The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) have current information sharing agreements in place with their local police forces; and which CRCs do not have such an agreement in place.
Andrew Selous
All Community Rehabilitation Companies have information sharing agreements in place with local police forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke on 2016-05-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with UK banks about proposals to remove protection from customers whose accounts have been fraudulently accessed.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The government takes the resilience of the financial sector, and the protection of bank customers, very seriously. Making sure that everyone has access to basic banking and financial services is at the heart of the government’s long term economic plan. The government is working with the banking industry, the retail sector, and law enforcement agencies to put in place the right steps to tackle online fraud against the public.
As the Chancellor announced in November, the government is creating a new National Cyber Security Centre, which will open in October. Its recently launched prospectus outlines the Centre’s proposed vision, goals and work. In February, the Home Secretary launched the Joint Fraud Taskforce, which aims to use the collective powers, systems and resources of banks, payment providers, police, wider law enforcement and regulators to tackle fraud, and raise awareness of the risk of fraud among consumers. Further details on both can be found on the GOV.UK website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will issue a response to Early Day Motion 110, on Palestinian oil and gas reserves, tabled on 26 June 2016.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Government believes that Israel must fulfil its obligations under the Oslo Accords, including through the exploration of shared natural resources. We continue to stress to the Israeli authorities the damage caused by its restrictions. I can assure you that the Government has long been of the view that easing restrictions, both on the movement of Palestinian people and goods internally and externally, and on access to natural resources, is an important step on the path to a two-state solution.
The gas fields off the coast of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are a commercial matter. We remain in regular contact with British Gas, the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel about the exploration of offshore oil and gas. We also continue to follow the situation of oil exploration licenses in the Golan Heights closely. We have been clear that Israel must comply with its obligations under international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in how many instances his Department’s procurement department sought further information from a company on potential corruption, bribery or fraud in the last two years.
Harriett Baldwin
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) routinely carries out checks on potential contractors prior to contract award, including on criminal activity, such as convictions for tax evasion, bribery or fraud, and a review of a company’s audited accounts. These enquiries are conducted in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011.
This process is reiterated in all competitive and single source tender documentation issued to tenderers prior to any contract award.
Any suspicion of corruption is reported to the appropriate authority. Where justified, the MOD can exclude potential suppliers who pose an unacceptable risk to public money.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-10-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria were used to decide which governments to invite to participate in the European Union leaders’ meeting of 25 October to discuss the Western Balkans migratory route.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British Government understands that on 25 October Commission President Juncker convened leaders from those countries most affected by the migration crisis along the Western Balkans route; namely, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. The emergency meeting was not attended by all 28 Member States of the EU, or all the countries of the Western Balkans. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), participated in a formal EU Conference with Western Balkans and other countries on 8 October in Luxembourg which agreed a comprehensive package of measures for dealing with the challenges of migration through the Eastern Mediterranean.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2015-11-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what cross-departmental steps he has taken to produce a plan of action to reduce pregnancy discrimination and better support pregnant women and new mothers in the workplace.
Nick Boles
Officials from this Department have participated in round table meetings with stakeholders which have been organised by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), following publication of interim findings of research into pregnancy and maternity related discrimination. The independent research, the largest of its kind to be undertaken in Great Britain, was jointly funded by Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the EHRC. The Interim findings were published in July 2015 and can be found at: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/publication/pregnancy-and-maternity-related-discrimination-and-disadvantage-first-findings-surveys-employers-and-0 . The final report is due to be published later this year.
These meetings and the research findings will inform the EHRC’s recommendations to Government. The EHRC recommendations will in turn inform the Government response.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of (a) GPs and (b) clinical commissioning groups have plans in place to identify avoidable deaths.
Alistair Burt
Data on the proportion of general practitioners and clinical commissioning groups that have plans in place to identify avoidable deaths is not collected centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the low oil price since summer 2014 on the number of UK seafarers employed on offshore supply vessels in the North Sea.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The 2015 seafarer statistics have just been published. We estimate that there were 23,380 UK seafarers active at sea in 2015, an increase of 2 per cent on the previous year. We are aware that the current downturn in the offshore sector may not yet be fully reflected in these figures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Eagle on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment he has made of the performance of his Department’s UK National Contact Point in investigating complaints on private sector contract compliance with UK human rights commitments.
Anna Soubry
The UK National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD Multi-National Enterprise Guidelines considers complaints that UK based multinationals have not met the voluntary obligations of the Guidelines in regard to responsible business behaviour. Ministers have no role in the NCP’s investigation of complaints, but ensure that its final statements on complaints are available for scrutiny in the House Libraries. The UK NCP also reports annually to the OECD Investment Committee which is responsible for the Guidelines and their implementation.
The UK Government is committed to fulfilling its obligations under the OECD Multi-National Enterprise Guidelines and maintaining a NCP which operates in line with international best practice. The UK NCP is regularly invited by the OECD to contribute to best practice sharing and the OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria has praised its effectiveness and positive outcomes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on plans for the future of the Cedars pre-departure accommodation site.
James Brokenshire
The cost of pre-departure accommodation is kept under review. The Home Office is currently considering the most cost-effective way of providing pre-departure accommodation within an enforced family returns service.