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Tag: 2014

  • Justin Tomlinson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Justin Tomlinson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what recent discussions the Government Equalities Office has had with the Home Office about ending domestic abuse and violence against women.

    Nicky Morgan

    I have regular meetings and discussions with my colleagues on this and other matters affecting women and equality including attending the Violence Against Women and Girls Inter-Ministerial Group, working with ministerial colleagues to coordinate policy on tackling this abhorrent crime. Also, officials from the Government Equalities Office work closely with Home Office colleagues on this policy area and recently co-hosted an event working with employers to recognise and support employees who are victims of domestic violence

  • Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the marine environment of the exemption of biodegradable plastic bags and paper bags from his single-use plastic bag charging policy.

    Dan Rogerson

    Plastic, mainly plastic bags and bottles, is estimated to account for more than 70% of the total number of marine debris in European seas. The charge will focus on plastic bags as this is a targeted, proportionate approach to the problem of carrier bag distribution and littering.

    Paper bags make up less than 0.1% of carrier bags distributed in the UK by the seven major supermarket retailers. Overall, paper bags make up a very small proportion of total carrier bag numbers, the vast majority of which are single-use plastic bags.

    Plastic carrier bags take the longest to degrade in the natural environment, therefore decomposition in the marine environment will be one of the considerations when setting a standard for a biodegradable plastic bag exempt from the charge.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons the G4S contract to provide the Child Maintenance Options programme was underestimated; for what reasons staff in his Department were assisting G4S with its work on this programme; and if he will consider transferring G4S staff under TUPE regulations to his Department.

    Steve Webb

    Call forecasting volumes used as part of a re-tendering exercise for delivery of the Child Maintenance Options service were based on historic call volume data. From November 2013, Child Maintenance Options became the mandatory gateway for all new applicants to the statutory scheme, which led to an incremental increase in demand.

    This, among other recent changes, added an increased level of uncertainty into forecasting call volumes, in anticipation of which the Department has in place planned and agreed business continuity arrangements with the supplier. This includes the use of colleagues from the Department in order to take some calls where volumes exceed contracted levels.

    This service was introduced in 2008 and has never been delivered in-house, and there are no plans to do so. Therefore, the transferring of staff under TUPE regulations is not applicable.

  • Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in what proportion of cases where (a) an allegation of domestic violence was made or (b) a criminal conviction was obtained for domestic violence the victim was a man and the perpetrator a woman in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Norman Baker

    The requested information is not available centrally.

    Home Office police recorded crime only covers offences recorded by the police
    and not allegations. Furthermore, it is not possible to identify domestic
    violence cases from the recorded crime figures returned to the Home Office by
    police forces as these figures are based on counts of crime under the
    appropriate offence classification (e.g. GBH, ABH).

    With regard to stalking, the police started recording offences on April 1st
    2014. Stalking offences recorded by the police will be included as part of the
    regular crime statistics publications in due course.

    The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on
    defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences
    in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by
    the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not all the specific
    circumstances of each case. This centrally held information does not
    specifically identify whether the crime was committed against males or females
    for the offences of stalking and domestic violence. This detailed information
    may be held on individual court files but is not reported to Justice Statistics
    Analytical Services due to its size and complexity. As such this information
    can only be obtained by the Ministry of Justice at disproportionate cost.

  • Ian Austin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Austin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of (a) the number and (b) the cost of staff redundancies resulting from the closure of his Department’s on-site nurseries from September 2014.

    Mike Penning

    DWP has no staff redundancies as a result of the nursery closures and no associated costs.

  • Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona O’Donnell on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her objectives are for the summit on violence against women and girls in humanitarian emergencies.

    Justine Greening

    Last November I convened a Call to Action in relation to keeping women and girls safe in humanitarian emergencies. The event brought together both UN agencies and donors, and has already resulted in improved approaches in the Philippines and Syria. I pledged £21.6 million further funding to ensure this work delivered tangible outcomes for women and girls including £4 million to ensure survivors of sexual violence receive comprehensive support services. The US will host a follow-up event in September and this summer the Foreign Secretary will host a summit on his Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative, which aims to tackle the culture of impunity for sexual violence committed in conflict.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-06-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was paid under the Enterprise Initiative Scheme to members of each qualifying wind farm co-operative in each of the last three years.

    Nicky Morgan

    The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s policy is on (a) the frequency of periodic roadworthiness tests for old vehicles and (b) the stringency of technical roadside inspections for commercial vehicles in line with European Union roadworthiness package adopted by the European Parliament on 12 March 2014.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Department will be consulting widely on the changes required by the new Directive relating to old vehicles with a view to supporting road safety and minimising unnecessary burdens for vehicle owners. This engagement will start in coming months. The new Directive regarding technical roadside inspections will be very close to existing practice in Great Britain, if any changes to processes are required these will be adopted after consultation.

  • Justin Tomlinson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Justin Tomlinson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2014-06-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to promote the video games tax relief to video games producers.

    Mr David Gauke

    The video games tax relief came into effect from 1 April 2014. This generous new relief will provide support for the growing video games sector in the UK.

    HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are currently presenting a series of events across the country to promote and explain the new relief to the industry. A specialist unit has been provided to assist businesses with making claims. Guidance is available on HMRC’s website to explain the relief and help businesses decide whether they are eligible for relief. HMRC are working closely with the video games industry to develop more detailed guidance, which will be published shortly.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many requests for reconsideration of an employment and support allowance decision have been subject to a decision since 28 October 2013.

    Mike Penning

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

    The Department is looking into what can be published. The data will need to be validated in order to ensure that it satisfies the relevant standards.