10 0 232 2014-02-27 false HL5681 Biography information for Lord Jopling 92 House of Lords 2 Leader of the House of Lords 2014-03-13T12:00:00.00Z Lord Hill of Oareford false 2014-03-13 Biography information for Lord Hill of Oareford <p>Of the 13 questions to the Ministry of Justice that remained unanswered after 10 working days on 27 February, all but one have now been answered. <br><br>I take the matter of late answers to Questions for Written Answer very seriously. My office reviews the &lsquo;Questions unanswered after 10 working days&rsquo; in <em>House of Lords Business </em>every day. As soon as a question appears in this section of <em>House of Lords Business</em>, my office contacts the relevant department&rsquo;s Parliamentary Team, and they remain in contact with the Parliamentary Team and the Minister&rsquo;s Private Office until the question is answered. <br><br>I have also recently taken the opportunity to discuss the need for timely answers with members of the front bench in this House.</p><p> </p> Lord Jopling To ask the Leader of the House what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Ministry of Justice with regard to the 13 questions asked of that department out of the 27 which remained unanswered after 10 working days on 27 February. false To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what criteria the IPSA Contingency Panel used to grant uplifts to hon. Members' staffing expenditure budgets in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14. 190930 1 Sir Bob Russell Colchester Speaker's Committee for Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority 90 Biography information for Sir Bob Russell 2014-03-06 2014-03-18T12:00:00.00Z Broxbourne Mr Charles Walker false 2014-03-18 Biography information for Sir Charles Walker <p>The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.</p><p><em>Letter from Andrew McDonald, 3/10/2014 2013:</em></p><blockquote><p>As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA's Contingency Panel.</p><p>The rules concerning the Contingency Panel are set out at Paragraph 10.12 of the MPs' Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses.</p><p>They set out that in relation to each application the Contingency Panel will consider:</p><p>a. whether there are exceptional circumstances warranting additional support;</p><p>b. whether the MP could reasonably have been expected to take any action to avoid the circumstances which gave rise to the expenditure or liability; and</p><p>c. whether the MP's performance of parliamentary functions will be significantly impaired by a refusal of the claim.</p><p>Given the significant increase in staffing budgets made in 2012/13, we have not provided contingency funding for MPs' staffing expenditure budgets on the basis of increased casework in 2013/14.</p></blockquote> House of Commons 2014-03-18T12:00:00.00Z Broxbourne Mr Charles Walker false 2014-03-18 <p>The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.</p><p><em>Letter from Andrew McDonald, 3/10/2014 2013:</em></p><blockquote><p>As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA's Contingency Panel.</p><p>In 2012/13 the highest uplift approved by the Contingency Panel was £13,909 and the lowest was £600.</p><p>In 2013/14 to date, the highest has been £17,900 and the lowest £600.</p><p> </p><p>These figures do not include other uplifts to provide cover for staff on maternity, paternity, adoption and long term sick leave.</p></blockquote><p> </p> 90 2014-03-06 1 To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the (a) highest and (b) lowest uplift allocated to hon. Members' staff expenditure budgets was in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14 to date. Colchester Speaker's Committee for Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority 190931 false Sir Bob Russell Mr Clive Betts 2014-02-26T12:00:00.00Z Yeovil Mr David Laws false 2014-02-26 Biography information for Mr David Laws <p>We are working very closely with other departments, including the Cabinet Office and the Department for Work and Pensions, to simplify free school meals criteria under universal credit, while ensuring that free lunches continue to be available to the families who need them most. These discussions, which include consideration of a phased implementation timetable, are in recognition of the significant number and complexity of passported benefits across Government, most of which have different eligibility criteria.</p><p>We will allow good time to enable schools, local authorities and children's charities to comment on our proposals before we introduce new entitlement criteria for free school meals under universal credit.