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  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of President Obama’s statement on 26 March that Kosovo only left Serbia after a referendum was organised”.”

    Baroness Warsi

    The point that President Obama was making is that the situations in Crimea and Kosovo are not comparable. Kosovo’s independence followed a humanitarian crisis, nearly nine years of UN administration, and the failure of a long period of inclusive, internationally sponsored negotiations on Kosovo’s final status. Kosovo thus declared independence only after other options were exhausted, and by the decision of a parliament that had been assembled through a free and fair vote conducted under UN supervision. None of these conditions apply in Crimea.

  • Lord Lea of Crondall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Lea of Crondall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lea of Crondall on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of annuities purchased over the last five years for which data are available were worth (1) between £500 and £2,000 per annum, (2) between £2,001 and £5,000 per annum, (3) between £5,001 and £10,000 per annum, and (4) between £10,000 and £20,000 per annum, in value at the point of purchase.

    Lord Newby

    There is no requirement for individuals to report the purchase of an annuity and the Government does not collect data on the number or purchase value of annuities. Industry data is collected and published by the Association of British Insurers and may be found on their website https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savings/Industry-data/

    “

  • Lord Lea of Crondall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Lea of Crondall – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lea of Crondall on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average number of annuities purchased in each of the last five years for which data are available.

    Lord Newby

    There is no requirement for individuals to report the purchase of an annuity and the Government does not collect data on the number or purchase value of annuities. Industry data is collected and published by the Association of British Insurers and may be found on their website https://www.abi.org.uk/Insurance-and-savings/Industry-data/

    “

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that library facilities in prisons, including the availability and ordering of books, are fit for purpose.

    Lord Faulks

    Prison library services are, in the majority of prisons, provided by Public Library Authorities. Prison libraries enable prisoners to receive, subject to the constraints of operating within a custodial environment, a service equivalent to that provided for library users in the community.

    We consider them to be fit for purpose.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 27 March (WA 141), what steps they will take to ensure that legal aid resources are spent in the most equitable way and are not concentrated on fewer high-profile defendants.

    Lord Newby

    In the vast majority of cases, legal aid fees are based solely on factors such as the type of alleged offence, the length of trial and the amount of paperwork involved. They are not increased just because a defendant is “high-profile”. We plan to reduce these fees in 2015, subject to consideration of a number of reviews currently taking place. In addition, a very small number of the longest cases (Very High Cost Cases) are paid based on the work required and the substance of the case. These cases account for approximately 0.1% of criminal cases, but 7.5% of the legal aid spend. The Government is committed to controlling the cost of these cases, and has recently introduced a 30% cut in fees.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 27 March (WA 145), whether the electric stock referred to in her answer will be subject to refurbishment before its transfer to the Northern Rail franchise.

    Baroness Kramer

    The electric stock referred to in my previous answer will be subject to light refurbishment before transfer to the Northern Rail franchise. This will be specified and managed by Northern and the rolling stock company involved. As the Noble Lord may be aware, the Northern Direct Award is for 22 months – from February 2016 a new franchise competition winner will be running services on this franchise. Therefore the new franchisee will develop their own proposals regarding any further refurbishment or replacement of the electric powered rolling stock.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they will take to facilitate connections between the Cambrian Line and the train services provided from Porthmadog Harbour Station on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland railways in order to support the tourist industry.

    Baroness Kramer

    The Cambrian Line is part of the Wales and Borders franchise operated by Arriva Trains Wales. The specification and day-to-day management of the franchise is the responsibility of the Welsh Government.

  • Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morrow on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the trial use of victim support workers in accident and emergency settings in England to identify potential victims of domestic violence; and whether they plan to extend the scheme on a permanent and wider basis.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The Home Office is working closely with Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse which is conducting an in-depth evaluation of the effectiveness of basing Independent Domestic Violence Advocates in both hospital accident and emergency and maternity units. The report is due in 2015-16. Six services are taking part in the evaluation:

    • Worth Services (based in West Sussex)
    • Bristol Royal Infirmary IDVA service
    • Domestic Violence: Health and Maternity Project (Imperial College, Standing Together and Advance Advocacy)
    • Cambridge Addenbrooke’s IDVA service
    • North Devon Women’s Aid
    • Newcastle Victim Support

    Emerging evidence from the evaluation can be found at:
    www.caada.org.uk/policy/CAADA_Themis_Research_Briefing_1.pdf.

    The Coalition Government will study the full findings from the evaluation before making a decision on whether the scheme is extended on a permanent and wider basis.

  • Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 26 March (WA 122), what are the relevant trigger dates for consideration of any documents they may hold relating to Hilda Murrell.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The relevant trigger date for the one file that the HO holds relating to Hilda Murrell is July 2014 when Home Office will make an application to that month’s Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Council to allow this file to be transferred to The National Archives. Providing this application is approved, this file will be available for perusal by members of the public by 31 December 2014.

  • Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2014-04-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to implement the changes set out in sections 45 and 46 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

    Lord Faulks

    Implementation is already well underway. The point at which historic central government records are transferred to The National Archives is being reduced from 30 years to 20 years. This change is being implemented in a phased way over a ten period starting from 1 January 2013, with two years worth of records being transferred every year until transition is complete. This was implemented by The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (Commencement No 7) Order 2012 (SI 2012 No. 3001) and The Public Records (Transfer to the Public Record Office) (Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order 2012 (SI 2012 No. 3028).

    The Government intends to begin, from 2015, a similar ten-year transitional period for records transferred to 116 local places of deposit, subject to the outcome of further detailed work on costs and the impact to the local authority archive sector.