UK electoral law sets out a stringent regime of donations controls that bans foreign donations. Individuals must be on the UK electoral roll to make political donations; in the case of companies, they must be UK-registered and properly carrying on business in the UK. There is only a very limited exception to this, whereby for political parties registered in Northern Ireland, permissible donors also include Irish sources provided they meet prescribed conditions. The Government is strengthening the corporate transparency regime, which will support the donations regime. The Elections Act 2022 further closes potential loopholes on foreign spending.<\/p>
By contrast, the (Labour-led) Welsh Government and (SNP-led) Scottish Government have facilitated donations by foreign citizens in British politics, by extending the devolved franchise to all foreign nationals living in Wales and Scotland respectively.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4679", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Neil O'Brien"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Harborough"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Neil O'Brien"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-05-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1464114/answer/previousversion/2269", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4679", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Neil O'Brien"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Harborough"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Neil O'Brien"} } , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-05-25T10:58:09.5Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "211"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Levelling Up, Housing and Communities"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Levelling Up, Housing and Communities"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-05-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Political Parties: Finance"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that funding of UK political parties does not come from foreign citizens.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1489", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dawn Butler"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Brent Central"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dawn Butler"} ], "uin" : "4513"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1464115", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1464115/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Department has not undertaken an assessment of figures for these specific areas.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Government recognises the impact rising energy prices is having on consumers and has put in place a package of support worth £9.1 billion to help domestic energy customers with the cost of living and rising energy bills.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Government also has policies in place to ensure protection for consumers who struggle to pay their energy bills. Last year, we introduced the \u2018Breathing Space\u2019 scheme, which aims to address consumers\u2019 ability to tackle debt and offers legal protections from creditors for 60 days.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1526", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Greg Hands"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Chelsea and Fulham"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Greg Hands"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-05-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-05-23T15:44:24.09Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "201"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-05-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Energy: Billing"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the impact of the increases in the cost of living on the number of households in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England that have fallen into arrears with their energy supplier.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4378", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Colleen Fletcher"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North East"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Colleen Fletcher"} ], "uin" : "4590"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1464116", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1464116/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
All water companies offer WaterSure and social tariffs to help reduce bills for households who struggle to pay their bills in full. Water companies also offer a range of financial support measures to assist households to better manage their budgets and provide flexible payments including payment holidays, payment matching, benefit entitlement checks and money/debt advice referral arrangements. The Government expects water companies to continue to actively engage with households and inform them of support measures they offer. The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) works with water companies and Defra to monitor the uptake of affordability measures.<\/p>
My officials are working with CCW, Ofwat, charities and water companies to explore the recommendations from CCW's Affordability Review, to further support households who are struggling to pay their water bills.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4522", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rebecca Pow"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Taunton Deane"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Rebecca Pow"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-05-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-05-23T06:33:36.463Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-05-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Water Charges: Arrears"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of the increases in the cost of living on the number of households in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England that have fallen into arrears with their water supplier.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4378", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Colleen Fletcher"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North East"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Colleen Fletcher"} ], "uin" : "4591"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1464117", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1464117/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The table below shows figures for the number and cost of contingent labour (agency staff) working in the Probation Service between April 2021 and March 2022. The total cost and numbers relate to the National Probation Service from 01 April 2021 to 26 June 2021, and then for the Probation Service thereafter.<\/p>
It has been broken down by the number of Operational and admin/clerical agency staff workers. It should be noted that the figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.<\/p>
<\/p>
Probation England, Wales and Probation Reform Programme<\/p>
<\/p><\/td> | FY 2021-22<\/p><\/td> | Number of Agency Staff<\/p><\/td><\/tr> |
Operational Agency Staff<\/p><\/td> | £23,069,614<\/p><\/td> | 734<\/p><\/td><\/tr> |
Admin/Clerical Agency Staff<\/p><\/td> | £6,020,447<\/p><\/td> | 541<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table> The Probation Service is actively recruiting to all vacancies. The Probation Service has recruited an additional 1,007 against a target of 1,000 trainee Probation Officers in 2020-21, and an additional 1,518 against a target of 1,500 in 2021/22. A further 1,500 trainees will be recruited in 2022/23 in order to reduce the use of agency staff.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4399", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Victoria Atkins"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Louth and Horncastle"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Victoria Atkins"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-05-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-05-27T15:36:03.967Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-05-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Probation Service: Agency Workers"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) number and (b) cost of agency staff working in the Probation Service was in the most recent period for which data is available.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4620", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Ellie Reeves"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Lewisham West and Penge"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Ellie Reeves"} ], "uin" : "4661"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1464118", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Treasury"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1464118/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Ministers and officials meet regularly with industry, trade bodies, and regulators to understand their policies and the impact of the increased cost of living on mortgage borrowers.<\/p> <\/p> Bank of England data published on 8 March 2022 shows that arrears levels remain low, with the proportion of total mortgage loan balances with arrears at 0.84%, the lowest since recording began in 2007.<\/p> <\/p> The Government understands the pressures households face in the current cost of living context. These are global challenges, but the Government is providing support worth over £22 billion in 2022-23 to help households with these pressures, including providing millions of households with up to £350 to help with rising energy bills.<\/p> <\/p> The Government is also continuing its efforts to support mortgage borrowers. For example, the Government offers Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans to homeowners in receipt of an income-related benefit to help prevent repossession. The Government also aims to help people avoid repossession through protection in the courts under the Mortgage Pre-Action Protocol which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders. Any borrowers worried about their mortgage payments should make early contact with their lender to discuss the forbearance options available to them.<\/p> <\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4051", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for John Glen"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Salisbury"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "John Glen"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-05-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-05-23T13:23:54.443Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-05-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Mortgages: Arrears"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of the increases in the cost of living on the number of households in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England that have fallen into arrears with their mortgage provider.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4378", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Colleen Fletcher"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Coventry North East"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Colleen Fletcher"} ], "uin" : "4592"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1464119", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Treasury"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1464119/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " |