Tag: Philip Davies

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-20.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the local economy of the closure of the HM Revenue and Customs office in Shipley; and if he will place a copy of that assessment in the Library.

Mr David Gauke

On 12 November, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the next stage of its ten-year modernisation programme. As part of that, the department demonstrated its long-term commitment to Yorkshire and the Humber by setting out that it would establish a Regional Centre in Leeds.

A number of factors were considered by HMRC when deciding where to locate its new Regional Centres. In addition to cost, it considered local and national transport links, the local labour market, supply of future workforce and the retention of current staff and skills.

HMRC modelled the impact of locating the Regional Centre for Yorkshire and the Humber in both Bradford and Leeds. For both scenarios, it took into account the potential loss of jobs for staff expected to be outside of reasonable daily travel (defined as approximately 1 hour from home to work, though dependent on individual circumstances).

HMRC first shared its transformation plans with its employees 18 months ago. Since then has held more than 2,000 events across the UK, setting out how and why it is changing. The department is committed to continuing to support all of its employees who are affected by these changes.

Staff in Yorkshire attended a number of face-to-face events, providing feedback on the potential location of the regional centre. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances in one-to-one meetings with their manager.

This transformation programme will ultimately enable HMRC to deliver better public services at lower cost to the taxpayer. It will generate estate savings of £100 million a year by 2025.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2015 to Question 14762, if he will place in the Library the additional information received in respect of the application.

Jane Ellison

Some amendments are being made to the outputs in the grant application from Action on Smoking and Health and the final version of the application will be placed in the Library when it is available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the priorities of the Office of Carbon Capture and Storage are; what that Office’s budget is for 2015-16; whether that Office has set out a strategy for 2015-16; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government believes Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has the potential to play an important role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK.

The Department’s Annual Report & Accounts for 2015-16 will be published in June 2016 and will review the work of the Department, including the Office of Carbon Capture and Storage in 2015-16. The Budget for the Office of Carbon Capture and Storage for 2015-16 is £41.3 million.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-02-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in his Department and non-departmental public bodies receive (a) home to work travel allowance, (b) a car allowance and (c) subsidised health insurance.

Damian Hinds

None, with the exception of 14 employees of Infrastructure UK who retain a contractual right to receive subsidised health insurance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many staff in the Government Equalities Office receive (a) home to work travel allowance, (b) a car allowance and (c) subsidised health insurance.

Caroline Dinenage

No staff receive the above allowances in the Government Equalities Office.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26820, what the job title is of the official in receipt of an allowance for home to work travel.

Karen Bradley

The individual’s job title cannot be revealed without making the individual easily identifiable, in contravention of the Data Protection Act.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases related to the Independent Police Complaints Commission have been referred back to the police for investigation in each of the last six years.

Mike Penning

Police forces are required to refer (i) all Death and Serious Injury (DSI) matters and (ii) complaints and conduct matters that meet certain criteria, as set out in regulations, to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The IPCC assesses each referral on a case-by-case basis, by considering the seriousness of the matter and any relevant public interest factors. The IPCC may decide that an investigation is not required, in which case the matter will be referred back to the police force to decide what action to take. Alternatively, if the IPCC decides that the matter requires investigation, the IPCC must make a determination to undertake an independent investigation, an investigation under the supervision or management of the IPCC, or can refer back to the police force to investigate.

In 2013 the Home Secretary announced a commitment to transfer resources to the IPCC to enable it to expand to undertake all serious and sensitive matters involving the police. The IPCC is currently undertaking a change programme to deliver this expansion. In 2013/14 the IPCC commenced 109 independent investigations whilst 241 were opened in 2014/15. The IPCC is on course to meet its target of delivering between 400 and 700 independent investigations in 2015/16.

Reforms in the Policing and Crime Bill will build on this, enhancing the overall level of independence across IPCC investigations by removing managed and supervised investigations. Where the IPCC decides not to refer a matter back to the police force for investigation, it must undertake an independent investigation unless it considers that a directed investigation, a new form of investigation established by the Bill, is more appropriate.

Information on how many cases referred to the IPCC have been referred back to the police for investigation is available on the IPCC’s website for the majority of the last six years (link: http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/page/archive-corporate-reports-and-plans). I will ask the IPCC to write to the Honourable Member, providing fuller information, and will ask for this response to be made available in the House Library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 27517, how many foreign nationals living in the UK have been prosecuted for a fraudulent child benefit claim for a child living in the EU.

Justin Tomlinson

The Information requested is not available. As DWP does not administer child benefit, we do not legally have any powers to investigate alleged fraudulent claims.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of participation in out-of-court restorative justice on re-offending rates.

Mike Penning

It is vital that victims see swift and certain justice delivered to their offender. It is also vital that victims of crime get the help they need to cope with, and recover from, crime.

That is why we have protected the victims’ budget and given Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) greater flexibility to decide which services are needed in their local area. Restorative Justice can be a part of a wide range of services offered to victims of crime, and we are providing advice and guidance to help PCCs deliver it.

There has been no assessment on the impact on reoffending rates of participation in restorative justice as part of an out of court disposal.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a comparative assessment of the proven reoffending rates of the HMP Doncaster and the HMP Peterborough payment by results pilots.

Andrew Selous

We have learned important lessons from these pilots, which have informed our probation reforms. The final process evaluation reports can be found at the following links:

1) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-impact-bond-pilot-at-hmp-peterborough-final-report

2) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmp-doncaster-payment-by-results-pilot-process-evaluation-report

The PbR pilot operating in HMP Peterborough began on 9 September 2010 and results for cohort 1 of this pilot were published on 7 August 2014. The final set of results will be published in due course. The PbR pilot that operated in HMP Doncaster started in October 2011 and closed at the end of 2014. Results for cohort 1 were published in August 2014 and results for cohort 2 were published in July 2015.

The published results can be found at the following links:

3) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/final-results-for-cohorts-1-payment-by-results-prison-pilots

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/payment-by-results-pilot-cohort-2-hmp-doncaster-results

“