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174488

	registered interest
	date	19/01/2015
	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, on what basis the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Barthélemy, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia are excluded from his calculations for the purposes of establishing the average mean winter temperature for France in connection with winter fuel payments.
	tabling member constituency	North Thanet
	tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
	uin	221255
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p> </p><p>The French Government and European Union law makes a distinction between the <em>pays et territoires d’outre-mer</em> (PTOM) and the <em>départements d’outre mer (DOMs). </em>The PTOM include Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Barthélémy, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia. These territories benefit from association with the EU but community law does not generally apply. With the exception of Saint- Barthélémy they have their own social protection schemes and are legally and financially autonomous. UK Winter Fuel Payments are not paid to residents in the PTOMs.</p><p> </p><p>The French Government treats its DOMs as integral parts of the French State and they are subject to the application of EU social security co-ordination regulations. Winter Fuel Payments are payable to residents in the DOMs, however this will end from September 2015.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 22/01/2015 12:35:10 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

173675

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2015
	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, what guidance his Department has issued on the treatment in the criminal treatment system of women experiencing domestic violence.
	tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
	tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
	uin	220702
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Domestic abuse is the worst possible violation of the trust that those in close relationships place in one another. That is why tackling domestic violence and abuse has been one of this Government’s top priorities. We are committed to ensuring that victims of this serious crime are considered in all aspects of the criminal justice system, and supported appropriately.</p><p> </p><p>The Victims’ Code was implemented in December 2013. It sets out to criminal justice agencies the enhanced services and support they must provide to victims of the most serious crimes, including victims of domestic violence. This includes providing information on pre-trial therapy and counselling and referral to specialist organisations for support.</p><p>As part of the current pilot of adult out-of-court disposals, the Ministry of Justice has issued guidance to the three participating police forces (Staffordshire, West Yorkshire, and Leicestershire) setting out how the framework should be used for low-level offences involving domestic violence. The guidance imposes a number of restrictions on the forces and requires them to obtain the victim’s consent for the matter to be dealt with out of court.</p><p>In addition, the National Offender Management Service’s framework <em>Supporting Women offenders who have experienced domestic or sexual violence</em>, published in September 2011, is designed to provide guidance to those working with female offenders in custody and the community. The framework intends to ensure that interventions and services take place within an environment in which women who have been victims of domestic violence are able to both disclose abuse and receive support and advice in a safe, female only environment.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to these pieces of guidance, my Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department has issued the <em>Violence Against Women and Girls Action Plan</em>, which sets out the Government’s approach to tackling domestic violence and abuse, and is supported by guidance to victims, their friends, families, employers and colleagues.</p> answering member constituency Hemel Hempstead answering member printed Mike Penning question first answered 19/01/2015 17:40:36 answering member 1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning
	tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

173571

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2015
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many recipients of the Winter Fuel Payment are higher rate taxpayers.
	tabling member printed	Lord Tyler
	uin	HL4131
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments is based on female State Pension age. The latest estimates we have show that there are currently around 600,000 higher and additional rate taxpayers in Great Britain in 2014/15 who are above the female State Pension age and therefore qualify for Winter Fuel Payments<sup>1</sup>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We ask people who want to return their payment to do so by post so that it can be dealt with securely under existing Departmental financial processes and recorded against their Winter Fuel Payment account. We also ask for a covering letter indicating whether or not they wish us to continue to issue payments in future years.</p><p> </p><p>Returned payments should be sent to the address on the issuing letter or to the office that pays the claimant’s benefit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The latest estimates we have show that treating Winter Fuel Payments as taxable income would bring in around £250 million a year of additional revenue<sup>2</sup>.</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p>1. This estimate is based on the 2011/12 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR’s November 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.</p><p>The estimate uses ONS population projections at mid year 2012 adjusted for financial years.</p><p>The estimate is rounded to the nearest 100,000.</p><p> </p><p>2. This estimate is based on DWP modelling using HMRC taxpayer data from November 2012 and Winter Fuel Payment caseload data from Winter 2013.</p><p>This takes into account revenue from Basic, Higher and Additional rate taxpayers.</p><p>Winter Fuel Payment rates are assumed to be £200 per year for recipients under 80 and £300 a year for recipients aged 80 and over.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL4132 HL4133 question first answered 26/01/2015 12:13:04 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	225 label Biography information for Lord Tyler

174820

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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, pursuant to the Answer to Question 220107, if he will make it his policy to exclude 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	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	221473
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>It is the French Government that defines itself as the mainland and its outermost regions, and as such are included in the EU social security co-ordination regulations, used and applied by all member states.</p><p> </p><p>It is because of this that the French Overseas Departments<em> (départments d’outre mer</em> or DOMs) are treated in the same way as mainland France with regard to Winter Fuel Payments, which are currently made to those entitled who live there. Therefore, the hotter French Overseas Departments have to be included in the calculation of the average temperature of France. We are being consistent with our policy approach.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 23/01/2015 11:29:58 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

173680

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2015
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Family Courts: Domestic Abuse
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what practice directions are in place on the allocation of judges in civic and family courts to domestic violence cases; and how many judges on average are involved in such cases.
	tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
	tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
	uin	220701
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The allocation of judges in Family Court cases involving domestic violence is governed by Part 5 of the Family Court (Composition and Distribution of Business) Rules 2014, which came into force on 22nd April 2014.</p><p><a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/840/part/5/made" target="_blank">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/840/part/5/made</a></p><p>The allocation process for applications and proceedings in domestic violence cases (set out in Part 5 of the Rules) is governed by whether the application is being brought under Part 4 of the Family Law Act 1996.</p><p>Domestic violence cases brought to the Family Court under Part 4 of the Family Law Act 1996 can therefore be heard by any judge sitting in the Family Court. We do not collect data on how many of the Family Court judges are involved in domestic violence cases.</p><p>Practice Direction 12J (Child Arrangements and Contact Orders: Domestic Violence and Harm) sets out what the Family Court should do in any case in which it is “alleged or admitted, or there is other reason to believe, that the child or a party has experienced domestic violence or abuse perpetrated by another party or that there is a risk of such violence or abuse”;</p><p><a href="https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/family/practice_directions/pd_part_12j" target="_blank">https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/family/practice_directions/pd_part_12j</a></p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 19/01/2015 17:11:43 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
	tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

