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Tag: 2014

  • Lord Greaves – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Greaves – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment have they made of the rate and extent of the spread of Japanese Knotweed in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world where it is not native.

    Lord De Mauley

    We are aware that Japanese knotweed is widespread across many parts of the world; recent information (from the CABI Compendium, part funded by Defra) suggests it is found in 35 countries outside its native range. Following its introduction to the UK in the early 1800s, Japanese knotweed was first recorded in the wild in 1886. Its initial spread was slow. By 1930 it was present in 73 hectads (i.e. 10km x 10km squares) in the British Isles; by 1986 it had spread to 948 hectads and it is now present in approximately 2,879 hectads.

  • Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Ariel Trust’s recent pilot scheme to teach every primary school pupil how to tackle cyberbullying within Liverpool, what plans they have to tackle cyberbullying in schools across England.

    Lord Nash

    The Government believes that schools, internet providers and parents all have a role to play in keeping children and young people safe online.

    All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to tackle bullying, including cyberbullying, and they are held closely to account by Ofsted. The Department for Education has issued advice to schools on preventing and tackling bullying and on supporting bullied children which includes cyberbullying. We have also recently issued advice aimed at parents on how to keep children safe online, spot the signs that a child may be being cyberbullied and what to do if it happens.

    In addition, e-safety is being taught at all four key stages of the curriculum and covers responsible, respectful and secure use of technology. Pupils are also taught age-appropriate ways of reporting any concerns they may have about what they see or encounter online.

    The Department is also providing around £4 million in funding to various anti-bullying organisations, such as the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), who work in schools to combat bullying, including cyberbullying. The NCB has produced a guide for schools on preventing and tackling cyberbullying of children with a special educational need or disability who are especially vulnerable to this form of bullying.

    Furthermore, we are currently considering bids through a £25 million voluntary and community sector grant programme to extend the work being done by anti-bullying charities in schools. A £2 million grant is being offered in conjunction with the Government Equalities Office to support projects which tackle specifically homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools.

    More widely, the Government continues to work to protect children online through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) which brings together representatives from government, industry, law enforcement, academia, charities and parenting groups.

  • Baroness Whitaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Whitaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the conclusions of the report by the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups Civil Society Monitoring on the Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategy in the United Kingdom in 2012 and 2013, launched on 2 December 2014; and what steps they plan to take in response to that report’s recommendations.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    I refer the noble Lady to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Housing and Planning (Brandon Lewis) on 5 January 2015, UIN reference 218133, and my answer to the noble Lord Avebury on 11 November 2014, Column WA36.

  • Emma Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Emma Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many times the beds in sheds taskforce has met since its inception; and on what dates.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Beds in Sheds Taskforce was a specific initiative in 2012 to 2013, to hold a set of summits to bring together councils and central government to ascertain best practice and barriers to be removed to help ensure co-ordinated action against illegal outbuildings.

    Summits took place on 27 November 2012, 30 April 2013 and 1 July 2013. It was not an ongoing working group.

    In July 2013, £2.6 million was subsequently allocated to nine local authorities to deal with the mainly London-based problem of beds in sheds, with a further £4.1 million of targeted funding to 23 local authorities in December 2013 to tackle rogue landlord behaviour (including beds in sheds).

    Thanks to the lessons learnt and best practice adopted from these meetings in 2012 to 2013, we estimate there have been:

    • 2,500 streets surveyed
    • 30,000 inspections
    • 1,100 raids
    • 2,800 landlords facing prosecution
    • 530 buildings prohibited, and
    • 145 sheds demolished.

    Following our 2012 publication, we will in due course be publishing refreshed guidance to local authorities on tackling beds in sheds and rogue landlords.

    The Immigration Act 2014 contains a raft of measures which puts the law firmly on the side of those who respect it, not those who break it, by:

    • stopping migrants using public services to which they are not entitled;
    • reducing the pull factors which encourage people to come to the UK for the wrong reasons; and,
    • making it easier to remove people who should not be here.
  • Seema Malhotra – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Seema Malhotra – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support her Department makes available to service families experiencing, or at risk of, domestic violence.

