UK Ministers have repeatedly called for a level playing field for the beet and cane sugar sectors and argued that it is essential that refiners have access to sufficient quantities of cane at tariff levels which allow them to compete fairly. This was discussed at the Agriculture Council in January.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/15", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir David Lidington"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Aylesbury"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr David Lidington"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-07-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-07-01T16:37:13.927Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2015-06-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Sugar: Import Duties"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his contribution of 9 June 2015, Official Report, column 1056, what progress he has made on raising the question of import duties imposed on cane sugar with his EU counterparts.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/163", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Ham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Stephen Timms"} ], "uin" : "4468"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/385999", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/385999/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
<\/strong><\/p> The information available is shown in the table below:<\/p> Employment and Support Allowance caseload by phase of claim: November 2014.<\/p> <\/p><\/td> <\/p><\/td> <\/p> Phase of ESA claim<\/p><\/td><\/tr> <\/strong><\/p><\/td> Support Group<\/p><\/td> Work Related Activity Group<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Specific Development Disorders of Scholastic Skills<\/p><\/td> 48,750<\/p><\/td> 10,650<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table> Source: DWP 100% data<\/p> <\/strong><\/p> Notes:<\/p> New claims for Disability Living Allowance can only be made on behalf of children under the age of 16. Child claimants are not required to be assessed by an independent health professional. Currently over 95% of claims, excepting those fast tracked under the special rules for people with a terminal illness, are currently being cleared within 40 days<\/p> <\/p> Over the course of 2014 and 2015 the Department and the independent assessment providers have taken measures to improve waiting times for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments, for example: quadrupling the number of health professionals; increasing the number of paper-based assessment; opening more assessment centres; and improving processes and delivery mechanisms and claimant communications. As a result of these improvements, the average time taken for a claimant to be assessed by an assessment provider has fallen by more than three quarters since June 2014. In April 2015, the average new claimant was waiting five weeks for their PIP assessment and the average reassessment claimant was waiting four weeks.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4105", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Justin Tomlinson"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Swindon"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Justin Tomlinson"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-07-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-07-01T14:43:31.02Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-06-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Social Security Benefits: Learning Disability"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken for (a) disability living allowance and (b) personal independence payment assessments for people with a learning disability.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/163", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Ham"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Stephen Timms"}
], "uin" : "4415"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/386001", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/386001/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The information is not available.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4066", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Priti Patel"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Witham"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Priti Patel"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-07-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "4240"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-07-01T15:46:45.68Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-06-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Jobseeker's Allowance: Learning Disability"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with a learning disability are currently claiming jobseeker's allowance.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/163", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Ham"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Stephen Timms"}
], "uin" : "4413"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/386002", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/386002/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Court rejected two of the three legal grounds brought by the claimants, finding that their human rights had not been breached and not awarding damages.<\/p> <\/p> Where the Court found that the historic delay for the two claimants was unlawful, they also ruled that they are not \u201ctest cases\u201d and it would be inappropriate to make wider findings.<\/p> <\/p> The Court accepted that the Government had made significant improvements to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) process and there are now no inherent failings in the system.<\/p> <\/p> As a result of these improvements, the average time taken for a claimant to be assessed by an assessment provider has fallen by more than three quarters since June 2014. In April 2015, the average reassessment claimant was waiting four weeks for their PIP assessment \u2013 well within the 16 week target set by the Secretary of State.<\/p> <\/p>