174817

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	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, if he will take steps to ensure that UK pensioners living in France receive winter fuel payments when the temperature where they live is below freezing.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Selly Oak
	tabling member printed	Steve McCabe
	uin	221343
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Winter Fuel Payments are intended to give older people in the UK reassurance that they can keep warm during cold weather. Winter Fuel Payments are payable to UK pensioners in France, however this will end from September 2015. Winter Fuel Payments are not triggered by temperature either in the UK or abroad.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 23/01/2015 11:24:30 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	298 label Biography information for Steve McCabe

173572

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2015
	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: Repayments
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so how, recipients of the Winter Fuel Payment may return their payment to the Treasury.
	tabling member printed	Lord Tyler
	uin	HL4132
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>Eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments is based on female State Pension age. The latest estimates we have show that there are currently around 600,000 higher and additional rate taxpayers in Great Britain in 2014/15 who are above the female State Pension age and therefore qualify for Winter Fuel Payments<sup>1</sup>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We ask people who want to return their payment to do so by post so that it can be dealt with securely under existing Departmental financial processes and recorded against their Winter Fuel Payment account. We also ask for a covering letter indicating whether or not they wish us to continue to issue payments in future years.</p><p> </p><p>Returned payments should be sent to the address on the issuing letter or to the office that pays the claimant’s benefit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The latest estimates we have show that treating Winter Fuel Payments as taxable income would bring in around £250 million a year of additional revenue<sup>2</sup>.</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p>1. This estimate is based on the 2011/12 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR’s November 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.</p><p>The estimate uses ONS population projections at mid year 2012 adjusted for financial years.</p><p>The estimate is rounded to the nearest 100,000.</p><p> </p><p>2. This estimate is based on DWP modelling using HMRC taxpayer data from November 2012 and Winter Fuel Payment caseload data from Winter 2013.</p><p>This takes into account revenue from Basic, Higher and Additional rate taxpayers.</p><p>Winter Fuel Payment rates are assumed to be £200 per year for recipients under 80 and £300 a year for recipients aged 80 and over.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL4131 HL4133 question first answered 26/01/2015 12:13:04 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	225 label Biography information for Lord Tyler

173573

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2015
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the revenues which would be realised by applying income tax to Winter Fuel Payments.
	tabling member printed	Lord Tyler
	uin	HL4133
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2015 answer text <p>Eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments is based on female State Pension age. The latest estimates we have show that there are currently around 600,000 higher and additional rate taxpayers in Great Britain in 2014/15 who are above the female State Pension age and therefore qualify for Winter Fuel Payments<sup>1</sup>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We ask people who want to return their payment to do so by post so that it can be dealt with securely under existing Departmental financial processes and recorded against their Winter Fuel Payment account. We also ask for a covering letter indicating whether or not they wish us to continue to issue payments in future years.</p><p> </p><p>Returned payments should be sent to the address on the issuing letter or to the office that pays the claimant’s benefit.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The latest estimates we have show that treating Winter Fuel Payments as taxable income would bring in around £250 million a year of additional revenue<sup>2</sup>.</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p>1. This estimate is based on the 2011/12 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR’s November 2014 economic and fiscal outlook.</p><p>The estimate uses ONS population projections at mid year 2012 adjusted for financial years.</p><p>The estimate is rounded to the nearest 100,000.</p><p> </p><p>2. This estimate is based on DWP modelling using HMRC taxpayer data from November 2012 and Winter Fuel Payment caseload data from Winter 2013.</p><p>This takes into account revenue from Basic, Higher and Additional rate taxpayers.</p><p>Winter Fuel Payment rates are assumed to be £200 per year for recipients under 80 and £300 a year for recipients aged 80 and over.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud grouped question UIN HL4131 HL4132 question first answered 26/01/2015 12:13:05 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	225 label Biography information for Lord Tyler

173956

	registered interest
	date	15/01/2015
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Stalking
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what the sex was of the (a) complainant and (b) defendant in each of the cases of stalking brought since the implementation of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012; and what the outcome was in each such case.
	tabling member constituency	Shipley
	tabling member printed	Philip Davies
	uin	220996
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text <blockquote><p> </p><p>The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain a central record of the sex of either complainants or defendants prosecuted in cases where charges of stalking under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 have been brought. Obtaining this information would require a manual review of individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p></blockquote> answering member constituency South Swindon answering member printed Mr Robert Buckland question first answered 21/01/2015 14:32:42 answering member 4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland
	tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

174260

	registered interest
	date	16/01/2015
	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	Local Housing Allowance
	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 has taken to ensure that the shared accommodation rate reflects the real cost of renting shared accommodation.
	tabling member constituency	Cambridge
	tabling member printed	Dr Julian Huppert
	uin	221129
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p><strong> </strong></p><p>Currently, increases to Local Housing Allowance rates are limited to one per cent. However, in areas where there have been the greatest divergences, we are increasing rates by up to 4 per cent subject to the funding available. In 2014/15, this meant that 56 out of the 192 Shared Accommodation Rates were increased by 4 per cent. In 2015/16, we will be increasing 63 out of the 192 Shared Accommodation Rates by 4 per cent.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 21/01/2015 15:21:43 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3931 label Biography information for Dr Julian Huppert