The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of railway station ticket offices that will be closed by (a) 2020 and (b) 2025.
Claire Perry
The Ticketing and Settlement Agreement protects the opening hours of Ticket Offices. If an operator wishes to make such changes to Ticket Office opening times, there is an industry process to follow.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of railway stations that will be unstaffed in (a) 2020 and (b) 2025.
Claire Perry
Station staffing levels are a matter for operators. Whilst we regulate Ticket Office opening times through the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement station staffing levels are a matter for operators as we believe that railway operators themselves are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of their passengers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of staffing of railway stations on (a) passenger safety, (b) passenger assurance, (c) safety of women passengers, (d) disabled passengers, (e) revenue protection and (f) passenger assistance.
Claire Perry
Whilst we regulate Ticket Office opening times through the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement station staffing levels are a matter for operators as we believe that railway operators themselves are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of their passengers. However, it is important that those who need assistance to travel can rely on railway staff to provide this. Each operator is required to participate in the Passenger Assist system which allows disabled passengers to book staff assistance when they require it.
We recognise that passengers can feel very strongly about station staffing hours and we expect all operators to take on board the views of stakeholders before taking any proposal to change such hours forward.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2015-11-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when the ministerial working group on preventing and tackling homelessness will next meet; and what the membership of that group is.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness will meet in the New Year. The group consists of Ministers from ten Departments – Ministry of Justice, Department for Education, Department of Health, Department for Work and Pensions, Cabinet Office, Ministry of Defence, Home Office, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Government Equalities Office, and Department for Communities and Local Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken in response to the findings set out in the 2014-15 Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HM Prison Belmarsh on the prison’s online and telephone booking system.
Andrew Selous
We had already recognised the issues highlighted in the 2014-15 Annual Report of the Independent Monitoring Board at HM Prison Belmarsh. I am pleased to inform the hon. Member for Erith and Thamesmead that we will be increasing the number of social visit slots that are available per session and we have added an additional booking telephone line. There are also plans to introduce an automated system to increase our capacity to manage visit calls.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-01-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on public sector and charitable provision of consumer debt advice services.
Damian Hinds
The Money Advice Service (MAS) is responsible for the coordination of publicly funded free to client debt advice. MAS is financed by a levy on the financial services industry. MAS is currently consulting on its business plan; it has proposed levying for a constant budget for debt advice for 2016/17 providing around £45 million to its third sector partners for the provision of debt advice.
More broadly the Government is currently reviewing how the public provision of free-to-client, impartial financial guidance, including consumer debt advice services, should be structured to give consumers the information they need to make financial decisions. The Public Financial Guidance consultation closed in December 2015 and the Government will report back by budget.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times (a) family and (b) legal visits to prisoners in HM Prison Belmarsh have been cancelled in each of the last 12 months; and for what reason each such visit was cancelled.
Andrew Selous
Family and legal visits have been cancelled on two occasions in the last 12 months at HM Prison Belmarsh. These were;
8 October 2015 – Due to a full lock down search of the prison
9 December 2015 – To enable a Trade Union meeting
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-01-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the commercial provision of consumer debt advice services.
Harriett Baldwin
The Government is very concerned about evidence of consumer detriment in the debt management market. That is why we have given the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) robust powers to protect borrowers using debt management firms.
For profit debt management plan providers, operating with consumers’ interest at heart and in full compliance with regulatory requirements, can help provide a wider supply of solutions and products for consumers, and help them get in control of problem debts. The Government’s focus has therefore been on comprehensively reforming regulation of this sector, and ensuring firms act in customers’ best interests.
The FCA is currently scrutinising debt management firms as part of its authorisation process. Firms which do not meet the required standards will not be able to continue to provide debt management services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to prevent family and legal visits being cancelled in prisons in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Selous
Maintaining family ties, including through visits, plays a vital role in helping prisoners turn away from crime.
All convicted prisoners are entitled to a minimum of two visits every 28 days and this has not changed since 1992. Extra visits can also be granted.
The Public Sector Prisons benchmark provides prisons with a core day and staffing resource to deliver all required activities and services. Part of the benchmark provision is the delivery of social and legal visits and there is an expectation that these are critical activities which will not be cancelled.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-01-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for consumer credit licences for debt advice and debt adjusting on a commercial basis have been made in the last 12 months; and how many such applications have been (a) granted, (b) rejected, (c) withdrawn and (d) await a decision.
Harriett Baldwin
These questions have been passed on to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA will reply to directly to the Honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.