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101248

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Disability Living Allowance: Appeals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who the decision maker is in the case of a DLA review; and what the assessment process is.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	212004
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>A Case Manager, the term for a DWP DLA decision maker, will conduct the review. In conducting the review, DLA Case Managers are instructed, through training and guidance, to ensure they have all the necessary information before making their decision. They will consider the evidence held and/or received, sending out for more evidence as appropriate, and only then make their decision.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 03/11/2014 17:47:22 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

114961

	registered interest
	date	05/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is possible for an unemployed person refused employment and support allowance because a work capability assessment found them fit for work to be refused jobseeker's allowance on the grounds of not being fit for work; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	213596
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>A person found fit for work following their Work Capability Assessment may claim Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). They will receive a benefit so long as entitlement conditions for JSA are satisfied. These include being available for and actively seeking.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 10/11/2014 14:16:52 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

100578

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Parole: Learning Disability
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements are in place to ensure reasonable adjustments for people with learning disabilities who are released from custody on licence so that the licence conditions are (1) necessary, and (2) proportionate.
	tabling member printed	Lord Bradley
	uin	HL2315
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>All offenders released from custody on licence are subject to six standard conditions. There are no exceptions. The standard licence conditions include requirements to keep in touch with their supervising officer, to seek permission prior to obtaining employment or moving address, and restrictions on travel outside the UK.</p><p> </p><p>It is also possible for additional conditions or restrictions to be placed upon the licence - for example, to prevent the offender in question from contacting a previous victim, or from visiting certain locations or premises. Any additional condition must be justified as being necessary for the effective management of the offender in question, as well as being proportionate to the risk the offender poses.</p><p> </p><p>The process for requesting and approving any additional conditions is the same for all offenders released on licence, so that the supervising officer may have specific regard to any offender with learning disabilities. If the supervising officer who manages the case considers that additional conditions are necessary and proportionate, they must request these of the Governing Governor of the releasing prison, or the Parole Board, whoever has responsibility for release in that case. The decision on whether to include such conditions rests with that authority.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 05/11/2014 17:35:25 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
	tabling member	452 label Biography information for Lord Bradley

100548

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on bank transfer transactions for each type of benefit and pension payment in the last financial year; and what the total cost was of those transfers.
	tabling member constituency	Redcar
	tabling member printed	Ian Swales
	uin	211429
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>DWP can provide a total figure for UK benefit bank transfers for 2013/14 (including pensions) by BACS, broken down by benefit as follows:</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Benefit</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Volume</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Banking Costs</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE (AA) (inc Overseas)</p></td><td><p>14,914,870</p></td><td><p>£65,625.43</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE (DLA) (inc Overseas)</p></td><td><p>47,522,463</p></td><td><p>£209,098.84</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND (ESF)</p></td><td><p>288</p></td><td><p>£1.27</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>CARERS ALLOWANCE (CA) (inc Overseas)</p></td><td><p>27,066,880</p></td><td><p>£119,094.27</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>INCAPACITY BENEFIT (INCAP)</p></td><td><p>10,093,974</p></td><td><p>£44,413.49</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>INCOME SUPPORT (IS)</p></td><td><p>146,845,498</p></td><td><p>£646,120.19</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>INDUSTRIAL INJURIES (IIDB)</p></td><td><p>11,975,719</p></td><td><p>£52,693.16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>OVERSEAS DIVISION (ODIIDB)</p></td><td><p>73,828</p></td><td><p>£324.84</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>JSA</p></td><td><p>30,546,139</p></td><td><p>£134,403.01</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>MORTGAGE DIRECT (JSA MD)</p></td><td><p>239,080</p></td><td><p>£1,051.95</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>LPS</p></td><td><p>71,171</p></td><td><p>£313.15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>LPS MID</p></td><td><p>1,900</p></td><td><p>£8.36</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>MORTGAGE DIRECT (MI)</p></td><td><p>1,299,364</p></td><td><p>£5,717.20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>RETIREMENT PENSIONS</p></td><td><p>339,855,838</p></td><td><p>£1,495,365.69</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>THIRD PARTY PAYMENTS (TPP)</p></td><td><p>44,715</p></td><td><p>£196.75</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>WINTER FUEL NEW RULE (WFNR)</p></td><td><p>953,886</p></td><td><p>£4,197.10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>SOCIAL FUND (SF)</p></td><td><p>1,157,008</p></td><td><p>£5,090.84</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP ESA MID</p></td><td><p>617,369</p></td><td><p>£2,716.42</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP ESA</p></td><td><p>44,349,674</p></td><td><p>£195,138.57</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>DWP CPS LOCAL PAYMENTS</p></td><td><p>1,930,311</p></td><td><p>£8,493.37</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>PIP</p></td><td><p>282,631</p></td><td><p>£1,243.58</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Universal Credit</p></td><td><p>13,556</p></td><td><p>£59.65</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Benefits Total</p></td><td><p>679,559,975</p></td><td><p>£2,990,063.89</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Excluding CSA/SPVA/CMS</p></td><td><p>686,118,046</p></td><td><p>£3,018,919.40</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>TOTAL BACS</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>699,386,621</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>£3,077,301.13</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Department does not have the breakdown for Faster Payments by benefit type, however the total volume figure of payments is 3,261,640 and a transaction value of £526,273.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 29/10/2014 14:27:34 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	4045 label Biography information for Ian Swales

