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170511

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many specialist domestic violence courts have closed since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
	tabling member printed	Mr Andy Slaughter
	uin	218706
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>From April 2010 Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs) took responsibility for the governance and performance management of the 143 accredited Specialist Domestic Violence Courts (SDVCs) across England and Wales. As of March 2014 there were 137 accredited SDVCs. However, the closure of SDVCs in some areas does not necessarily mean that provision in that area has ceased, as many of the SDVC systems cover a number of courthouses. Closure of an SDVC in one courthouse would simply mean that the case would be heard in another accredited courthouse within the Local Justice Area.</p><p> </p><p>HMCTS remains committed to a partnership approach to supporting domestic violence victims going through the Criminal Justice Process.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 06/01/2015 17:14:11 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
	tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

172822

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2015
	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 217822, tabled on 9 December 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
	tabling member printed	Mr Andy Slaughter
	uin	220164
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>I can confirm that Question 217822 was answered on 13 January 2015. The answer can be found at the following link:</p><p> </p><p>http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2014-12-09/217822/</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 13/01/2015 17:30:04 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
	tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

172820

	registered interest
	date	08/01/2015
	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 Question 217807, tabled on 9 December 2014, when he plans to answer Question 213688, tabled on 6 November 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
	tabling member printed	Mr Andy Slaughter
	uin	220162
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>I can confirm that Questions 217807 and 213688 were answered on 8 January 2015. The answers can be found at the following links:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&amp;max=20&amp;questiontype=AllQuestions&amp;house=commons%2clords&amp;uin=217807" target="_blank">http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&amp;max=20&amp;questiontype=AllQuestions&amp;house=commons%2clords&amp;uin=217807</a></p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&amp;max=20&amp;questiontype=AllQuestions&amp;house=commons%2clords&amp;uin=213688" target="_blank">http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&amp;max=20&amp;questiontype=AllQuestions&amp;house=commons%2clords&amp;uin=213688</a></p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 13/01/2015 17:34:03 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
	tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

171847

	registered interest
	date	18/12/2014
	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: Migrants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on amendments required to EU law to limit the access of migrants to national welfare systems.
	tabling member constituency	Thirsk and Malton
	tabling member printed	Miss Anne McIntosh
	uin	906838
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Ministers and officials are in regular dialogue with the European Commission and other Member States about the coordination of social security in the European Union. DWP Ministers and officials have met with a number of their European counterparts in recent months to discuss mutual matters of interest where reforms to the social security coordination system have been discussed.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 06/01/2015 13:15:31 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

170553

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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 paupers' funerals in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) England and (e) Northern Ireland in each of the last four years for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Pamela Nash
	uin	218762
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>My department does not collect data on the number of Local Authority funerals.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 18/12/2014 11:57:14 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3909 label Biography information for Pamela Nash

172617

	registered interest
	date	07/01/2015
	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: British Nationals Abroad
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the reasons are for the inclusion of French Overseas Departments in the calculation of average temperature for France for the purposes of determining eligibility for winter fuel payments to UK citizens.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	220107
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The French Government treats its French Overseas Departments<em> (départments d’outre mer</em> or DOMs) as integral parts of the French State and so they are not subject to any separate rules relating to the application of EU social security co-ordination.</p><p> </p><p>Winter Fuel Payments are currently available to those entitled in the DOMs, and are not restricted to UK citizens but are available to all EU residents who have an entitlement to a UK Winter Fuel Payment.</p><p> </p><p>The calculation of the average winter temperatures for Spain and Portugal also includes these countries’ respective, relevant overseas territories, where the same EU social security coordination rules apply.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 12/01/2015 11:58:29 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

171314

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Domestic Abuse
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times legal aid funding in ongoing domestic violence cases has ceased because the Legal Aid Agency ruled that evidence is outside of the prescribed time period since 1 January 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Sadiq Khan
	uin	219187
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p>The LAA does not record this information.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 05/01/2015 16:02:08 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
	tabling member	1577 label Biography information for Sadiq Khan

170555

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was outstanding in child maintenance arrears in each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area in each of the last four years.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Pamela Nash
	uin	218713
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>(a) The attached document (CM arrears by Parliamentary Constituency) provides a breakdown of outstanding child maintenance arrears on cases administered by the Child Support Agency (CSA) by parliamentary constituency, as at June 2014.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Outstanding child maintenance arrears, on cases administered by the CSA, broken down by local authority is published in the six-monthly regional tables. The latest published regional figures contain data as at June 2014 which can be found at the following link:<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/347756/csa_qtr_summ_stats_regional_jun14.xls" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/347756/csa_qtr_summ_stats_regional_jun14.xls</a></p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 18/12/2014 13:31:08 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb attachment 1 file name CM arrears by Parliamentary Constituency.xls title CM arrears by Parliamentary Constituency
	tabling member	3909 label Biography information for Pamela Nash

