Foreign and Commonwealth Office<p>I visited Colombia in February this year and discussed business and human rights in my meetings with President Santos, and in meetings with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Trade, and with civil society. I welcomed the development of the Colombian national policy on business and human rights during these meetings and raised the importance of protecting Trade Unionists and human rights defenders. We have a strong partnership with the government of Colombia on implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, in the context of the November 2011 Joint Declaration on Human Rights by the Prime Minister and President Santos.</p><p>In addition, British Embassy officials in Bogota have had several meetings with the Colombian government, civil society and businesses in Colombia to discuss the UK Action plan on business and human rights in line with our commitment to working for widespread international uptake of the UN Guiding Principles and to developing partnerships with other countries to progress this.</p><p>Last year, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded a project to assist Colombia in drafting its national policy. The Colombian public policy on business and human rights has been formed as a result of consultation across 33 regions and involving over 19,000 people.</p>Richmond (Yorks)Mr William Hague2014-05-06false2014-05-06T12:00:00.00Z16Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeForeign and Commonwealth Office2014-04-291House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what meetings he has had with (a) representatives of the Colombian government, (b) Colombian civil society and (c) Colombian businesses to discuss his Department's Action Plan on Business and Human Rights since its launch in September 2013.falsePaisley and Renfrewshire SouthMr Douglas Alexander107176Department for Communities and Local Government<p> </p><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><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><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms</a>.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p>Great YarmouthBrandon Lewis2014-05-07107178false2014-05-07T12:00:00.00Z7Communities and Local GovernmentCommunities and Local Government2014-04-291House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the (a) fairness and (b) viability of reforming the firefighters' pension scheme allow members to retire on the basis of length of service rather than age.falseSouth ShieldsMrs Emma Lewell-Buck107177Department for Communities and Local Government<p> </p><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><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><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms</a>.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p>Great YarmouthBrandon Lewis2014-05-07107177false2014-05-07T12:00:00.00Z7Communities and Local GovernmentCommunities and Local Government2014-04-291House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he has (a) discussed with and (b) received any representations from the Fire Brigades Union regarding the adoption of a firefighters' pension scheme which would allow members to retire on the basis of length of service rather than age.falseSouth ShieldsMrs Emma Lewell-Buck107178Home Office<p>The UK Border Agency was absorbed into the Home Office on 1 April 2013; its <br>successor business areas are UK Visas & Immigration and Immigration Enforcement.<br><br>(i) The Home Office and its Agencies do not employ and have not employed staff <br>on zero-hours contracts. <br><br>(ii) A geographical breakdown of temporary staff employed in UK Border Agency <br>successor business areas in each of the last two years is shown at Table 1.</p><p>[ATTACH TABLE]</p><p><br>NOTE: Office for National Statistics defines temporary staff as those civil <br>servants with contracts of employment of less than one year; staff with Fixed <br>Term Appointments and Permanent staff are reported separately by all government <br>departments, as are Agency and Contingent Workers.</p>Staffordshire MoorlandsKaren BradleyPQ 107079 Table 1 V1.xlsxTABLE 12014-05-06false2014-05-06T12:00:00.00Z1Home OfficeHome Office2014-04-291House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many UK Border Agency staff in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the UK were (i) on zero-hours contracts and (ii) temporary staff in each of the last two years up to the most recent period for which records are available.falseAirdrie and ShottsPamela Nash107179Department for Culture Media and Sport<p>The Department has no employees with a zero hours contract.</p>Maidstone and The WealdMrs Helen Grant2014-05-07false2014-05-07T12:00:00.00Z10Culture, Media and SportCulture, Media and Sport2014-04-291House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many officials in his Department are employed on zero-hours contracts.falseAirdrie and ShottsPamela Nash107180Cabinet Office<p>Lord Hodgson assessed the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) as part of his review of the Charities Act 2006 and concluded in his report ‘Trusted and Independent: Giving charity back to charities’ that it had broadly met 10 of the 12 success criteria set out when it was established in 2006. The FRSB and Cabinet Office are members of the Steering Committee established in response to Lord Hodgson's recommendations to drive forward further progress in strengthening self-regulation.</p>Ruislip, Northwood and PinnerMr Nick Hurd2014-02-25false2014-02-25T12:00:00.00Z532013-05-081House of CommonsTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how his Department scrutinises the Fundraising Standards Board; when a review was last conducted; and what the outcome was of this review.falseVale of GlamorganAlun Cairns153902Department for Education<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>YeovilMr David Laws2014-02-26false2014-02-26T12:00:00.00Z602013-05-081House of CommonsTo 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.falseSheffield South EastMr Clive Betts153906Cabinet Office<p>The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.</p>Ruislip, Northwood and PinnerMr Nick HurdLetter from ONS for uin 153939.docxLetter from Office for National Statistics2014-02-25false2014-02-25T12:00:00.00Z532013-05-081House of CommonsTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the rate of underemployment in each UK parliamentary constituency in Scotland in each of the last five years.falseGlasgow EastMargaret Curran153939Cabinet Office<p>This is not a matter for Cabinet Office Ministers.</p>Norwich NorthChloe Smith2014-02-25false2014-02-25T12:00:00.00Z532013-05-081House of CommonsTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the total loss to the economy as a result of underemployment in Scotland.falseGlasgow EastMargaret Curran153940Cabinet Office<p>I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.</p><p>The UK Government is not planning for independence as it believes that people in Scotland will vote to remain within the UK. As such, the Government has made no assessment of the risk of losses to the public purse, and has no plans to change accounting officers conventions</p>Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and StrathspeyDanny Alexander2014-02-25154018false2014-02-25T12:00:00.00Z532013-05-081House of CommonsTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of losses to the public purse arising from applying the current accounting officer conventions in the period leading up to the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014.falseCumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch EastGregg McClymont15401710014331