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Tag: 2014

  • Lord Chidgey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Chidgey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider assisting the international community in its fight against international trafficking originating from the Central African Republic, by creating a mechanism to fight against diamond, gold, and ivory trafficking and militarised poaching.

    Baroness Warsi

    International mechanisms to tackle illegal trafficking already exist, including the Kimberley Process to regulate the global trade in rough diamonds, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to protect endangered species. However, these are reliant of having an effective national government in the Central African Republic (CAR). To this end, our immediate priority is to de-escalate the levels of violence and improve the level of security, so that a legitimate government can be established in CAR with the support of the UN and other international organisations.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to reports that the government of Sudan has reconstituted the Janjaweed militias and that they are operating under its command and control.

    Baroness Warsi

    The latest report of the UN Secretary General on Darfur states that the Sudanese government’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), that use similar tactics to militia groups previously armed by government known as Janjaweed, have been responsible for widespread abuses against civilians, which include rape, looting and the burning of houses. The report also makes it clear that the armed opposition groups, in particular the Sudanese Liberation Army Minni Minnawi faction, bear heavy responsibility for civilian displacement.

    We have made it clear to the Sudanese government in the strongest terms that such behaviour is wholly unacceptable. On 7 April the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr Simmonds), publicly condemned attacks against civilians, and specifically raised the actions of the RSF with Sudanese Foreign Minister Karti on 28 April.

  • Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many councils in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland funded discretionary housing payments beyond the funds allocated to them by his Department in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

    Steve Webb

    In 2013/14, a) 85 (out of 326) English authorities, b) 15 (out of 27) Welsh authorities and c) 27 (out of 32) Scottish authorities spent more than the contribution provided by DWP towards Discretionary Housing Payments.

    Figures for 2014/15 will not be available until after 30 April 2015 – the deadline for local authority DHP returns for the year in question.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what Russian Navy ships HMS Severn intercepted in the English Channel on 25 June 2014; and whether HMS Severn was assigned to the Fleet Ready Escort role at that time.

    Mr Mark Francois

    Two Russian Federation Navy ships transited the English Channel on 25 June 2014. These were the Ropucha Class Landing Ships Olengorsky Gornyak and Georgiy Pobedonosets.

    As the hon. Member will be aware from my letter to him of 27 January 2014 (Official Report, columns 414-415W), there are usually a number of Royal Navy units available in UK waters at any one time and, if it is appropriate, one of those units could be reprioritised to undertake a required task. In this case, HMS Severn was better placed to respond, and it made the most operational sense to utilise her. At the same time the Fleet Ready Escort remained available at high readiness.

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Robertson on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the average length of time taken by the Marine Management Organisation to approve a marine dredging application using the outline marine licensing system since 2009.

    George Eustice

    The online marine licensing system came into force on 6 April 2011 following the formation of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) in 2010. From the start of the licensing system the estimated average time taken by the MMO to approve marine dredging applications are as follows:

    Aggregate dredging

    Average length of time to licence a 15 year aggregate application is estimated at 300 hours (200 hours during application and 100 hours of pre-application advice)

    Non-aggregate dredging

    Description of activity

    Average MMO hours per case

    Simple navigational dredging

    3.5

    Routine navigational dredging

    9

    Routine capital dredging

    7.4

    Complex navigational dredging

    13.35

    Complex capital dredging

    11.88

  • Priti Patel – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Priti Patel – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Priti Patel on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss with his counterparts in St Lucia the effectiveness of the St Lucian (a) criminal justice system and (b) forensic laboratories in relation to the investigation of the Gloria Greenwood murder and prosecution of suspects.

    Mark Simmonds

    The FCO is supporting wider HMG efforts to build St Lucia’s judicial capacity to prosecute serious crime, including through forensic analysis training. This targeted support includes the deployment of a Crown Prosecution Service criminal justice advisor to the Eastern Caribbean. Officials will continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our assistance. Last August, I raised the issues with St Lucia’s Prime Minister. More recently, St Lucia’s Foreign Minister attended the 16-17 June UK-Caribbean Forum which included a focussed session on criminal justice reform. Consular officials remain in close contact with the authorities with regard to the investigation into the tragic murder of Gloria Greenwood and continue to provide full consular assistance to her family.

  • Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Huppert on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the availability of a range of housing and care options for people with physical disabilities and learning difficulties.

    Norman Lamb

    The Department has not made any assessment about the availability range of housing and care options for people with physical and learning disabilities.

    A key aim of this Government is to put people with disabilities, including learning disabilities, and the families who care for them, in the driving seat with greater choice and control and able to contribute to and influence decisions which affect their lives, including over where and with whom they live.

    The Care Act puts into law a series of reforms to care and support, making it a modern system which is built around people’s individual needs and goals, and which puts them in control of their own care and support. The Act will help to improve care and support for everyone who uses care and support services, by placing personal budgets onto a statutory footing as part of the care and support plan. These reforms will allow people to exercise real choice and control over the care and support they receive, and are supported by new duties around market shaping and information and advice, to ensure that people fully understand the care system and have a wide range of high quality services available in their local area to choose from.

    Housing plays a critical role in helping adults with physical and learning disabilities to live as independently as possible. The Department is providing £315 million over five years for the Care and Support Specialised Housing fund. The fund is administered by the Homes and Communities Agency and, within London, by the Greater London Authority. The main aim of the fund is to support and accelerate the development of the specialised housing market for older people and disabled adults, which includes housing for adults who are physically disabled and those with learning difficulties.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the police hunt for Michael Wheatley who absconded from HM Prison Standford Hill on 3 May 2014.

    Damian Green

    This information is not held centrally.

  • 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 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people are currently employed in prisons to calculate the release date of prisoners.

    Jeremy Wright

    The number of staff employed in prisons specifically for the purpose of calculating release dates for prisoners is not held on central systems. To obtain the information would involve collecting data from every establishment, which would entail disproportionate cost.

  • Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to legal aid to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out in Scotland.

    David Mundell

    The Scottish Government is responsible for defining the entitlement criteria for these passported benefits. They will need to consider the current eligibility criteria and make arrangements to ensure that they can continue to deliver these benefits as Universal Credit is introduced.

    There is ongoing engagement between the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that any solution is simple, fair, easy to understand and affordable.