171226

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	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	Universal Credit
	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 who claimed universal credit up to 13 November 2014 have not accepted the terms of their claimant commitment.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	219155
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>25,890 people have claimed Universal Credit up to 13 November 2014. All of these people have attended an initial interview and accepted the terms of their claimant commitment.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 05/01/2015 17:35:20 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

172022

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2015
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff not employed on permanent contracts have been employed to help reduce the number of people waiting for personal independence payment decisions.
	tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
	tabling member printed	Kate Green
	uin	219694
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>76 non-permanent staff have been employed to help reduce the number of people waiting for personal independence payment decisions.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 08/01/2015 17:57:41 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

171660

	registered interest
	date	18/12/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisoners: Mental Illness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people serving custodial sentences in each year since 2010 have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Sadiq Khan
	uin	219549
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>By virtue of Section 47 of the Mental Health Act 1983 (the 1983 Act), the Secretary of State for Justice may, by warrant, direct that a sentenced prisoner be removed and detained in a secure hospital provided that he is satisfied by reports from at least two registered medical practitioners that:</p><p>· the person is suffering from mental disorder; and</p><p>· the mental disorder is of a nature or degree which makes it appropriate for him to be detained in hospital for medical treatment; and</p><p>· appropriate treatment is available for him.</p><p>The number of prisoners serving custodial sentences who have been admitted to hospital after the issue of a transfer direction under the 1983 Act in each year since 2010 is set out in the table below. Such transfers directions are valid for 14 days. The figures for total admissions include sentenced prisoners admitted to hospital more than once in a given year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Table One</p><p>Year Total Admissions</p><p>2010 446</p><p>2011 442</p><p>2012 462</p><p>2013 457</p><p> </p><p>Once a transfer direction has been issued, it is the Secretary of State’s expectation that the prisoner is always transferred to hospital within 14 days.</p><p> </p><p>However, there may be exceptional circumstances in which the transfer does not take place or is delayed. Such circumstances may include:-</p><p> </p><p>· the proposed hospital bed placement becomes unexpectedly unavailable and the transfer direction expires after 14 days (in which case the Secretary of State will issue a new direction once a new bed placement has been confirmed);</p><p>· other court proceedings may intervene, with a new court order superseding the transfer direction</p><p> </p><p>The number of transfer directions issued under section 47 the Act in respect of prisoners serving custodial sentences in each year since 2010 is set out in the table below.</p><p> </p><p>Table Two</p><p>Year Total of Directions Issued</p><p>2010 451</p><p>2011 444</p><p>2012 458</p><p>2013 463</p><p> </p><p>It should also be noted that as the direction is valid for 14 days, it may be issued in late December one calendar year with the actual admission to hospital not taking place until early January the next calendar year.</p><p> </p><p>For the reasons set out above, the number of transfer directions issued in each year will not match exactly the number of hospital admissions in that year. However, the difference between the figures for any given year is small.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Notes</p><p>1. Table One - These figures include those admitted more than once in the year</p><p>2. Table One - The data is drawn from Ministry of Justice/National Offender Management Service casework systems and from published Offender Management Annual and Quarterly tables. The link is: <a title="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-december-2013-and-annual" href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-december-2013-and-annual" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-december-2013-and-annual</a></p><p>3. 2013 is the latest year for which we have audited and published statistics.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous grouped question UIN 219545 question first answered 05/01/2015 16:56:30 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1577 label Biography information for Sadiq Khan

172018

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2015
	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	Telephone Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on using 0845 business rate telephone numbers for benefits claimants.
	tabling member constituency	Wythenshawe and Sale East
	tabling member printed	Mike Kane
	uin	219754
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Calls to claim benefit by telephone are free as the Department uses 0800 free phone numbers for these lines. The use of 0845 numbers were inherited from previous Government and this Department has since introduced 0345 numbers, but will retain the 0845 prefixes for the time being given it can still cost less to call these numbers from some operators’ packages.</p><p> </p><p>Any charges that apply to these calls will be set by the customer’s telephone or mobile operator. Charge variations will occur due to operator packages and individual price plans. We are aware of possible concerns about call charges to our enquiry lines so we will offer to call a customer back if concerns are raised over the cost of the call.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 12/01/2015 16:24:43 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	4316 label Biography information for Mike Kane