100913

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Discretionary Housing Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much each local authority in (a) Wales and (b) the UK returned to his Department in unused discretionary housing payment funding in 2013-14.
	tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
	tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
	uin	221891
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Five local authorities in Wales spent less than their 2013-14 Government contribution in Discretionary Housing Payments. These were:</p><p> </p><p><strong>Local Authority Government Contribution Amount Unspent</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Ceredigion</p></td><td><p>£324,933</p></td><td><p>£290</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Conwy</p></td><td><p>£267,700</p></td><td><p>£1,498</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Gwynedd</p></td><td><p>£605,141</p></td><td><p>£20,072</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Newport</p></td><td><p>£343,870</p></td><td><p>£1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Pembrokeshire</p></td><td><p>£193,940</p></td><td><p>£4,176</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Details for all 240 local authorities in Great Britain which spent less than their 2013-14 Government contribution in DHP are provided in the attached annex.</p><p /> <p /> <p>For the remaining 140 local authorities across Great Britain, of which 17 were in Wales, DHP expenditure in 2013-14 either matched or exceeded the Government contribution.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 29/10/2014 16:10:27 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb attachment 1 file name UnspentDHPGB.PDF title Unspent DHP GB
	tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

100904

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Written Questions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to answer Question 202782, on prisoner escapes, tabled on 26 June 2014 for answer on 30 June 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Shipley
	tabling member printed	Philip Davies
	uin	211919
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>I answered Question 202782 on 24 October 2014. The answer can be found at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2014-06-26/202782/</p><p> </p><p>I apologise for the delay in answering this question.</p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 29/10/2014 16:07:41 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
	tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

101665

	registered interest
	date	29/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Written Questions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2014 to Question 200960, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for Coventry South to provide the information he omitted to provide in that Answer.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry South
	tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
	uin	212532
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>I wrote to the Honourable Member on 3 November with the information he requested in his Question 200960, and apologising for the delay in writing to him.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 03/11/2014 17:21:31 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

76890

	registered interest
	date	09/07/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Off-payroll Working
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many off-payroll engagements for more than £220 a day and for a period of longer than six months were established in each of the last four years; and what the total cost of such payments has been.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Sadiq Khan
	uin	204748
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>In responding to this question we have utilised data provided by our contracted supplier of interim staff who fall into the category above. This data is only available for the last 3 years under contract. Where the interim’s contract spans financial years the spend data is reported for the year in which spend was incurred, all figures are based on total charge rate exc VAT:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Number of Contractors paid £220 or more, with a total contract length of more than 6 months</p></td><td><p>Spend in Financial Year from workers who have had contracts over 6 months in duration</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>242</p></td><td><p>£20,814,160</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>139</p></td><td><p>£23,792,142</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>173</p></td><td><p>£26,152,415</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>There are currently no off-payroll staff from whom assurances about their tax status are outstanding. We have made it absolutely clear to all relevant contractors that they must meet their tax and national insurance obligations. Any senior off-payroll workers who fail to provide assurances about their tax arrangements face having their contracts terminated.</p><p>We only use temporary staff to fulfil essential roles within the Ministry of Justice; these staff provide a fast, flexible and efficient way to obtain necessary skills that are not currently available in-house.</p><p>Spend for this requirement has increased due to the demand of our priority programmes – which will deliver significant savings across the Ministry of Justice’s budget. It should be noted that since April 2010 the annual spend on interims as a whole has decreased by £10m.</p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 24/10/2014 13:27:49 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
	tabling member	1577 label Biography information for Sadiq Khan

