Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will commission a review of the risks and opportunities that resource insecurity poses to the UK economy.
Answered by Oliver Letwin
The Government’s Horizon Scanning Programme examines emerging trends and developments, such as those related to resource insecurity, that have the potential to lead to risks and opportunities for the UK. As part of this programme, Defra led a piece of work to assess risks to the UK economy from countries or companies restricting the supply of key resources. A summary of this work was published in Civil Service Quarterly in July 2014.
Last year, the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee set up the Strategic Resources and Risks group to coordinate work on resource insecurity across Government. As part of its remit, this group considers risks and opportunities that resource insecurity poses to the UK economy. This work is being reflected in the current refresh of the Government’s National Security Risk Assessment. Domestic risks related to resource insecurity are also included in the UK’s National Risk Register.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make representations to the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority to encourage them to take sustainability issues into account in the regulatory frameworks governing financial markets.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Bank of England, its subsidiary the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) operate independently within the statutory remit agreed by Parliament.
The statutory principles of good regulation to which the PRA and FCA must have regard, provided for at section 3B of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 include “the desirability of sustainable growth in the economy of the United Kingdom in the medium or long term”.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require companies and financial institutions to produce an annual integrated sustainability report.
Answered by Jo Swinson
The UK already requires quoted companies to report, where necessary for an understanding of their business, on environmental matters. Companies are required to report their policy, principle risks and outcomes.
In addition, UK will implement directive 2014/95/EU that requires reports to cover, amongst other matters, environmental policy. This disclosure will include a discussion of the company policy, including the due diligence measures implemented, the outcome and the principle risks related to the environment related to the company’s operations, business relationships, products and services.
Considering the requirements already in place and those necessary to implement the EU Directive, we have no current plans to bring forward additional legislation proposals on this issue.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to introduce biodiversity offsetting; and whether ancient woodland will be exempt.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government is not proposing any policy change regarding biodiversity offsetting at this point. As recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee and others, Defra waited for - and is considering - the report on the six offsetting pilots before making any further decisions.
The Government has always been clear that any policy change regarding offsetting would not alter existing protections in the planning system such as those for ancient woodland.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the ability of claimants in North Staffordshire to access universal credit online.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
To date, over 90% of Universal Credit claimants have made their claim online. Other methods will continue to be available – telephone or in person at the Jobcentre – to support claimants who require alternative arrangements to make a successful claim. All Jobcentres across the country have gone digital with computers and free Wi-Fi available for claimants to access the internet.
All new Universal Credit claimants will receive an information pack and advice from their work coach to help them understand universal credit processes and payments, and the support available locally.
Beginning next month Universal Credit will begin to expand across Great Britain in a tranche based approach, mirroring the successful implementation methods that we used to safely and securely roll it out in the north west of England. For more details please see the link below.
(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-national-expansion )
DWP Implementation Officers from Stoke/West Midlands recently met with their local authority counterparts to discuss Universal Credit roll-out in 2015/16 and the need to ensure that through local partnership working, support would be available for those single Job seekers who may need support to make and manage their claim. This discussion is in advance of the more detailed discussions around the detail in the Delivery Partnership Agreements.
Through local partnership working between DWP and local authorities, we are brokering funded Delivery Partnership Agreements to make available more support for those claimants who will need extra help to make and manage their Universal Credit claim on-line and their Universal Credit payment. This will help strengthen local partnership working between DWP, local authorities and their partners as we establish Personal Budgeting Support in all local communities through the expansion of universal credit from February 2015.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timetable is for inclusion of each of the wards in North Staffordshire in the next tranche of conversion to universal credit.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
To date, over 90% of Universal Credit claimants have made their claim online. Other methods will continue to be available – telephone or in person at the Jobcentre – to support claimants who require alternative arrangements to make a successful claim. All Jobcentres across the country have gone digital with computers and free Wi-Fi available for claimants to access the internet.
All new Universal Credit claimants will receive an information pack and advice from their work coach to help them understand universal credit processes and payments, and the support available locally.
Beginning next month Universal Credit will begin to expand across Great Britain in a tranche based approach, mirroring the successful implementation methods that we used to safely and securely roll it out in the north west of England. For more details please see the link below.
(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-national-expansion )
DWP Implementation Officers from Stoke/West Midlands recently met with their local authority counterparts to discuss Universal Credit roll-out in 2015/16 and the need to ensure that through local partnership working, support would be available for those single Job seekers who may need support to make and manage their claim. This discussion is in advance of the more detailed discussions around the detail in the Delivery Partnership Agreements.
