The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Bahrain about the death of Abdulaziz al-Abbar.
Hugh Robertson
We are saddened to hear about the death of Abdulaziz Al- Abbar. We encourage the authorities to carry out a timely and thorough independent investigation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport applications have been processed by the passport office in Belfast in each year since 2010.
James Brokenshire
The table below shows the number of passports processed by the Passport Office
in Belfast.
|
Year |
Number of passports processed |
|
2010 |
364,688 |
|
2011 |
408,628 |
|
2012 |
427,422 |
|
2013 |
433,530 |
|
2014 (until 31 May) |
294,998 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many successful prosecutions for abuse of power of attorney were brought forward in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.
Simon Hughes
The Government is committed to protecting elderly and vulnerable people, and to ensuring that anyone responsible for abuse is dealt with appropriately.
The Public Guardian has power to investigate cases where concerns are raised about the actions of a person acting under a power of attorney, and to apply to the Court to revoke the power of attorney where necessary to prevent abuse. The Public Guardian will refer cases to health and care authorities, who can act under statutory safeguarding powers to protect an individual who may be at risk, and to the police if he suspects a criminal offence has been committed.
We are currently considering whether the Public Guardian needs additional powers to strengthen his role in safeguarding elderly and vulnerable people, including the power to continue an investigation after a power of attorney or court order has been revoked or disclaimed. This would require changes to primary legislation.
Data on prosecutions for fraud, or for ill-treatment and neglect under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, do not specify whether the allegation relates to a person acting under a power of attorney. The Government’s response to the House of Lords Select Committee’s report on the Mental Capacity Act includes a commitment to review the use of the criminal offence under s44 of the Act.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2014-06-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that any extension of the mutual defence agreement with the United States is designed to assist the fulfilment of the purposes of the non-proliferation treaty and to fulfil the undertaking in that context given by the existing nuclear powers.
Baroness Warsi
We are committed to the goal of a world without nuclear weapons and firmly believe that the best way to achieve this is through gradual disarmament negotiated through a step-by-step approach within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The UK has a strong record on nuclear disarmament and continues to be at the forefront of international efforts to control proliferation, and to make progress towards multilateral nuclear disarmament. The UK-USA Mutual Defence Agreement is, and will continue to be, in full compliance with our obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Noon on 2014-06-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of proposed cuts in counter-terrorism funding and personnel in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Baroness Warsi
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Counter Terrorism Programme Fund (CTPF) is the main fund for terrorism-related assistance to foreign countries used by the FCO Counter Terrorism Department. This is complemented by other budgets used for counter-terrorism related activities and the tri-departmental (FCO, Department for International Development and Ministry of Defence) Conflict Pool, as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 24 June 2014, Official Report, column WS107-108. We constantly monitor and review our projects, programmes and diplomatic engagement as our part of the wider Government efforts on counter-terrorism, to ensure our resources are having the maximum possible impact in the right places as the global security environment changes. It is not the case that important activities have ceased or are now under-funded.
The FCO’s work on counter-terrorism goes well beyond CTPF – it is at the heart of our diplomacy across our overseas network, particularly in areas of instability. We have, for example, recently: opened an embassy in Mogadishu to support our work on stability and security in Somalia; brought together key players on Nigeria to secure much needed assistance to tackle the threat from Boko Haram; and continued our work to stop terrorists getting their hands on money to fund their activities through leading efforts on disrupting financial flows from sources such as ‘Kidnap for Ransom’.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-06-26.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2014, Official Report, column 197W, on Mapeley, whether HM Revenue and Customs reviewed these commercial provisions following the raising of financial concerns by Mapeley in November 2001.
Mr David Gauke
There have been no material changes to the relevant commercial provisions in the STEPS contract. A copy of the contract can be viewed on the National Archive website at http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/freedom/steps-contract.htm
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-04-29.
To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what advice the Electoral Commission has given to electoral registration officers on the necessity of conducting local government data matching for the purposes of transition to individual electoral registration.
Mr Gary Streeter
The Electoral Commission informs me that it has published comprehensive guidance for Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) on their duties to maintain the electoral registers under Individual Electoral Registration (IER), including on using local data to identify and target potential electors and to verify and validate data held on the registers.
The Commission also informs me that the Lord President of the Council has issued Ministerial guidance on IER which EROs must, by law, have regard to. This includes guidance on using local data as part of the confirmation process of data-matching existing electors’ details and the verification process for verifying applicants’ identity.
The Commission’s guidance, which incorporates the Ministerial guidance, is available on its website at:
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/electoral-administrator/running-electoral-registration
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Evans on 2014-05-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the situation for religious minorities in northern Nigeria.
Mark Simmonds
Conflict in northern Nigeria has caused great suffering in communities of different faiths and ethnicities. Representatives of The Government maintain regular contact with religious and ethnic community leaders across Nigeria. We recognise there are tensions in many parts of the country, including in the north east, middle belt and the Niger Delta. Recent attacks by Boko Haram have been indiscriminate, but it is almost certain that these attacks have killed more Muslims than Christians.
We recognise the underlying issues of poverty and inequality, which lead to inter-communal tensions and conflict in Nigeria and we urge political, traditional and religious leaders to work together in order to resolve these issues. The Department for International Development (DFID), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) continue to fund a range of conflict resolution projects across Nigeria designed to address these problems. We currently have an expert team in Abuja to help Nigeria deal with the abduction of the school girls from Chibok and to also look at addressing longer term challenges, including inter-communal tensions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dobbin on 2014-05-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists the decision of its faculty of sexual and reproductive health not to allow doctors and nurses who have a conscientious objection to supplying contraceptive drugs or devices which act after fertilisation to receive its diploma in sexual and reproductive health.
Jane Ellison
The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare is responsible for decisions on the syllabus of its Diploma, the requirements for entry to the Diploma course, and the award of a Diploma qualification.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Corbyn on 2014-05-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what response the UK has made to the application of the Marshall Islands to the International Court of Justice in respect of compliance by the UK with Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Hugh Robertson
The UK is currently considering its response to the proceedings instituted by the Marshall Islands in the International Court of Justice on 24 April 2014. The UK is confident of its record in progressing nuclear disarmament in accordance its obligations under the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and will defend its position robustly.