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100959

registered interest
date	27/10/2014
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Banks
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the percentage of people using food banks who also receive benefits; and whether they have any plans to discuss the matter with the organisers of food banks or to adapt benefits to take account of the situation.
tabling member printed	Baroness Gould of Potternewton
uin	HL2415
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2014 answer text <p /> <p>DWP does not monitor or estimate the percentage of people using food banks.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the extremely valuable work of civil society in supporting local communities. Government officials and Ministers routinely meet with a range of civil society organisations, some of which may be connected to foodbanks.</p><p> </p><p>DWP reforms are already making the benefits system simpler and helping claimants to move into work.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 04/11/2014 14:50:14 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	3573 label Biography information for Baroness Gould of Potternewton

100960

registered interest
date	27/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Refuges
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the research conducted by Women's Aid on the number of women's refuge spaces for victims of domestic violence; and what plans they have to support the remaining women's refuge centres in dealing with increased demand for their services.
tabling member printed	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
uin	HL2416
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government does not record the number of or the location of refuges in England. Decisions on the provision of accommodation for victims of domestic abuse are for local authorities: we expect local authorities to commission services based on the needs of their communities, taking account of locally available data sources.</p><p>The Government does not directly fund women's refuges. However, this Government has invested £6.5 billion investment to help vulnerable people through housing related support. A proportion of this money will be used by local authorities to commission refuge services. In addition we have made over £500 million available since 2010 to local authorities and the voluntary sector to prevent and tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This funding will also help the most vulnerable in society, including victims of domestic abuse.</p><p>The dynamics of domestic abuse mean that accommodation can play an important role in the resolution of interpersonal abuse and conflict. This is why the homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and for vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.</p><p>There is a range of support for victims of domestic abuse. Some victims will be accommodated in refuges, but Sanctuary Schemes and mainstream local authority accommodation may be an option for others, while some victims will pursue independent solutions with help and advice from support schemes as necessary.</p><p>We also fund UKRefugesOnline a UK wide database of domestic violence services which supports the national 24 hour free phone domestic violence helpline. This service enables those working with victims of domestic violence to identify appropriate services and potential refuge vacancies around the country so that victims can get the help they need as quickly as possible.</p><p>This Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015. This funding is used to part-fund 54 multi-agency risk assessment conference co-ordinators and 144 independent domestic violence advisers. We have piloted and rolled out Clare's Law and domestic violence protection orders; extended the definition of domestic abuse to cover controlling behaviour and teenage relationships; run two successful campaigns to challenge perceptions of abuse; and placed Domestic Homicide Reviews on a statutory footing to make sure lessons are learned from individual tragedies.</p><p>We are keeping this matter under review, and are keen to support best practice and greater joint working.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL2417 HL2418 HL2419 HL2420 HL2421 question first answered 31/10/2014 14:59:13 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3703 label Biography information for Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

100961

registered interest
date	27/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Refuges: South West
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of research conducted by Women's Aid on the number of bed spaces for victims of domestic violence in the south west of England; and what assessment they have made of the impact on any shortfall on the existing services in Stroud.
tabling member printed	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
uin	HL2417
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government does not record the number of or the location of refuges in England. Decisions on the provision of accommodation for victims of domestic abuse are for local authorities: we expect local authorities to commission services based on the needs of their communities, taking account of locally available data sources.</p><p>The Government does not directly fund women's refuges. However, this Government has invested £6.5 billion investment to help vulnerable people through housing related support. A proportion of this money will be used by local authorities to commission refuge services. In addition we have made over £500 million available since 2010 to local authorities and the voluntary sector to prevent and tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This funding will also help the most vulnerable in society, including victims of domestic abuse.</p><p>The dynamics of domestic abuse mean that accommodation can play an important role in the resolution of interpersonal abuse and conflict. This is why the homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and for vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.</p><p>There is a range of support for victims of domestic abuse. Some victims will be accommodated in refuges, but Sanctuary Schemes and mainstream local authority accommodation may be an option for others, while some victims will pursue independent solutions with help and advice from support schemes as necessary.</p><p>We also fund UKRefugesOnline a UK wide database of domestic violence services which supports the national 24 hour free phone domestic violence helpline. This service enables those working with victims of domestic violence to identify appropriate services and potential refuge vacancies around the country so that victims can get the help they need as quickly as possible.</p><p>This Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015. This funding is used to part-fund 54 multi-agency risk assessment conference co-ordinators and 144 independent domestic violence advisers. We have piloted and rolled out Clare's Law and domestic violence protection orders; extended the definition of domestic abuse to cover controlling behaviour and teenage relationships; run two successful campaigns to challenge perceptions of abuse; and placed Domestic Homicide Reviews on a statutory footing to make sure lessons are learned from individual tragedies.</p><p>We are keeping this matter under review, and are keen to support best practice and greater joint working.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL2416 HL2418 HL2419 HL2420 HL2421 question first answered 31/10/2014 14:59:14 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3703 label Biography information for Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

