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  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report Marching to Genocide in Burma; and what, if any, action they intend to take in response.

    Baroness Warsi

    We share many of the concerns that United to End Genocide raise in their recent report on the plight of the Rohingya. We continue to press the Burmese government to find a long term solution to bring peace and reconciliation to the communities in Rakhine State. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), summoned the Burmese Ambassador on 7 April and called on the Burmese government urgently to restore humanitarian access to all communities in need, and to ensure the security of humanitarian aid workers and all communities in Rakhine State. Mr Swire raised our wider concerns about the situation in Rakhine State with senior Burmese Ministers during his visit in January. I personally discussed the situation with Minister of National Planning and Economic Development, Dr Kan Zaw, during his visit to the UK in March.

    We remain in close contact with Médecins Sans Frontières and have made clear to the Burmese government their responsibility to ensure services are adequately delivered. We continue to maintain that allegations of human rights abuses must be dealt with immediately through a clear and transparent investigative and prosecutorial process that meets international standards.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Quarterly Data Summary for any department does not include the data compared (1) to budget, (2) to the same period in the previous year, and (3) to the end of year target.

    Lord Bates

    In each quarter of the 2013/14 financial year, 15 of the 17 departments taking part in the Quarterly Data Summary process have provided all of the information requested. In quarter 3, the most recent quarter for which data is available, average completion was 96%.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Cabinet Office prepares any management information or reports that provide comparisons between departments; and, if so, which areas they cover.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The Cabinet Office runs a system that allows departments and arm’s length bodies to compare their performance across a full range of indicators.

  • – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the statement in Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government that ill-informed public comment can create a conflicting incentive on departments and reduce the impartiality of reporting and thereby data integrity”

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The Government’s position is to be as transparent as possible. We consult widely on what data should be published in Dr Martin Read’s report "Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government” commissioned by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2012 and regularly consider publication of performance data as part of this consultation.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to place the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Unit during its operation in a publicly available archive.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    No. Evidence gathered in investigations by the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Unit concerning war crimes is an operational matter for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and, where files were submitted for prosecution, the Crown Prosecution Service.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many proceedings have been brought under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since its enactment; what was the total amount pursued; and what has been the amount actually recovered.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    More money has been recovered from criminals under this Government than in any equivalent period previously. The Serious and Organised Crime Strategy sets out the steps we will take to attack criminal finances and further improve performance.

    The table below details the number of cases brought under the Proceeds of Crime Act together with the amounts set on orders that the courts issued and the amounts recovered. The amounts recovered in a given year do not necessarily relate to orders made in that year.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions an action under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 has also been investigated by HM Revenue and Customs to ensure that tax has been paid by the individuals concerned.

    Lord Deighton

    Actions under the Proceeds of Crime Act (2002) (POCA) could include a variety of different provisions within the Act. For instance, the use of POCA investigative powers, a prosecution for a POCA money laundering offence, the use of criminal confiscation following conviction, the use of POCA civil recovery procedures or financial intelligence received by way of the Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) regime.

    Where a law enforcement agency has suspicions of tax evasion it is up to that agency to refer the matter to HMRC to review and investigate as appropriate, using civil or criminal powers. HMRC does not keep a record of how many such referrals are made to them.

    Where HMRC is the investigating agency conducting the POCA actions, they routinely also assess the correct tax position and seek to recover outstanding amounts

  • Baroness Whitaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Whitaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Nash on 27 March (WS 53–4) on primary and 16 to 18 assessment and accountability, how the progress which is to be measured will be disaggregated into ethnic groups.

    Lord Nash

    The detail of the new accountability measures has yet to be fully developed. However, we expect to mirror current practice and to publish information on attainment and progress by ethnic group at national and local authority level rather than at school or college level.

    A new web portal, which is under development, will improve access to 16-18 performance data including the core demographic information such as ethnicity which is currently available for primary and secondary schools.

  • Lord Bradley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Bradley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradley on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have (1) applied for, and (2) been granted, help through (a) the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme, and (b) the Help to Buy equity loan scheme, in each of the ten districts of Greater Manchester.

    Lord Newby

    LORD NEWBY

    a) On 23 March, the Prime Minister announced that 2,572 mortgages were supported by the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme in its first four months. 342 of these were in the North West. The Government does not generally collect data on the number of applications participating lenders receive for mortgages supported by the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme. However, as a single submission to the Government, two of the largest lenders in the Scheme, Lloyds and RBS, have said they received 9,569 applications, and one of the smallest lenders in the Scheme, Aldermore, received 2,313 applications.

    Now the Scheme is open, the Government is collecting data on mortgages covered by the guarantee, and will report in due course.

    b) The Government publishes monthly statistics on the cumulative number of homes purchased (legal completions), with the support of Help to Buy: equity loans, by local authority in England. The data can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics.

    “

  • Lord Bradley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Bradley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradley on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have been recognised as homeless in each local authority area of England and Wales as a result of mental health problems in each of the last three years.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    A table containing the requested information for England has been placed in the Library of the House; to assist public scrutiny, I have included data from 2003 to 2013. The table shows there were 4,480 homeless people due to a mental illness/disability in England in 2013, compared to 12,040 in 2003; it also shows the average level in England under this Government is far less than the average rate under the last Administration.

    This Government has invested £470 million in England to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness over the spending review period. The homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world. The law ensures that people who are vulnerable as a result of old age, mental illness or handicap or physical disability will have priority need for accommodation if they become homeless through no fault of their own.

    Data on homelessness outside England are a matter for the devolved Administrations