77455

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Media: Subscriptions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what subscriptions to (a) magazines and (b) television channels his Department funds.
	tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
	tabling member printed	Mr Andy Slaughter
	uin	205386
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>In response to Part A of the question “what magazine subscriptions his Department funds”.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has no contracted provision to supply general magazines.</p><p> </p><p>In response to Part B of the Question “what television channels his department funds”.</p><p> </p><p>The National Offender Management Service funded The Life Channel in a limited number of Prisons in 2013/2014. This service provides broadcast programming that is aimed at reducing reoffending and cascading general health information to prisoners and visitors.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 20/10/2014 14:13:07 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
	tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

93366

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Income Support: Telephones
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will commission survey research to make an estimate of the proportion of income support claimants who are aware of social tariffs available to help them access landlines.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Field
	uin	210290
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Income Support provides extra money to help people on a low income. There are no plans to commission a survey to estimate the proportion of claimants who are aware of social tariffs available to help them access landlines.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 21/10/2014 14:29:17 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

100277

	registered interest
	date	21/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Winter Fuel Payment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many in-work working-age households received winter fuel payments in 2013-14; what estimate he has made of how many such households will be claiming winter fuel payments in each of the next four financial years; and what assessment he has made of the effect of equalising the state pension age for men and women on the take-up of winter fuel payments.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Field
	uin	211255
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Information about how many in-work working-age households received Winter Fuel Payments in 2013-14 is not available.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the number of people aged under 65 receiving a Winter Fuel Payment and the associated expenditure in years 2009-10 to 2018-19 inclusive:</p><p><strong> </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Expenditure (£m)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Caseload (000s)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009/10</p></td><td><p>640.8</p></td><td><p>3,358</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>624.1</p></td><td><p>3,265</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>451.5</p></td><td><p>2,927</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>385.4</p></td><td><p>2,484</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>324.1</p></td><td><p>2,056</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>268.2</p></td><td><p>1,714</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>215.8</p></td><td><p>1,389</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>157.1</p></td><td><p>1,019</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>85.8</p></td><td><p>563</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>14.8</p></td><td><p>95</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p /> <p> </p><p><strong>Notes</strong></p><p>Numbers are for Winter Fuel Payments made to those eligible in Great Britain, European Economic Area and Switzerland aged 60-64: outturn to 2013-14; forecast 2014/15 onwards.</p><p>Winter Fuel Payments in 2009-10 and 2010-11 included one-off £50 payments for the under 80s.</p><p>One of the Winter Fuel Payment eligibility criteria is a person’s age in the qualifying week (the third full week in September). This age has been rising in line with the increase to the female State Pension age.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 24/10/2014 13:51:22 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

155583

	registered interest
	date	11/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Personal Independence Payment: Motherwell and Wishaw
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency have been migrated from disability living allowance to personal independence payments to date.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Roy
	uin	214296
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Information on the number of existing disability living allowance claimants who have been reassessed for and awarded personal independence payment, at parliamentary constituency level, has been published and can be found at: <a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk</a>. Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: <a href="https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm" target="_blank">https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm</a>.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 17/11/2014 13:54:14 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	626 label Biography information for Mr Frank Roy

93373

	registered interest
	date	14/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people stopped claiming employment and support allowance (ESA) in 2013 after gaining insufficient points in a Work Capability Assessment; and how many such people were claiming jobseeker's allowance within four weeks of their ESA claim ending.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	210472
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>It is possible to qualify for ESA through the application of Regulations 29(2)(b) and 35(2)(b) where insufficient points have been allocated in a Work Capability Assessment. It is thus not possible to answer the first part of this question.</p><p> </p><p>The information requested in the second part is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 17/10/2014 10:40:27 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

