The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of laser pen attacks were recorded on road vehicles in the last five years.
Andrew Jones
Highways England do not keep specific records of laser pen attacks. However, their records currently show that one incident involved the use of a laser pen.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31078, on immigration officers, whether (a) her Department, (b) the Interception of Communications Commissioner and (c) any other body has reviewed the use of the power of immigration officers to carry out property interference since 2013.
James Brokenshire
The Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) provides independent oversight of the use of property interference powers by law enforcement, including immigration officers. The Police Act 1997 was amended in 2013 to enable immigration officers to carry out property interference. The OSC regularly inspects law enforcement use of the power and scrutinises all individual property interference authorisations. A statutory code of practice for covert surveillance and property interference which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/384975/Covert_Surveillance_Property_Interrefernce_web__2_.pdf
applies to all agencies with property interference powers.
The Investigatory Powers Bill will provide enhanced safeguards for the use of equipment interference, including the requirement that equipment interference warrants are subject to the double-lock authorisation safeguard. The Bill will also create a new and more powerful Investigatory Powers Commissioner who will keep the use of this important power under close and regular review. A new Equipment Interference Code of Practice was published in draft alongside the Investigatory Powers Bill. This Code will provide further guidance on the use of equipment interference powers to all relevant agencies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of 23 February 2016, Official Report, column 82WH, on the Motability car scheme, whether the ability to walk 20 metres is one of the assessment criteria for enhanced mobility.
Justin Tomlinson
As with all the activities, a claimant should be assessed as satisfying a descriptor only if the reliability criteria have been fully considered. The reliability criteria are a key protection for claimants being assessed for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and are a new introduction that did not apply under Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Claimants who cannot walk 20 metres reliably are guaranteed to receive the enhanced rate mobility component.
PIP has also introduced a new criteria around the ability to plan and follow a journey, which is designed to recognise the mobility challenges of non-physical conditions and ensure these claimants also have access to the highest level of support where appropriate.
Further information on how the reliability criteria should be applied can be found in the PIP Assessment Guide for Health Professionals carrying out assessments.
This guidance can be accessed on the gov.uk website:
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the number of people whose asylum application has been transferred for consideration by the Government under the Dublin III Regulation as part of quarterly immigration statistics.
James Brokenshire
The information published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics is kept under review, taking into account the needs of users, burdens on suppliers and producers, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. There are currently no plans to publish data relating to asylum applications transferred under Dublin III Regulation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of dehydration on the (a) safety and (b) health of elderly people living in care homes; and if he will make a statement.
David Mowat
In 2014 the Government updated the requirements of regulation with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide greater clarity about how the nutritional and hydration needs should be met. The new requirements are set out in Regulation 14 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, which came into force on 1 April 2015. The CQC can prosecute for a breach of this regulation if a failure to meet the regulation results in avoidable harm to a person using the service, or a person using the service is exposed to significant risk of harm.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK leaving the EU does not have a deleterious effect on the operation of UK universities; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Robin Walker
The Department for Exiting the EU has engaged with a number of higher education institutions and groups including Universities UK and Royal Academies. Over the next few months the department will continue to engage with key stakeholders in business and civil society, including universities, through a series of roundtables, bi-laterals and visits across the UK.
We have been clear that we want to create an environment in which the UK as a whole can continue to be a world leader in research, science and the tertiary education sector more broadly. The government has already announced that UK researchers can still apply for Horizon 2020 projects and the Treasury will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. Equally, EU students applying for a place at an English university or further education institution in the 2017 to 2018 academic year will continue to be eligible for student loans and grants – and will be for the duration of their course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Browne of Belmont on 2015-11-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK emergency travel documents were issued to overseas applicants in each month since January 2013.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The table below provides the total number of UK Emergency Travel Documents issued to overseas applicants from January 2013 to October 2015.
|
MONTH |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
JANUARY |
1,809 |
2,036 |
1,687 |
|
FEBRUARY |
1,735 |
2,030 |
1,727 |
|
MARCH |
2,078 |
2,638 |
2,138 |
|
APRIL |
2,417 |
3,961 |
2,237 |
|
MAY |
2,557 |
3,947 |
2,470 |
|
JUNE |
2,885 |
5,238 |
3,208 |
|
JULY |
3,654 |
5,351 |
3,647 |
|
AUGUST |
3,493 |
3,970 |
3,542 |
|
SEPTEMBER |
2,808 |
3,346 |
3,207 |
|
OCTOBER |
2,262 |
2,458 |
2,520 |
|
NOVEMBER |
1,842 |
1,766 |
|
|
DECEMBER |
2,451 |
2,429 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Glenarthur on 2016-01-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made with the Scottish Government of the level of performance of the Serco Group franchised Caledonian Sleeper; and what plans they and the Scottish Government have to ensure that the current aged rolling stock operated by the Caledonian Sleeper remains viable, safe and with adequate provision for passenger amenities.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
Responsibility for the Caledonian Sleeper service is devolved to the Scottish Government.
At Autumn Statement 2011 the government committed to invest £50m in the Caledonian Sleeper service, conditional on co-funding from the Scottish Government, to support this valuable cross-border service. This funding was transferred as part of the 2012 Supplementary Estimates round.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Lord on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress she has made on amending the School Admissions Code to ensure that summer born children can (a) be admitted to reception at the age of five if this is in line with their parents’ wishes and (b) remain with that cohort as they progress through their education.
Nick Gibb
Subject to parliamentary approval, the Department for Education has decided to amend the School Admissions Code to support summer born children who are not ready to start school at the usual age. This will delay entry to reception year until they are five years old and enables those children to remain with that cohort as they progress through school. We want to make these changes as soon as possible; however, we are taking this opportunity to consider what other changes it would be appropriate to make to the Code at the same time. We will be conducting a full public consultation in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-02-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees in the UK engineering sector are from other countries outside the EU, and what is their total contribution to (1) UK Gross Domestic Product, and (2) UK Gross Value Added.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
It is not possible to answer the question as there is no agreed statistical definition of what is meant by the term “engineering sector”.