The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what preparatory work is currently underway in her Department on the consultation on increasing the small claims limit from £1,000 to £5,000.
Sir Oliver Heald
Ministers are considering this issue and the Government will bring forward proposals in the coming months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 3.103 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, when her Department plans to launch the consultation on increasing the small claims limit from £1,000 to £5,000.
Sir Oliver Heald
Ministers are considering this issue and the Government will bring forward proposals in the coming months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has plans to bring forward proposals to amend the legislation requiring statutory declarations to be dated within six months of the date of the Gender Recognition Certificate application.
Dr Phillip Lee
I refer the hon. Member to my answer to PQ 44155.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans her Department has for civilian enforcement officers within the context of its plans to outsource work to the private sector.
Dr Phillip Lee
HMCTS are considering a range of options about how best to deliver this service. The tender process will allow HMCTS to make informed decisions about what is in the best interests of the service and the taxpayer. No decision on the way forward for the Civilian Enforcement Office role has been made at the current time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of the staff employed by her Department are non-UK nationals.
Dr Phillip Lee
All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to enable the prosecution of people who promote the use of miracle mineral solution as a cure for autism.
Sir Oliver Heald
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued advice that Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) is not safe and should not be sold for human consumption. It has been working with local authorities across the country to share knowledge, investigate and disrupt the sale of MMS and other similar products.
The FSA’s National Food Crime Unit has secured the removal of MMS products from major marketplace websites, and has shared information internationally through the National Crime Agency, alerting authorities in specific countries to the risks relating to known proponents of the use of MMS in this manner.
Therefore, the Government has no plans to bring forward legislation in this area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Leader of the House, how many (a) Peers and (b) civil servants have offices within the Palace of Westminster.
Mr David Lidington
As of 13 October, there is a total of three hundred and sixty eight (368) Peers with desks provided within one hundred and twelve (112) offices in the Palace of Westminster.
There is a total of twenty eight (28) desks provided within eight (8) offices to Civil Servants in the House of Commons foot print of the Palace of Westminster for the following: Prime Minister, Home Secretary, Leader of the House and Government Chief Whip.
There is a total of twenty one (21) desks provided within six (6) offices to Civil Servants in the House of Lords foot print of the Palace of Westminster for the following: Cabinet Office (16 desks, 4 offices) and Crown Office (5 desks, 2 Offices). In addition there is a Bill Team Room in the House of Lords. This is a single office with two desks which is for the use of civil servants from whichever department is having legislation debated in the Chamber to use as a ‘hotdesking’ facility.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, approximately how many (a) British and (b) non-British nationals are employed cleaning the Westminster estate of his Department.
James Brokenshire
My Department does not directly employ any cleaning staff within the Westminster estate, we utilise contracted services provided by HM Treasury.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of staff on the payroll of his Department who work in Westminster are (a) British nationals and (b) nationals of another country.
Kris Hopkins
All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.
More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on funding for inquests into the killings allegedly carried out by the British Army’s Military Reaction Force.
James Brokenshire
The Government committed, in our manifesto, to work to reform the system of legacy inquests in a way that enables the UK Government to fulfil its international obligations. The current system was not designed to cope with a large number of highly complex cases that involve sensitive information. Since taking up office I have been meeting regularly with the Executive parties and a large number of other stakeholders as part of work to progress reforms around legacy issues. I will continue to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive and others and consider any proposals that the Executive puts forward that would lead to effective reform of the inquest system.