102060

	registered interest
	date	31/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Written Questions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he intends to answer Questions 210325, 210324 and 210323 due for answer on 17 October 2014; and what the reasons are for the time taken to reply.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull North
	tabling member printed	Diana Johnson
	uin	212855
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>It was not possible to answer these questions within the timeframe for the original questions as the information was being assembled from a variety of statistical sources. It is still not ready, but I will write to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available. A copy of the letter will be placed in the House Library.</p> answering member constituency Hemel Hempstead answering member printed Mike Penning question first answered 05/11/2014 17:30:47 answering member 1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning
	tabling member	1533 label Biography information for Dame Diana Johnson

166611

	registered interest
	date	27/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Public Health Funerals
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of pauper's funerals in each of the last three years; and what steps his Department is taking to support families on low incomes with the costs of funerals.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Field
	uin	216270
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>My department does not collect data on the number of Local Authority funerals.</p><p> </p><p>The Social Fund Funeral Payment scheme continues to provide help towards a simple, respectful, low-cost funeral and in 2013/14, over 33,000 awards were made worth £44.7 million, with an average award of £1,347.</p><p> </p><p>Social Fund Budgeting Loans are also available to those on income related benefits to cover costs relating to funeral expenses.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 02/12/2014 11:44:12 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

142285

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: G4S and Serco
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Written Statement of 12 March 2014, Official Report, columns 27-8WS, on G4S and Serco (contracts update), what proportion of the penalties on (a) G4S and (b) Serco imposed have been enforced in each year; and how much is outstanding.
	tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
	tabling member printed	Mr Andy Slaughter
	uin	213725
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>On 12 March 2014 the Justice Secretary informed the House that G4S had agreed to repay £108.9m owed to Government on the company’s electronic monitoring contract and on two contracts for facilities management in the courts. This followed the Justice Secretary’s announcement on 19 December 2013 that Serco had agreed to repay £70.5m owed on the company’s electronic monitoring and prisoner escort contracts.</p><p> </p><p>The sums in question also included provision for the direct costs to Government arising from these matters.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Both companies have repaid all money requested in accordance with the settlement agreements.</p><p> </p><p>We are not aware of any outstanding debts owed to this Department by the companies. We are managing all MoJ contracts robustly and would take swift action to recover any debt owed should we become aware of such an issue.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 11/11/2014 17:42:13 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

142282

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: G4S and Serco
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Statement of 12 March 2014, Official Report, column 27WS, on G4S and Serco (Contracts Update), how much of the sums to be repaid by each company is outstanding; and what other debts each such company owes to his Department.
	tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
	tabling member printed	Mr Andy Slaughter
	uin	213746
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>On 12 March 2014 the Justice Secretary informed the House that G4S had agreed to repay £108.9m owed to Government on the company’s electronic monitoring contract and on two contracts for facilities management in the courts. This followed the Justice Secretary’s announcement on 19 December 2013 that Serco had agreed to repay £70.5m owed on the company’s electronic monitoring and prisoner escort contracts.</p><p> </p><p>The sums in question also included provision for the direct costs to Government arising from these matters.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Both companies have repaid all money requested in accordance with the settlement agreements.</p><p> </p><p>We are not aware of any outstanding debts owed to this Department by the companies. We are managing all MoJ contracts robustly and would take swift action to recover any debt owed should we become aware of such an issue.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 11/11/2014 17:43:25 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

99915

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Domestic Abuse: Sentencing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review UK domestic violence sentencing guidelines.
	tabling member constituency	Mid Dorset and North Poole
	tabling member printed	Annette Brooke
	uin	211159
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Sentencing guidelines are produced independently of Government, by the Sentencing Council. The guidelines are available on the Sentencing Council website. Any decision to review the overarching sentencing guideline on domestic violence is a matter for the Sentencing Council.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The overarching sentencing guideline on domestic violence makes clear that because an offence has been committed in a domestic context there are likely to be aggravating factors present which make it more serious. The guideline sets out in some detail certain aggravating, and mitigating factors, which are of particular relevance to offences committed in a domestic context. All courts must take this guideline into account, and they must also follow sentencing guidelines for individual offences. This makes sure that the courts have a consistent approach to the task of determining the appropriate sentence in each case.</p> answering member constituency Hemel Hempstead answering member printed Mike Penning question first answered 27/10/2014 16:51:48 answering member 1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning
	tabling member	1431 label Biography information for Annette Brooke

166089

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the basis on which projections of potential returns are used by the investment management industry in communications with pension holders.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL3147
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Since 6 April 2003, certain money purchase pension arrangements have been required to provide members with Statutory Money Purchase Illustrations (SMPIs). Legislation requires that statutory illustrations are produced in accordance with guidance prepared by a prescribed body approved by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and by the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland.</p><p>The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is the prescribed body and has been since 6 April 2007. The FRC fulfils its obligations through the publication of Actuarial Standard Technical Memorandum AS TM1: Statutory Money Purchase Illustrations (AS TM1). It reviews AS TM1 regularly and the last completed review was carried out in 2013 following the introduction of the Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/2734) which came into force on 6 April 2014. The AS TM1 specifies that the investment return should take into account the current and anticipated future investment strategy of the member’s funds over the period to retirement and be consistent from year to year, with the rationale documented and made available to members on request.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules require a projection at point of sale for contract based pensions. The investment return must reflect the investment potential of the (expected) underlying assets, subject to an overall cap of 5%pa. Flanking projections must be provided using returns which vary by +/- 3%. The FCA has a public commitment to review the basis every 4 years and the next review is due in 2015. The FCA do not require further projections during the lifetime of the contract as pension scheme members will receive statutory statements prepared under DWP legislation. However, where a provider chooses to provide additional projections, they must follow the same basis as point of sale projections.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 08/12/2014 12:26:30 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

61895

	registered interest
	date	13/06/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Agency Workers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on agency workers to cover clerical staff in each month since January 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Sadiq Khan
	uin	200708
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Since April 2010 we have cut our overall spend on temporary staff by £35.5m. We only use temporary staff to fill business-critical posts and essential frontline services where they can provide a fast, flexible and efficient way to obtain necessary skills that are not currently available in-house. We will continue to examine our use of contractors and look for further reductions.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In responding to each question we have utilised data provided by our contracted supplier of temporary clerical staff and contracted supplier of temporary operational staff. As the data provided has been supplied by two different third parties there is a slight difference in the way that the answer to question 3 and 4 has been presented.</p><p> </p><p>Temporary operational staff relate to Operational Support Grades (OSGs) used within HM Prison Service. We have contracts in place to provide temporary OSGs to fill in gaps in requirements, for building projects or to fill vacancies short term. Temporary OSGs are a very small proportion of our staff complement.</p><p> </p><p>Uniform operational support staff are Operational Support Grades (OSGs).These are uniformed staff who undertake a wide range of duties in prisons, for example operating prison gates, working in security and managing stores areas. They also escort contractors and their vehicles.</p><p> </p><p>1) The following amounts (exclusive of VAT) have been spent on clerical agency staff across -</p><p> </p><p>January 2014 - £2,983,633.14 (5 week period)</p><p>February 2014 - £2,613,023.10 (4 week period)</p><p>March 2014 - £2,591,678.87 (4 week period)</p><p>April 2014 - £2,900,742.70 (5 week period)</p><p>May 2014 - £2,398,053.57 (4 week period)</p><p>June 2014 - £658,700.28 (1 week period)</p><p> </p><p>2) The following amounts (exclusive of VAT) have been spent on uniform operational support staff –</p><p> </p><p>January 2014 - £1,082,247 (5 week period)</p><p>February 2014 - £1,420,329 (4 week period)</p><p>March 2014 - £1,137,834 (4 week period)</p><p>April 2014 - £1,249,908 (4 week period)</p><p>May 2014 - £2,282,468 (5 week period)</p><p> </p><p>The spend for May 2014 also includes the backdated annual pay rise for eligible workers from 1<sup>st</sup> April 2014.</p><p> </p><p>3) The following number of clerical agency staff have been utilised –</p><p> </p><p>January 2014 - 1571 (Average headcount)</p><p>February 2014 - 1634 (Average headcount)</p><p>March 2014 - 1624 (Average headcount)</p><p>April 2014 - 1578 (Average headcount)</p><p>May 2014 - 1644 (Average headcount)</p><p>June 2014 - 1674 (Average headcount)</p><p> </p><p>4) The following number of uniform operational support staff have been utilised –</p><p> </p><p>January 2014 - 697 (Peak worker number)</p><p>February 2014 - 845 (Peak worker number)</p><p>March 2014 - 867 (Peak worker number)</p><p>April 2014 - 853 (Peak worker number)</p><p>May 2014 - 855 (Peak worker number)</p><p>June 2014 - Peak worker number not available yet.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 21/10/2014 16:35:53 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1577 label Biography information for Sadiq Khan

