Tag: Philip Davies

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consultation HM Revenue and Customs conducted with its staff based in Yorkshire prior to its decision to locate its regional hub in Leeds.

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 Justice, what the average ratio of prison officers to prisoners is in (a) male and (b) female prisons.

Andrew Selous

Staff to prisoner ratios in public sector Prison Service establishments are reported as the number of prisoners held in an establishment divided by the number of prison officers (including specialists) employed. The figure does not reflect the number of officers on duty at any particular moment.

The ratio of staff to prisoners varies by category of prison and according to specific local circumstances related to the design and operation of the particular establishment. Differences in the profile of the male and female populations mean that the ratios are not directly comparable.

The ratio of prisoner to prison officers (including specialist) as at 30 September 2015 was 4.8 at male establishments and 3.5 at female establishments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much (a) the Legal Aid Agency and (b) HM Courts and Tribunal Service spent on intermediaries in each of the last four years.

Mr Shailesh Vara

This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, 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.

Mark Lancaster

Information on non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I am able to provide the following information for core Ministry of Defence Civil Servants.

Home to work travel allowance has been interpreted as Excess Fares Allowance. This is paid to staff who move from one establishment to another on the Department’s instruction. It is normally paid for a maximum period of four years and compensates the officer for additional travel costs they have incurred as a result of the move. The number in receipt of regular Excess Fares Allowance is 1,390.

Car allowance and subsidised health insurance are not routinely paid. There are, however, four officers in receipt of car allowance and 14 officers in receipt of subsidised health insurance as they retained their terms and conditions following an inward transfer from the private sector under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-02-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many foreign nationals living in the UK have been prosecuted for a fraudulent child benefit claim for a child living in the EU.

Damian Hinds

The Government has in place a robust system for verifying that those EEA nationals claiming Child Benefit are entitled to do so under the current rules and there is a wide range of checks carried out on new and existing claims to confirm their validity.

Cases of Child Benefit fraud can be investigated by DWP and the Single Fraud Investigation Service (a partnership between DWP Fraud Investigation Service and HMRC), as part of a wider investigation of welfare benefit fraud.

HMRC therefore does not hold figures on the number of Child Benefit prosecutions of foreign nationals.

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

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 26811, what the job titles are of those people in receipt of subsidised health insurance.

Matthew Hancock

There are fewer than 5 staff in receipt of subsidised health insurance and disclosing the job titles of those in receipt of subsidised health insurance may lead to the identification of the individuals.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many foreign nationals living in the UK have been (a) investigated and (b) prosecuted for a fraudulent child benefit claim for a child living in the EU in each of the last five years.

Damian Hinds

I refer my honourable friend to my response of 14 March 2016 (UIN 27517).

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-02-19/27517/27517

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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 the Home Department, what guidance her Department has provided to the Courts and Tribunal Service on obtaining and using overseas conviction data in criminal proceedings.

James Brokenshire

Most criminal records requests made by UK authorities are made by the police, where a subject has been arrested and is the subject of an investigation.

Where an investigation leads to a criminal prosecution, Prosecutors are required to make the courts aware of all convictions, including overseas convictions, in bail and sentencing hearings. Further, section 144 and schedule 17 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 makes it clear to judges that convictions from foreign jurisdictions should be considered during criminal proceedings, whenever they are available.

In the last three years (2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16) 39,028, 60,226, and 95,156 requests respectively, were made by the police to EU Member States for previous convictions of foreign nationals under the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS), an increase of over 140% in that time.

In those same years, 19,018, 34,549 and 38,890 requests respectively were made by the police to countries outside the EU for previous convictions of foreign nationals, an increase of over 100% in that time.

To improve the availability of overseas convictions data in criminal proceedings, the Digital First programme, led by the National Police Chiefs Council, is working to improve the information held on Digital Case Files to ensure that overseas criminal convictions are routinely obtained and passed on to the courts.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average salary of (a) a district judge and (b) a magistrate was in the latest year for which figures are available.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The level of pay for the judiciary is based on the recommendation of the independent Senior Salaries Review Body. Magistrates are volunteers and do not receive a salary.

The judicial salaries and fee schedules can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/judicial-salaries-and-fees-2016-to-2017

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