First elected: 7th May 2015
Left House: 3rd May 2017 (Standing Down)
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Rob Marris, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Rob Marris has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Rob Marris has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
A Bill to enable competent adults who are terminally ill to choose to be provided with medically supervised assistance to end their own life; and for connected purposes.
Crime (Assaults on Emergency Services Staff) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Holly Lynch (Lab)
The table below shows data on how many and what proportion of staff are employed by the Department for Education (DfE), on a contract which is full-time permanent and part-time permanent. The permanent headcount figures include staff who are on fixed-term contracts and have been employed for over 1 year but under 2 years. The fixed term/temporary figure shows staff on fixed-term contracts who have been employed for less than 1 year.
The total figure for (c) is therefore 212.
Agency workers are not employees of DfE and have therefore not been included. DfE does not employ any staff on zero hours contracts.
Mar-17 | DfE | GEO |
Paid headcount | 4697 | 55 |
FT Permanent (a) | 3941 | 44 |
PT Permanent (b) | 660 | 10 |
Of Permanent (c) |
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FT contract (less than 2 years) | 34 | 0 |
Other FT contract | 109 | 0 |
Fixed Term/Temporary (c) | 69 | 0 |
Funding for National Minimum Wage (NMW) prosecutions is not fixed and comes out of the overall HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforcement budget, allocated by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The overall budget for 2015/16 is £13.2m, a £4m increase on 2014/15. Table 1 sets out the enforcement budget for each year since 2005/06.
The Government is committed to simple, effective NMW enforcement which supports workers and businesses by deterring non-compliant employers from underpaying their workers and removing the unfair competitive advantage that underpayment can bring. For this reason the Government increased HMRC’s 2015/16 enforcement budget by £4 million in 2015/16, and will further increase the enforcement budget from April 2016. A proportion of this budget will be used to establish a new team of compliance officers in HMRC to investigate the most serious cases of employers not paying the NMW and, from April, the National Living Wage. The team will have the power to use all available sanctions, including penalties and criminal investigation.
No decision has been taken on the enforcement budget until 2020.
Table 1: HMRC NMW enforcement budget
Year | HMRC Enforcement Budget (millions) |
2005/06 | £5.6 |
2006/07 | £5.8 |
2007/08 | £6.8 |
2008/09 | £7.6 |
2009/10 | £8.3 |
2010/11 | £8.1 |
2011/12 | £8.3 |
2012/13 | £8.3 |
2013/14 | £8.3 |
2014/15 | £9.2 |
2015/16 | £13.2 |
Information is available from the DECC UK energy sector indicators 20151 report on changes in the labour productivity of the energy sector; data from this report is presented in Table 1 below, covering the period 2005-2014. Projections to 2020 are not available.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-energy-sector-indicators-2015
Information on the number of staff employed by the Law Officers’ Departments full-time and part-time is available at: www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/publicsectoremploymentreferencetable
The details for parts (c), (d) and (e) of the question are as follows, as at 31 March 2017:
| (c) less than two years' duration | (d) on an agency basis | (e) zero-hours |
CPS | 185 (3%) | 14 (0.2%) | 0 |
AGO | 0 | 0 | 0 |
GLD | 10 (0.5%) | 233 (12.8%) | 0 |
SFO | 29 (5.5%) | 116 (22.2%) | 0 |
HMCPSI | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The proportions in each case are a proportion of the staff employed by that Department.
Departments seek to make the best use of staff and resources to deliver the Government’s objectives in a way that represents value for money for the taxpayer.
To ensure that effective service levels are delivered at all times, my Department uses an appropriate mix of employment contract types that meet the needs of the business.
From departmental records, the present number and proportion (%) of staff employed on a contract which is;
As at 10/04/2017, The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) employed the following numbers on a contract:
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My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not had any discussions with my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development on weather-indexed insurance in the last six months.
My officials have been engaging employers throughout the policy development to gain their insight and advice. As part of the formal consultation last year, over 700 responses were received from employers. Opinions were evenly split as to whether levy funding should only be used to pay for the direct costs of apprenticeship training and assessment. Further information is available in the published Government response.
