The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to provide families with financial assistance in caring for a child; and if he will make a statement.
Mike Penning
The Department provides families with financial assistance in caring for a child through Disability Living Allowance, Carer’s Allowance and the disability and carer premiums in the income-related benefits.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, where and for what purpose she held her meeting with the Northern Ireland Minister for Social Development on 8 May 2014; and what the duration was of that meeting.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
I met Nelson McCausland MLA in Stormont House to discuss a range of matters. The meeting lasted 45 minutes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-04-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report, Asbestos in Schools, published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health; what assessment they have made of the view of the Committee on Carcinogenicity of the vulnerability of children to asbestos; what recent figures they have for the incidence of asbestos-related diseases in children and teachers; and when they intend to publish their response to the evidence submitted to their review of policy on asbestos management in schools.
Lord Nash
The Department for Education is currently reviewing its policy on asbestos management in schools and intends to publish the outcome of the review by the end of June.
The scope of the review includes the conclusions of the Committee on Carcinogenicity’s statement on the relative vulnerability of children and the recommendations from the report “Asbestos in schools: the need for action” produced by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health. The Health and Safety Executive publishes figures on asbestos related deaths – including occupational information – on its website. We do not know of any figures detailing the incidence of asbestos related diseases in children.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that asylum seekers are able to receive a National Insurance number without unnecessary delay.
Esther McVey
For those granted leave to remain as a result of a successful asylum claim, a joint fast track National Insurance number application process operates between DWP and the Home Office.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2014-04-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the three crop rule included in the new Common Agricultural Policy relates to single parcels of land owned or rented by one person or company, or whether the entire holding can be treated as one parcel of land.
Lord De Mauley
The requirements of the crop diversification measure of greening, also known as the “three crop rule”, apply to the total arable area of a holding.
Farmers with between 10ha and 30ha of eligible arable land will usually need to grow at least two crops. Farmers with over 30ha of eligible arable land will usually need to grow at least three crops. Compliance with the measure will be assessed at the holding level, not the parcel level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he had on human rights during his recent visit to China.
Michael Fallon
My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills met civil society organisations during his visit and discussed a range of human rights issues, including the rule of law, labour and trade union rights.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of prevalence of sexual violence in conflict in Sri Lanka.
Mr Hugo Swire
We remain concerned at reports of a culture of impunity for rape and sexual violence and a lack of support for victims in Sri Lanka, as well as reports of the use of sexual violence as a means of torture in custody. We are clear that rape and sexual violence whether during conflict or afterwards is unacceptable and must stop and we are committed to tackling sexual violence in conflict wherever it happens.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and I have urged Sri Lanka to sign up to the UN Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, and we are supporting projects to ensure a zero tolerance approach to rape and sexual violence in Sri Lanka. On 27 March, the UN Human Rights Council agreed a resolution on Sri Lanka that establishes an international investigation into allegations of violations of international law of both sides of the military conflict, and calls upon the Sri Lankan government to make progress on reconciliation and human rights. The resolution also expresses serious concern at continuing reports of sexual and gender based violence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that the benefits of Crossrail are shared with passengers using London Victoria, London Bridge and London Blackfriars railway stations; and if he will make a statement.
Stephen Hammond
Crossrail will transform rail transport in London, increasing rail capacityby 10%,reducing congestion and cutting journey times across the city. The Crossrail route will run over 100km from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through new tunnels under central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. Crossrail will provide connections with more underground lines than any other service, which will enable more direct journeys and simpler interchanges.
Crossrail will decongest many London Underground lines, notably the Jubilee, Central, District and Circle lines, which many users of London Victoria, London Bridge and London Blackfriars stations use to connect with a range of destinations across London.
A new major rail interchange will be created at Farringdon connecting Crossrail and Thameslink services. This will benefit passengers using Thameslink services to London Bridge and London Blackfriars who will be able to interchange directly onto Crossrail services operating on a 24 train per hour basis from Farringdon connecting passengers directly to Canary Wharf in 9 minutes and Bond Street in 5 minutes. Passengers using London Victoria will have quick access to Crossrail services via the tube network at Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of applicants who have upgraded to a premium service following contact with the Passport Office in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.
James Brokenshire
The table below shows the number of people who have upgraded from a standard to
a premium service.
|
Month |
Number of upgrades |
|
January 2014 |
6 |
|
February 2014 |
17 |
|
Mar 2014 |
117 |
|
Apr 2014 |
996 |
|
May 2014 |
1024 |
The specific information required is held in application ‘case notes’ on
Her Majesty’s Passport Office systems which cannot be mined through database
queries. Data presented here is an estimate for 2014.
Information on the number of upgrades prior to January 2014 has not been
collated centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in the UK received in excess of £100,000 in social security payments in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013.
Esther McVey
This information is not available.