Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Laurence Robertson and Maria Miller

Thursday 5th September 2013 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

The right hon. Gentleman should also acknowledge that the NAO report stated that the value-for-money controls in contracts appeared to be robust. We all know that BT will be paid only on the basis of actual eligible costs incurred. I hope he will join me in celebrating a programme that will deliver such an important piece of infrastructure to communities up and down the country.

[Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con)]

8. What progress she has made on replacing the horserace betting levy as a means of funding horse racing; and if she will make a statement.

Equal Marriage Consultation

Debate between Laurence Robertson and Maria Miller

Tuesday 11th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Maria Miller]

I certainly hope that that will be one result from what we are talking about today.

[Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con)]

The Government are hiding behind triple locks and quadruple locks on what may or may not happen in churches. Let me point out that although there are religious and civil ceremonies, there is only one marriage, and many people of all faiths and no faith are deeply offended—I repeat, deeply offended—by these proposals.

[Maria Miller]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right that there is one marriage—there are different ways into it, but there is just one concept of marriage. The locks that we propose are very much about listening to people’s concerns, but not just listening, as they are also about acting and ensuring that the safeguards are effective.

Children Maintenance

Debate between Laurence Robertson and Maria Miller

Monday 13th December 2010 Ministerial Corrections

[Mr Laurence Robertson]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Child Support Agency has (a) assessed as being due and (b) collected in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

[Official Report, 8 November 2010, Vol. 518, c. 170-172W.]

Letter of correction from Maria Miller:

An error has been identified in Table 1 of the written answer given to the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr Robertson) on 8 November. The figure for the September 2006 annual assessed amount was incorrectly given as £1,146 million and should have been £1,446 million.

The full answer was given as follows:

[Maria Miller]

The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and I have seen the response.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty:

In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.

You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Child Support Agency has (a) assessed as being due and (b) collected in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [22664]

The attached table provides an estimate of the value of money assessed as being due and the value of money collected or arranged.

The value of money assessed as being due has been calculated by taking the average weekly assessment at September each year (excluding nil liability), and multiplying it by the caseload as at September.

Figures on average weekly assessment and caseload are available within the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics available in the House of Commons library or online at

http://www.childmaintenance.org/en/publications/statistics.html