Through local partnership working between DWP and local authorities, we are brokering funded Delivery Partnership Agreements to make available more support for those claimants who will need extra help to make and manage their Universal Credit claim on-line and their Universal Credit payment. This will help strengthen local partnership working between DWP, local authorities and their partners as we establish Personal Budgeting Support in all local communities through the expansion of universal credit from February 2015.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what budget he has allocated for promoting awareness of universal credit among claimants in North Staffordshire who will be required to make online applications.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
To date, over 90% of Universal Credit claimants have made their claim online. Other methods will continue to be available – telephone or in person at the Jobcentre – to support claimants who require alternative arrangements to make a successful claim. All Jobcentres across the country have gone digital with computers and free Wi-Fi available for claimants to access the internet.
All new Universal Credit claimants will receive an information pack and advice from their work coach to help them understand universal credit processes and payments, and the support available locally.
Beginning next month Universal Credit will begin to expand across Great Britain in a tranche based approach, mirroring the successful implementation methods that we used to safely and securely roll it out in the north west of England. For more details please see the link below.
(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-national-expansion )
DWP Implementation Officers from Stoke/West Midlands recently met with their local authority counterparts to discuss Universal Credit roll-out in 2015/16 and the need to ensure that through local partnership working, support would be available for those single Job seekers who may need support to make and manage their claim. This discussion is in advance of the more detailed discussions around the detail in the Delivery Partnership Agreements.
Through local partnership working between DWP and local authorities, we are brokering funded Delivery Partnership Agreements to make available more support for those claimants who will need extra help to make and manage their Universal Credit claim on-line and their Universal Credit payment. This will help strengthen local partnership working between DWP, local authorities and their partners as we establish Personal Budgeting Support in all local communities through the expansion of universal credit from February 2015.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to support people in North Staffordshire making claims for universal benefit under the new procedures.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
To date, over 90% of Universal Credit claimants have made their claim online. Other methods will continue to be available – telephone or in person at the Jobcentre – to support claimants who require alternative arrangements to make a successful claim. All Jobcentres across the country have gone digital with computers and free Wi-Fi available for claimants to access the internet.
All new Universal Credit claimants will receive an information pack and advice from their work coach to help them understand universal credit processes and payments, and the support available locally.
Beginning next month Universal Credit will begin to expand across Great Britain in a tranche based approach, mirroring the successful implementation methods that we used to safely and securely roll it out in the north west of England. For more details please see the link below.
(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-national-expansion )
DWP Implementation Officers from Stoke/West Midlands recently met with their local authority counterparts to discuss Universal Credit roll-out in 2015/16 and the need to ensure that through local partnership working, support would be available for those single Job seekers who may need support to make and manage their claim. This discussion is in advance of the more detailed discussions around the detail in the Delivery Partnership Agreements.
Through local partnership working between DWP and local authorities, we are brokering funded Delivery Partnership Agreements to make available more support for those claimants who will need extra help to make and manage their Universal Credit claim on-line and their Universal Credit payment. This will help strengthen local partnership working between DWP, local authorities and their partners as we establish Personal Budgeting Support in all local communities through the expansion of universal credit from February 2015.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 8 January 2014 from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in his Department, Official Report, column 382, on mandatory origin marking, if he will place in the Library a list of the companies that have been consulted as part of the study of country of origin marking.
Answered by Jo Swinson
329 organisations and companies were contacted and 45 interviews were conducted by the research company carrying out the study on the impact of compulsory country of origin marking on behalf of the Department. Respondents were asked for permission for their name to be included in the final report, but only 12 did so. We have asked the research company to contact all of those respondents that indicated that they were content to have their name included in the final report to seek their permission to make it public now. A list of those respondents who indicate that they are content to be identified in this way will be placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Joan Walley (Labour - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the oral Answer of 8 January 2015, Official Report, columns 382-3, which organisations and businesses he consulted prior to adopting the Government's position of opposing the product safety and market surveillance package at the European Council; and if he will meet Steelite International to discuss mandatory country of origin marking.
Answered by Jo Swinson
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills ran a formal consultation on the Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package from 10 July 2013 to 4 September 2013. Details of the Consultation can be found on the following link to the Gov.UK website:
In response to the specific question about country of origin marking contained in the Consultation paper we received responses from a wide range of stakeholders including 25 trade associations, but only 2 of these indicated to us that they agreed with the proposed mandatory requirements for all consumer products to bear indication of origin marking
I would of course welcome any evidence Steelite International may have on the cost benefits of mandatory country of origin marking for consumer products and I will ask my officials to meet them to discuss this.