Tag: Baroness King of Bow

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2015-12-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many candidates were interviewed for the post of chair of the independent review of the localisation of Council Tax support schemes.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The position is a Ministerial appointment based on the provisions in the Local Government Finance Act 2012. A range of potential candidates were considered by Ministers. Ministers selected the chair on the basis of:

• interest and expertise in local government and/or welfare;
• their background and understanding local government; and
• their willingness and availability to conduct the review within the timescale.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the one-year post-implementation review of the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013, as set out in the Explanatory Memorandum to those Regulations, has been completed, and if so, whether a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

Lord Faulks

Work to review the enforcement reforms introduced in April 2014 is ongoing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 8 December 2015 (HL3997), what has been identified as the cause of the overpayment of housing benefit to those claimants migrated onto Universal Credit, and how many claimants in Tower Hamlets have been affected.

Lord Freud

We have safeguards in place to ensure an effective transition and avoid impacts on overlapping benefits.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to ask the Social Housing Regulator to request data from the Circle Housing Group about the performance of Kier Gas in repairing or replacing faulty boilers in each week since the Group downgraded Kier Gas’s governance rating.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

I refer the Noble Lady to my previous answer to her on 8 December (HL4002). The Social Housing Regulator is statutorily independent. The Department for Communities and Local Government cannot therefore direct the Regulator on this matter.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets currently receive Universal Credit.

Lord Freud

The latest published statistics show that, as at December 2015, there were 1,409 Universal Credit claimants in Tower Hamlets.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the views of surrogates, academics, parents through surrogacy, and legal practitioners, about the case for surrogacy law reform, in particular with regard to legal parenthood following surrogacy.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Surrogacy is a complex issue, the legislation about which has not been significantly addressed by respective administrations since the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985. The Government recognises the arguments for the need for a review, and we have therefore asked the Law Commission, as part of the consultation on its 13th work programme this summer, to consider including a project on surrogacy

The Government has accepted the judgment by Sir James Munby from the High Court. We will be looking to update the legislation on Parental Orders, and are now considering how best to do this.

The Government recognises surrogacy as an important option for some people wishing to start a family and is currently considering how best to clarify the current legal arrangements for intended parents, surrogates and their families. The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service campaign to increase awareness of Parental Orders is ongoing and targeted at health workers, local authority registration staff and surrogacy agencies. It will be evaluated in full upon completion in autumn 2016; in-campaign monitoring indicates its messaging is reaching the target audience.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total value of redundancy payments made to former employees of the Tenant Services Authority as a result of the decision to abolish that organisation.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Office for Tenants and Social Landlords (known as The Tenant Services Authority) ceased to exist from 31 March 2012. All staff were transferred under TUPE regulations to the Homes and Communities Agency from 1 April 2012, with the exception of the Managing Director. It was agreed that the post of Managing Director would not transfer and that the post should be deleted from the establishment from that date. A redundancy payment of £47,675 was made, together with enhanced pension contributions of £148,568.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Sir James Munby’s ruling in In re. Z(A Child) (No.2) [2016] EWHC 1191(Fam) that UK law is incompatible with the human rights of single parents who have children born through surrogacy.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Surrogacy is a complex issue, the legislation about which has not been significantly addressed by respective administrations since the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985. The Government recognises the arguments for the need for a review, and we have therefore asked the Law Commission, as part of the consultation on its 13th work programme this summer, to consider including a project on surrogacy

The Government has accepted the judgment by Sir James Munby from the High Court. We will be looking to update the legislation on Parental Orders, and are now considering how best to do this.

The Government recognises surrogacy as an important option for some people wishing to start a family and is currently considering how best to clarify the current legal arrangements for intended parents, surrogates and their families. The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service campaign to increase awareness of Parental Orders is ongoing and targeted at health workers, local authority registration staff and surrogacy agencies. It will be evaluated in full upon completion in autumn 2016; in-campaign monitoring indicates its messaging is reaching the target audience.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 7 January (HL4728), whether independence was one of the criteria by which candidates to chair the independent review of localisation of Council Tax support schemes were assessed.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

While independence was not referenced in my earlier answer, Ministers were mindful of independence in considering a chair, and have made it clear that this would be an independent review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 11 May (HL8079), and in the light of the judgment In re. Z(A Child) (No.2) [2016] EWHC 1191(Fam), whether they now intend to review the legislation relating to surrogacy.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Surrogacy is a complex issue, the legislation about which has not been significantly addressed by respective administrations since the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985. The Government recognises the arguments for the need for a review, and we have therefore asked the Law Commission, as part of the consultation on its 13th work programme this summer, to consider including a project on surrogacy

The Government has accepted the judgment by Sir James Munby from the High Court. We will be looking to update the legislation on Parental Orders, and are now considering how best to do this.

The Government recognises surrogacy as an important option for some people wishing to start a family and is currently considering how best to clarify the current legal arrangements for intended parents, surrogates and their families. The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service campaign to increase awareness of Parental Orders is ongoing and targeted at health workers, local authority registration staff and surrogacy agencies. It will be evaluated in full upon completion in autumn 2016; in-campaign monitoring indicates its messaging is reaching the target audience.