    Anna Soubry

    The Ministry of Defence does not tolerate domestic violence; neither do we consider it to be a purely private matter. The Department’s position is set out for all staff in a Joint Service Publication which raises awareness about our policy and the sources of help available to everyone in the Service community. This helps Service personnel who are experiencing domestic violence, or who are aware of someone else who is experiencing violence, know what to do to seek help and have the confidence to do so.

    In parallel, there is a comprehensive range of sources of help in place to support members of Service families who are victims of domestic violence. This includes single-Service welfare providers, specialist welfare and personnel staff, and helplines. Practical help available includes alternative service accommodation and referral to specialist services such as a refuge.

    We have recently released a DVD entitled "Domestic Abuse – Where to Find Help" as a resource providing information about how to seek help for those experiencing domestic abuse within the Service community. In addition, a LIBOR funded project, which is planned to be launched in March 2015, will provide a source of information on the gov.uk website about domestic abuse specifically designed for Service personnel, their families and professionals such as specialist welfare officers and social workers.

  • Stephen Barclay – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Stephen Barclay – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Barclay on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 5.3.2 of the report of the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism, published in December 2013, what the budget of the Ibaana programme is; to which prisons that programme has been rolled out; and how many prisoners have completed that programme.

    Andrew Selous

    To enable it to carry out its extremism programme NOMS receives funding from OSCT , which does not release the breakdown of funding per sector as this could potentially reveal where the threat to the national security is greatest. This may impact negatively on the delivery of the Prevent programme and the range of activities, including Ibaana, that are currently deployed in prisons to prevent terrorism. This could serve to weaken and prejudice the national security of the UK.

    The Ibaana programme is being finalised and will be rolled out, where appropriate, in due course.

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made by the taskforce reporting to his Department on tackling nuisance telephone calls.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The taskforce published its report on consent and lead generation issues within the marketing industry on 8 December 2014, making fifteen recommendations for business, industry, regulators and Government. We are carefully considering its six recommendations for Government and will respond to these shortly.

  • Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pamela Nash on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the tax yield was from IR35 legislation in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Mr David Gauke

    Yield from IR35 compliance interventions up to 2013/14 for the UK is shown in the table below. Regional data is not produced by HM Revenue and Customs.

    Year Yield

    2009/10 £155K

    2010/11 £219K

    2011/12 £1.2M

    2012/13 £1.1M

    2013/14 £430K

    In addition to the tax voluntarily paid through IR35, and the compliance revenue the cost to the Exchequer of not having the IR35 legislation would be around £520 million a year.

  • David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to provide care and support for members of the armed forces who have a mental illness.

    Anna Soubry

    We take the mental health of our personnel and veterans very seriously, and are committed to ensuring that help is available for everyone who needs it. For serving personnel, the Defence Medical Services (DMS) have in place a variety of measures to identify issues at the earliest possible opportunity. These include pre- and post-deployment briefing, and a range of professional support, assessment and treatment both during and after deployments, as well as peer-group mentoring through the Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) process.

    On major operations such as in Iraq and Afghanistan, we deploy mental health professionals as part of the medical team in support of our troops to provide advice and treatment. Personnel who require further treatment are referred back to the UK, where our services are configured to provide community-based mental healthcare in line with national best practice. This care is delivered primarily through unit-based primary healthcare centres and our network of 16 military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs) across the UK (plus centres overseas), where the DMS have developed a significant capability in managing traumatic stress conditions. Patient care, when required, is available through a contract with a group of eight specialist NHS Trusts across the UK.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the use of corporal punishment for penal purposes.

    Mr David Lidington

    The UK Government condemns all forms of judicial corporal punishment. We believe it amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and is incompatible with international human rights law and the obligations of States Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention against Torture. Where we have concerns, we raise these with the appropriate authorities. As part of the UK’s global strategy on torture prevention, Ministers and senior officials frequently raise concerns about torture in multilateral fora, including on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Convention Against Torture on 10th December 2014.