172016

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2015
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what circumstances 15 year olds receiving disability living allowance (DLA) who have been informed that they need to claim personal independence payment are then permitted to reclaim DLA; and how many people have successfully reclaimed DLA in those circumstances.
	tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
	tabling member printed	Kate Green
	uin	219721
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Children in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) who live in an area where reassessment activity in relation to inviting claims to personal independence payment (PIP) for existing DLA recipients has started are invited to claim PIP on or shortly after their 16<sup>th</sup> birthday. The parents or guardians of the child are notified in advance of the invitation of what will happen on the child’s 16<sup>th</sup> birthday.</p><p> </p><p>If a DLA claim has ceased prior to a child’s 16<sup>th</sup> birthday then the parent or guardian is able to reapply for DLA on the child’s behalf at any point up to a child’s 16<sup>th</sup> birthday.</p><p> </p><p>All DLA claimants living in a reassessment area and who are invited to claim PIP on or following their 16<sup>th</sup> birthday are excluded from making a further claim to DLA.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 08/01/2015 17:22:20 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

170766

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Courts: Prison Accommodation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions court cells were made available for housing prisoners overnight in each of the last four years.
	tabling member constituency	Hammersmith
	tabling member printed	Mr Andy Slaughter
	uin	219029
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Court cells have not been used to hold prisoners overnight since 28 February 2008.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 05/01/2015 16:46:33 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1516 label Biography information for Andy Slaughter

171838

	registered interest
	date	18/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Crime
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to address the drivers of crime.
	tabling member constituency	Gosport
	tabling member printed	Caroline Dinenage
	uin	906752
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Crime is down by more than a fifth under this Government, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales. <br><br>We are addressing the key drivers of crime by reshaping our approach to alcohol; tackling illicit and harmful drug use; taking action in a number of areas to stop young people getting involved in crime; and closing off opportunities to commit crimes, for example, by legislating on metal theft.<br><br>We have also established the Crime and Policing Knowledge Hub to improve our understanding of crime trends and the drivers of crime. <br><br>At the end of the month the Home Office will also host the first International Crime and Policing Conference to bring together leading academics and law enforcement professionals to further understand the drivers of crime and our response.</p><p /> <p /> <p> </p> answering member constituency Hornsey and Wood Green answering member printed Lynne Featherstone question first answered 13/01/2015 16:41:46 answering member 1531 label Biography information for Baroness Featherstone
	tabling member	4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage

172023

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2015
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional steps his Department has taken to reduce waiting times for people seeking personal independence payment decisions; and what the cost of those steps was.
	tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
	tabling member printed	Kate Green
	uin	219693
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>DWP are working closely with both assessment providers to drive up PIP performance and taking forward various operational initiatives to improve overall PIP processing times, while also maintaining a strong focus on the quality of PIP decisions. So far DWP has introduced a wide range of improvements including:</p><ul><li>A reduction in claim times from terminally ill people to their expected level</li><li>Quadrupling the number of assessments cleared each month since January last year;</li><li>Almost 4 times more healthcare professionals.</li></ul><p>And as a result of that:</p><ul><li>The number of people with a PIP claim in payment almost doubled between July and October.</li><li>The number of clearances by providers has risen consistently last year and the backlog is reducing.</li></ul><p>All these improvements were delivered within reasonable budget tolerances and with due governance.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 08/01/2015 17:26:56 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

171228

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	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	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much and what proportion of annual expenditure on housing benefit is allocated to the costs of administering that benefit.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Mr Frank Field
	uin	219154
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>DWP has contributed £304m to the costs of local authorities administering Housing Benefit for 2015/16. The amount allocated to local authorities for more financial years can be found in the link below.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-benefit-for-local-authorities-subsidy-circulars" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-benefit-for-local-authorities-subsidy-circulars</a></p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 05/01/2015 10:14:48 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

171851

	registered interest
	date	02/01/2015
	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	Unemployed People: Training
	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 bring forward proposals to introduce a loan repayment scheme to assist jobseekers to enrol on training courses.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Greg Mulholland
	uin	219594
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>DWP offer jobseekers a range of free training options tailored to their requirements through the Work Programme or through local provision in Jobcentre Plus Districts</p><p> </p><p>In England, for those wishing to enrol in other courses, Advanced Learning Loans may be available.</p><p> </p><p>Skills is a devolved issue, and funding the responsibility of the Devolved Administrations.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 08/01/2015 15:46:02 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	1540 label Biography information for Greg Mulholland

170479

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Crimes against Property: Worcester
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on (a) the level of reported property crime including burglaries for each of the last five years in Worcester and (b) the proportion of such crimes that have been solved.
	tabling member constituency	Worcester
	tabling member printed	Mr Robin Walker
	uin	218799
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Data supplied by police forces and held by the Home Office relate to the number of property crimes recorded by (rather than reported to) the police. Figures for each of the last 5 years for South Worcestershire Community Safety <br>Partnership (CSP) are given in the table. The whole of the Worcester constituency is contained within this CSP.<br><br>The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the outcomes of crimes at CSP level. This information is only held at police force area level.</p><p /> <p /> <p> </p> answering member constituency Hornsey and Wood Green answering member printed Lynne Featherstone question first answered 18/12/2014 14:50:13 answering member 1531 label Biography information for Baroness Featherstone attachment 1 file name Copy of ePQ75.14 - table v2.xls title Table 1
	tabling member	4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker

172618

	registered interest
	date	07/01/2015
	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	Independent Living Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disability organisations stated in their responses to the consultation on the future of the Independent Living Fund in 2012 that they were (a) supportive of and (b) opposed to the closure of the fund.
	tabling member constituency	Hyndburn
	tabling member printed	Graham Jones
	uin	220112
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Due to the nature of both the consultation and the responses, DWP undertook a qualitative rather than quantitative assessment of the responses received; statistical information as requested is therefore not available.</p><p> </p><p>A summary of the consultation responses is available in the Government’s response to the consultation published on GOV.UK <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/184115/future-of-ilf-response.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/184115/future-of-ilf-response.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 12/01/2015 12:14:48 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	3999 label Biography information for Graham P Jones

171231

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	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
	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 value of unclaimed benefits in each (a) constituency, (b) local authority and (c) region and constituent part of the UK in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	219130
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Estimates of benefit take-up are not available at geographies below Great Britain. This is due to the size of the survey sample they are based on and methods used to generate robust national figures.</p><p> </p><p>Following a consultation at July 2012 on the future on the “Income Related Benefits: Estimates for Take-Up” National Statistics series, DWP are planning to publish Experimental Statistics on benefit take-up rates. Further details are available here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-201213-experimental" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up-201213-experimental</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In February 2012 the Department for Work and Pensions published the report “Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up in 2009-10”. The full report can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up</a></p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 08/01/2015 15:34:25 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

170549

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many liability orders for oustanding child maintenance arrears have been issued to non-resident parents in each of the last four years for which figures are available in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) England, (e) Northern Ireland, (f) each local authority area and (g) each Parliamentary constituency.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Pamela Nash
	uin	218761
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Figures on the number of liability orders granted in relation to cases administered by the Child Support Agency is published in table 17 (page 44) of the latest <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-statistics-september-2014" target="_blank">Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics</a>, which contains data up to September 2014. Information on liability orders broken down by country is not routinely recorded for management information purposes and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>We are not yet in a position to release full statistics on the 2012 Scheme, administered by the Child Maintenance Service, but when system data becomes available and fully assured they will be released as part of a managed process, which will be pre-announced and in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 18/12/2014 11:52:45 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3909 label Biography information for Pamela Nash

170790

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	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	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what safeguards are in place to ensure that a person who loses their employment and support allowance as a result of a sanction will not also lose their housing benefit because of a misunderstanding by the local authority.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	218957
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Following Matthew Oakley’s report we have implemented a number of improvements to communications to ensure that claimants understand the sanctions process and can take the necessary action.</p><p>An investigation of housing benefit with local authorities showed that the IT solution is working to specification and correct notifications are being sent. As a safeguard we have also improved guidance to ensure that staff advise all claimants, when sanctioned, to inform their local authority so that their housing benefit is not inadvertently stopped.</p><p>We will continue to monitor the position in cooperation with local authorities.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 05/01/2015 16:30:58 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

170559

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Remploy
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 4 October 2013, Official Report, column 487W, how many former Remploy workers are now in employment.
	tabling member constituency	Airdrie and Shotts
	tabling member printed	Pamela Nash
	uin	218625
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>For all disabled former Remploy workers made redundant as a result of factory closures, the Government put in place the £8 million guaranteed People Help and Support Package (PHSP). The support package provides help to each affected disabled former employee for up to 18 months from the date they left Remploy.</p><p> </p><p>Latest figures show that 1,245 former Remploy disabled workers (over 80 per cent) of the 1,507 people who were made redundant and had been supported by a Personal Case Worker were in work and/or had accessed Work Choice support. A total of 1058 jobs have been found for disabled former employees and 774 are currently in work.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 18/12/2014 17:43:56 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	3909 label Biography information for Pamela Nash

172003

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2015
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Courts: Hearing Impairment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to install fixed or mobile hearing enhancement systems in courts without such systems.
	tabling member constituency	Gillingham and Rainham
	tabling member printed	Rehman Chishti
	uin	219711
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service will make reasonable adjustments to ensure access to information and services for customers with disabilities.</p><p> </p><p>Customers are advised to contact courts if a reasonable adjustment is required. However, we are looking further at the alternative arrangements in place at courts with no hearing systems to identify whether any improvements in provision would be helpful.</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 12/01/2015 15:18:54 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
	tabling member	3987 label Biography information for Rehman Chishti