</p><p> </p> 1 Sheffield South East 60 153906 Biography information for Mr Clive Betts To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to consult on eligibility for free school meals ahead of the introduction of universal credit. false 2013-05-08 Department for Education Biography information for Andy Sawford To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he expects to make an announcement on the City Deal bid submitted by Milton Keynes Council. Deputy Prime Minister 187970 Corby 2014-02-11 Andy Sawford 58 1 false 2014-03-03T12:00:00.00Z Tunbridge Wells Greg Clark false 2014-03-03 Biography information for Greg Clark <p>Discussions with Milton Keynes Council and the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership are ongoing on both a City Deal and a Local Growth Deal.</p><p> </p> Dr Thérèse Coffey Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey 58 1 Suffolk Coastal Deputy Prime Minister false 2014-03-03T12:00:00.00Z Tunbridge Wells Greg Clark false 2014-03-03 <p>The A3 format was selected following the Electoral Commission&rsquo;s recommendation. </p><p>The Government is committed to meeting reasonable costs incurred by local authorities in the transition to individual electoral registration and will publish figures once they are finalised.</p><p> </p> 188934 To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what estimate he has made of the additional costs to be reimbursed to local authorities for the transition of voter registration forms from A4 size to A3. 2014-02-24 Colchester Sir Bob Russell 2014-02-24 189252 To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what progress he has made on identifying areas not included in the first or second wave of the City Deals programme as eligible for subsequent initiatives. 2014-03-03T12:00:00.00Z Tunbridge Wells Greg Clark false 2014-03-03 <p>Building on the successes of City Deals, all 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) have been invited to develop Strategic Economic Plans to set out what needs to be done to boost growth in their area. </p><p>As part of each Strategic Economic Plan, a Growth Deal bid is being developed for negotiation with central government for the allocation of the Local Growth Fund.</p><p>The Local Growth Fund will be at least &pound;2 billion a year from 2015/16. As a result of this, all parts of England are able to access and benefit from this initiative.</p><p> </p> false 1 Deputy Prime Minister 58 1 To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, which organisations received funding from the Innovations Fund as part of the Democratic Engagement Programme; how much each such organisation received; and what the time period is for their projects. 58 189479 2014-02-25 Mr David Blunkett Biography information for Lord Blunkett false Deputy Prime Minister 2014-03-03T12:00:00.00Z Tunbridge Wells Greg Clark false 2014-03-03 <p>The government has announced that 5 national organisations have received funding as part of the measures to maximise registration. Details of the allocation of funding can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/funding-for-new-ways-to-encourage-voter-registration" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/funding-for-new-ways-to-encourage-voter-registration</a></p><p>These organisations are expected to deliver projects by the end of July.</p><p> </p> Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough Chris Ruane Vale of Clwyd 2014-03-05T12:00:00.00Z Tunbridge Wells Greg Clark false 2014-03-05 <p> </p><p>The Government announced in 2013 that Electoral Registration Officers will be able to impose a civil penalty on individuals who fail to make an application to register to vote when required to do so, in line with the provisions of the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013, and the subordinate legislation made under that Act.</p><p> </p><p>In particular, Electoral Registration Officers will be required to take specific steps to encourage a registration before they can issue a notice of requirement to register; they will then have discretion to impose the penalty for failing to comply with the requirement. </p><p> </p><p>The level of the civil penalty has been set by the regulations at &pound;80.</p><p> </p> 2014-02-25 189413 Biography information for Chris Ruane 1 To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2013, Official Report, column 392W on electoral register, when he will decide on the level of fine for not returning an electoral registration form; and when such fines will be able to be levied. 58 false Deputy Prime Minister 2014-03-03T12:00:00.00Z Tunbridge Wells Greg Clark false 2014-03-03 <p>A full report evaluating pilots testing data matching for the purposes of identifying new electors was published in July 2013. The report can be accessed at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223850/Data_Mining_Evaluation_FULL_Report_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223850/Data_Mining_Evaluation_FULL_Report_FINAL.pdf</a></p><p> </p> 2014-02-25 1 false Vale of Clwyd 58 Chris Ruane Deputy Prime Minister 189412 To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he will publish the full report on the data matching pilots for individual electoral registration. 1