The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Aarhus claims in England and Wales have been successful for the claimant since 1 April 2013.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The information requested cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. The data is not held centrally and providing information at the level of detail sought would require a review of many manual files.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Lewell-Buck on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department makes available to applicants for Tier 4 student visas on maintenance funding requirements; and what types of accounts or financial instruments count towards meeting this requirement.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office provides guidance on the maintenance funding requirements for Tier 4 student visas to applicants in Appendix C of the Immigration Rules, in
the Tier 4 Policy guidance for applicants, and on the Tier 4 application form. The Tier 4 application form also calculates the level of funds an applicant requires and advises them which documents they can submit as evidence.
The guidance does not specify an exhaustive list of accounts or financial instruments that can be used to satisfy the maintenance requirement. Instead,
the Immigration Rules set out the attributes an acceptable account must satisfy. The rules specifically exclude financial instruments such as shares, bonds, credit cards and pension funds from use as acceptable evidence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department has taken to ensure further opportunities for Northern Ireland’s film industry are secured.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
The hon Member will appreciate that this is a devolved matter. However I take every opportunity to promote the Northern Ireland film industry which has been significantly boosted by the high end television tax credit introduced by my Rt hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
I have met the senior team at Home Box Office on two occasions. Last month I wrote to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to coincide with the publication of the UK Creative Industries International Strategy in China, in order to promote some 250 media production companies based in Northern Ireland that are already delivering on a global stage and offering world-class talent across the sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions practical driving tests have been appealed to magistrates’ and sheriff courts in each year since 2008; how many such appeals were upheld; and for what reasons.
Stephen Hammond
Since 2008 DVSA holds record of 12 practical driving test appeals that have come before the magistrate’s court; we have no record of any practical driving test appeals that have come before the Sheriff’s court. None of these appeals were upheld as detailed in the chart below.
| Date and place of hearing | Under S90 or S133 RTA | Outcome |
| 11.06.2008 – Croydon | S133 | Dismissed |
| 27.01.2009 – Bexley Heath | S90 | Dismissed |
| 25.03.2009 – Caernarfon | S133 | Withdrawn |
| 01/06/2009 – UNKNOWN | S90 | Settled without prejudice prior to hearing |
| 15.07.2009 Leicester | S90 | Dismissed |
| 31.07.2009 Leicester | S133 | Withdrawn |
| 5.11.2010 – UNKNOWN | S90 | Failed to attend preliminary hearing |
| 28.02.2011 Coventry | S133 | Withdrawn |
| 13.09.2011 Sheffield | S90 | Not upheld |
| 26.07.2012 Wakefield | S90 | Cancelled preliminary hearing |
| 02.08.2012 Bournemouth | S90 | Withdrawn |
| 11.11.2013 Wolverhampton | S133 | Withdrawn at hearing on judge’s advice |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Weir on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what estimate he has made of the charges made by external (a) public affairs consultants, (b) creative agencies and (c) printing, logistics and delivery companies for work relating to the production of the booklet, What staying in the United Kingdom means for Scotland.
Greg Clark
The total cost to-date of What Staying in the United Kingdom Means for Scotland is £723,501 (plus VAT).
Each booklet cost around 30p to design, produce, print and deliver to every household in Scotland. As is standard practice, detail and spending data will published in the Cabinet Office transparency returns.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to take mortgage payments into account when calculating pension credit.
Steve Webb
Pensioners who are entitled to State Pension Credit may receive an additional element called Support for Mortgage Interest. This makes a contribution towards the interest on eligible loans taken out to purchase the property, and specific loans for repairs and improvements which are necessary to maintain the home’s fitness for habitation
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve support for people over 50 provided through the Work Programme.
Esther McVey
The Work Programme is continuing to offer tailored support to those people over 50 at risk of becoming long-term unemployed and providers are continuing to design support based on their individual need.
Last year, the Government launched the Work Programme ‘Building Best Practice Group’, which is considering the best ways of addressing the particular needs of claimants, including older workers. The group will report back to Ministers later in 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time for a decision for a reconsideration of an employment and support allowance decision has been since 28 October 2013.
Mike Penning
While mandatory reconsideration data is being collected, it is not sufficiently robust and reliable to make available.
The Department is looking into what can be published. The data will need to be validated in order to ensure that it satisfies the relevant standards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the number of community energy schemes that have not gone ahead due to the cost of securing a connection to the local grid; if he will make it his policy to (a) introduce standardised affordable grid connection charges for community energy schemes and (b) exempt community energy schemes from wider network upgrade costs; and if he will make a statement.
Michael Fallon
In January 2014, the Department of Energy and Climate Change launched the UK’s first Community Energy Strategy. As part of this, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State established a Community Energy Grid Connection Working Group to consider barriers to community energy project grid connections, including issues such as the cost of securing a connection and the impact this has on deployment. The Working Group is due to report to the Secretary of State in summer 2014 outlining its recommendations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-04-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to promote the safety of pedestrians.
Baroness Kramer
The Government has already taken a range of steps to improve and promote pedestrian safety, including making it easier for local authorities to implement 20 mile per hour zones and launching a new THINK! resource centre to help teachers educate children and teens on road safety.
We will continue to work with delivery partners, including local authorities, to identify further opportunities for improving pedestrian safety.
We welcome vehicle manufacturers developing autonomous emergency braking systems which can automatically detect pedestrians and, where necessary, apply the brakes.