The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.
Guto Bebb
The Wales Office spent £56,561 on non-payroll staff in 2015-16.
In 2015-16, the Department used non-payroll (agency) staff to cover for staff on maternity leave and for vacant posts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure assessment centres for work capability assessment and personal independence payment consultations are fully accessible to people using different kinds of mobility assistance devices.
Penny Mordaunt
All assessment centres meet accessibility standards under the Equality Act 2010.
Before attending an assessment, claimants are given the opportunity to alert the assessment provider to any additional requirements they may have and the providers will endeavour to meet any such reasonable requests.
If a claimant is unable to travel to, or access an assessment centre as a result of their health condition or impairment, a home visit may be offered.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Attorney General, how many complaints to the Crown Prosecution Service proceeded to formal Stage 2 during each of the last three years.
Robert Buckland
The following table shows the number of complaints escalated to Stage 2 in the past three years:
|
Year |
Stage 2 Complaints |
|
2013/14 |
245 |
|
2014/15 |
264 |
|
2015/16 |
254 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of recruitment levels of new teachers; and if she will make a statement.
Nick Gibb
Teaching continues to be a popular career; there are now more teachers in England’s classrooms than ever before. In November 2014 there were 454,900 full time equivalent teachers, an increase of 5,200 from the previous year and 13,100 from 2010.
Data from the end of the recruitment cycle showed that we exceeded our target for the recruitment of primary teachers, and made good progress in secondary recruitment, including in several key subjects like English, mathematics, physics and chemistry, where recruitment finished ahead of the previous year.
We recognise that teacher recruitment is becoming increasingly challenging as the economy continues to strengthen and competition for new graduates intensifies, which is why we are focused on attracting more top graduates and career changers into the profession, particularly in those core academic subjects that help children reach their potential. We have recently announced a package of generous financial incentives for the next recruitment round; this includes tax-free bursaries worth up to £30,000 and the opportunity to earn a salary whilst training.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on the introduction of flexible rail season tickets; and if he will make a statement.
Claire Perry
The introduction and roll-out of part-time season tickets will give people who commute part-time a better deal than they currently have access to. We have challenged the rail industry to develop proposals for pricing and delivering more flexible season tickets for those who work or commute part-time which could also attract new customers onto the railway.
We are making progress on delivering more flexible tickets. For example, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have a franchise commitment to introduce carnet style tickets on their smartcards which is subject to the Secretary of State’s approval. We expect GTR to meet its obligations and are working with them to ensure they are delivered.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people who live in supported housing are eligible for housing benefit.
Brandon Lewis
The Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department of Work and Pensions have jointly commissioned the Supported Accommodation Review to better understand the scale, shape and cost of supported accommodation. The Review will provide more robust and up-to-date information relating to supported housing, including the principal user groups. The Review will report later this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to reduce levels of family debt; and what assessment he has made of current tends in those levels.
Harriett Baldwin
In Q3 2015 household debt fell to 142 per cent of household income, down from its peak of 168 per cent in Q1 2008. The Government’s plan for a higher wage, lower welfare society makes it easier for families and working people to save, and includes the new National Living Wage which will mean a pay boost for 1.7 million workers this year.
Nonetheless, the Government recognises that there are those who face problem levels of debt. The Money Advice Service (MAS) is responsible for the coordination of publically funded free to client debt advice and is financed by a levy on the financial services industry. MAS is currently consulting on its business plan; it has proposed levying for a constant debt advice budget for 2016/17 providing around £45 million.
The Government is currently reviewing how the public provision of free-to-client, impartial financial guidance, including consumer debt advice services, should be structured. The Public Financial Guidance consultation closed in December 2015 and the Government will report back by budget.
Additionally, we have created the independent Financial Policy Committee within the Bank of England, to ensure emerging risks and vulnerabilities across the financial system as a whole, including in relation to household debt, are identified, monitored and effectively addressed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Prime Minister, if he will make representations to bodies campaigning on the EU referendum to ensure that members of the Royal Family are not referred to in the debate on that referendum; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Cameron
This is a matter for the campaign groups. Government activities in respect of the EU Referendum will be in line with published propriety guidance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-03-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the cases of organised grooming and sexual exploitation in Rotherham and elsewhere, whether police forces have been issued with new guidance on responding to allegations of abuse; and if so, what is that guidance.
Lord Keen of Elie
The Government does not hold information on the faith of those accused or convicted of child sexual exploitation (CSE) offences.
CSE is not exclusive to any single culture, community, race or religion, and anyone who abuses children must be stopped. It happens in all areas of the country and can take many different forms. However, the previous Government’s ‘Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation’ report of March 2015 makes it very clear that the issue of race, regardless of ethnic group, should be tackled as a priority if it is known to be a significant factor in the criminal activity of organised abuse in any local community.
The College of Policing (CoP) has issued clear guidance on how police forces should respond to allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation. This is available on the CoP website at: https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/major-investigation-and-public-protection/child-abuse/ .
In addition the National Policing Lead for child protection has taken action to revise the national policing CSE action plan to take account of the learning from the Professor Alexis Jay report and other recent publications. All Chief Constables have committed to this action plan that aims to raise standards in tackling CSE so that the police are providing a consistently strong approach to protecting vulnerable young people. The action plan is available on the CoP website at: https://www.app.college.police.uk/app-content/major-investigation-and-public-protection/child-sexual-exploitation/cse-action-plan/
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Golding on 2016-04-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress is being made towards appointing the proposed Small Business Commissioner to help small businesses resolve payment disputes with large businesses.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Government has taken powers to establish the Small Business Commissioner via the Enterprise Bill, which is currently waiting for Royal Assent. We have started the implementation process and will begin the recruitment of the Commissioner later this year with the expectation of appointing him or her in 2017. We are completing the rest of the implementation in parallel which includes: consulting on, preparing and laying secondary legislation; setting up the Commissioner’s office; and creating a web presence.