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  • Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what meetings her Department has had with the government of the Republic of Ireland about First World War commemorations.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    Ministers and officials from the Northern Ireland Office have been in regular contact with the Irish Government about our approach to the First World War centenary, particularly over the course of the last year. This includes planning for joint Ministerial attendance at a number of events which will take place in Belfast, Dublin and France over the course of the coming months.

    These contacts have included discussions on how both Governments can work together to mark the wider decade of commemorations in Ireland in a manner which promotes reconciliation and contributes to a peaceful, shared future.

    I recently joined the Irish Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to lay the foundation stone for a Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cross of Sacrifice at Glasnevin in Dublin to commemorate men from the island of Ireland who gave their lives in both World Wars.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee will be given access to papers previously withheld from freedom of information requests as part of its current inquiry into the administrative scheme for the on-the-runs.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The inquiry led by Lady Justice Hallett has access to all papers that it requests or requires from my Department, in order to produce a full public account of the ‘on the runs’ administrative scheme.

  • Jake Berry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jake Berry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jake Berry on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in (a) Rossendale and (b) Darwen were found guilty of (i) drunk and disorderly behaviour and (ii) drunk and aggravated behaviour in each of the last three years.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not the specific circumstances of each case. It is not possible to separately identify from this centrally held information the location of an offence or the home address of an offender. This detailed information may be held on the court record but due to the size and complexity is not reported centrally to the MoJ. As such, the information requested can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Jake Berry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jake Berry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jake Berry on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people normally resident in Rossendale and Darwen constituency were prosecuted for offences relating to fraudulent claims for jobseeker’s allowance in each of the last five years.

    Esther McVey

    The information requested is not readily available because the data is not collated in a format for Rossendale and Darwen Constituency only. This information could only be provided by examining individual investigation files which would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Alan Reid – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Alan Reid – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Reid on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Indian nationals there are serving a prison sentence in England and Wales.

    Jeremy Wright

    As of 31 December 2013, the latest period for which figures are available, there were 223 Indian nationals serving a prison sentence in England and Wales.

    All foreign national offenders (FNOs) sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office for them to consider deportation at the earliest possible opportunity.

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

    Philip Hollobone – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2014, Official Report, columns 532-3W, on prisoners: foreign nationals, what the main features of the Early Removal Scheme are; how many foreign national offenders were deported under this scheme in each of the last five years; and what the main features are of the Tariff Expired Removal Scheme.

    Jeremy Wright

    Under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS), Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) who are going to be deported or removed by Immigration Enforcement can be removed from prison and the UK up to a maximum of 270 days before their normal release date. This enables their removal earlier than would otherwise be possible, but only after a minimum of half the requisite custodial period has been served in prison in the UK.

    The Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS) enables FNOs with life or indeterminate sentences to be removed from the UK using a deportation order once they have completed their minimum tariff period set by the sentencing court. Since its introduction in May 2012, 240 prisoners have been removed under this mechanism (as of April 17th 2014).

    Those removed subject to a deportation order cannot legally return to the UK. If they do come back in breach of their deportation order this is a criminal offence. They would also be liable to immediate arrest and return to prison to complete the outstanding part of the sentence they would have served had they not been removed early.

    The numbers removed under ERS in each of the last four years are:

    Year

    ERS removals

    2010

    1741

    2011

    1672

    2012

    1974

    2013

    1968

    We are unable to provide data for the 2009 period. Since 2010 the Home Office have used one system to report on their data. This was not in place in 2009 therefore figures arising from this period may be inconsistent.

  • Gavin Shuker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Gavin Shuker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has spent on aid to the desert region of Thar in Sindh Province, Pakistan in each year since 2010.

    Justine Greening

    It is not possible to disaggregate costs specifically for the Thar region without incurring disproportionate cost, but DFID supports a number of national programmes and international agencies which work across Sindh Province.

  • Gavin Shuker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Gavin Shuker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with which non-governmental organisations and agencies her Department is working to help residents in the desert region of Thar in Sindh Province, Pakistan.

    Justine Greening

    The UK Government provides funding to the World Food Programme and UNICEF who are responding to the situation in Thar.

  • Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona O’Donnell on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent steps she has taken to ensure that all children are protected from sexual violence in conflict zones.

    Justine Greening

    DFID is committed to tackling sexual violence against women and girls, with relevant programming in over 20 countries. For example, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) we have invested £60m to build security forces capable of better protecting women and girls from sexual violence and DFID has provided £21.6 million to protect women and children from sexual violence in humanitarian emergencies in a range of countries.

  • Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona O’Donnell on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her objectives are for the summit on violence against women and girls in humanitarian emergencies.

    Justine Greening

    Last November I convened a Call to Action in relation to keeping women and girls safe in humanitarian emergencies. The event brought together both UN agencies and donors, and has already resulted in improved approaches in the Philippines and Syria. I pledged £21.6 million further funding to ensure this work delivered tangible outcomes for women and girls including £4 million to ensure survivors of sexual violence receive comprehensive support services. The US will host a follow-up event in September and this summer the Foreign Secretary will host a summit on his Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative, which aims to tackle the culture of impunity for sexual violence committed in conflict.