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Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will ring-fence funding for walking and cycling.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government is committed to the principle of devolution and decisions being made at the appropriate level. Local Authorities are responsible for local roads and are best placed to determine the need for cycling and walking infrastructure in their own areas. By not ring-fencing funding for cycling and walking, local authorities have the freedom and flexibility to choose how they spend their transport funding, including on cycling and walking, if they choose to do so. However, for spending for which the Government is responsible, in the five years 2011/12 to 2015/16 the Department has increased its spend on cycling in England from £1 per head to £3 per head, and more in the eight Cycle Ambition Cities.

01/01/2023
Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will ring-fence revenue raised from the HGV Levy for investment in transport infrastructure.

Andrew Jones

The HGV Levy was introduced in 2014 to ensure that all HGVs using UK roads make a payment reflecting the damage they cause to the roads. This removes some of the inequality for UK hauliers when paying to use many roads abroad. In its first year of operation the HGV Levy raised more than £46 million from foreignHGVs. Receipts raised by the HGV Levy are paid into the Consolidated Fund.

As announced in the 2015 Spending Review on 25 November, this Government is making the biggest investment in transport infrastructure in generations. The government will invest £61 billion in transport this Parliament an increase of £20 billion compared to the previous parliament. This funding includes over £15 billion to improve, repair and expand our roads, covering the period from 2015/16 to 2020/21, and involves 127 major schemes.

01/01/2023
Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he had with his Indian counterpart during his recent visit on the death of Sikh people at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in June 1984.

Mr David Cameron

The events between 5-7 June 1984 at the Golden Temple in Amritsar led to a tragic loss of life, and I understand the pain that they still cause to Sikh communities around the world, including in the UK.

During the visit of Prime Minister Modi we discussed a wide range of issues and in those conversations he emphasised his commitment to upholding the Gandhian traditions of diversity and religious tolerance. In his Wembley address, he underlined the important role that Indians of all faiths are playing in India’s economic and social development.

01/01/2023
Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Prime Minister, (a) whether the RAF Voyager aircraft being refitted for ministerial travel has been leased to the Government, (b) what the capacity of that aircraft was before it was refitted and (c) what the cost of Prime Ministerial air travel has been since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Cameron

Details about the RAF Voyager aircraft being refitted for ministerial travel can be found on page 32, section 4.49, of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, copies of which are available in the Vote Office.

Details about Ministerial overseas travel are published on a quarterly basis and can be accessed via gov.uk website.

01/01/2023
Andrew Tyrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Tyrie on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Prime Minister, what recent discussions he has had with the Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee on the progress of its inquiry into the role of the Government and intelligence and security agencies in the alleged rendition and torture of detainees.

Mr David Cameron

I meet the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament on a regular basis to discussthe Committee’s priorities for the period ahead. The Committee announced on 29 October that these priorities would include their follow-up examination of the themes and issues identified by the Detainee Inquiry.

01/01/2023
Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland of 18 November 2015, Official Report, what steps her Department is taking to support military veterans who served in Northern Ireland in 1972.

Mr Ben Wallace

The Government accepts that we have a duty of care to all current and former members of the Armed Forces, and the MoD pay for independent legal advice when both current and former members of the Armed Forces face prosecution in matters related to their service.

The Armed Forces Covenant sets out the relationship between the nation, the government and the armed forces recognising that the whole nation has a moral obligation to members of the armed forces and their families, and it establishes how they should expect to be treated.

In Northern Ireland, there is a bespoke aftercare package in place to support former members of the UDR and R IRISH (Home Service), their dependents and widows. This consists of welfare teams spread across Northern Ireland which offers vocational resettlement training, medical support, and a UDR/ R IRISH benevolent fund. In August 2015, the MoD agreed that the UDR & R IRISH (HS) Aftercare Service should continue to exist and be funded since circumstances leading to its inception have not markedly changed, need is still evident and demand is being effectively met. However, in line with other defence restructuring, it has been decided that eventually it should become owned by the MoD’s main veterans’ support organisation, known as Veterans UK.

This is in addition to the services available to all veterans; including Veterans UK (in particular the Veterans Welfare Service which has welfare representatives based across the UK); Service and ex-Service charities such as the Army Benevolent Fund – the Soldiers charity, SSAFA – the Armed Forces charity and Combat Stress.

01/01/2023
Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many remote sites are operational to enable witnesses to give evidence away from court; in which areas such sites are located; how many such sites are available to children under the age of 18; and how many such sites have been used by children under the age of 18.

Mike Penning

The Ministry is committed to supporting all victims and witnesses, including children, when giving evidence in criminal trials. All victims and witnesses are eligible for special measures to relieve stress when giving evidence, including giving evidence by video remotely.

We have secured over £700m of funding to invest in our courts and tribunals. We have worked closely with the senior judiciary to develop a plan for investing this in reforming the courts and tribunals so they can deliver swifter, fairer justice at a lower cost. This will include digitisation and modernisation of our IT infrastructure. This will mean court users can attend hearings remotely, and not be inconvenienced by having to take a day off work to come to court. It will also mean victims of crime can give evidence from somewhere they feel safe.

Since March 2015 vulnerable and intimidated witnesses, including child abuse victims, can give evidence from a remote site which is away from the court environment. There is at least one remote site in each of the seven Regions in England and Wales, and twelve sites in total.

In addition, the court estate is video-enabled so that any victim or witness can give evidence from a court building other than the trial site to ensure they do not come into contact with the defendant, or their family and supporters.

Whilst HMCTS collates data on the number of witnesses giving evidence by video, the ages of the victims and witnesses are not recorded.

01/01/2023

Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2015 to Question 15363, how many drivers incurred a fixed-penalty charge for using a mobile telephone at the wheel in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning

Data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued by the police for using a handheld mobile phone while driving in England and Wales in the last five years is set out below.

The enforcement of this offence is an operational matter for individual Chief Officers of police and decisions on the size and composition of a force’s workforce are for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.

Number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued by police in England and Wales ⁽¹⁾ for using a handheld mobile phone while driving, 2010 ⁽²⁾ to 2014:

Number (thousands) England and Wales

Offence	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Use of handheld mobile phone while driving	124.7	123.1	92.7	52.4	29.7

Source: Police Powers and Procedures, year ending March 2015, Home Office

Notes

1. Excludes British Transport Police

2. Data for 2010 is not directly comparable with data from 2011 onwards due to the introduction of the PentiP system which records FPNs in England and Wales. Data from 2011 onwards is slightly lower that comparative data from the previous system.

01/01/2023

Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish information about the number of trans people in prison.

Caroline Dinenage

As my Honourable Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation, committed to the House on 20 November, my Department will publish data on the number of trans people in prison in due course.

While the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) does not currently have complete information, work is in hand and Ministers are currently receiving advice on the best way to collect this data whilst complying with our legal duties under both the Equalities Act and the Gender Recognition Act.

01/01/2023
Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to answer Question 13072, on Ministry of Justice: Departmental Responsibilities, tabled by the hon. Member for Hammersmith on 22 October 2015.

Dominic Raab

The answer to 13072 was given on 24 November 2015.

01/01/2023