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Tag: 2014

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Turnberg on 2014-06-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Palestinian Authority about the alleged kidnapping of Israeli teenagers on 12 June.

    Baroness Warsi

    The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Mr Robertson), discussed this with Palestinian Prime Minister Hamdallah and other government officials on 18 June, during his visit to the region. Mr Robertson expressed his concerns over the kidnapping, welcomed President Abbas’s condemnation of it and was briefed on Palestinian security co-operation with the Israelis.

  • Mike Gapes – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mike Gapes – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Gapes on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations he has made to the European Commission on proposed regulations relating to seeds.

    Dan Rogerson

    Defra has made numerous representations to the European Commission on its proposed regulation for Plant Reproductive Material. The representations have been through correspondence, negotiation at Council Working Groups, informal discussion, and in a specially convened meeting between Defra, Commission officials and UK stakeholders in London in June 2013.

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the Offshore Wind Industry Council last met; and what meetings of the Council have taken place since 16 May 2013.

    Michael Fallon

    The Offshore Wind Industry Council last met on 16 June 2014. This was the Council’s 4th meeting. The three previous meetings took place on 16 May 2013, 21 October 2013 and 24 February 2014.

  • 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 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people with 15 or more previous convictions were not sent to prison on conviction for (a) burglary and (b) violence against the person in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Jeremy Wright

    It has not been possible to obtain this information. I will write to the Honourable member in due course.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people are employed in the HM Revenue and Customs national minimum wage enforcement team based in Belfast; and how many complaints have been reeived by the Pay and Work Rights helpline relating to Northern Ireland-based employers in each year since 2010.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government takes the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) very seriously. HMRC review every complaint that is referred to them by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. In addition, by collating and analysing data received from various sources, HMRC ensure targeted enforcement through robust risk assessment processes to identify employers across the United Kingdom who are more likely to be not paying NMW.

    HMRC deploys resources to risk, so work relating to a specific geographical area may not always be undertaken by the NMW team based in that area. In addition, the NMW Dynamic Response Team (DRT) provides a multi-agency response to emerging risks, high profile casework and compliance initiatives across the UK.

    Responsibility for the administration of the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) sits with the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS). At present, the PWRH is not able to provide aggregated information on calls relating to specific locations.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of prisoners’ access to books on (a) prisoners’ educational achievements, (b) prisoners’ behaviour and (c) reoffending rates; and what steps he is taking to improve prisoners’ access to books.

    Jeremy Wright

    Our assessment is that education and access to books is very important in the rehabilitation of prisoners. That is why the National Offender Management Service works closely with the Shannon Trust to support schemes such as ‘Toe by Toe’, which includes peer mentoring to improve reading levels. Every prison has a library, to which every prisoner has access.

    Prisoners may also buy books with their own money to which they have access. Up to 12 books may be held by prisoners in their cell at any one time and additional volumes may be stored locally at the prison.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gareth Thomas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2014-06-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the next dataset of bank lending by postcode from the major UK banks will be released; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    In July 2013 the Government announced that it had reached an agreement with the major UK banks to publish lending data across 10,000 individual postcodes.

    The first dataset was published in December 2013 and shows the outstanding stock of lending that has been committed to customers across three categories; loans and overdrafts to SMEs, mortgages and unsecured personal loans (excluding credit cards).

    The data is published quarterly, and the next publication is expected in July 2014.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2014, Official Report, column 162W, on employment and support allowance, when his Department expects to publish data on mandatory reconsiderations of employment and support allowance.

    Mike Penning

    While data is being collected, it is not sufficiently robust and reliable to make available.

    The data will need to be validated in order to ensure that it satisfies the relevant standards. I will not publish this data until it is in a robust state to share.

  • 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 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what event or risk of event led to the approval of the Collision Warning Technology Demonstrator Programme for fast jet aircraft; when that event was identified; and where that event is recorded.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 23 June 2014, (Official Report, column 98W).

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-31.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of the legal advice gained by the Metropolitan Police Service and Crown Prosecution Service which led to the policy of investigating the chant of yids” by Tottenham Hotspur supporters by the Metropolitan Police Service prior to the Prime Minister’s comments on the matter on 16 September 2013; and what was the cost of the advice gained after that date.”

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The Crown Prosecution Service has no specific policy relating to the chanting of the word "yids" by Tottenham Hotspur supporters and incurred no legal advice costs on this specific issue. The case against the three Tottenham Hotspur supporters was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service prior to the adjourned date of the hearing, without parties having to attend court, and without the associated costs being incurred.

    The Crown Prosecution Service National Football lead has been consulted on a number of occasions regarding whether the use of the word "yid" could amount to a criminal act. The general advice given on each occasion was that each case depends on its specific facts. In relation to the case that was dropped against the three Tottenham Hotspur supporters, the police contacted the Crown Prosecution Service prior to charge. Advice was given that there was a realistic prospect of conviction. It subsequently transpired that the further evidence was not available and the case was therefore discontinued. Prior to the discontinuance a meeting took place between senior police officers and the Crown Prosecution Service officials.