In June 2016 we will be publishing provisional funding bands, which will set the maximum amount of funding which is available for each apprenticeship, as well as the provisional level of the government support that will be available towards the cost of apprenticeship training if you are not a levy paying employer, from April 2017. The final levels of funding and full, draft funding and eligibility rules will be published in October.
The Institute for Apprenticeships will advise on funding rates for all newly developed apprenticeships and, where appropriate, the funding rate for standards and assessment plans when they are reviewed.
Provisional funding bands will be published in June 2016, and finalised in October 2016. The Institute for Apprenticeships will play a role in reviewing them once it is operational. The frequency of this will be agreed at that point.
The Government’s position, set out in the answers to Questions 27493 and 27494, is based on the wording of the treaties (Article 52 of the Treaty on European Union, Article 355 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the 1972 Treaty of Accession of Denmark, Ireland and the UK to the European Economic Community) and the longstanding practice of the UK.
Article 29 of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is not relevant to the status of British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. Article 29 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties provides that “Unless a different intention appears from the treaty or is otherwise established, a treaty is binding upon each party in respect of its entire territory.” The British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK, and the UK has consistently adopted the position that treaties made by the UK do not extend to British Overseas Territories or the Crown Dependencies, unless this is done expressly. The first expression of this position was set out in the “Bevin Despatch” (Foreign Office Circular 118, 16 October 1950).
The Government’s position, set out in the answers to Questions 27493 and 27494, is based on the wording of the treaties (Article 52 of the Treaty on European Union, Article 355 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the 1972 Treaty of Accession of Denmark, Ireland and the UK to the European Economic Community) and the longstanding practice of the UK.
Article 29 of the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is not relevant to the status of British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. Article 29 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties provides that “Unless a different intention appears from the treaty or is otherwise established, a treaty is binding upon each party in respect of its entire territory.” The British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK, and the UK has consistently adopted the position that treaties made by the UK do not extend to British Overseas Territories or the Crown Dependencies, unless this is done expressly. The first expression of this position was set out in the “Bevin Despatch” (Foreign Office Circular 118, 16 October 1950).
Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) made between the EU and other countries do not automatically apply to Overseas Territories. However, the UK does work to ensure that the impact of FTAs on Overseas Territories is assessed and taken into account during negotiations.
Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) made between the EU and other countries do not automatically apply to Overseas Territories. However, the UK does work to ensure that the impact of FTAs on Overseas Territories is assessed and taken into account during negotiations.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Parliament is dissolved.
Our Sports Strategy recognises the need for everyone to be able to access live sport and to benefit from the experience. It makes clear that sports venues need to provide an inclusive environment that welcomes all spectators.
We want sport to be at the forefront of equality and want to see all sports venues proactively consider and put into practice ways of engaging with and attracting a wider range of spectators, including disabled fans, ensuring the offer and the environment are inclusive and accessible to all.
We expect all sports and all clubs to take the necessary action to fulfil their legal obligation under the Equality Act of 2010 to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people are not placed at a substantial disadvantage when accessing sports venues.
Our Sports Strategy recognises the need for everyone to be able to access live sport and to benefit from the experience. It makes clear that sports venues need to provide an inclusive environment that welcomes all spectators.
We want sport to be at the forefront of equality and want to see all sports venues proactively consider and put into practice ways of engaging with and attracting a wider range of spectators, including disabled fans, ensuring the offer and the environment are inclusive and accessible to all.
We expect all sports and all clubs to take the necessary action to fulfil their legal obligation under the Equality Act of 2010 to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people are not placed at a substantial disadvantage when accessing sports venues.
Reliable and high quality fixed and mobile broadband connections support growth in productivity, efficiency and labour force participation across the whole economy. SQW Consulting’s UK Broadband impact study in 2013 estimated that the availability and take-up of faster broadband speeds will add about £17 billion to the UK’s annual Gross Value Added (GVA) by 2024. The bulk of this economic impact comes from improvements in the productivity of broadband-using firms
The table below shows data on how many and what proportion of staff are employed by the Department for Education (DfE), on a contract which is full-time permanent and part-time permanent. The permanent headcount figures include staff who are on fixed-term contracts and have been employed for over 1 year but under 2 years. The fixed term/temporary figure shows staff on fixed-term contracts who have been employed for less than 1 year.
The total figure for (c) is therefore 212.
Agency workers are not employees of DfE and have therefore not been included. DfE does not employ any staff on zero hours contracts.
