The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to conduct a revaluation of council tax bands in 2016.
Mr Marcus Jones
There are no plans to carry out a revaluation of council tax bands in 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what official domestic visits he has made since May 2015; and what the purpose of each such visit was.
Greg Clark
I have carried out a wide range of domestic visits since May 2015. Transparency data is recorded on the Department’s website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to the Disclosure and Barring Service from people living in Croydon have taken more than 60 days to process in the last 12 months.
Karen Bradley
The number of Enhanced Disclosure applications from people living in Croydon that have taken more than 60 days to process in the last 12 months (for which data is available) is listed in the following table.
|
May 2015 – April 2016 |
Total Enhanced Disclosures Dispatched (applicants from Croydon) |
Disclosures which took over 60 Days |
|
Total |
34,031 |
5,708 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the period of maternity leave for mothers of premature babies.
Margot James
The UK’s generous entitlement of 52 weeks’ maternity leave provides mothers with sufficient leave to take account of a range of circumstances. Parents who have been employees with the same employer for over a year also have a separate entitlement to parental leave of 18 weeks per parent per child, up to the child’s 18th birthday, of which typically up to 4 weeks can be taken in one year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to review the effectiveness of the general power of competence.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Conservative led coalition Government gave a commitment that a post implementation review of the provisions of the Localism Act 2011, including the provisions relating to the general power of competence, would be undertaken within three to five years following implementation. We will honour that commitment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much his Department has spent on (a) hospitality and (b) catering since May 2015.
Brandon Lewis
Guidance to staff now states that refreshments may only be ordered for meetings with external attendees of longer than four hours.
The Department has no separate budget for hospitality and catering. The Department spent £10,829.44 on hospitality from May 2015 to 29 February 2016.
This compares to a bill of almost £500,000 in the last year of the Labour Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service check, including the time taken by the Metropolitan Police, was in London for each year since 2010.
Karen Bradley
The average times taken for the Disclosure and Barring Service to complete all Enhanced Disclosure applications for applicants with a London postcode are listed in the following table.
|
Financial Year |
Average Turnaround Days |
|
2010/11 |
50 |
|
2011/12 |
20 |
|
2012/13 |
12 |
|
2013/14 |
14 |
|
2014/15 |
19 |
|
2015/16 |
24 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the contract with Maximus for delivery of the Fit for Work programme includes provision of public funding for taxi journeys for anyone (a) turned away from or (b) moved to a different assessment centre.
Penny Mordaunt
The Fit for Work service provides a supportive occupational health assessment and general health and work advice to employees, employers and General Practitioners (GPs), to help individuals stay in or return to work. Advice is delivered via a website, telephone line and webchat and does not involve participants travelling to an Assessment Centre.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to work with her French counterpart to allow increased access by humanitarian organisations to the refugee camp at Calais.
James Brokenshire
The management of the migrant camps in Calais, including the involvement of any particular organisation, is the responsibility of the French Government. The UK has, however, provided specific financial assistance to fund a project aimed at protecting the most vulnerable people in the camps. This project was agreed by the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister in the UK-France Joint Declaration of August 2015. The project aims to increase observation in the camps to identify vulnerable migrants including those who may be victims of human trafficking; to provide medical help and protection where required; to put in place a system to transfer them briskly to places of safety; and to ensure they are offered the appropriate advice and support from the French system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-10-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of sexual abuse of women in the Calais refugee camp; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that women’s safety in that camp is protected.
James Brokenshire
The management of the migrant camps in Calais, including the involvement of any particular organisation, is the responsibility of the French Government. The UK has, however, provided specific financial assistance to fund a project aimed at protecting the most vulnerable people in the camps. This project was agreed by the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister in the UK-France Joint Declaration of August 2015. The project aims to increase observation in the camps to identify vulnerable migrants including those who may be victims of human trafficking; to provide medical help and protection where required; to put in place a system to transfer them briskly to places of safety; and to ensure they are offered the appropriate advice and support from the French system.