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Written Question
Ministry of Defence: St James’s Place
Wednesday 10th February 2021

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when due diligence was last undertaken by his Department on (a) St James' Place, (b) St James' Place Academy and (c) any personnel involved in that military network; and if he will publish the report on such due diligence.

Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)

Defence has no specific arrangement with St James's Place (SJP) beyond maintaining a routine relationship through Defence Relationship Management, as we do with all signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant. SJP are also used as one of the two companies who provide independent financial advisors to support the Financial Aspects of Resettlement (FAR) Briefs, alongside the Forces Pension Society.


There has been one complaint made to Defence regarding SJP, in which the Department was not qualified nor permitted to investigate or intervene on the specific matters raised regarding SJP's relationship with a single individual. That individual was advised to the raise their complaint with the appropriate regulatory authorities. Right Management Ltd and the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) do not recommend particular employers; Service leavers are supported in finding opportunities which are relevant to, and suitable for, their personal circumstances.

SJP is one of the two companies which supports the FAR Briefs. The presentation materials are the property of these stakeholders and would not be published by Defence for this reason. The MOD does not use St James' Place Academy to conduct presentation or briefings as part of the CTP. SJP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Department has conducted 'secret shopper' activities on four separate FAR briefs over the past year and had no cause for concern over the content being delivered. The FAR briefing package (Pensions and Financial Advice) is currently undergoing review. This may see a change in format and providers and is being done to standardise Assurance and Governance procedures across CTP, rather than as a result of any concern over the material delivered.


Written Question
Ministry of Defence: St James’s Place
Wednesday 10th February 2021

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish details of the presentations made by (a) St James' Place and (b) St James' Place Academy to armed service personnel who (i) have left and (ii) are shortly to leave the armed services in the last two years to date.

Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)

Defence has no specific arrangement with St James's Place (SJP) beyond maintaining a routine relationship through Defence Relationship Management, as we do with all signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant. SJP are also used as one of the two companies who provide independent financial advisors to support the Financial Aspects of Resettlement (FAR) Briefs, alongside the Forces Pension Society.


There has been one complaint made to Defence regarding SJP, in which the Department was not qualified nor permitted to investigate or intervene on the specific matters raised regarding SJP's relationship with a single individual. That individual was advised to the raise their complaint with the appropriate regulatory authorities. Right Management Ltd and the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) do not recommend particular employers; Service leavers are supported in finding opportunities which are relevant to, and suitable for, their personal circumstances.

SJP is one of the two companies which supports the FAR Briefs. The presentation materials are the property of these stakeholders and would not be published by Defence for this reason. The MOD does not use St James' Place Academy to conduct presentation or briefings as part of the CTP. SJP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Department has conducted 'secret shopper' activities on four separate FAR briefs over the past year and had no cause for concern over the content being delivered. The FAR briefing package (Pensions and Financial Advice) is currently undergoing review. This may see a change in format and providers and is being done to standardise Assurance and Governance procedures across CTP, rather than as a result of any concern over the material delivered.


Written Question
Ministry of Defence: St James’s Place
Wednesday 10th February 2021

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans have been recommended to take up work with St James' Place by Right Management delivering through the Career Transition Partnership in the last five years.

Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)

Defence has no specific arrangement with St James's Place (SJP) beyond maintaining a routine relationship through Defence Relationship Management, as we do with all signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant. SJP are also used as one of the two companies who provide independent financial advisors to support the Financial Aspects of Resettlement (FAR) Briefs, alongside the Forces Pension Society.


There has been one complaint made to Defence regarding SJP, in which the Department was not qualified nor permitted to investigate or intervene on the specific matters raised regarding SJP's relationship with a single individual. That individual was advised to the raise their complaint with the appropriate regulatory authorities. Right Management Ltd and the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) do not recommend particular employers; Service leavers are supported in finding opportunities which are relevant to, and suitable for, their personal circumstances.

SJP is one of the two companies which supports the FAR Briefs. The presentation materials are the property of these stakeholders and would not be published by Defence for this reason. The MOD does not use St James' Place Academy to conduct presentation or briefings as part of the CTP. SJP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Department has conducted 'secret shopper' activities on four separate FAR briefs over the past year and had no cause for concern over the content being delivered. The FAR briefing package (Pensions and Financial Advice) is currently undergoing review. This may see a change in format and providers and is being done to standardise Assurance and Governance procedures across CTP, rather than as a result of any concern over the material delivered.


Written Question
Ministry of Defence: St James’s Place
Wednesday 10th February 2021

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the complaints against St James' Place received by his Department in the last five years; how many of those complaints remain under investigation; how many of those complaints have been resolved; and what the outcome was of those resolved complaints.

Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)

Defence has no specific arrangement with St James's Place (SJP) beyond maintaining a routine relationship through Defence Relationship Management, as we do with all signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant. SJP are also used as one of the two companies who provide independent financial advisors to support the Financial Aspects of Resettlement (FAR) Briefs, alongside the Forces Pension Society.