170247

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 8 December (HC Deb, col 633), what specific new steps they are taking to raise awareness of short-term benefit advances.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
	uin	HL3743
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>I refer the Noble Baroness to the oral answer given by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Rt.Hon. Iain Duncan Smith, Official Report, 8 December 2014, column 633. He set out how the Department for Work and Pensions will be doing much more to raise awareness of Short Term Benefit Advances (STBAs) as recommended by the All-Party Parliamentary inquiry and others, including the Social Security Advisory Committee. This will include providing more information to claimants about STBAs online and in Jobcentres. Staff guidance on STBAs will also be updated and staff reminded of the process for considering an STBA.</p><p> </p><p>A key part of the STBA process is a discussion between the claimant and the Decision Maker to consider the circumstances of the request and make an informed discretionary decision about the claimant’s needs. Such a discussion needs to be had with the claimant and cannot be done online or with a third party.</p><p> </p><p>Benefits are normally paid in arrears and where the Department can pay any benefit due to the claimant it does. Where an STBA can be paid it is usually paid the day after it is first requested by the claimant.</p><p> </p><p>The Government believes the current system for claiming STBAs is simple. All claimants need to do is mention to staff that they will not be able to manage until their payment is due and the STBA process will start. However, the Government has accepted the need to raise awareness of STBAs as set out above.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has made improvements to the hardship process. In July 2014 it strengthened guidance for work coaches so that all claimants are informed about how and when they can make an application for hardship payment and processing times have also been improved.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL3744 HL3745 HL3746 question first answered 17/12/2014 17:21:20 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

170793

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to make benefit claimants aware of (a) short-term benefit advances and (b) hardship payments.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	218961
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the oral answer given to him by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Official Report, 8 December 2014, column 633. The Secretary of State set out how the department will be doing more to raise awareness of Short Term Benefit Advances (STBAs). This will include providing more information to claimants about STBAs online and in Jobcentres. Staff guidance on STBAs will also be updated and staff reminded of the process for considering an STBA.</p><p>The department has already made improvements to the hardship process. In July 2014 we strengthened guidance for work coaches so that all claimants are informed about how and when they can make an application for hardship payment and processing times have also been improved.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 05/01/2015 14:00:16 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

170794

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	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	Access to Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Access to Work Workplace Mental Health Support Service is currently operating at maximum capacity of its budget; and what further steps he plans to take to ensure that that service meets the needs of people with mental health problems.
	tabling member constituency	Banff and Buchan
	tabling member printed	Dr Eilidh Whiteford
	uin	218916
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to her previous Parliamentary Question UIN number <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&amp;max=20&amp;questiontype=AllQuestions&amp;house=commons%2clords&amp;uin=218381" target="_blank">218381</a>, published on the Written Questions and Answers system on 18th December 2014.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 05/01/2015 17:54:14 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	3911 label Biography information for Dr Eilidh Whiteford

171848

	registered interest
	date	02/01/2015
	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	Atos Healthcare
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many medical examinations in disability cases dealt with by Atos required a doctor in (a) Grimsby and (b) the rest of England in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Great Grimsby
	tabling member printed	Austin Mitchell
	uin	219586
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>In 2014, there were 29,821 assessments completed nationally that required a doctor to undertake a Work Capability Assessment. 121 of these were completed for the Grimsby postcodes DN15 to DN20, DN31 to DN41 and DN55.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 09/01/2015 11:12:11 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	372 label Biography information for Austin Mitchell

171235

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	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	Children: Maintenance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of parents in the survey conducted by his Department of parents' contact with the Child Maintenance Options Service between February 2013 and March 2014 chose to make a statutory maintenance arrangement following contact with the Service; and how many children such statutory arrangements covered.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh East
	tabling member printed	Sheila Gilmore
	uin	219095
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Information around different arrangement types is under development and while not included in this publication, once assured, it will be included in future releases of this publication.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 05/01/2015 15:04:00 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3965 label Biography information for Sheila Gilmore

170792

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	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	Work Programme: Lone Parents
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many lone parents were referred to the Work Programme between June 2011 and June 2014; and how many such parents achieved a sustained job outcome.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	218962
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Information in relation to the Work Programme referrals and job outcomes by lone parent status, up to June 2014, is published and can be found at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html" target="_blank">http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html</a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance for users is available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance</a></p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 05/01/2015 13:42:34 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

