The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of employment and support allowance claims processed within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30, (d) 40, (e) 60 and (f) more than 60 working days.
Esther McVey
The information requested is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-03-31.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been subject to (a) restorative justice and (b) non-committal to prison in each of the last three years; and for what range of offence.
Jeremy Wright
The Government is committed to ensuring that restorative justice is victim-focused, of a good quality and available at all stages of the criminal justice system across England and Wales.
Restorative justice is a process that can be used at any stage of the criminal justice system, either alongside or as part of a formal out of court disposal or sentence. Restorative justice is potentially available for any offence, provided both the victim and offender consent and have been assessed as suitable by a trained facilitator. The use of restorative justice should not lead to offenders escaping punishment and we expect crimes of a serious nature to continue to be progressed through the courts.
Information about the numbers of victims or offenders who are invited to participate in a restorative justice programme, or take up that offer, is not collated centrally. Statistics on non-custodial and custodial sentences are published quarterly by the Ministry of Justice and are available at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/statistics.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Russell Brown on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what response he has given to the recommendation of the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament that (a) those living with long-term progressive conditions should not be subject to reassessments and (b) changes should be made to the work capability assessment criteria to better recognise the impact of hidden symptoms and fluctuating conditions including multiple sclerosis.
Mike Penning
As Minister of State with the responsibility for this policy area I responded to the letter dated 21 March 2014 from the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament on 26 April. In this letter I:
a) responded by explaining the importance of claimants having contact with the Department; the need to move away from the old style Incapacity Benefit; and that Employment and Support Allowance claimants, including those claimants with progressive illnesses, will be placed in the Support Group if they meet the criteria.
b) responded that through the Evidence Based Review of the Work Capability Assessment the current descriptors were tested against an alternative assessment and what the findings indicated
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the findings of the Oxford Economics report commissioned by the University of Sheffield entitled the Economic Costs and Benefits of International Students, January 2013.
Mr David Willetts
The Government welcomes the benefits that international students bring to the UK as highlighted in theOxford Economics report entitled Economic Costs and Benefits of International Students, January 2013.
In July the same year, we published our International Education Strategy which estimated that in 2011/12 international higher education students contributed £10.2bn to the UK economy through tuition fees and living expenses. The Strategy also recognised the wider benefits that students bring in boosting the local economy where they study, as well as enhancing our cultural life, and broadening the educational experience of the UK students they study alongside. It is because we value this contribution that there is no cap on the number of genuine overseas students who can come to the UK, nor do we have plans to introduce one.
After completion of study, all students who can secure a skilled job from a licensed sponsor and are paid at least £20,300 are welcome to stay and work in the UK. Those who complete a PhD have up to a year to find a graduate level job and move on to Tier 2 or move on to the graduate entrepreneur or exceptional talent schemes in Tier 1.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of children were in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty in each region and constituent part of the UK in each of the last 20 years.
Esther McVey
Estimates of the number and proportion of children in relative and absolute low income are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living. This information is captured using the Family Resources Survey (FRS).
Estimates of the number and proportion of children in relative and absolute low income in the UK have consistently been reported using the FRS since 1998/99; these estimates are available for each financial year up to 2011/12, the latest period for which estimates are available.
All of these estimates can be found in the latest HBAI publication, available at the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201112 (ISBN 978-1-78153-531-8).
Relevant estimates can be found in Tables 4.16ts-4.17ts for relative low income (pages 135-136) and Tables 4.22ts-4.23ts for absolute low income (pages 141-142).
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-03-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much capital investment there was in each secure estate establishment closed since May 2010 in the 12 months prior to the public announcement of the closure of that establishment; and what items were purchased at a cost in excess of £100,000 at each such establishment.
Jeremy Wright
The information requested is not readily accessible. I will write to The hon. Member for Tooting when it is available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cats have been used in experiments in Britain in each of the last five years.
Norman Baker
The following table contains information on the number of cats used in procedures undertaken between 2008 and 2012.
| Table 1 Number of cats used in scientific procedures in Great Britain between 2008 and 2012 | ||||||
| Year | Procedures | |||||
| 2008 | 176 | |||||
| 2009 | 172 | |||||
| 2010 | 152 | |||||
| 2011 | 153 | |||||
| 2012 | 202 | |||||
| Source: Home Office | ||||||
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2014-03-28.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of pupils in English schools were entered for music GCSE in each of the last 4 years.
Lord Nash
The requested information[1] has been provided in the following table.
Percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 entered for music and drama GCSEs in England, 2009/10 – 2012/13
|
2009/10 |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
|
|
Drama |
13 |
12 |
11 |
11 |
|
Music |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
Note: Figures underlying the percentages are available in table 7 of the “GCSE and equivalent results” statistical first release for each year. 2012/13 figures are based on revised data, all other years are final. Data includes entries by pupils in previous academic years.
[1] These figures are published in the “GCSE and equivalent results” statistical first releases for each year at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-gcses-key-stage-4.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the HS4A abortion notification form to require registered medical practitioners to indicate whether they have examined the presenting patient and/or discussed with her the grounds for abortion prior to forming their opinion in good faith that the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967 were met.
Jane Ellison
It is estimated that between 2009 and 2013 approximately 49,000 forms were returned to registered medical practitioners (RMPs) for further information and clarification.
Form HSA4 already requires information to be provided as to whether the two certifying RMPs saw and/or examined the pregnant woman.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-03-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what interaction the National Panel on Serious Case Reviews has had with the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board Network.
Mr Edward Timpson
The national panel of independent experts on Serious Case Reviews has met the chair of the Association of Independent Local Safeguarding Children Board Chairs, twice, most recently on 10 March 2014.