The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2015-11-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on competition between different sectors in the gaming industry of different forms of gambling taxation; and if he will make a statement.
Damian Hinds
The Treasury keeps all aspects of tax policy under review, and routinely looks at the impact of gambling tax policy on the industry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Metcalfe on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the use of digital technology in the courts and tribunals system.
Mr Shailesh Vara
We have secured over £700m of funding to invest in our courts and tribunals system so they deliver swifter, fairer justice. Together with the Crown Prosecution Service, we are already developing shared digital technology for criminal justice so that all can work from the same digital case files. We have introduced online pleas and fines for traffic offences. Courts are now trialling extended opening hours, new ways of scheduling cases to avoid frustration and delays, and extending the use of video links.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.
Justin Tomlinson
(a i) The number of people employed in DWP offices in Stoke-on-Trent at June 2010, which is the earliest information available, was 744. The current number of people employed as at November 2015, latest information available, is 464.
(b i) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has an office in Stoke-on-Trent. The number of people employed at 1 January 2010 was 52. Current number of people employed is 31.
The North Staffs Remploy factory based at Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent closed on 4 December 2012 and 110 people left the factory.
(a ii) Detailed workforce planning up to 2020 is not yet available. Although reducing and rationalising the estate could result in relocations, there is no centrally driven relocation target to this effect. Any relocation is done based on the operational needs of the department.
(b ii) The HSE office in Stoke-on-Trent will relocate on 25 January 2016 and 31 people will move to Crewe from that date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-02-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has received that bona fide trophectoderm stem cells have already been successfully derived and propagated from human embryos; whether any such stem cell lines have been deposited in the UK Stem Cell Bank; and if so, when.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that it holds information on the number of stem cell lines derived in each licensed research project and checks for compliance (on inspection) with the requirement for stem cell lines to be deposited in the UK Stem Cell Bank. However, this information does not differentiate between stem cells derived from the inner cell mass and those from trophectoderm.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2016-02-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what their side events will be at the Commission on the Status of Women meeting in March.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The Government will use the 60th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to ensure that gender equality and women’s empowerment remain at the top of the global political agenda. We will negotiate with other UN Member States to agree a set of ambitious, action-oriented and forward-looking recommendations for governments around the world to accelerate progress on gender equality and ensure accountability.
At the first session after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, we will press for a meaningful follow-up process that places gender equality at the heart of the new agenda while ensuring that the CSW remains the prime global forum on gender equality and the laboratory of ideas that it is today.
Furthermore, we will enhance the UK’s reputation as a world leader in this area by promoting relevant national policies but also by exchanging ideas with other UN Member States. In line with the session’s themes this year, we will be focusing on women’s empowerment and on violence against women and girls in high level discussions, events and bilateral meetings.
In addition, the Government will host and support a number of events to raise the profile of certain issues which still prevent us from achieving equality, such as inequality in the workplace, discrimination in all its forms and violence against women and girls.
Lastly, but very importantly, we are working with civil society to ensure their participation remains an integral part of the CSW programme and their concerns are heard at the national and global levels.
Sixty years after the first session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the UK Government will send a strong signal that gender equality must be at the heart of economic and social development of all countries. We will have a ministerial team of four, led by the Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP, Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, and including the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for International Development. Parliamentary Under Secretary for Women, Equalities and Family Justice Caroline Dinenage MP and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development, Baroness Verma, in her capacity as Ministerial Champion for Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Overseas, will also attend.
The UK Government currently has two confirmed side events at this year’s Commission on the Status of Women. The first one will focus on getting more women and girls into science and technology and the second one will be on the gender pay gap.
We will also be taking part in other events where major issues such as women’s economic empowerment and violence against women are discussed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hammond on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of non-custodial sentences for knife crime offenders on the rate of reoffending.
Dominic Raab
We have made no assessment of the effect of non-custodial sentences on the rate of reoffending for those convicted of knife crimes. Sentencing is entirely a matter for our independent judiciary based on all the facts of each case.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department monitors the performance of Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group’s patient transport services.
Jane Ellison
The Department does not have responsibility for monitoring the performance of Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCGs) patient transport services.
We are advised by NHS England that the Sussex non-emergency Patient Transport Service (PTS) is managed by Coperforma who sub-contract to a variety of specialist ambulance and transport providers. Coperforma is therefore held accountable for the actions of all service providers it subcontracts to, as the organisation responsible for the entirety of the PTS.
Sussex CCGs are responsible for monitoring Coperforma’s performance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women have (a) been charged with and (b) served a prison sentence for non-violent crimes in the last five years.
Dominic Raab
Charging decisions are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service, and sentencing is a matter for our independent courts. The court may only impose a custodial sentence where it finds that the offence is so serious that neither a community sentence nor a fine alone can be justified.
There is no clear definition of a non-violent crime, as both physical and psychological harm can be caused by many crimes and this will not necessarily be apparent from the description of the offence. However, the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty and sentenced, including to custody, by offence category and specific offence, by gender, in England and Wales, from 2011 to 2015 can be found in the Criminal Justice Statistics outcomes by offence data tool in the most recent annual publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland, born on or after 6 April 1951, have been affected by the equalisation of the state pension age.
Richard Harrington
Women born between 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1953 were affected by State Pension age equalisation under the Pensions Act 1995.
The Pensions Act 2011 accelerated the equalisation of State Pension age, and included transitional arrangements limiting State Pension age delays, affecting women born between 6 April 1953 and 5 December 1953. It also brought forward the increase in State Pension age from 65 to 66 which affected women born between 6 December 1953 and 5 April 1960.
Information on the numbers affected by constituent country or parliamentary constituency is not held by the Department for Work and Pensions. However, the most recent population breakdowns for Northern Ireland and its parliamentary constituencies by age can be found here:
http://www.nisra.gov.uk/demography/default.asp41.htm
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Thompson on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will devolve control over immigration to the Scottish Government as part of his negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.
Mr David Jones
Immigration is a reserved matter. However, we are working closely with the Scottish Government and we will get the best possible deal for all parts of the United Kingdom as we leave the EU. We will give the Scottish Government every opportunity to have their say as we develop the negotiating strategy.