Category: Speeches

  • Tony Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tony Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tony Cunningham on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons legal aid funding in relation to the case of the constituent of the hon. Member for Workington, Gary Tomlinson, Claim Number OWH0080, Cert number JBIRQK61BB77/A/E/1, was withdrawn.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The receipt of legal aid is considered to be personal data and the Department has obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 which would prevent it from disclosing this type of information. Furthermore, the Legal Aid Agency is further prohibited by statute from disclosing information relating to the provision of legal aid in individual cases (under section 34 of the LASPO Act 2012, section 20 of the Access to Justice Act 1999, and before this under section 38 of the Legal Aid Act 1988).

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-03-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people referred by Jobcentre Plus to the Work Programme in each month since June 2011 failed to start on the Programme.

    Esther McVey

    The information we have on the number of Work Programme referrals, since June 2011, who failed to start on the Programmecan be found in table 2.6 of the Work Programme Statistical Summary through the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-programme-statistical-summary-december-2013

    “

  • Kwasi Kwarteng – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Kwasi Kwarteng – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kwasi Kwarteng on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what rights prisoners in HM Prison High Down Sutton have to association and exercise; and whether he has received representations that prisoners at that prison are being permitted less than half an hour to exercise per day.

    Jeremy Wright

    Prisoners at High Down have the same access to exercise and association as in all prisons in England and Wales. The details are set out in Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 58/2011 Physical Education for Prisoners. In addition, prisoners are entitled to association time outside of their cells that may include forms of exercise.

    We have no record of any formal representations made by prisoners at HMP Highdown on the lack of opportunity to exercise

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

    Francis Maude

    At the time of the last General Election the central Government estate was far larger than required and taxpayers were paying to maintain, run and rent properties which were under-occupied while other part of the freehold estate remained vacant.

    The Government Property Unit has been supporting departments to rationalise rapidly the Government’s estate including by taking a whole of Government view of property. Since the 2010 General Election over £1.25 billion has been raised by selling surplus freehold properties. Through the exiting of property across the central civil estate, we have also delivered cumulative, gross run rate savings of over £454 million per annum.

    Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end, the government looks to explore all disposal options, including commercially sub-letting all or part of the space. Surplus property is listed on gov.uk

    There is no liability at taxpayers’ expense for business rates on any vacant Cabinet Office properties in the current financial year.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of song birds in the UK.

    George Eustice

    The UK has designated 615 sites as Special Areas of Conservation under the Habitats Directive, and 270 sites as Special Protection Areas under the Birds Directive to provide protection to our most vulnerable and threatened wild birds.

    Agri-environment schemes are the principal means of improving habitat for farmland songbirds, assisting farmers to provide additional habitat and food on their farms for birds and other wildlife. The Government also supports the Campaign for the Farmed Environment to provide better habitats for farmland birds.

    The Government has provided £7.5 million to establish twelve Nature Improvement Areas. These are intended to benefit birds by improving existing habitat, creating new habitat and improving connectivity between habitats.

  • Dame Anne Begg – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electorial Commission

    Dame Anne Begg – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electorial Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dame Anne Begg on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the electoral registration figures were in each ward in the recent confirmation dry run conducted in (a) Aberdeen City Council and (b) Aberdeenshire County Council.

    Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that the confirmation dry run involved matching all entries on the electoral registers against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Customer Information System database. Entries would be marked as green if they matched with DWP, amber if they were a partial match or red if there was no match.

    Results for all wards are available on the Commission’s website here: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0003/163146/Confirmation-dry-run-2013-Results-Wards.xls

    The ward results for Aberdeen City Council were as follows:

    Ward

    Green matches

    Amber matches

    Red matches

    Airyhall/Broomhill/Garthdee

    78.4%

    2.0%

    19.6%

    Bridge Of Don

    84.4%

    1.5%

    14.1%

    Dyce/Bucksburn/Danestone

    79.4%

    3.4%

    17.2%

    George St/Harbour

    46.2%

    8.1%

    45.8%

    Hazlehead/Ashley/Queens Cross

    76.0%

    3.0%

    21.0%

    Hilton/Woodside/Stockethill

    77.2%

    1.9%

    21.0%

    Kincorth/Nigg/Cove

    82.9%

    1.7%

    15.4%

    Kingswells/Sheddocksley/Summerhill

    83.0%

    1.3%

    15.7%

    Lower Deeside

    77.6%

    5.4%

    17.0%

    Midstocket/Rosemount

    62.9%

    5.2%

    31.9%

    Northfield/Mastrick North

    85.0%

    1.4%

    13.7%

    Tillydrone/Seaton/Old Aberdeen

    55.1%

    3.9%

    41.1%

    Torry/Ferryhill

    67.2%

    5.1%

    27.7%

    The ward results for Aberdeenshire County Council were as follows:

