The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Capita personal independence payment assessments have involved people who were mentally ill since the introduction of that assessment.
Mike Penning
I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to the hon Member for Liverpool, West Derby and the hon Member for Airdrie and Shotts, official report, 5 March, column 850W.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Woodcock on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what records his Department holds on numbers of magnetic resonance imaging scans deing undertaken on behalf of the NHS at zoological or veterinary premises.
Jane Ellison
The Department holds no information on the numbers of magnetic resonance imaging scans undertaken on behalf of the National Health Service at zoological or veterinary premises.
Arrangements for deciding the most appropriate way for individual patients to access NHS services based on their clinical needs is for local determination.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to monitor the transitional arrangements put in place by Atos Healthcare following the termination of his Department’s contract with that company for the provision of work capability assessments.
Mike Penning
The Department has negotiated a more robust agreement covering the remaining contract term; with an agreed performance regime that gives us confidence delivery goals will be achieved. Atos will continue to deliver Work Capability Assessments (and other assessments and advice) until contract exit and will be subject to a rigorous quality and service credit regime. To this end, a remedial advisory team is being appointed to work with the Atos Healthcare management during this period to assist Atos in meeting their contractual obligations, ahead of awarding the contract to a new provider.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes in the number of staff in the Glasgow Passport Office since 2008 on the speed of the processing of applications for passports by that office.
James Brokenshire
Her Majesty’s Passport Office does not consider that changes in its office in
Glasgow have had any impact on the speed of processing applications for passports.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Luce on 2014-04-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the circumstances of the incursion by a Spanish state research vessel accompanied by a Spanish Guardia Civil vessel into British Gibraltar territorial waters on 1 April; whether they consider that such incursions present any danger to human safety; and what naval and police resources are available in Gibraltar to counter such incidents and to secure the safety of personnel.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire
On the evening of 1 April, the Spanish state research vessel, Angeles Alvarino, entered British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW). The vessel was shadowed by Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron and Royal Gibraltar Police vessels. The Angeles Alvarino departed BGTW after approximately three hours. The Government publicly summoned the Spanish Ambassador to the UK on 2 April to make a formal diplomatic protest. In his statement of the same day, the Minister for Europe, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), made clear that not only were the actions of the survey vessel unlawful, but the dangerous manoeuvring of the accompanying Spanish Guardia Civil vessel presented a significant safety concern on the waters.
Although unlawful, incursions are a violation of British sovereignty, not a threat to it. They do not weaken or undermine the legal basis in international law for British sovereignty over Gibraltar including British Gibraltar Territorial Waters.
Maritime security in Gibraltar is provided by the Royal Navy’s Lifespan Patrol Vessels, HMS SCIMITAR and HMS SABRE, and up to three Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs), all operated by the Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron. The Gibraltar Defence Police have two 15 metre launches and three Arctic 24 RHIBs for maritime force protection. Ordinarily three police officers are assigned to marine duties, drawing on a cadre of some 20 personnel. Larger Royal Navy ships visit Gibraltar regularly in relation to operational and training activity, reflecting its utility as a permanent joint operating base.
The Royal Gibraltar Police is responsible for law enforcement in Gibraltar. Their Marine Section has two patrol vessels, one of them with a small deployable RHIB onboard, three RHIB interceptors, one ‘jet boat’ and three jet skis.
All elements of the situation, including the maritime security capabilities available to the Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron, are kept under review. We are ready to provide additional assets to the Squadron or augment our broader maritime posture as necessary.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether community rehabilitation companies have access to National Probation Service case records.
Jeremy Wright
Staff in the National Probation Service (NPS) and the Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) have, and will continue to have, necessary access to each other’s case records. NPS staff are able to read all CRC records and update any case they are working on. CRC staff will be able to see and update records that relate to offenders they are working with.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2014-04-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what amount of money, fraudulently, corruptly or criminally acquired and transferred to the United Kingdom from (1) Russia, and (2) Ukraine, has been frozen, confiscated or returned to its rightful owners, in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach
The Serious and Organised Crime Strategy sets out our commitment to making the UK a hostile environment for money laundering. The information you have requested is not centrally held, but the UK has taken a leading role in responding to allegations of corruption in Ukraine, promptly implementing European Union sanctions against individuals identified as responsible for the misappropriation of state funds, and posting a multi-agency team, comprising of the National Crime Agency, Metropolitan Police Service, and Crown Prosecution service, to Kiev to provide technical assistance and support to the Ukrainian authorities. All appropriate criminal justice and administrative routes to support the Ukrainian authorities are being pursued.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what new prison accommodation is planned to come on stream and in which locations before May 2015.
Jeremy Wright
We will always have enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts and continue to modernise the prison estate so that it delivers best value for the taxpayer. This Government has a long term strategy for managing the prison estate which will provide more adult male prison capacity than we inherited from the previous Government.
Over 2,000 further places for adult male prisoners will become available before May 2015, including new house-blocks at HM Prisons The Mount, Thameside, Parc and Peterborough. The remainder of the places will come from re-opening refurbished or mothballed capacity
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2014-04-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the number of death sentences handed down so far during 2014 in Iran; and whether they have discussed the issue with President Rouhani and the government of Iran.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire
We are deeply concerned by reports of more than 100 executions in the first three months of 2014, including for crimes not considered by the international community to be the ‘most serious’ and for which the death penalty can be applied. We have raised our concerns about Iran’s use of the death penalty with the Iranian authorities; and will continue to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2014-06-18.
To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what recent estimate the Electoral Commission has made of the number of British citizens registered as overseas voters and the number of such citizens eligible for registration.
Mr Gary Streeter
Every British citizen who has been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years is eligible to vote in UK Parliamentary (general) elections and European Parliamentary elections.
The Electoral Commission informs me that the most recent figure showed that there were 15,848 registered overseas voters on the UK electoral registers.
The most recent estimates of the total number of UK citizens living abroad are of 5.5 million (The Institute for Public Policy Research in 2006) and 4.7 million (The World Bank in 2010). However, it is not possible from this data to establish how many citizens living abroad were registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years and are therefore eligible to vote from abroad. Even in the absence of a reliable estimate, it is nonetheless clear that the number of UK citizens living abroad who are eligible to register to vote is considerably more than those currently registered.
The Commission runs public awareness campaigns to encourage British expatriates to register to vote; the most recent took place ahead of the European elections this year.