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  • Michael McCann – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Michael McCann – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael McCann on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases funded by legal aid against his Department where public interest lawyers have represented clients were won by his Department in each of the last 10 years.

    Anna Soubry

    It is not possible to give a definitive answer to this question, since in a number of cases where there were multiple issues before it, the Court found for the claimant on some issues and for the defendant on others.

  • Gareth Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Gareth Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Attorney General, how many reported cases of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl aged 13 to 16 under section 6 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 were not prosecuted because of the 12 month statute of limitations for that offence in the last (a) year, (b) five years and (c) 10 years.

    Oliver Heald

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold records of the number of cases reported to the police or of the number the police decide not to proceed with. A record is held of the number of cases where the CPS has been asked to make a charging decision and the decision made; either to charge or take no further action.

    However, no central records of the alleged offence(s) considered at the pre-charge decision are held by the CPS. To obtain details of the number of allegations of unlawful sexual intercourse offences considered and those which do not proceed, either by way of decision to take no further action or discontinuance following charge, due to the 12 month Statute of Limitations would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

  • Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 29W, if he will make an assessment of the effect of US regulatory authorities’ interventions in the gold market on gold market-related securities in ISAs.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government monitors developments in the gold market including, where relevant, regulatory action in other jurisdictions. The Government is committed to taking action, whenever necessary, to ensure the efficient functioning of these essential markets.

  • Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Bank of England has engaged in any selling, leasing, loaning, hypothecating or re-hypothecating either independently or in conjunction with other parties, which could have had the effect of lowering or suppressing the quoted market price of gold since May 2010.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Bank of England has not been active in the gold market during or since May 2010, either in its own capacity, or acting as agent for Her Majesty’s Treasury for the UK’s official reserves (the “Exchange Equalisation Account” or EEA).

    As a result, the Bank did not engage in any selling, leasing, loaning, hypothecating or re-hypothecating of gold during this period.

  • 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).

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made in reviewing the adequacy of the amount of time allowed for pedestrians to use pedestrian crossings including those crossings out of the scope of the consultation on the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Local councils are responsible for setting pedestrian crossing timings with reference to the Department for Transport’s guidance walking speed of 1.2 metres per second.

    The Department is conducting a review of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions, which includes all pedestrian crossing types, and once that is complete will consider the need to update the guidance.

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the last meeting of (a) the Cycle Stakeholders Forum and (b) the safety sub-group of the Cycle Stakeholders Forum took place; and what future meetings are scheduled.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The most recent meeting of the full Cycling Stakeholder Forum was on 30 September 2013 and that of the safety sub-group was on 16 July 2013. The next meeting of the full Cycling Stakeholder Forum is scheduled for 24 June 2014. I am Chair of the High Level Cycling Group, a sub group of Cycling Stakeholder Forum that meets frequently. The most recent meeting of the High Level Cycling Group was 21 May 2014.

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve access to free to use cash machines.

    Andrea Leadsom

    95 per cent of communities in the lowest quartile of the government deprivation index now have free-to-use ATMs within their area or less than two thirds of a mile from the area’s centre. This has brought access to free-to-use ATMs to over 1.5 million people and progress towards covering even more communities continues.

    LINK has established a Financial Inclusion Programme to provide free-to-use ATMs where they are needed, by installing ATMs that are subsidised to make their operation commercially viable for operators. The cost of this subsidy is shared out among LINK member banks. 1,400 target areas now have access to an industry subsidised ATM through the programme.

    I am aware Toynbee Hall is due to complete research on this issue shortly.

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress departments have made on implementing the Guidance on Customer Service Lines published in December 2013.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The guidance we published in December 2013 set out that departments should use prefixes offering a geographic call rate as a default policy position for the provision of core public services. This was not the case in the past.

    My officials are working with the cross-Whitehall group on customer service lines.

    We will publish information from departments on their customer telephone lines later in the summer.

  • Andrew Turner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andrew Turner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Turner on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which claims for medals remain outstanding following Royal approval of the latest proposals put forward by Sir John Holmes.

    Mr Francis Maude

    The next set of reviews is to be discussed by the Committee on the Grant of Honours this month.

    An announcement will be made once the full set of reviews is complete and has been approvedin the usual way.