There has been one complaint made to Defence regarding SJP, in which the Department was not qualified nor permitted to investigate or intervene on the specific matters raised regarding SJP's relationship with a single individual. That individual was advised to the raise their complaint with the appropriate regulatory authorities. Right Management Ltd and the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) do not recommend particular employers; Service leavers are supported in finding opportunities which are relevant to, and suitable for, their personal circumstances.

SJP is one of the two companies which supports the FAR Briefs. The presentation materials are the property of these stakeholders and would not be published by Defence for this reason. The MOD does not use St James' Place Academy to conduct presentation or briefings as part of the CTP. SJP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Department has conducted 'secret shopper' activities on four separate FAR briefs over the past year and had no cause for concern over the content being delivered. The FAR briefing package (Pensions and Financial Advice) is currently undergoing review. This may see a change in format and providers and is being done to standardise Assurance and Governance procedures across CTP, rather than as a result of any concern over the material delivered.


Written Question
Ministry of Defence: St James’s Place
Wednesday 10th February 2021

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish details of the arrangement between Defence Relationship Management and St James's Place.

Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)

Defence has no specific arrangement with St James's Place (SJP) beyond maintaining a routine relationship through Defence Relationship Management, as we do with all signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant. SJP are also used as one of the two companies who provide independent financial advisors to support the Financial Aspects of Resettlement (FAR) Briefs, alongside the Forces Pension Society.


There has been one complaint made to Defence regarding SJP, in which the Department was not qualified nor permitted to investigate or intervene on the specific matters raised regarding SJP's relationship with a single individual. That individual was advised to the raise their complaint with the appropriate regulatory authorities. Right Management Ltd and the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) do not recommend particular employers; Service leavers are supported in finding opportunities which are relevant to, and suitable for, their personal circumstances.

SJP is one of the two companies which supports the FAR Briefs. The presentation materials are the property of these stakeholders and would not be published by Defence for this reason. The MOD does not use St James' Place Academy to conduct presentation or briefings as part of the CTP. SJP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Department has conducted 'secret shopper' activities on four separate FAR briefs over the past year and had no cause for concern over the content being delivered. The FAR briefing package (Pensions and Financial Advice) is currently undergoing review. This may see a change in format and providers and is being done to standardise Assurance and Governance procedures across CTP, rather than as a result of any concern over the material delivered.


Written Question
Fraud
Tuesday 9th February 2021

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen penalties against scammers.

Answered by Kit Malthouse

As our lifestyles change and we conduct more activity online, scammers will seek to exploit our vulnerabilities. This government is committed to making this country the safest place in the world to be online. We will continue to consider all routes, including legislation, that will give law enforcement the tools they need to go after these scammers and bring them to justice. The Government also continues to explore legislation to better protect citizens online. This includes examining the role of advertising on digital platforms through the Online Advertising Programme, which will consider the role that online advertising plays in perpetuating online scams.

It is also critical that we do all we can to make sure the public are safe online from scammers in the first place. The National Cyber Security Centre last year launched its Suspicious Email Reporting Service. As of the end of January, this has already led to over 4.5 million reports and 30,000 scams removed from online. However, the best way to avoid these scams, especially around the coronavirus, is to protect yourself. The public can find details on how to stay safe online at the dedicated coronavirus fraud and cybercrime GOV.UK page.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime


Written Question
Weddings: Coronavirus
Monday 8th February 2021

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what further support he plans to make available to the weddings industry to ensure its future viability.

Answered by Paul Scully

Over the course of the pandemic, the Government has provided an unprecedented package of support to businesses, including those in the wedding sector, which it keeps under regular review.

I have met regularly with representatives of the wedding sector to understand the impact of COVID-19 on wedding businesses.


Written Question
Weddings: Coronavirus
Monday 8th February 2021

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the restrictions on the number of people permitted to attend a wedding will next be reviewed.

Answered by Paul Scully

As my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said, we intend to publish our plan for taking the country out of lockdown in the last week of February. That plan will depend on the continued success of our vaccination programme.


Written Question
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Monday 8th February 2021

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on land HS2 plans to acquire permanently along the route of HS2 Phase 1 that was not notified to the local residents before the Government's permission for the project to proceed.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Powers to acquire land permanently on Phase One are set out in the High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Act 2017. All land and property within the defined borders as set by the Act can be subject to compulsory purchase. Residents are notified of any access, temporary or permanent acquisitions required in line with the Act. The programme of land acquisition is a continuing programme and so too are communications relating to it.


Written Question
Allan Cook
Monday 8th February 2021

Asked by: Cheryl Gillan (Conservative - Chesham and Amersham)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he was informed that Allan Cook was resigning early as Chairman of HS2 Ltd.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Allan Cook CBE, Chairman of HS2 Ltd, issued his resignation on 31 January 2021. Allan will fulfil his 6-month notice period. I wish to thank Allan for the dedication he has shown in his role of Chairman.

I will set out in due course plans to identify the new Chairperson via an open and fair process.