Mar-17 | DfE | GEO |
Paid headcount | 4697 | 55 |
FT Permanent (a) | 3941 | 44 |
PT Permanent (b) | 660 | 10 |
Of Permanent (c) |
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FT contract (less than 2 years) | 34 | 0 |
Other FT contract | 109 | 0 |
Fixed Term/Temporary (c) | 69 | 0 |
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System sent a reply to the Hon. Member’s letter on 24 October 2016.
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System sent a reply to the Hon. Member’s letter on 24 October 2016.
Local authorities are responsible for the oversight of the schools they maintain and carry out their own programmes of financial monitoring.
Academy trusts are subject to a more rigorous accountability regime than other types of schools, including the production of annual audited accounts that allow us to identify and act upon irregularity more quickly.
The Education Funding Agency has found one instance of where the head teacher has been paid more than the publicly disclosed salary in each of the last 3 years. The additional payments were in respect of chief executive or accounting officer responsibilities.
It is a statutory requirement for all schools to return free school meals eligibility data via the school census and the Department has a process for checking that returns are accurate.
Local authorities are responsible for the oversight of the schools they maintain and carry out their own programmes of financial monitoring.
The Education Funding Agency does not record information in this manner, and would only be able to gather such information at disproportionate cost.
As at 31 March 2017 the proportion of staff employed in the department is shown below:
| Headcount | % |
Full-Time permanent staff | 1587 | 76.6% |
Part-Time permanent staff | 265 | 12.8% |
Fixed / Short Term appointments employed for less than two years | 98 | 4.7% |
Agency Basis staff | 121 | 5.8% |
Zero-Hours | 0 | 0.0% |
Total | 2071 |
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It is not Defra Policy to employ staff on “Zero-Hours” contracts.
As part of the review of animal establishment licensing schemes, the Government is proposing to remove the licence exemptions in the Pet Animals Act 1951. These exemptions are for those in the business of selling either pedigree animals that have been bred by them or the offspring of an animal that has been kept by them as a pet, for instance, the offspring of their non-pedigree pet cat. We will be publishing our ‘Next Steps’ document on the proposals shortly.
We received the letter to which the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West refers on 22 December, and you can expect a reply imminently.
The Government is in the process of reviewing the animal establishments licensing schemes, including those that regulate the sale of pet animals. We have proposed to replace the Pet Animals Act 1951 with regulations made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. One of our proposals is to remove the exemption whereby someone can sell any number of pedigree animals without a licence if they have been bred from the family pet.
Net government compensation paid to farmers for animals culled in efforts to control bovine tuberculosis in England since 1998 is as follows. Net figures take account of any carcass salvage income received by government:
The letter from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 24 February 2016 on Game Farming in the UK was replied to on 18 April 2016.
Due to the time limited nature of the Department for Exiting the European Union staff are on loans from Other Government Departments or fixed term appointments. The Department does not employ anyone on a zero hours contact. The Department also employs a small number of agency staff to undertake fixed short term work.
The number and proportion of staff employed by DFID in the categories requested is shown below:-
. | Number | % as a proportion of total Home Civil Servant (HCS) staff |
Permanent and Pensionable Full Time | 1890 | 87.6% |
Permanent and Pensionable Part Time | 209 | 9.7% |
Less than 2 years duration* | 25 | 1.2% |
Agency contracts | 16 | N/A |
Zero Hours | 0 | 0 |
* - includes Fixed term and Limited term contracts, Loans and Secondments in to DFID who are on payroll as at 31st March 2017
The UK’s support to African Risk Capacity (ARC), the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) and the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative (PCRAFI) is managed by the Department for International Development (DFID).
In December 2015, every G7 nation set out how they will meet a collective target to reach an additional 400 million people with risk insurance by 2020. The UK has led the way, making excellent progress in delivering on its pledges of support for Climate Risk Insurance in the past year including funding for ARC and PCRAFI. UK Ministers have been invited to participate in side events at the Marrakesh Conference of Parties (COP) meeting to highlight progress with the G7’s InsuResilience climate risk insurance initiative and on ARC.
Currently, just 5% of losses from natural disasters in low-income countries are covered by insurance (against around 40% in developed countries), leaving millions with nothing to rebuild their lives after disaster strikes. UK initiatives give countries and people the tools they need to get themselves back on their feet, which is firmly in our national interest.
