Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

420942

registered interest
date	13/10/2015
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Minimum Wage: Productivity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect on productivity of increasing the minimum wage.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Owen Smith
uin	11770
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2015 answer text <p>The Government will publish a full Impact Assessment alongside draft regulations to implement the National Living Wage.</p><p>As noted in Summer Budget 2015, at a firm level there is some evidence that previous increases in minimum wages in low paying firms may have been associated with increases in productivity.</p><p>Additionally, the Office for Budget Responsibility has published an estimate of the aggregate impact on productivity due to compositional change in the economy. They estimate an increase in hourly productivity in 2020 of 0.3 percentage points through this mechanism.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 22/10/2015 14:14:39 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	4042 label Biography information for Owen Smith

420946

registered interest
date	13/10/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Pensions: Advisory Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to promote Pension Wise.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Owen Smith
uin	11777
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2015 answer text <p>The government launched a comprehensive nationwide marketing campaign in late August. This will ensure that more people are aware of Pension Wise, of how it can help them, and that they can – and do – access high-quality, impartial guidance on making the most of the new pension flexibilities.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 21/10/2015 13:42:05 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
tabling member	4042 label Biography information for Owen Smith

420973

registered interest
date	13/10/2015
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
hansard heading	Debts
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the level of problem debt in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Owen Smith
uin	11776
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2015 answer text <p>The Office for National Statistics does not publish data on problem debt in the UK. According to the latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics, unsecured debt as a proportion of income currently stands at 37 per cent in Q2 2015, down from its pre-crisis peak of 46 per cent in Q1 2007.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 21/10/2015 13:40:30 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
tabling member	4042 label Biography information for Owen Smith

421194

registered interest
date	13/10/2015
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	Support for Mortgage Interest
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what specific guidance and advice his Department will be issuing to pensioners on the change in the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme from a benefit to an interest-bearing loan.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Owen Smith
uin	11764
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2015 answer text <p>The Department will be ensure that impartial advice is provided to all claimants, including pensioners, on taking out a loan. This will ensure that all claimants are able to make informed decisions about taking a SMI loan.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 19/10/2015 13:03:54 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4042 label Biography information for Owen Smith

421195

registered interest
date	13/10/2015
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Young People: Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to improve rates of pay for people aged under 25.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Owen Smith
uin	11768
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2015 answer text <p>The priority for younger workers is to gain skills and experience and to secure work. This is already reflected in the National Minimum Wage rate structure, where the youth rate is currently £1.40 lower than the adult rate. This reflects that wages tend to increase through the early 20s, as workers gain more experience. Youth unemployment is higher compared to those over 25.</p><p>The wages of younger workers will continue to be underpinned by the National Minimum Wage as recommended by the Low Pay Commission at the highest possible level without affecting employment.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 22/10/2015 14:12:31 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	4042 label Biography information for Owen Smith

421196

registered interest
date	13/10/2015
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	Housing Benefit: Expenditure
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 spent on housing benefit between 2010 and 2015.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Owen Smith
uin	11765
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2015 answer text <p>Housing Benefit expenditure information is available in our Benefit Expenditure tables which can be found at: <br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015</a></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 19/10/2015 12:58:37 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4042 label Biography information for Owen Smith

421197

registered interest
date	13/10/2015
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	Support for Mortgage Interest
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners will lose money as a result of changing the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme from a benefit to an interest-bearing loan; and what the average annual loss will be for such pensioners.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Owen Smith
uin	11761
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2015 answer text All SMI claimants, including pensioners, will continue to receive the same level of support as now towards their mortgage interest when it becomes a loan. As a result no claimants, including pensioners, will receive less in SMI payments than they would now. answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 19/10/2015 12:50:27 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4042 label Biography information for Owen Smith

421198

registered interest
date	13/10/2015
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	Social Security Benefits: Mental Health
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what processes and procedures are in place when benefit claimants report having suicidal thoughts.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Owen Smith
uin	11775
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes seriously any declarations of intention to attempt suicide or self harm that are made by its customers. There is a clear, detailed action plan that staff must follow if a customer declares an intention to kill or harm themselves. DWP also provides guidance to help its staff deal with these incidents. The policy, procedures and guidance are reviewed regularly to ensure that they continue to meet their objectives and to identify areas for improvement.</p> answering member constituency Witham answering member printed Priti Patel question first answered 16/10/2015 13:07:53 answering member 4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel
tabling member	4042 label Biography information for Owen Smith

421199

registered interest
date	13/10/2015
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	Support for Mortgage Interest
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 length of time is that pensioners currently in receipt of the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme have been claiming that benefit.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Owen Smith
uin	11762
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2015 answer text <p>A reliable estimate is not available. Consistent data on SMI claims has only been collected since 1996 and durations of claims starting before then cannot be calculated.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 20/10/2015 13:11:25 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4042 label Biography information for Owen Smith

421200

registered interest
date	13/10/2015
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	Support for Mortgage Interest
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the level of administration fees and interest charges to pensioners under the Support for Mortgage Interest loan scheme.
tabling member constituency	Pontypridd
tabling member printed	Owen Smith
uin	11763
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/10/2015 answer text <p>The interest rate charged on the loans will be tied to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) forecast for gilts rates, so that the interest reflects the government cost of borrowing.</p><p>The rate will be updated every 6 months and is forecast to be 2.9% in 2018/19. (OBR forecast Budget 2015).</p><p>The fees charged will reflect the forecast average cost of administering the loans scheme. Until a provider has been appointed it is not possible to state what those fees might be.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 19/10/2015 14:47:47 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	4042 label Biography information for Owen Smith