Category: Speeches

  • Clive Efford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Clive Efford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academy trusts did not submit their account returns on time in each year since 2011.

    Edward Timpson

    The number and proportion of academy trusts that did not submit an accounts return on time is detailed in the table below:

    Financial year

    Date due

    Number late

    Percentage late

    2012-13

    31 January 2014

    166

    7.6%

    2011-12

    31 January 2013

    119

    8.2%

    2010-11

    31 January 2011

    100

    17.4%

    Academies were not required to submit accounts returns prior to 2010-11.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority to publish their review on removing barriers to entry and expansion in retail banking.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Budget 2014 detailed that the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority will publish a review of their work on removing barriers to entry and expansion in retail banking later this year.

  • Graham Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Graham Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the nationality and gender was of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in January 2014; in which (a) region, (b) county, (c) metropolitan district, (d) district council area, (e) city and (f) parliamentary constituency each of the suspected victims was found; which agency referred each person to that Scheme; in which town the shelter to which such people were placed for the statutory period was; what continued contact is had with each such victim after they have exited the shelter to avoid re-trafficking; and if she will make a statement.

    Karen Bradley

    In January, 2014 there were 90 referrals to the Government-funded support
    service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales
    administered by the Salvation Army.

    In order to ensure that victims cannot be identified, the tables below only
    provide data at a regional level.

    Nationality

    Nationality

    Number of Referrals

    Albanian

    23

    Bulgarian

    2

    Cameroonian

    2

    Czech

    3

    Chinese

    1

    Ethiopian

    1

    Ghanaian

    2

    Hungarian

    3

    Indian

    2

    Iranian

    1

    Iraqi

    1

    Kenyan

    2

    Lithuanian

    4

    Moroccan

    1

    Nigerian

    10

    Pakistani

    1

    Polish

    3

    Romanian

    8

    Sierra Leonean

    1

    Slovakian

    7

    Sri Lankan

    1

    Togolese

    1

    Ugandan

    3

    Vietnamese

    6

    Not known

    1

    Total

    90

    Gender

    Gender

    Number of Referrals

    Female

    59

    Male

    31

    Transgender

    0

    Total

    90

    Region where victim was found

    Region

    Number of Referrals

    East

    4

    East Midlands

    2

    North East

    1

    North East

    3

    South

    28

    South East

    11

    South West

    5

    Wales

    2

    West Midlands

    12

    Yorkshire

    19

    Not Known

    3

    Total

    90

    Agency type that referred victims

    Agency type

    Number of Referrals

    GLA

    1

    Home Office

    27

    Legal Representative

    5

    Local Authority

    5

    NGO

    18

    Other

    5

    Police

    25

    Self Referral

    4

    Total

    90

    The victim care contract does not require support providers to maintain any form
    of formal contact after the recovery and reflection period. However, some survivors do maintain informal contact with their support provider, but we do not have this information.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the target time is for dealing with passport applications.

    James Brokenshire

    Expected service standards for passport applications are given at
    www.gov.uk.

    Information in respect of the Member’s constituency is not available and the
    cost of collating it would be disproportionate.

    The table below shows the proportions of UK passport applications in each of
    the last 12 months which have been processed within the published service
    standards.

    2013

    % straightforward applications processed within the published timescales

    % non-straightforward applications processed within the published timescales

    June

    100%

    97.8%

    July

    100%

    96.9%

    August

    100%

    96.4%

    September

    100%

    96.0%

    October

    100%

    95.9%

    November

    99.99%

    96.5%

    December

    99.99%

    96.3%

    2014

    January

    99.99%

    96.8%

    February

    99.98%

    98.1%

    March

    99.95%

    96.8%

    April

    98.59%

    99.6%

    May

    92.26%

    93.9%

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 280W, on the work capability assessment, how many and what proportion of those who have undertaken a work capability test in each nation and region of the UK have been declared fit for work.

    Mike Penning

    Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) initial claims and Incapacity Benefit (IB) reassessment claims, by outcomes of work capability assessments by regions in Great Britain are published. The numbers and the proportion of fit for work decisions can be found in table 1a and table 11 at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/274091/esa_wca_140122.xls

    Notes:

    1. There is a reporting lag of approximately 8-months at the issuing date of this statistical output owing to the time needed to process data and time allowed to enable each cohort’s assessment phase to elapse.

    2. Caseload figures rounded to nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to the rounding method use. Proportions are rounded to the nearest whole number.

    3. Figures include those cases where the functional assessment has not been completed.

    Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:

    http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm

    “

  • Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether officials from the British Embassy have visited Huber Ballesteros in La Picota prison in Bogota.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK cannot interfere in Colombia’s judicial process but will continue to raise any concerns regarding due process and conditions with the Colombian authorities.

    The Embassy is currently awaiting authorisation from the Municipal Criminal Court to visit Huber Ballesteros in prison.

    To date, the British Embassy has not yet been authorised to visit Huber Ballesteros in prison, this is despite requesting permission on six different occasions.

    No representatives of the British Embassy were able to attend the preliminary hearings in the case of Huber Ballesteros due to unrelated security concerns. His trial will take place on 26 and 27 of June and the British Embassy intends to send Officials to observe this.

  • Mr Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mr Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) converter academies and (b) maintained schools achieved a lower percentage of students achieving five GCSE A* to C grades than the previous year in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.

    David Laws

    The requested information is publicly available in the 2010/11[1], 2011/12[2] and 2012/13[3] performance tables.

    [1] http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html

    [2] http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2012/download_data.html

    [3] http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2011/download_data.html

    “

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what criteria her Department uses for decisions on contracts to consultancy groups on development projects.

    Justine Greening

    Procurement tendering processes conducted by my department are completed in accordance with EU directives. Contracts are awarded following a competitive tendering process. Invitations to tender are specific to the nature of the intervention required.

  • Mike Crockart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mike Crockart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Crockart on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consultation his Department has had with groups representing separated parents on steps to ensure universal credit makes shared parenting a financially viable option for parents who do not have family-based financial arrangements in place.

    Esther McVey

    Currently the child element will be awarded to the parent with whom the child or qualifying young person normally lives. Where separated parents both share the care of a child or qualifying young person they are expected to jointly nominate which of them has the main responsibility.

    Where parents are unable to come to an agreement themselves, a determination will be made. This will take account of where the child normally lives and who has the main day to day responsibility.

    The proposed approach to Universal Credit was set out in a White Paper "Universal Credit: Welfare that Works" and in draft Regulations upon which a wide range of organisations responded to in the consultation exercise carried out by the Social Security Advisory Committee.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of morale within the National Offender Management Service; and what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of morale of the Transforming Rehabilitation programme.

    Jeremy Wright

    Probation Trusts ceased operating at the end of 31 May 2014. The majority of offenders are now being supervised by staff working in 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies while high risk offenders and those who have committed the most serious offences are being supervised by the National Probation Service. The new structure was tested thoroughly prior to the transition, with staff and cases beginning transfer into the new structure prior to formal transition on 1 June. Formal dissolution of the Probation Trusts will take place following audit of their 2014/15 accounts in the autumn of 2014.

    The leadership of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) remain committed to maintaining morale through the effective leadership of change and continued positive engagement across the organisation. Throughout this significant change programme regular communication has been provided across NOMS to keep people informed about the reforms. We understand the challenges large scale reforms such as this can pose, and we are working closely with probation staff to make sure they can raise any issues quickly. Probation staff at all levels are working hard to implement these vital reforms on the ground and we will continue to support them throughout this process.