100962

registered interest
date	27/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Refuges
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding was allocated to women's refuge centres in (1) May 2010, and (2) September 2014.
tabling member printed	Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
uin	HL2418
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government does not record the number of or the location of refuges in England. Decisions on the provision of accommodation for victims of domestic abuse are for local authorities: we expect local authorities to commission services based on the needs of their communities, taking account of locally available data sources.</p><p>The Government does not directly fund women's refuges. However, this Government has invested £6.5 billion investment to help vulnerable people through housing related support. A proportion of this money will be used by local authorities to commission refuge services. In addition we have made over £500 million available since 2010 to local authorities and the voluntary sector to prevent and tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. This funding will also help the most vulnerable in society, including victims of domestic abuse.</p><p>The dynamics of domestic abuse mean that accommodation can play an important role in the resolution of interpersonal abuse and conflict. This is why the homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and for vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.</p><p>There is a range of support for victims of domestic abuse. Some victims will be accommodated in refuges, but Sanctuary Schemes and mainstream local authority accommodation may be an option for others, while some victims will pursue independent solutions with help and advice from support schemes as necessary.</p><p>We also fund UKRefugesOnline a UK wide database of domestic violence services which supports the national 24 hour free phone domestic violence helpline. This service enables those working with victims of domestic violence to identify appropriate services and potential refuge vacancies around the country so that victims can get the help they need as quickly as possible.</p><p>This Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015. This funding is used to part-fund 54 multi-agency risk assessment conference co-ordinators and 144 independent domestic violence advisers. We have piloted and rolled out Clare's Law and domestic violence protection orders; extended the definition of domestic abuse to cover controlling behaviour and teenage relationships; run two successful campaigns to challenge perceptions of abuse; and placed Domestic Homicide Reviews on a statutory footing to make sure lessons are learned from individual tragedies.</p><p>We are keeping this matter under review, and are keen to support best practice and greater joint working.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon grouped question UIN HL2416 HL2417 HL2419 HL2420 HL2421 question first answered 31/10/2014 14:59:14 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3703 label Biography information for Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

100841

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	UK Trade and Investment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many UK Trade and Investment staff worked in each of the industrial sectors on 1 April 2014; and what the budget for each such sector is in 2014-15.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Paul Flynn
uin	211850
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p>UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) works in line with the Government’s Industrial Strategy. The whole UKTI network works predominantly in these priority sectors to support UK exporters and attract foreign direct investment to the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the number of civil service staff working in our core sector teams in our HQ, and the budget allocated to each team[1].</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td> </td><td><p>Staff</p></td><td><p>Budget, £m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Advanced Manufacturing</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>1.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UKTI Agri-Tech Organisation</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>1.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UKTI Automotive Investment Organisation</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>2.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Construction</p></td><td><p>10.5</p></td><td><p>1.5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Consumer &amp; Retail</p></td><td><p>9</p></td><td><p>2.3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Creative Industries &amp; Global Sports</p></td><td><p>12</p></td><td><p>2.7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UKTI Education</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>1.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Energy</p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>2.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UKTI Financial Services Organisation</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>2.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Healthcare UK</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>1.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Information Economy</p></td><td><p>11</p></td><td><p>3.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Innovation Gateway</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>1.7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UKTI Life Science Organisation</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>2.6</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UKTI Offshore Wind Investment Organisation</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1.1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>UKTI DSO</p></td><td><p>128</p></td><td><p>10.5</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] This core resource is supplemented by specialist contractors, sector teams in our global network, and our trade advisors in the English regions. The core budget is supplemented by funding for cross-cutting activity including trade fairs and missions, marketing, and the services provided by our 430 Trade Advisors in the English regions to help UK companies export to new markets.</p><p>It should be noted that UKTI DSO operates as a separate unit, whereas the other UKTI sector teams utilise more shared resource in addition to the numbers tabled below.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 11/11/2014 15:17:07 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	545 label Biography information for Paul Flynn