61896

	registered interest
	date	13/06/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Agency Workers
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent on agency workers to cover uniformed operational support staff in each month since January 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Sadiq Khan
	uin	200709
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Since April 2010 we have cut our overall spend on temporary staff by £35.5m. We only use temporary staff to fill business-critical posts and essential frontline services where they can provide a fast, flexible and efficient way to obtain necessary skills that are not currently available in-house. We will continue to examine our use of contractors and look for further reductions.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In responding to each question we have utilised data provided by our contracted supplier of temporary clerical staff and contracted supplier of temporary operational staff. As the data provided has been supplied by two different third parties there is a slight difference in the way that the answer to question 3 and 4 has been presented.</p><p> </p><p>Temporary operational staff relate to Operational Support Grades (OSGs) used within HM Prison Service. We have contracts in place to provide temporary OSGs to fill in gaps in requirements, for building projects or to fill vacancies short term. Temporary OSGs are a very small proportion of our staff complement.</p><p> </p><p>Uniform operational support staff are Operational Support Grades (OSGs).These are uniformed staff who undertake a wide range of duties in prisons, for example operating prison gates, working in security and managing stores areas. They also escort contractors and their vehicles.</p><p> </p><p>1) The following amounts (exclusive of VAT) have been spent on clerical agency staff across -</p><p> </p><p>January 2014 - £2,983,633.14 (5 week period)</p><p>February 2014 - £2,613,023.10 (4 week period)</p><p>March 2014 - £2,591,678.87 (4 week period)</p><p>April 2014 - £2,900,742.70 (5 week period)</p><p>May 2014 - £2,398,053.57 (4 week period)</p><p>June 2014 - £658,700.28 (1 week period)</p><p> </p><p>2) The following amounts (exclusive of VAT) have been spent on uniform operational support staff –</p><p> </p><p>January 2014 - £1,082,247 (5 week period)</p><p>February 2014 - £1,420,329 (4 week period)</p><p>March 2014 - £1,137,834 (4 week period)</p><p>April 2014 - £1,249,908 (4 week period)</p><p>May 2014 - £2,282,468 (5 week period)</p><p> </p><p>The spend for May 2014 also includes the backdated annual pay rise for eligible workers from 1<sup>st</sup> April 2014.</p><p> </p><p>3) The following number of clerical agency staff have been utilised –</p><p> </p><p>January 2014 - 1571 (Average headcount)</p><p>February 2014 - 1634 (Average headcount)</p><p>March 2014 - 1624 (Average headcount)</p><p>April 2014 - 1578 (Average headcount)</p><p>May 2014 - 1644 (Average headcount)</p><p>June 2014 - 1674 (Average headcount)</p><p> </p><p>4) The following number of uniform operational support staff have been utilised –</p><p> </p><p>January 2014 - 697 (Peak worker number)</p><p>February 2014 - 845 (Peak worker number)</p><p>March 2014 - 867 (Peak worker number)</p><p>April 2014 - 853 (Peak worker number)</p><p>May 2014 - 855 (Peak worker number)</p><p>June 2014 - Peak worker number not available yet.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous grouped question UIN 200710 200711 question first answered 21/10/2014 16:31:41 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous previous answer version 2385 answering member constituency Kenilworth and Southam answering member printed Jeremy Wright answering member 1560
	tabling member	1577 label Biography information for Sadiq Khan

92326

	registered interest
	date	26/09/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of applicants for employment and support allowance who have had their benefit stopped for failing to attend a work capability assessment and who claim not to have received an appointment letter from Atos; and how many such cases have been submitted to a tribunal.
	tabling member constituency	Warrington North
	tabling member printed	Helen Jones
	uin	209588
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Department does not hold the information described and therefore I cannot provide an estimate.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 15/10/2014 11:12:03 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	432 label Biography information for Helen Jones

