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100843

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	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	Social Services: 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 assessment his Department has made of the merits of HM Revenue and Customs launching pro-active investigations into the non-payment of the national minimum wage.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	211865
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government has not undertaken a formal assessment of the merits of pro-active investigations but believes they are an important part of enforcement.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>HMRC published findings from their targeted social care evaluation on 25 November 2013. Over the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013, HMRC had made enquiries into 224 employers in the social care sector. Of the cases completed by the end of September 2014, HMRC have found non-compliance in 108 (48%) of their enquiries, identifying £1,319,729 arrears of pay for 6,550 workers, with penalties issued with a total value of £146,931.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As part of this targeted enforcement activity, HMRC have collaborated with care sector representative bodies to improve understanding of compliance risks and design controls within payroll systems that prevent workers being underpaid the minimum wage.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department of Health has recently published statutory guidance for local authorities as part of the package of secondary legislation that accompanies the Care Act. The chapter of statutory guidance on commissioning and market shaping explicitly states that local authorities should have evidence that contract terms, conditions and fee levels will not compromise care providers’ ability to pay at least minimum wages. A copy of the guidance can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-2014-statutory-guidance-for-implementation" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-2014-statutory-guidance-for-implementation</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department of Health is asking all Local Authorities to sign up to the Social Care Commitment which incorporates a statement about employer compliance with minimum wage legislation. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has written out to all its members encouraging them to support the Commitment as a way of raising standards in adult social care.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We regularly update our Guidance on Gov.UK and we will continue to work with the sector to improve understanding and compliance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should call the Pay &amp; Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368. HM Revenue &amp; Customs investigate all complaints.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 03/11/2014 11:47:07 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

100861

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage infrastructure-based competition across the market for high-speed broadband connections; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	211867
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>The UK has a highly competitive broadband market. Superfast broadband is currently available to 78% of UK premises, up from 45% in 2010. In addition to BT, KCom and Virgin Media, a growing number of both fixed and wireless providers are making infrastructure investments. In September 2012 the Government announced a package of measures to reduce the barriers to deployment of superfast broadband, reducing red tape and bureaucracy to enable communications providers to deploy competing networks. The Digital Communications Infrastructure Strategy consultation invited industry to submit views on what more the Government might do to support infrastructure deployment. That consultation closed on 1 October and the Government is currently considering the responses received.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 30/10/2014 11:22:39 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

100862

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will co-operate with the Department for Communities and Local Government over potential actions to reduce the costs associated with planning regulations and other barriers in relation to the rollout of high-speed broadband.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	211848
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>DCMS worked closely with Communities and Local Government, industry and other interested parties to design and implement in 2013 a significant and substantial package of planning relaxations in England. The changes support the roll out of fixed line high-speed broadband in protected areas*, and high-speed mobile broadband (4G) in protected and unprotected areas by removing the need to seek planning permission for specified developments. This year, joint working with Communities and Local Government has continued, together with house builders and communications providers, to develop an action plan to ensure that new developments have access to superfast broadband.</p><p> </p><p>*(National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, World Heritage Site, Norfolk and Suffolk Broads and Conservation Areas but not Sites of Special Scientific Interest)</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 30/10/2014 11:24:19 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

100863

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Broadband
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will hold discussions with local authorities to encourage uptake of narrow trenching techniques in order to lower deployment costs for high-speed broadband connections and expedite its rollout to more homes and businesses.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	211849
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2014 answer text <p>We encourage and support a range of innovative approaches in street works, particularly where these can lower the cost and speed up deployment of superfast broadband. The standards that street works reinstatements must meet are set out in the statutory code, the Specification of the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways (SROH). SROH sets out a range of deployment methods and approved materials that undertakers can use when carrying out street works, including narrow trenching and the use of foamed concrete as a reinstatement material.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 30/10/2014 11:25:18 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

100317

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Carer's Allowance
	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 make it his policy to link an increase of the earnings threshold for carer's allowance to the rise in the National Minimum Wage.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	211436
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The earnings threshold in Carer’s Allowance is regularly reviewed. It is designed to enable carers to maintain a link with the labour market and achieve greater financial independence. It is increased periodically, most recently from £100 to £102 on 20 May 2014.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 29/10/2014 17:42:37 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

100407

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2014
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	Social Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2014 to Question 209199, what research his Department has (a) conducted and (b) considered on (i) the effect of treatment of staff on standards of care and (ii) the relationship between levels of pay and quality of social care services.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	211548
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>The Department has not conducted any recent research on the effect of treatment of staff on standards of care and on the relationship between levels of pay and quality of social care services.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As part of the development of Caring for our Future white paper in 2011, the Department undertook extensive engagement with both service users and carers who highlighted range of issues they felt needed addressing to ensure high quality care and support is available. In addressing this, the Department, working with the Sector Skills Council - Skills for Care - and other partners, has implemented a range of policies that has included setting out clear minimum training standards, recruiting more apprentices and supporting the transformation of the social work profession.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Norfolk answering member printed Norman Lamb question first answered 29/10/2014 14:27:48 answering member 1439 label Biography information for Norman Lamb
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

100420

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2014
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	Social Services: Pay
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many meetings officials of his Department have had with officials of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the naming and shaming of social care providers who do not comply with National Minimum Wage legislation; and when he expects such social care providers to be named and shamed for such non-compliance.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	211603
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2014 answer text <p>During the course of this year, officials from the Department of Health and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BiS) have formally met once for policy discussions on the issue of non-compliance of social care employers with National Minimum Wage legislation. I have also recently written to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Employment Relations (Jo Swinson) on this subject.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The new scheme making it easier to name and shame employers who do not comply with National Minimum Wage legislation came into effect from October 2013 and applies to investigations initiated after that date. HM Revenue and Customs leads on the conduct of investigations and makes recommendations to BiS Ministers on the issue of naming employers found to be in breach. The timing of any naming of social care providers is therefore dependent on the outcome of investigations, and will follow where appropriate.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Norfolk answering member printed Norman Lamb question first answered 29/10/2014 14:40:50 answering member 1439 label Biography information for Norman Lamb
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham