The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Clarke on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants of personal independence payments waited more than 16 weeks for a face-to-face assessment by each provider since the introduction of that payment.
Mr Mark Harper
I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 12 January 2015 to Question UIN 220004.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will respond to Let’s make the difference: A manifesto to end homelessness by Homeless Link in advance of the general election.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Department of Communities and Local Government has the lead on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping. Formed in 2010, the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness brings Departments together to ensure that Departments across Government play their part in tackling both the causes and consequences of homelessness. Throughout this Parliament, the group has worked together to coordinate action on the issues facing homeless people.
The Government have increased spending to prevent and tackle rough sleeping and homelessness making over £500 million available, giving councils the funding and tools needed to take action against rough sleeping locally.
There are a range of initiatives and projects in place to help rough sleepers, prevent single homelessness and to help those who have been homeless find and sustain accommodation.
Thousands of vulnerable people, including military veterans, who have slept rough or faced with the prospect of doing so have been given the help they need through No Second Night Out and Streetlink. By using Streetlink the public can help connect rough sleepers to the local services available so they can get the help they need to get them off the streets. Since 2012 Streetlink has made nearly 21,000 rough sleeping referrals to councils with over 9,000 having positive outcomes (such as accessing services) of which nearly 1,800 have had a specific housing outcome.
We have supported the roll-out of No Second Night Out nationally through the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund for the voluntary sector ensuring rough sleepers are found quickly and that they do not spend more than one night on the street. In 20 key rough sleeping areas outside London 67% of rough sleepers were helped off the streets after a single night according to homelessness charities.
We have launched an £8 million Help for Single Homeless Fund for local authorities which will improve council services for single people facing the prospect of homelessness. 34 projects, working across 168 local authorities, will provide support for up 22,000 single homeless people.
Finally, the Government is helping single homeless people find and sustain accommodation in the private rented sector through our £13 million funding to Crisis. By 2016 we expect the Crisis scheme to have helped 10,000 single homeless people since it started in 2010.
We work closely with Homeless Link, who represent homelessness charities across England, and attended the launch of their homelessness manifesto at a recent parliamentary reception.
It is not for the Government itself to respond to the manifestos produced by Non-Governmental Organisations and pressure groups ahead of the general election, but we welcome the broader contribution to the debate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government who is responsible for co-ordinating the services and provisions needed by those sleeping rough.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Department of Communities and Local Government has the lead on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping. Formed in 2010, the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness brings Departments together to ensure that Departments across Government play their part in tackling both the causes and consequences of homelessness. Throughout this Parliament, the group has worked together to coordinate action on the issues facing homeless people.
The Government have increased spending to prevent and tackle rough sleeping and homelessness making over £500 million available, giving councils the funding and tools needed to take action against rough sleeping locally.
There are a range of initiatives and projects in place to help rough sleepers, prevent single homelessness and to help those who have been homeless find and sustain accommodation.
Thousands of vulnerable people, including military veterans, who have slept rough or faced with the prospect of doing so have been given the help they need through No Second Night Out and Streetlink. By using Streetlink the public can help connect rough sleepers to the local services available so they can get the help they need to get them off the streets. Since 2012 Streetlink has made nearly 21,000 rough sleeping referrals to councils with over 9,000 having positive outcomes (such as accessing services) of which nearly 1,800 have had a specific housing outcome.
We have supported the roll-out of No Second Night Out nationally through the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund for the voluntary sector ensuring rough sleepers are found quickly and that they do not spend more than one night on the street. In 20 key rough sleeping areas outside London 67% of rough sleepers were helped off the streets after a single night according to homelessness charities.
We have launched an £8 million Help for Single Homeless Fund for local authorities which will improve council services for single people facing the prospect of homelessness. 34 projects, working across 168 local authorities, will provide support for up 22,000 single homeless people.
Finally, the Government is helping single homeless people find and sustain accommodation in the private rented sector through our £13 million funding to Crisis. By 2016 we expect the Crisis scheme to have helped 10,000 single homeless people since it started in 2010.
We work closely with Homeless Link, who represent homelessness charities across England, and attended the launch of their homelessness manifesto at a recent parliamentary reception.
It is not for the Government itself to respond to the manifestos produced by Non-Governmental Organisations and pressure groups ahead of the general election, but we welcome the broader contribution to the debate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the comments by Lord De Mauley on 13 January relating to United Kingdom milk production, whether they will examine the French system for the marketing of milk with a view to improving the economic prospects for dairy farmers in England.
Lord De Mauley
The French system for the marketing of milk helps dairy producers maximise their revenue through the use of Geographical Indicators (GIs). We are already supporting the marketing of high value cheese and other dairy products by encouraging British food specialities to apply for protected status.
We are also pushing for better Country of Origin labelling to help promote British dairy products. We have raised this with the new EU Agriculture Commissioner and the Commission is due to publish a report on the feasibility of mandatory labelling next month.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to assist rough sleepers, and in particular homeless military veterans.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Department of Communities and Local Government has the lead on tackling homelessness and rough sleeping. Formed in 2010, the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness brings Departments together to ensure that Departments across Government play their part in tackling both the causes and consequences of homelessness. Throughout this Parliament, the group has worked together to coordinate action on the issues facing homeless people.
The Government have increased spending to prevent and tackle rough sleeping and homelessness making over £500 million available, giving councils the funding and tools needed to take action against rough sleeping locally.
There are a range of initiatives and projects in place to help rough sleepers, prevent single homelessness and to help those who have been homeless find and sustain accommodation.
Thousands of vulnerable people, including military veterans, who have slept rough or faced with the prospect of doing so have been given the help they need through No Second Night Out and Streetlink. By using Streetlink the public can help connect rough sleepers to the local services available so they can get the help they need to get them off the streets. Since 2012 Streetlink has made nearly 21,000 rough sleeping referrals to councils with over 9,000 having positive outcomes (such as accessing services) of which nearly 1,800 have had a specific housing outcome.
We have supported the roll-out of No Second Night Out nationally through the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund for the voluntary sector ensuring rough sleepers are found quickly and that they do not spend more than one night on the street. In 20 key rough sleeping areas outside London 67% of rough sleepers were helped off the streets after a single night according to homelessness charities.
We have launched an £8 million Help for Single Homeless Fund for local authorities which will improve council services for single people facing the prospect of homelessness. 34 projects, working across 168 local authorities, will provide support for up 22,000 single homeless people.
Finally, the Government is helping single homeless people find and sustain accommodation in the private rented sector through our £13 million funding to Crisis. By 2016 we expect the Crisis scheme to have helped 10,000 single homeless people since it started in 2010.
We work closely with Homeless Link, who represent homelessness charities across England, and attended the launch of their homelessness manifesto at a recent parliamentary reception.
It is not for the Government itself to respond to the manifestos produced by Non-Governmental Organisations and pressure groups ahead of the general election, but we welcome the broader contribution to the debate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Avebury on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to imposing sanctions on Saudi Arabian ministers responsible for legislation providing for sentences of cruel and unusual punishments, particularly for acts permitted under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Currently there are no sanctions in place for Saudi Arabia and we have not considered imposing them on Saudi Arabia.
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Mr Grayling), and the Saudi Minister of Justice, Dr Al Issa, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will further help us to support Saudi Arabia’s reform efforts in the judicial sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Framlingham on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the incidence of ash dieback in the United Kingdom in the last year as compared with earlier years.
Lord De Mauley
The total aggregate number of sites with confirmed findings of Chalara at the end of calendar year 2014 was 949. This includes wider environment findings, recently planted trees and nursery sites.
This had increased from a total of 615 at the end of calendar year 2013, and 323 at the end of calendar year 2012. The first findings of Chalara in the UK were during 2012.
An interactive map showing the geographical distribution of Chalara in the UK is available on the Forestry Commission website and is updated on a monthly basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Framlingham on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are investigating the possibility of establishing a statutory quarantine system for all trees imported into the United Kingdom.
Lord De Mauley
The Government takes a risk-based approach to prioritise action on plant and tree pests and pathogens to improve resilience. We have produced, working with stakeholders from across industry, Non-Governmental Organisations, and the public, a prioritised plant health risk register of 750 known pests and diseases.
On that basis and where appropriate, we have acted to introduce movement restrictions or requirements for importers to notify incoming consignments of particular species – for example for ash, oak, plane, pine, elm and sweet chestnut.
We are also funding new research to ensure that we have a robust evidence base regarding the pests and diseases that could threaten our trees and plants.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Framlingham on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are taking steps to insist on the implementation of audit trails for all trees imported into the United Kingdom to enable them to be easily traced if necessary.
Lord De Mauley
The Government takes a risk-based approach to prioritise action on plant and tree pests and pathogens to improve resilience. We have produced, working with stakeholders from across industry, Non-Governmental Organisations, and the public, a prioritised plant health risk register of 750 known pests and diseases.
On that basis and where appropriate we have acted to introduce movement restrictions or requirements for importers to notify incoming consignments of particular species, for example for ash, oak, plane, sweet chestnut, pine and elm.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date they expect to be able to invite (1) local authorities, and (2) national organisations, to apply for (a) funding to boost voter registration, and (b) funding for wider voter registration activities.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire
I refer the noble peer to the answer I gave on 20 January, Official Report, Column WA299.
The Government will outline further detail about the use of the funding in due course.