Tag: Richard Arkless

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to publish its review into supported accommodation; and whether it has carried out an impact assessment on the extension of the Local Housing Allowance cap.

Caroline Nokes

I refer the Honourable Member to the Written Statement made today by the Secretary of State:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2016-09-15/HCWS154/

Full impact and equality impact assessments will be undertaken in due course.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-11-17.

To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will provide an update on whether there are plans for a review of security protocols for the Parliamentary Estate and what communication the Serjeant at Arms office has had with relevant government departments on increasing the security of the House and the safety of staff.

Tom Brake

It is a long-standing practice that we do not comment in public on the security of Parliament. However, I can assure the hon. Member that arrangements are kept under continual review and those working on the Estate are advised of any changes. If he has particular concerns the Parliamentary Security Director and the Serjeant at Arms would be happy to meet with him.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the effect of the Government’s welfare programme on social and economic inequalities in Scotland.

David Mundell

We have fully assessed the impacts on equality of the measures in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill and the wider budget, meeting our obligations as set out in the Public Sector Equality Duty. The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Bill on 20 July.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-02-09.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received on the implications for aid of the 1955 tax treaty between the UK and Malawi.

Mr David Gauke

No such representations have been received. Discussions with Malawi over a new tax treaty have already taken place. We are hopeful the new treaty can be concluded shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-09-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department takes to ensure prompt payments by companies in receipt of defence contracts.

Harriett Baldwin

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to paying all of its suppliers promptly, and we place a contractual obligation on our prime contractors to pay their subcontractors within a 30 day period.

MOD payment performance is published on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministry-of-defence-supplier-invoicing-and-payment-information.

This shows that during the first quarter of 2016-17, the MOD paid 96.5% of its invoices within five days and 99.9% within 30 days.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether a security review has been initiated for the purpose of strengthening port security between Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Mr Robert Goodwill

All maritime security requirements are risk informed and are kept under constant review. The Department for Transport (DfT) works closely with ports, ferry operators and other agencies to ensure the safety of the travelling public.

The DfT also has a set of comprehensive maritime security requirements which port facilities and ships are required to implement, with a well-established monitoring and oversight programme in place to ensure compliance with this regime.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to encourage an increase in the number of HGV drivers in the UK to meet demand for such drivers.

Andrew Jones

The Department’s agencies are taking action on HGV driver testing and licensing. This includes recruiting 78 new driving examiners, as well as 65 in training and 41 offered posts. Licence renewal times where there are not medical issues have reduced and changes are being made to the operation of parts of the medical renewals process. The Department is working with other parts of Government to encourage and enable more people to become lorry drivers, including via apprenticeships and action related to Jobcentre Plus.

I note that over 55,000 tests were conducted in 2014-15, the highest total since 2008-09. Further, the number of Large Goods Vehicle practical and theory tests of all types conducted during July to September 2015 was 34 per cent higher than in the same quarter of 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who will be eligible to vote in the forthcoming EU referendum; and for what reason he plans to exclude European citizens resident in the UK from voting in that referendum.

Mr David Lidington

The franchise for the EU referendum was debated and agreed by both Houses during the passing of the EU Referendum Act 2015. This has now received Royal Assent and is set in law.

The franchise for the EU referendum includes those enfranchised for UK parliamentary elections, with the addition of Members of the House of Lords and Commonwealth and Irish citizens in Gibraltar.

Amendments during the passage of the EU Referendum Bill, seeking to include EU citizens in the franchise for the EU referendum, were considered and overwhelmingly rejected by both Houses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the Government’s policy is on maintaining the provisions of European Commission Directive 2008/94/EC on the protection of employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer; and what assessment the Government has made of the effect the UK leaving the EU will have on the operation of the Pension Protection Fund.

Mr Robin Walker

The Government has clearly stated that the UK does not need to be part of the EU to have strong protections for workers’ rights. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people, seizing opportunities to make Britain a country that truly works not just for a privileged few, but for everybody.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Scottish Government and (b) Scottish FA on strengthening security at Scottish stadiums and sporting events.

David Mundell

Protective security postures for public events are coordinated across the United Kingdom by the UK National Counter-Terrorism Policing Headquarters; the Police Service of Scotland forms part of the national counter-terrorism police network. The UK National Counter-Terrorism Policing Headquarters is providing guidance to ground safety staff for sports stadia across the UK. The Home Office is also in regular contact with the Scottish Government on counter-terrorism measures.