The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 24142, how many current CSA cases where there are existing child maintenance arrears have been subject to proactive or reactive case closure.
Priti Patel
The information requested on case closure arrears is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-03-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2016 to Question 26467, what his policy is on the process by which local authorities should calculate the maximum local housing allowance for properties in their area.
Justin Tomlinson
Local Housing Allowance rates for each Broad Rental Market Area are calculated by the Rent Officer Services for England, Scotland and Wales.
Rent Officers collect evidence of achieved rents in each area and use this to calculate the 30th percentile from a ‘list of rents’ for each property size.
This is then used for setting the rates annually in accordance with current Government policy for uprating Local Housing Allowance.
From April 2016, Local Housing Allowance rates will be frozen for 4 years. This means that rates will either remain at the April 2015 level or be set at the 30th percentile from the ‘list of rents’, whichever is the lower.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-03-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2016 to Question 27311, where in the Chief Schools Adjudicator’s annual reports the information sought can be found.
Nick Gibb
Data on the number of objections referred to the Schools Adjudicator and their outcome can be found on page 20 of the Chief Schools Adjudicator’s annual report for 2014/15, available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/osa-annual-report.
The Adjudicator does not publish data broken down by category of objector.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2016 to Question 31791, on employment and support allowance: inflammatory bowel disease, how many of those claimants started receiving employment and support allowance before 2010.
Priti Patel
The number of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants in August 2015 with Inflammatory Bowel Disease recorded as their main disabling condition, with a claim start date prior to 2010, in England is 340 and in Wales is 30.
Source: DWP 100% data.
Notes:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is permitted to consider a bid from a Combined Authority for a Police and Crime Commissioner elected in May 2016 to be subsumed by a Metro-Mayor.
Mike Penning
If a local area were to make the case to transfer Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) functions to an elected mayor, secondary legislation would set out the details of the transfer of powers and the relevant timescales based on discussions between the local area and central government.
These powers are provided for in Section 107F of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (as amended by the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016), which sets out the Secretary of State’s necessary order making powers to enable the transfer of PCC functions to an elected mayor.
Local areas can put forward a proposal to transfer PCC functions at any time and, as stated in response to the honourable member’s earlier question on this issue [32271], any proposal submitted by a local area for an elected mayor to take on PCC functions would be considered on its merits, on a case-by-case basis. The timing of any transfer of powers would also form part of this consideration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department will conclude its review into the effect of the housing benefit cap on tenants who live in sheltered housing.
Justin Tomlinson
The Department for Work and Pensions jointly with the Department for Communities and Local Government commissioned an evidence review into the shape, scale and cost of the supported housing sector.
We conduct a policy review to ensure support is focused on the most vulnerable and the appropriate groups are safeguarded.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review the operation of the National Planning Policy Framework before the end of the current Parliament.
Brandon Lewis
The National Planning Policy Framework, written clearly and simply, has made the planning system more accessible and replaced over a thousand pages of national policy. We keep policy in the Framework under constant review. A consultation on specific changes to the Framework, aimed at increasing housing supply in sustainable locations, closed on 22 February. We are analysing the responses.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-05-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 14 April 2016 to Question 33354, who is responsible for (a) initial negotiation and (b) any renegotiation of centrally-supported PF1 and PF2 projects.
Greg Hands
Pursuant to the answer given on 14 April 2016 to PQ UIN 33354, it is the contract parties that are responsible for the initial negotiation or any renegotiations of PFI and PF2 projects.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many former Child Support Agency (CSA) clients whose liability ended due to the CSA case closure process have been sent a notice of the validated child maintenance arrears balance in each month between January and March 2016.
Priti Patel
The table below shows the number of Arrears letters sent to the Parents with Care (PWC) as part of the case closure process in each month from January 2016 until March 2016.
|
Month |
Jan-16 |
Feb-16 |
Mar-16 |
|
Number of Arrears Letters sent to PWC |
13,110 |
27,480 |
20,830 |
Notes
We have at our disposal a range of strong enforcement powers, intended to ensure as many parents as possible fulfil their financial responsibilities towards their children. We are using all of the powers available to us where it is appropriate to do so. These include deducting maintenance directly from earnings, deduction directly from bank accounts, instructing bailiffs to collect arrears or seize goods, forcing the sale of property, commitment to prison and disqualification from driving.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 15 April 2016 to Question 33132, when he plans to publish details of NHS support funding for community pharmacies under the Pharmacy Access Scheme.
Alistair Burt
We expect to publish further details on the Pharmacy Access Scheme at the beginning of July.