Category: Speeches

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the treatment of child victims and witnesses within the courts system.

    Damian Green

    We do everything we can to support child witnesses and help them give their best possible evidence to bring offenders to justice.We are piloting recorded pre-trial cross-examination, allowing vulnerable witnesses for the first time to give evidence in advance of trial.

    In ‘Transforming the Criminal Justice System: Strategy and Action Plan’ (June 2013), the Ministry of Justice committed to improving the consistency and take-up of special measures for vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses, such as the use of live-link, screens in court and the use of an intermediary (communication specialist). We are working with other criminal justice agencies to deliver this.

    Child victims and witnesses are automatically eligible for special measures when giving evidence in court. The presumption in most cases is that they should give their evidence by video-recorded statement, and that any subsequent cross-examination is conducted by live-link with a supporter present who has been approved by the court.

    The pre-trial cross-examination pilot ends in October 2014 and the evaluation of the pilot will inform plans for any future rollout of the measure.

  • Jeremy Browne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jeremy Browne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Browne on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have been removed from their parents by social services in each of the last five years.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The following table shows the number of children who were taken into care in each of the last five years. Children who were taken into care were children who started to be looked after under a care order, police protection, emergency protection order or child assessment order.

    Children who were taken into care during the years ending 31 March:

    Year

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    Number of children taken into care

    8,180

    9,580

    9,560

    10,140

    11,100

    The information provided in the table is also published in table C2 of the statistical release, which is available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption

    “

  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time to process a personal independence payment claim has been in each month since it was introduced.

    Mike Penning

    The information you have requested is not currently available.

  • Henry Bellingham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Henry Bellingham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Bellingham on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) protect and (b) police the shell fisheries industry in the Wash area.

    George Eustice

    The shellfisheries in the Wash are managed by the Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) through a combination of the Wash Fishery Order 1992 Regulations and local IFCA Byelaws. This includes the introduction of closed seasons, gear restriction and the use of permits to control access to certain fisheries. This is in addition to EU and UK regulations. The IFCA officers also work closely with Marine Management Organisation officers on enforcement operations within the Wash area.

  • Biography information for Duncan Hames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Biography information for Duncan Hames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Duncan Hames on Home Office.

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    Damian Green

    This is an operational matter for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Iranian authorities about the persecution and detention of members of the Bahá’í faith in that country.

    Hugh Robertson

    We have repeatedly expressed our concern at the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran, including the sentencing of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran to 20 years imprisonment and the regular harassment the community suffers from. We raised the treatment of Baha’is with the UN Special Rapporteur at the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014, and in our contacts with the Iranian authorities. We will continue to call on the Iranian government to ensure that all its citizens are able to exercise their right to freedom of religion, free from persecution and harassment.

  • Biography information for Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Biography information for Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Ian Lavery on Transport.

    1

    Stephen Hammond

    The public consultation exercise is a joint consultation conducted and prepared by the Department for Transport and Rail North, which is a body that represents all Local transport Authorities in the North of England. The consultation also encourages individual responses from Local Transport Authorities. The consultation can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/future-of-northern-and-transpennine-express-rail-franchises

    “

  • Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will consider creating the role of bereavement midwives to work exclusively with parents who have experienced the death of their baby shortly before, during or after birth; and if he will make a statement.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    It is for the National Health Service locally to ensure appropriate facilities and services are in place to support bereaved parents following the death of a baby. In line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Standards of proficiency for pre-registration midwifery education, all midwives should be proficient in providing care for women who have suffered pregnancy loss, stillbirth or neonatal death.

    To assist NHS commissioners and providers, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Standards for Gynaecology and Standards for Maternity sets out clear standards for the level of care provided to help women and their partners experiencing pregnancy loss, including the availability of skilled staff to support parents following a stillbirth or miscarriage. A number of trusts now employ specialist bereavement midwives to provide this support.

    Local NHS maternity care providers are responsible for ensuring parents receive appropriate information on bereavement support and services following the death of a baby. To complement information provided locally, information on support for parents after a stillbirth is available on the NHS Choices website at:

    http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Stillbirth/Pages/Getting-help.aspx

  • Biography information for Iain McKenzie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Biography information for Iain McKenzie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Iain McKenzie on Business, Innovation and Skills.

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    Jenny Willott

    The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs have 173 staff dedicated to the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage.

    The Government is already taking tougher action on employers that break minimum wage law. We have made it simpler to name and shame employers that don’t pay the national minimum wage and increased the financial penalty that employers pay for breaking the law.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who will have responsibility for cervical screening under the forthcoming Public Health England commissioning framework.

    Jane Ellison

    The National Health Service (NHS) Cervical Screening Programme is commissioned by NHS England under the NHS public health functions agreement 2014-15 (the Section 7a agreement, covering public health functions to be exercised by NHS England on behalf of the Department). Public Health England is responsible for the piloting and roll-out of new screening programmes or improvements to existing programmes, including the current pilot of human papillomavirus testing as primary screening.