The UK is proud to be a global leader in disaster risk finance and insurance and we are committed to contributing to meeting the G7’s InsuResilience collective target (set out in the 2015 G7 Leaders Elmau declaration) of helping up to an additional 400 million people in the most vulnerable developing countries to gain access to climate risk insurance by 2020. The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the delivery of the Government’s plans to scale up the use of insurance and risk finance instruments in developing countries to enable:
Protecting those who are vulnerable to loss and damage due to climate change includes responding to disasters, helping people adapt to climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to keep global warming to manageable levels.
The UK Government has committed to increase the UK’s climate finance by at least 50%, and will provide £5.8 billion over the next 5 years, of which half will be focused on helping people adapt to climate change including the most vulnerable. We have also committed to contributing to the G7 InsuResilience target of an additional 400 million people gaining access to insurance by 2020. The UK is actively engaged on these issues within the United Nations, including through its seat on the Executive Committee that is responsible for guiding action on loss and damage.
The number and proportion of people employed by the Department for International Trade in the categories requested are shown in the table below.
| Number | Proportion |
Full time permanent contract | 2348 | 75.1% |
Part time permanent contract | 410 | 13.1% |
Contract for less than 2 years | 15 | 0.5% |
Agency contract | 353 | 11.3% |
Zero hours contract | 0 | 0% |
Total | 3126 | 100% |
During the period 2005-2014, ONS statistics show that services represented on average 84% of UK exports to Liechtenstein, within which financial services are likely to have made a significant contribution.
Liechtenstein is home to around 4,500 companies. HMG’s trade and investment promotion work out of Switzerland includes a business focus on Liechtenstein.
The following table provides the data requested for the Department for Transport:
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| A | B | C | D | E |
| As at 31/03/2017 | Full-time permanent | Part-time permanent | Less than 2 years | Agency | Zero-hours |
No of staff (headcount) | 15060 | 11023 | 3112 | 754 | 169 | Less than 5 |
Proportion | - | 73.2% | 20.7% | 5.0% | 1.1% | 0% |
The data provided above is to Office for National Statistics standards and both full-time and part-time permanent numbers include staff on loan or secondment.
The Department for Transport consists of the central Department and four Executive Agencies: Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency, Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency, Maritime & Coastguard Agency and Vehicle Certification Agency.
Government is committed to giving disabled people the same access to transport services as other members of society. It also recognises the particularly significant role played by taxis and private hire vehicle (PHV) operators for many disabled people, in helping them to remain active and independent.
It is for local authorities to specify a number of accessible vehicles to be within their licensed taxi and private hire vehicle fleet, and to take account of their public sector equality duties when doing so.
The Government recognises how important improving access to public transport is for disabled people and is committed to making transport more inclusive.
Since its launch in 2006, the £390m Access for All rail programme (which was further extended with £160m in 2014) has delivered accessible routes at over 150 stations. There are also 68 further projects at various stages of construction or development.
We also recognise that positive interactions with bus drivers can make a big difference to disabled people’s experience of taking the bus. We are working with the bus industry and disabled people to design best practice guidance in delivering disability awareness training which, we hope, will help to give bus drivers the skills and knowledge to assist every disabled passenger.
In addition, the Bus Services Bill will specifically allow enhanced partnership schemes to require all buses within a local area to provide audible and visual next stop information. Authorities using the new franchising powers will be able to place similar requirements on affected operators. The Government has also agreed to consider amendments on this issue which were tabled during the Bill’s committee stage in the House of Lords.
The Government intends to publish an Accessibility Action Plan for consultation by the end of the year which will present its ambition for further progress on this important agenda.
As at March 2017 the Department of Work and Pensions had:
a) 50,035 members of staff employed on full-time permanent contracts
b) 31,875 members of staff employed on part-time permanent contracts
c) 1,661 members of staff employed on Fixed Term appointment contracts of less than 2 years duration
d) the number of staff employed on an agency Contingent Labour basis to cover specific service delivery activities where there is no DWP internal resource are forecast on a monthly basis and clarified retrospectively each quarter. The forecast for March 2017 was 518.
e) No staff are employed on zero hours contracts