    Ward

    Green matches

    Amber matches

    Red matches

    Aboyne Upper Deeside And Donside

    72.7%

    9.4%

    17.9%

    Banchory And Mid Deeside

    79.3%

    5.4%

    15.4%

    Banff And District

    78.0%

    6.9%

    15.1%

    Central Buchan

    74.5%

    9.7%

    15.9%

    East Garioch

    79.0%

    4.5%

    16.5%

    Ellon And District

    78.8%

    5.1%

    16.1%

    Fraserburgh And District

    82.2%

    3.1%

    14.7%

    Huntly Strathbogie And Howe Of Alford

    74.5%

    9.4%

    16.1%

    Inverurie And District

    80.3%

    3.3%

    16.4%

    Mearns

    73.7%

    9.1%

    17.1%

    Mid Formartine

    74.9%

    7.9%

    17.2%

    North Kincardine

    78.5%

    4.8%

    16.7%

    Peterhead North And Rattray

    78.6%

    4.5%

    16.9%

    Peterhead South And Cruden

    81.5%

    3.8%

    14.7%

    Stonehaven And Lower Deeside

    80.2%

    4.3%

    15.4%

    Troup

    76.8%

    8.2%

    15.0%

    Turriff And District

    73.7%

    9.4%

    16.9%

    West Garioch

    74.4%

    8.7%

    16.9%

    Westhill And District

    79.5%

    4.4%

    16.1%

    “

  • 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 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what Government-funded education and support on alcohol consumption during pregnancy is available to pregnant women.

    Jane Ellison

    The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s 2008 guideline includes recommendations for doctors and midwives on the advice they should give to pregnant women about drinking alcohol.

    This advice is complemented by Government funded information provided through the Start4Life Information Service for Parents, Start4Life and NHS Choices websites.

    The Government funds the Start4Life Information Service for Parents service, which provides pregnant women/new mothers and their partners with comprehensive advice on staying healthy in pregnancy, preparing for birth and looking after their baby, and includes advice on risks of drinking before conception and during pregnancy.

    The Information Service for Parents is a digital service which provides National Health Service and other quality assured advice, including on alcohol consumption via regular text and email updates. Since launching on 18 May 2012, 339,277 new parents have signed up to the service (as of 1 June 2014).

    The Government is also committed to improving the labelling of alcoholic drinks, including a warning for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive.

    As part of the Public Health Responsibility Deal, alcohol retailers and producers have a responsibility to help raise this awareness and committed to putting an agreed warning or a pregnancy warning logo on 80% of labels on bottles and cans by the end of 2013. An independent market survey is underway to measure compliance.

  • Mr Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mr Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Stewart Jackson on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce long term unemployment in Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement.

    Esther McVey

    The government are committed to helping people off benefits and into work, so it is encouraging that we have seen record numbers of people in work nationally, with unemployment falling.

    The Government’s Work Programme revolutionises the help available to people who were in danger of becoming long-term unemployed. Private providers offer tailored help to people who may have been out of work for many years – moving them closer to getting a job. According to Industry figures released this month (March), half a million people have found work through the Work Programme.

    We are determined to do everything we can to support those people who are hardest to help into work, and that is what the Work Programme is designed to do, whilst also being a good deal for the tax payer.

    Work Coaches in local Jobcentres now have the flexibility to offer all claimants a comprehensive menu of help which includes skills provision, job search support and the Flexible Support Fund.

  • Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of his Department’s partnership funding framework has been spent on property level protection schemes to date.

    Dan Rogerson

    Property Level Protection describes a suite of measures used in places where other solutions are either not cost effective or not practical. The amount allocated to schemes since the partnership funding approach was launched in 2012 is £2.43M. This consists of £2.08M in Grant in Aid from the Government, and contributions of £0.35M from partners.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women convicted of benefit fraud in each of the last five years received a prison sentence; and what the average prison sentence was for those of each gender so convicted.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Department for Work and Pensions operates a tough series of specific penalties for benefit fraud that run alongside the criminal justice system. The Welfare Reform Act 2012 toughened penalties for those who commit, or attempt to commit benefit fraud. We have introduced a financial administrative penalty as an alternative to prosecution which, for the first time, can be applied to attempted fraud.

    The Government has also introduced a tougher loss of benefit penalty to restrict benefits to people convicted of benefit fraud or who have accepted an administrative penalty. Benefits can be reduced for periods of 13 weeks, 26 weeks or 3 years, dependent on the number of benefit fraud offences committed within a specified period, where the latest offence results in a conviction.

    Judges make their decisions independently of Government based on the facts of each case. The maximum penalty for fraud is 10 years in prison.

    The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ court found guilty and sentenced at all courts for offences relating to benefit fraud, with sentencing outcomes and the average custodial sentence length by gender, in England and Wales, from 2008 to 2012 (latest data available) can be viewed in the table.

    Please note that court proceedings statistics for the year 2013 are planned to be published by the Ministry of Justice in May 2014.