The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what meetings at official level her Department has had with the Department for International Trade in which her Department’s budget was discussed.
Rory Stewart
We hold regular meetings with colleagues across Whitehall including with the Department for International Trade.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many women’s organisations the Minister for Middle East and Africa met during his recent visit to Somalia.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
In my recent visit to Somalia on 2 August I met with representatives from Committee of Goodwill Ambassadors for Female Participation; a group tasked by the Federal Government of Somalia to identify mechanisms to deliver a Somalia commitment to increase women’s representation in Parliament, through the electoral process planned for October this year. I used the opportunity to emphasise UK support for the work of the Committee and the UK’s continued commitment to women and girls in Somalia.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many full-time equivalent staff of her Department, at what grades, have been seconded to the Department for International Trade.
Rory Stewart
Two DFID staff will soon be moving to the Department for International Trade on loan for a period of 2 years taking up Senior Civil Service roles. We expect that several DFID staff will be strong candidates for other roles in the new Department currently being advertised.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what activities have been undertaken by Ministers of her Department to promote breastfeeding during World Breastfeeding Week 2016.
Rory Stewart
DFID supports breastfeeding. Interventions to improve early infant feeding can save newborn lives in less developed settings, and early initiation of breastfeeding has been shown to have a major additional impact in reducing neonatal deaths.
DFID Ministers did not undertake activities to mark World Breastfeeding Day specifically. Our country offices regularly work with local partners to promote breastfeeding and other public health interventions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to page 135 of her Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts 2015-16, for what reasons the budget allocation to South Sudan has decreased from £188,184 in 2015-16 to £145,000 in 2017-18.
James Wharton
DFID’s allocations are continually reviewed to ensure development assistance is used most effectively to achieve poverty reduction, in the national interest and responds to changing needs. The precise way in which DFID spends will reflect changing demands while at the same time protecting ministerial spending commitments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kwasi Kwarteng on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what restrictions the Government has put in place to prevent threatening and intimidating behaviour on the part of bailiffs.
Sir Oliver Heald
The Government is clear that aggressive enforcement action is not acceptable. In April 2014 reforms were introduced to protect people from threatening and intimidating behaviour by enforcement agents. The reforms introduced, amongst other things, safeguards to prevent the use of force against debtors, mandatory training and a certification process for enforcement agents to ensure that they are the right people for the job.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of whether the level of tribunal fees acts as a disincentive to women pursuing a sex discrimination claim.
Sir Oliver Heald
We will publish the outcome of our review into Employment Tribunal Fees in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure that any future UK Bill of Rights covers all of the UK.
Sir Oliver Heald
We will set out our proposals for a Bill of Rights in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what requirements are in place to ensure that the mental health of a defendant is fully considered before sentencing.
Dr Phillip Lee
Under the Criminal Justice Act 2003, before passing sentence, the Court must obtain a pre-sentence report unless it considers it unnecessary to do so in any individual case. The pre-sentence report covers all circumstances which are relevant to the offender and highlights any links to his offending behaviour, including mental health problems.
Under the same Act, the Court is required to obtain and consider a medical report on a defendant who is or appears to be mentally disordered, before passing a custodial sentence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeal hearings were cancelled in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) the first eight months of 2016 at the (i) First-tier Tribunal and (ii) Upper-tier Tribunal due to documents from the Home Office not being submitted before the hearing date.
Sir Oliver Heald
The First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chambers) are administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS).
The number of appeal hearings adjourned at the hearing, or postponed prior to the hearing, due to documents from the Home Office not being submitted before the hearing date was:
(i) First-tier Tribunal: (a) 2014 – 833 and (b) 2015 – 739
(ii) Upper Tribunal: (a) 2014 – 17 and (b) 2015 – 8
The number of appeal hearings either adjourned at the hearing, or postponed prior to the hearing due to documents from the Home Office not being submitted before the hearing date in the first six months of 2016, which are the latest figures available, was:
(i) First-tier Tribunal – 269
(ii) Upper Tribunal – 1
Data provided are internal Management Information and not subject to the same quality checks as Official Statistics.