100842

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Defence and Security Organisation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many staff worked for the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) on 1 April 2014; and what the budget of the UKTI DSO is for 2014-15.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Paul Flynn
uin	211851
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>At 1 April 2014 the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation had 128 staff-in-post. As at 1 April the 2014-15 budget for UKTI DSO was £10.5M NET.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 03/11/2014 12:48:31 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	545 label Biography information for Paul Flynn

100843

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Social Services: Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of HM Revenue and Customs launching pro-active investigations into the non-payment of the national minimum wage.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	211865
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government has not undertaken a formal assessment of the merits of pro-active investigations but believes they are an important part of enforcement.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>HMRC published findings from their targeted social care evaluation on 25 November 2013. Over the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013, HMRC had made enquiries into 224 employers in the social care sector. Of the cases completed by the end of September 2014, HMRC have found non-compliance in 108 (48%) of their enquiries, identifying £1,319,729 arrears of pay for 6,550 workers, with penalties issued with a total value of £146,931.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As part of this targeted enforcement activity, HMRC have collaborated with care sector representative bodies to improve understanding of compliance risks and design controls within payroll systems that prevent workers being underpaid the minimum wage.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department of Health has recently published statutory guidance for local authorities as part of the package of secondary legislation that accompanies the Care Act. The chapter of statutory guidance on commissioning and market shaping explicitly states that local authorities should have evidence that contract terms, conditions and fee levels will not compromise care providers’ ability to pay at least minimum wages. A copy of the guidance can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-2014-statutory-guidance-for-implementation" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-2014-statutory-guidance-for-implementation</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department of Health is asking all Local Authorities to sign up to the Social Care Commitment which incorporates a statement about employer compliance with minimum wage legislation. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has written out to all its members encouraging them to support the Commitment as a way of raising standards in adult social care.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We regularly update our Guidance on Gov.UK and we will continue to work with the sector to improve understanding and compliance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should call the Pay &amp; Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368. HM Revenue &amp; Customs investigate all complaints.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 03/11/2014 11:47:07 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

100844

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the cost of paying a one-off payment to the staff of his Department in lieu of their entitlement to annual increments was.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	211898
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The cost of paying a one-off payment to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills staff in lieu of their entitlement to annual increments was £3.2m. This cost is offset against a reduction in overall pay bill costs over the longer term.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The non-consolidated payments were staggered by grade in line with contractual step values.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>AA</p></td><td><p>£1008</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>AO</p></td><td><p>£1168</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>EO</p></td><td><p>£1360</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>HEO</p></td><td><p>£1656</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>SEO</p></td><td><p>£1880</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>G7</p></td><td><p>£2528</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>G6</p></td><td><p>£3060</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 03/11/2014 12:46:36 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

100845

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress he has made on the recent round of discussions on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	211894
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>The seventh round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) took place between 29 September and 3 October in Chevy Chase, Maryland. As expected, negotiations were largely focused on regulatory issues. Discussions also covered energy, intellectual property, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and services.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There was good technical progress, particularly on regulatory coherence, for example in the automotive and pharmaceutical sectors. This progress is crucial and prepares the ground for an ambitious and comprehensive agreement.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 06/11/2014 13:58:22 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb

100846

registered interest
date	24/10/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the payback period is in relation to the one-off payment to staff in his Department who have opted to forego their entitlement to annual increment payments.
tabling member constituency	Aberconwy
tabling member printed	Guto Bebb
uin	211910
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The payback period in relation to the one-off payment to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills staff who opted to forego their entitlement to annual increment payment was estimated to be 6 years. This is based upon an assumption of 1% paybill increases year on year until 2020.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 03/11/2014 11:40:24 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	3910 label Biography information for Guto Bebb