170487

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	British Nationality
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants were granted British citizenship who had previously committed crimes in other countries in each year since 2010; and of what crimes those applicants had been convicted.
	tabling member constituency	Delyn
	tabling member printed	Mr David Hanson
	uin	218744
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Information on how many individuals who were granted British citizenship who <br>had previously committed crimes in other countries is not aggregated in <br>national reporting systems. This information could only be obtained by a <br>disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.<br><br>However where the Secretary of State is aware that a person has committed <br>crimes in other countries they would not normally be granted citizenship as the <br>good character requirement would not be satisfied.</p><p /> <p /> <p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 05/01/2015 11:42:37 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	533 label Biography information for David Hanson

170477

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	British Nationality
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who were granted British citizenship disclosed financial fraud in their application for citizenship.
	tabling member constituency	Delyn
	tabling member printed	Mr David Hanson
	uin	218818
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Information on how many individuals who were granted citizenship who disclosed <br>financial fraud in their application for citizenship is not aggregated in <br>national reporting systems. This information could only be obtained by a <br>disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.<br><br>However where the Secretary of State is aware that a person has practised fraud <br>they would not normally be granted citizenship as the good character <br>requirement would not be satisfied.</p><p /> <p /> <p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 05/01/2015 11:45:18 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	533 label Biography information for David Hanson

172621

	registered interest
	date	07/01/2015
	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: Kilmarnock
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for personal independence payments by residents of Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency have not been resolved within a six month period.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Cathy Jamieson
	uin	220004
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Information on personal independence payment cases registered and cleared below national level has been published and is available in the data tables which accompany the most recent release of statistics on 17 December 2014: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-october-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-october-2014</a></p><p> </p><p>The Department intends to release PIP clearance times and waiting/outstanding times statistics for the first time in March 2015, with the release pre-announced in line with UK Statistics Authority release protocols.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 12/01/2015 12:28:07 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	4011 label Biography information for Cathy Jamieson

171320

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	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	Housing Benefit
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) actual and (b) percentage change was in the number of (i) all households and (ii) working households in receipt of housing benefit in each English local authority area between April 2010 and the latest date for which figures are available.
	tabling member constituency	Westminster North
	tabling member printed	Ms Karen Buck
	uin	219195
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Information on the number of Housing Benefit (HB) recipients in each English local authority since April 2010 is published and available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk</a></p><p>Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:</p><p><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><p> </p><p>Note: the economic status of all HB recipients is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The information is only available for HB recipients whose claim is not passported: that is, for those who do not receive Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or the guarantee element of Pension Credit.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 05/01/2015 10:55:43 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	199 label Biography information for Ms Karen Buck

170791

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference in the number of short-term benefit allowance payments in 2013-14 and the number of crisis loan alignment payments in each of the previous six years.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	218964
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>It is not possible to compare the number of Short Term Benefit Advance (STBA) payments with the number of Crisis Loan alignment payments as there are a number of key differences in the respective rules and processes.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 05/01/2015 13:42:09 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

172004

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2015
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Just Solutions International
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what Just Solutions International's operating profit or loss has been in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Sadiq Khan
	uin	219755
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Just Solutions International is not a trading body but is part of the National Offender Management Service. It does not therefore make separate profits or losses.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 08/01/2015 12:23:38 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	1577 label Biography information for Sadiq Khan

172619

	registered interest
	date	07/01/2015
	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	Correspondence
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff worked on his Department's ministerial correspondence in each year since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
	tabling member printed	Cathy Jamieson
	uin	220136
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Many staff across the Department spend a proportion of their time working on ministerial correspondence.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 12/01/2015 12:18:25 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	4011 label Biography information for Cathy Jamieson

170548

	registered interest
	date	15/12/2014
	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	Written Questions
	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 savings to his Department from the Q&A system in the (a) 12 months and (b) five years since 4 June 2014; what additional ICT systems or improvements to existing systems his Department has introduced or plans to introduce that would not have been feasible without the Q&A system; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the system has made it easier to answer questions from hon. Members on time.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
	tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
	uin	218795
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>No estimate has been made of savings arising from the introduction of the Q&amp;A system. The introduction of the Q&amp;A system has had no impact on existing or planned ICT systems.</p><p> </p><p>One of the benefits of the new system is the possibility for the reporting of the timeliness of answers to Parliamentary Questions to be delivered with greater consistency and accuracy across all answering bodies. It will be for the Procedure Committee to evaluate the effectiveness of the new system in improving performance when it assesses the evidence following the end of the session.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 05/01/2015 14:07:04 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

171850

	registered interest
	date	02/01/2015
	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
	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 cost to the public purse of extending the higher rate of disability living allowance, including the Motability rate, to children under the age of three.
	tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
	tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
	uin	219599
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>No such estimate has been made.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 09/01/2015 11:03:50 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski

172616

	registered interest
	date	07/01/2015
	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	Driving: Safety
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Logistics Strategy Forum of the Health and Safety Executive has discussed driver fatigue.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
	tabling member printed	Meg Munn
	uin	220106
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>No. However, the Logistics Strategy Forum’s predecessor, the Road Distribution Action Group, which represented trade associations, trades unions and other stakeholders, expressed concerns about fatigue and sleep disorders among drivers. Their work was taken up by the Department for Transport, which leads on driver health-related issues such as driver hours, medical fitness to drive and rest facilities at the roadside.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 12/01/2015 16:51:36 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	1448 label Biography information for Meg Munn

171321

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	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	Work Capability Assessment: Highlands of Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is in Highland for people requiring an employment and support allowance work capability assessment.
	tabling member constituency	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
	tabling member printed	John Thurso
	uin	219203
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Official statistics for ESA processing times are not readily available and to provide the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>The total number of people whose Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) functional assessment has not yet been completed in the Highland Local Authority area is 1,700; of these 1,400 relate to new ESA claims.</p><p> </p><p>We have taken robust action to improve the process and are in daily contact with Atos. We are committed to putting this right.</p><p> </p><p>Atos Healthcare will continue to deliver Work Capability Assessments until they exit from the contract on 28 February 2015. The new supplier, MAXIMUS Health and Human Services, will be responsible for all service delivery from 1 March 2015 including any outstanding work carried over from Atos. The priority for MAXIMUS will be to transition the service smoothly from Atos and stabilise the service to deliver the best service possible for claimants, increase the volume of assessments carried out and reduce waiting times without compromising quality.</p><p> </p><p>The process for claimants will remain the same during the transition so they should continue to attend their assessments.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper grouped question UIN 219204 219205 219206 question first answered 05/01/2015 17:51:38 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	1399 label Biography information for Viscount Thurso

171852

	registered interest
	date	02/01/2015
	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	Atos Healthcare
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average delay has been in medical examinations of disability cases conducted by Atos in (a) Grimsby and (b) the rest of England in the last 12 months; what the main causes were of such delays; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Great Grimsby
	tabling member printed	Austin Mitchell
	uin	219585
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Official statistics for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) processing times are not readily available and to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 09/01/2015 11:08:07 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	372 label Biography information for Austin Mitchell

172258

	registered interest
	date	06/01/2015
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Secure Training Centres
	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 5 January 2015 to Question 218894, what the specific distance from home was for each of the (a) seven young people placed closer to home and (b) nine young people placed further from home.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
	tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
	uin	219897
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Overall crime and proven offending by young people has fallen in recent years. Fewer young people have entered the criminal justice system and as a result fewer people have ended up in custody. To deliver the best value for money for taxpayers we have reduced the number of youth justice places.</p><p> </p><p>Young people are placed in establishments that can most effectively manage their individual needs. Factors such as age, suitability of regime, risk of self-harm or to others, all have to be taken into account.</p><p> </p><p>Disclosure of specific information about individual offenders may lead to the identification of those offenders and a potential breach of the Data Protection Act. . The table below therefore sets out, in banded categories, the distances from home for young people placed in secure establishments following their transferral from Hassockfield Secure Training Centre;</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Table A: Table showing the banded distance from home (in miles) of the young people after the decommissioning of Hassockfield Secure Training Centre.</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Miles (banded)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of young people who were placed closer to home</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of young people who were placed further from home</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>0-50</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>2</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>51-100</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>101-150</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>151+</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>3</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong> </strong></p><p>“Home” is defined as a young person's address at the time of placement.</p><p>This data is operational and uses a calculation of distance travelled by road rather than distance as the crow flies.</p><p> </p><p>This information comes from the eAsset database, the booking system used by the YJB to place young people into custody.</p><p> </p><p>These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 09/01/2015 14:47:31 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

