The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-06-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full-time staff are employed in the Older Live Cases Unit.
Karen Bradley
There were 332 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff employed by OLCU at the end of
Q1 2014. FTE means that part time employees are counted by the proportion of
full time hours they work, so that staff working half the time of an equivalent
full time colleague would count as 0.5 FTE.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thérèse Coffey on 2014-06-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy that civil partnerships can be dissolved at any county court.
Mr Shailesh Vara
As of 22nd April 2014, the County Court no longer has the jurisdiction to consider divorce or civil partnership dissolution applications. These are now considered by the Family Court.
Hearings in divorce and civil partnership dissolution cases are rare, but from April 2015 if a hearing is required then it can be accommodated at any Family Court venue with the appropriate judicial expertise.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-06-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what minimum qualifications staff at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham will need in order to discharge the technical duties of that centre when it is fully operational; and what range of qualifications staff currently employed at that centre have.
Stephen Hammond
Existing Coastguard officers who are successful in getting a role at the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) will need to have successfully passed the following training programmes dependent on the role they are undertaking:
· Maritime Search and Rescue – Foundation
· Maritime Search and Rescue – Intermediate
· Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator
New Coastguard Officers recruited into roles at the NMOC will need to have successfully passed the following training programmes dependent on the role they are undertaking:
· HM Coastguard Foundation Programme
· Maritime Operations Officer Programme
· Senior Maritime Operations Officer Programme
Currently the Maritime Operations Officers externally recruited are undertaking the Maritime Operations Officer Programme and will be qualified prior to the NMOC taking on operational duties in September 2014. All existing Coastguard Officers who are currently employed at the NMOC have the requisite qualifications for the posts they hold.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make it his policy to introduce a legal requirement for pubcos to offer a free-of-tie option in the public house sector.
Jo Swinson
The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill, introduced to this House on 25 June 2014, does not include provision for mandatory free-of-tie. The Government recognises that some tenant groups and campaigners support this option, which might appear to offer a simple way of ensuring that tied tenants are no worse off than free-of-tie tenants. We looked carefully at this measure but have decided not to introduce it.
The responses to the Government’s consultation on a Statutory Code and Adjudicator for the pubs sector raised concerns that mandatory free-of-tie would create uncertainty for pub-owning companies and have an unpredictable impact on the wider pubs sector which could even undermine the tied model. Even among the polarised views in the industry, there is strong support for the tie as a business model. What is important to the Government is that there are protections in place so that the tied model operates fairly. The reforms being taken forward in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill will rebalance the relationship between pub-owning companies and their tied tenants, without threatening the balance of the wider industry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-06-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many apprentices aged (a) 16 to 18, (b) 19 to 24 and (c) 25 years or over are employed in (i) his Department and (ii) each of his Department’s executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
Brandon Lewis
My Department currently has six apprentices. Two are aged 16 to 18, and four are aged 19 to 24. We are due to get a further 4 apprentices in September 2014.
Of our Arms Length Bodies, the Planning Inspectorate currently has seven apprentices. Six are aged 19 to 24, and one is aged 25 or over. Homes and Communities Agency currently has three apprentices, all of whom are aged 19 to 24.
6 apprentices were appointed to permanent roles in the Department of the 10 employed last year. The Department is committed to bringing in apprentices and promoting fresh perspectives and ideas. They are enthusiastic in their approach to work and committed to learning and developing the skills needed to make a positive contribution, both within and outside the Department.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of corruption in the Seychelles and the consequent effect on the UK’s and International Monetary Fund’s financial commitments to that country.
Mark Simmonds
Transparency International ranked Seychelles as the 47th least corrupt country globally in their 2013 Corruption Perceptions Index. This was an improvement of four places from 2012. The UK does not provide direct financial assistance to Seychelles but contributes to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) whose support has enabled the country to enact a comprehensive program of economic reforms since 2008. The IMF has robust systems in place to ensure the proper use of assistance given to the Government of Seychelles.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-06-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what amount has been spent on building the psychiatric facility at Whyndyke Farm to date; and when that facility will become fully operational.
Jane Ellison
This is a matter for the National Health Service locally.
We have written to Derek Brown, Chair of the Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust informing him of the hon. Member’s enquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2014-06-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her Answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 441W, on human trafficking: Albania, how many female victims of trafficking have returned from England using the International Organisation for Migration voluntary return package and taken up the facilities made available by the government in Albania; and if she will make a statement.
Karen Bradley
In November 2013, the UK Government and the Albanian Government, working with
the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), established a voluntary
return package for female victims of trafficking who wished to return to
Albania. This comprehensive package includes the provision of secure
accommodation in Albania (with guards and social services on site), child care
assistance where required, and training or support to establish a business or
enter the labour market. This provides the high level of support and assistance
required for victims who wish to return to Albania to rebuild their lives.
Although no victims have yet availed themselves of the package, a number of
potential cases have been identified and the Home Office is actively working
with the Albanian Government, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and IOM to
improve the promotion of the scheme amongst those who may qualify and identify
and address any perceived barriers to return.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-06-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, under what criteria a decision will be made to place a child into a secure college.
Jeremy Wright
The Youth Justice Board, with proper consideration of the individual needs of young people and advice from Youth Offending Teams, currently decides the most appropriate establishment in which to place individual young people remanded or sentenced to custody. This will remain the case when there is the option of placement in a Secure College.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will place in the Library a copy of the risk register for the universal credit programme.
Esther McVey
In line with standard practice, as the Universal Credit risk register includes details of a sensitive nature the Department will not be putting the risk register into the public domain.