The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2014-06-24.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will retract his request to government departments to end check-off payroll deductions for trades union subscriptions.
Mr Francis Maude
Departments are required to recover the cost of check off.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East during Cabinet Office Orals on 25 June 2014 (Official Report) Column Ref: 302W.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he received from the general public and others in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) England before deciding to put the Union flag on driving licences, in favour of that change.
Claire Perry
No representations from the general public were received prior to the decision to include the Union flag on driving licences. Collective Government agreement was secured.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of (a) the initial extra and (b) the subsequent ongoing annual costs of putting the Welsh flag on the driving licence for drivers in Wales.
Claire Perry
Separate costs have not been estimated for putting the Welsh flag on the driving licence as these fall within the overall costs associated with providing any choices. The Government did consider giving motorists the choice of whether or not to have a licence showing the Union flag and offering a choice of national symbol. However, the costs involved in making the system and other changes required to offer such a choice were prohibitive.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what agreement his Department has reached with the Welsh Government regarding the funding of electrification of the Great Western Line to Swansea and the Valleys lines.
Stephen Hammond
The Welsh and UK Governments agreed in 2012 to fund the electrification of the Valley Lines and the South Wales Main Line between Cardiff and Swansea. That agreement still stands and Network Rail is developing plans for electrification.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to develop the North Wales line from Crewe to Holyhead in conjunction with the building of High Speed 2.
Stephen Hammond
No such assessment has been made. The opening of High Speed 2 will release capacity for train services on existing lines, including on the West Coast Main Line. Precise details of stopping patterns will be resolved when the relevant rail franchises are let in due course.
In the meantime, we will shortly announce a transparent and participatory process to consider long-term issues, opportunities and options for rail services on HS2 corridors.
We are also working with the Welsh Government who are developing a business case for the electrification of the North Wales Main Line.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of whether the London to Holyhead line will become a local stopping service following the building of High Speed 2.
Stephen Hammond
No such assessment has been made. The opening of High Speed 2 will release capacity for train services on existing lines, including on the West Coast Main Line. Precise details of stopping patterns will be resolved when the relevant rail franchises are let in due course.
In the meantime, we will shortly announce a transparent and participatory process to consider long-term issues, opportunities and options for rail services on HS2 corridors.
We are also working with the Welsh Government who are developing a business case for the electrification of the North Wales Main Line.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the London to Holyhead railway service will remain an express service after the creation of High Speed 2.
Stephen Hammond
No such assessment has been made. The opening of High Speed 2 will release capacity for train services on existing lines, including on the West Coast Main Line. Precise details of stopping patterns will be resolved when the relevant rail franchises are let in due course.
In the meantime, we will shortly announce a transparent and participatory process to consider long-term issues, opportunities and options for rail services on HS2 corridors.
We are also working with the Welsh Government who are developing a business case for the electrification of the North Wales Main Line.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will call for the immediate release of the seven Baha’i leaders imprisoned in Iran since 14 May 2008.
Hugh Robertson
We have repeatedly expressed concern at the sentencing of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran to 20 years imprisonment. We raised the treatment of Baha’is with the UN Special Rapporteur at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014, and in our contacts with the Iranian authorities. We will continue to call on the Iranian government to ensure that all Iranian citizens are able to exercise their right to freedom of religion, free from persecution and harassment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will introduce financial support for individuals who have worked previously but do not qualify for statutory paternity leave and pay because they have recently started in their new position.
Jenny Willott
The Government has no plans to introduce financial support for individuals who do not qualify for statutory paternity leave and pay because they do not have the required length of service.
Paternity leave and pay was considered as part of a broader examination of family-related leave which led to the introduction of Shared Parental Leave and Pay through the Children and Families Act 2014.
It is important to maintain the right balance between the needs of employees to take leave and the needs of employers to have certainty when recruiting and hiring new staff. Paternity leave and pay can be taken immediately from the birth of a child to allow the father to care for the mother and the newborn. This means that unlike annual leave, where the exact dates of the absence can be agreed in advance, paternity leave dates are subject to change.
The 26 week service qualification period allows employers to plan effectively to cover an employee’s absence during the paternity leave period, which would not be possible if the employee had just been recruited.
Unlike paternity leave, maternity leave is a day one right to ensure the health and well-being of both mother and baby. In order to qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay, a mother must have 26 weeks qualifying service (the same requirements as for paternity pay). Those mothers who do not have the requisite service for statutory maternity pay may be entitled to Maternity Allowance. This is because the benefit system recognises pregnant women and new mothers have a specific need for protect their own health and safety, and the health of their child, by allowing them to take time off work. There is no equivalent paternity allowance or adoption allowance, as there are not equivalent health and safety reasons to do so.
We have committed to a review of the changes to employment law enacted by the Children and Families Act after 2018.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what criteria he is distributing the additional £5 million discretionary housing payment for the least densely-populated areas announced on 30 July 2013.
Steve Webb
The £5million rural Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) fund for 2013/14 was allocated to those local authorities (LA) with the smallest population per square metre. The fund was then proportionally distributed using LAs share of the original DHP allocation, i.e. if an LA had an 8% share of the total DHP allocation of the least populated LAs, then they received 8% of the rural fund.
The £5m funding provided in 2014/15 is intended to avoid a disproportionate impact on those affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy in remote and isolated communities. The Government has assessed that the geography in some areas means that potential remedies such as finding work or alternative accommodation, are less readily available, and as a result transitions may take more time.