172257

	registered interest
	date	06/01/2015
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Secure Training Centres
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average distance from home of young people accommodated in secure training centres in each year since May 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
	tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
	uin	219898
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Overall crime and proven offending by young people has fallen in recent years. Fewer young people have entered the criminal justice system and as a result fewer young people have ended up in custody. To deliver the best value for taxpayers we have reduced the number of youth custody places.</p><p> </p><p>The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is responsible for the placement of young people in custody. Young people are placed in establishments that can most effectively manage their individual needs. While every effort is made to place young people as close to home as possible, other factors are taken into account in placement decisions, such as age, suitability of regime, risk of self-harm and the risk of harm to other.</p><p> </p><p>The YJB holds data on the distance from home of young people accommodated in Secure Training Centres and Young Offender Institutions. “Home” is defined as a young person's address at the time of placement. If no address is recorded, the address of the Youth Offending Team overseeing the young person is used as a proxy.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Table A: Average distance from home (in miles) for young people in Secure Training Centres and in Under 18 Young Offender Institutions from May 2010</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>Average Distance from Home (miles) for Young Offenders</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Secure Training Centres</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Young Offender Institutions</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May 2010 - April 2011</p></td><td><p>49</p></td><td><p>45</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May 2011 - April 2012</p></td><td><p>52</p></td><td><p>50</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May 2012 - April 2013</p></td><td><p>51</p></td><td><p>51</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May 2013 - April 2014</p></td><td><p>54</p></td><td><p>50</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Data from April 2012 has been taken from eAsset, the booking system used by the Youth Justice Board for England &amp; Wales to place young people in to custody. Data prior to April 2012 comes from the Youth Justice Board’s Secure Accommodation Clearing House System, the booking system used prior to eAsset.</p><p> </p><p>This data is based on 12 monthly snapshots of the custodial population, taken on the last Friday of the month or first Friday of the following month, depending on which is nearer to the actual month end.</p><p> </p><p>These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.</p><p> </p><p>Data from April 2013 is provisional. The figures for the 2013/14 financial year will be finalised in the 2013/14 Youth Justice Statistics on 29th January 2015 and the figures for the 2014/15 financial year will be finalised in the 2014/15 Youth Justice Statistics which are anticipated for publication in January 2016.</p> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous grouped question UIN 219900 question first answered 09/01/2015 14:44:55 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
	tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

172015

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2015
	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
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2014 to Question 204224, whether the introduction of personal independence payment is on time and on budget.
	tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
	tabling member printed	Kate Green
	uin	219703
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Personal independence payment (PIP) was introduced for new claimants from April 2013 in line with published plans. We are still on course to have completed the process of having invited all eligible disability living allowance claimants to claim PIP by late 2017 in line with expectations. PIP delivery to date has been achieved within the available budgets set for it by DWP.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 08/01/2015 17:33:17 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

170773

	registered interest
	date	16/12/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Temporary Employment
	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 clerical agency staff in each month since July 2014.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Sadiq Khan
	uin	218950
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/01/2015 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.</p><p> </p><p>1) The following amounts (exclusive of VAT) have been spent on clerical agency staff across -</p><p> </p><p>July 2014 - £3,421,108.62 (5 week period)</p><p>August 2014 - £2,711,052.38 (4 week period)</p><p>September 2014 - £2,946,902.62 (4 week period)</p><p>October 2014 - £4,060,595.46 (5 week period)</p><p>November 2014 - £3,082,356.77 (4 week period)</p><p> </p><p>2) The following number of clerical agency staff have been utilised –</p><p> </p><p>July 2014 - 2117 (Actual)</p><p>August 2014 - 2129 (Actual)</p><p>September 2014 - 2271 (Actual)</p><p>October 2014 - 2509 (Actual)</p><p>November 2014 - 2257 (Actual)</p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara grouped question UIN 219185 question first answered 06/01/2015 17:23:33 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
	tabling member	1577 label Biography information for Sadiq Khan

172449

	registered interest
	date	07/01/2015
	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	Work Programme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the staff in his Department responsible for the Work Programme are divided between those dealing with contracting and those dealing with performance; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that division on his Department's efficiency.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	219991
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Staff responsible for commercial and performance aspects of the Work Programme are part of the Department’s Finance Group. Commercial staff work closely alongside Performance staff who focus their activities on further driving up performance with those suppliers. This approach allows greater flexibility and efficiency in deploying staff across the Department’s portfolio of contracts. This approach fits with best practice endorsed by Cabinet Office.</p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 12/01/2015 14:16:06 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

171689

	registered interest
	date	18/12/2014
	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	State Retirement Pensions: Scotland
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Scottish pensioners in each local authority area were entitled to receive the basic state pension in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15; and how many such people are expected to receive basic state pension in 2015-16.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh West
	tabling member printed	Mike Crockart
	uin	219394
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Statistics for numbers in receipt of State Pension are available from 100% data and are published on the Department’s website at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/sp/tabtool_sp.html" target="_blank">http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/sp/tabtool_sp.html</a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance for users is available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance</a></p><p> </p><p>Information is not available on the number of people entitled but who have not claimed their State Pension or how many people in each local authority area are expected to receive it in 2015-16.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 05/01/2015 11:02:41 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3967 label Biography information for Mike Crockart

171230

	registered interest
	date	17/12/2014
	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: Clwyd
	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 have been in receipt of employment and support allowance for more than one year in the Vale of Clwyd in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	219131
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Statistics on the number of Employment and Support Allowance claimants are published at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool</a></p><p> </p><p>Guidance for users is available at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance</a></p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 05/01/2015 11:54:41 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane