseas in 2014.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    During 2014, DFID did not disburse Official Development Assistance to any country for cultural and arts projects.

  • Eilidh Whiteford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Eilidh Whiteford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2016-05-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government plans to take to reduce the number of occupation illnesses.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Tackling ill health is one of six strategic themes in the new strategy for the health and safety system, ‘Helping Great Britain work well’. The strategy is available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/strategy/index.htm

    “

  • Lord Tebbit – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Tebbit – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2016-07-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 27 June (HL657), whether the special status” enjoyed by the Sovereign is granted by EU law.”

    Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

    The European Court of Justice has held that EU law must be interpreted in the light of the relevant rules of international law and that, as such, under EU law Heads of State enjoy a special status (different from that of all other Union citizens).