The Cold Weather Payment scheme ensures that vulnerable claimants on qualifying benefits automatically receive a payment of £25 for every 7-day period of exceptionally cold weather. It is paid within 14 working days of a trigger. Issuing payments automatically without the need to claim provides certainty to claimants and minimises delays.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4780", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Laura Trott"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Sevenoaks"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Laura Trott"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-12-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-12-14T12:29:15.87Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-12-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Cold Weather Payments"} , "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, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of maximum waiting times to receive the Cold Weather Payment on people with pay-as-you-go energy meters.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4671", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Afzal Khan"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Manchester, Gorton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Afzal Khan"} ], "uin" : "107177"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/768937", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/768937/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Mr Tsege was detained in Yemen and taken to Ethiopia in June 2014. Following Foreign and Commonwealth Office inquiries the Ethiopian and Yemeni authorities have both stated that they have a bilateral treaty that permited Mr Tsege\u2019s extradition to Ethiopia. The UK Government continues to take Mr Tsege\u2019s case extremely seriously and is working to ensure his welfare and legal access. The Ethiopian government are in no doubt about the importance we place on Mr Tsege\u2019s case: the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to raise this at the highest levels.\u200b\u200b<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4137", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rory Stewart"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Penrith and The Border"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Rory Stewart"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2017-10-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2017-10-19T15:32:57.117Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2017-10-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Andargachew Tsege"} , "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, whether the Government has investigated how Andargachew Tsege's itinerary was shared with the Ethiopian authorities in advance of his kidnap from an airport in a third country.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/151", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Tom Brake"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Carshalton and Wallington"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Tom Brake"} ], "uin" : "107177"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/49115", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Communities and Local Government"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/49115/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
<\/p>
The Government is reforming all public service pension schemes to ensure that they remain fair to workers and sustainable for taxpayers. The transitional protection arrangements for the firefighters' pension schemes are set out in the Proposed Final Agreement which was published in May 2012. The transitional protections use age to calculate a member's entitlement to protection. More firefighters are protected from changes than any other large public service workforce.<\/p>
There has been recent correspondence with the Fire Brigades Union on the scope and timing of discussions on this issue. Copies of this correspondence can be found at:<\/p>