156113

	registered interest
	date	17/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has lifted the deferral imposed in January 2014 of reassessments for employment and support allowance claimants following the appointment of a new work capability assessment provider.
	tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
	tabling member printed	Kate Green
	uin	214751
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Department has temporarily deferred routine repeat assessments for those already in the Work-Related Activity Group or the Support Group of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), in order to focus on new claims.</p><p>Assessments are continuing for new ESA claimants and all those already referred to Atos. Repeat assessments will also continue for people who report a change in their circumstances.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has agreed a contract with a new provider, Maximus, to deliver the new assessment service from March 2015. We are working with Maximus to increase the number of assessments and resume repeat assessments once they have the capacity to do so.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 20/11/2014 12:11:03 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

155623

	registered interest
	date	11/11/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Motherwell and Wishaw
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of applicants for personal independence payments in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency appealed their personal independence payment decision between June 2013 and June 2014; and how many appeals were submitted for disability living allowance between June 2012 and June 2013.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Roy
	uin	214354
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support), administered by HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits, including a person’s entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA).</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The number of individuals living in the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency who applied for PIP and the outcomes of those applications, between April 2013 and July 2014, can be found in published DWP statistics available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-july-2014.</p><p> </p><p>HMCTS does not keep data on the proportion of benefit claimants who choose to appeal the DWP’s final decision. In the period June 2013 to June 2014, 61 PIP appeals were lodged in the Tribunal venue in Hamilton which serves appellants living in the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency and other nearby locations.</p><p> </p><p>Between June 2012 and June 2013 966 appeals against decisions made by DWP on claims for DLA were lodged at the Hamilton venue.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 12/01/2015 15:31:16 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
	tabling member	626 label Biography information for Mr Frank Roy

99949

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Discretionary Housing Payments: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much discretionary housing payment award he plans to give to each local authority in Scotland in 2014-15.
	tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Roy
	uin	211061
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Government contribution towards Discretionary Housing Payments that has been made available to each local authority in Scotland for 2014/15 is shown in the table below. Local authorities will inform us as to how much of this they will claim at the end of the financial year.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Local Authority</p></td><td colspan="2"><p>Government contribution towards Discretionary Housing Payments for 2014/15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aberdeen</p></td><td><p>£308,438</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Aberdeenshire</p></td><td><p>£480,948</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Angus</p></td><td><p>£357,857</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Argyll and Bute</p></td><td><p>£409,580</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Clackmannanshire</p></td><td><p>£176,383</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Comhairle nan Eilean Siar</p></td><td><p>£109,743</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Dumfries and Galloway</p></td><td><p>£732,662</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Dundee</p></td><td><p>£484,174</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Ayrshire</p></td><td><p>£322,608</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Dunbartonshire</p></td><td><p>£102,435</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Lothian</p></td><td><p>£122,558</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Renfrewshire</p></td><td><p>£67,736</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Edinburgh</p></td><td><p>£1,533,120</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Falkirk</p></td><td><p>£258,058</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Fife</p></td><td><p>£693,077</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Glasgow</p></td><td><p>£2,724,843</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Highland</p></td><td><p>£1,178,903</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Inverclyde</p></td><td><p>£210,794</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Midlothian</p></td><td><p>£183,798</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Moray</p></td><td><p>£228,368</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North Ayrshire</p></td><td><p>£408,703</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North Lanarkshire</p></td><td><p>£692,677</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Orkney</p></td><td><p>£50,592</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Perth and Kinross</p></td><td><p>£380,620</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Renfrewshire</p></td><td><p>£369,000</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scottish Borders</p></td><td><p>£464,841</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Shetland</p></td><td><p>£71,267</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South Ayrshire</p></td><td><p>£305,618</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South Lanarkshire</p></td><td><p>£638,098</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Stirling</p></td><td><p>£420,609</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Dunbartonshire</p></td><td><p>£339,751</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West Lothian</p></td><td><p>£402,484</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 23/10/2014 13:12:51 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	626 label Biography information for Mr Frank Roy