The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-03-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will announce the asylum support rates for 2014-15.
James Brokenshire
There are no immediate plans to change the support rates provided to destitute asylum seekers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason scientific experiments on cats are permitted.
Norman Baker
Cats, along with some other species, are given special protection by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and may only be used if no other species is suitable or it is not practicable to obtain animals of any other species that are suitable for the purposes of the relevant programme of work. It is my objective to minimise the use of cats as far as possible.
Cats are primarily used in the development of veterinary medicines and techniques, and in neurological research. Much of the veterinary research is for the benefit of cats, for example in developing vaccines for feline diseases and improved diets for cats.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-03-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of a regional transport hub at Crewe on the proposal by Warrington Borough Council for an alternative route for the High Speed 2 line north of Crewe; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Robert Goodwill
HS2 Ltd will undertake work to consider proposals for a hub station at Crewe as part of the consideration of the responses to the Phase Two consultation. This closed on 31 January and all responses, including that from Warrington Borough Council, are currently being considered. No decisions have yet been taken on the route but we will make an announcement on this in the autumn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to speed up claims by asylum seekers.
Karen Bradley
Claims for asylum are increasing. In 2013 the number of asylum applications
within the EU was the highest it has been since 2002. The UK has experienced an increase
of 30% between 2010 and 2013 – with an 8% increase between 2012 and 2013 alone.
We are committed to resolving these quickly, while continuing to improve
the quality of our decision making, and we are making changes to our processes
and management to make sure we do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Aldous on 2014-03-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions his Department has had (a) with Post Office Ltd and (b) other payment services providers on offering a wider range of payment outlets at which Post Office Card Account customers can access pensions and benefits.
Steve Webb
The Post Office Card Account can be accessed at any one of around 11,500 branches across the post office network.
No discussions have taken place with Post Office Ltd or other payment services providers about offering a wider range of payment outlets and there are currently no plans to extend the number of outlets at which Post Office Card Account customers can access pensions and benefits.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Seabeck on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what new buildings his Department plans to provide for the use of the private sector partner taking over the Defence Support Group; and what the potential cost to the public purse is of such provision.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Ministry of Defence does not intend to provide any new buildings as part of the sale of the Defence Support Group. But as part of our planned drawdown from Germany there will be a requirement to provide Controlled Humidity Environment storage facilities as part of Army 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what customer, user and satisfaction surveys were conducted in the last 12 months in the Department for Transport and the agencies that report to it; which of them have been reported to the management board in the last 12 months; and which were commissioned by the management board.
Baroness Kramer
The information requested regarding the conduct of customer, user and satisfaction surveys across the Department for Transport and its agencies in the last 12 months is as follows:
| Survey | Comissioned by Board | Reported to Board |
| DVLA | ||
| Customer Satisfaction Survey 2012-13 | Yes | Yes |
| VOSA | ||
| ATF Satisfaction Survey | Yes | Yes |
| PSV operators survey | ||
| MOT modernisation user survey | ||
| User evaluation of communications – operators | ||
| User evaluation of communications – MOT | ||
| MCA | ||
| UK Ship Register | Yes | |
| Survey and Inspection Regime | Yes | |
| Seafarer Certifcate of Competency | Yes | |
| Seafarer Certificate of Equivalent Comeptency | Yes | |
| HA | ||
| National Road User Survey | Yes | |
| Area Road User Survey x7 | ||
| DSA | ||
| Car driving test candidates x2 | Yes | |
| Motorcycle driving test candidates x2 | Yes | |
| LGC/PCV driving test candidates | Yes | |
| Approved driving instructors x2 | Yes | |
| Approved motorcycle training bodies | ||
| Potential driving instructors | ||
| Trainers on the ORDIT register | ||
| Trainers on the voluntary LGV/PCV register |
Glossary
| ATF | Authorised Testing Facility |
| DSA | Driver Standards Agency |
| DVLA | Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency |
| HA | Highways Agency |
| MCA | Maritime and Coastguard Agency |
| PSV | Public service vehicle |
| VCA | Vehicle Certification Agency |
| VOSA | Vehicle and Operator Services Agency |
| LGV | Large goods vehicle |
| PCV | Passenger carrying vehicle |
| ORDIT | Online register of driving instructors |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average salary was for a (a) man and (b) woman of (i) white ethnic origin and (ii) black and minority ethnic origin and who was (A) disabled and (B) not disabled in Ashfield constituency in each year since 2010.
Mr Nick Hurd
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2014-03-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will instruct the Crown Prosecution Service to bring prosecutions relating to all cases of female genital mutilation reported in London since 2009.
Lord Wallace of Tankerness
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is committed to tackling cases of female genital mutilation (FGM), however it can only prosecute cases referred to it by the police which meet both of the tests outlined in the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
The Code sets out a two stage test which must be applied when deciding whether a case should be prosecuted. The first stage is the evidential test which requires prosecutors to be satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction. If the evidential stage of the test is met prosecutors must then go on to identify the relevant public interest factors tending for and against the prosecution in order to form an overall assessment of whether a prosecution is in the public interest.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2014-06-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department issues to police forces on marking cases as requiring No Further Action.
Norman Baker
The Home Office Counting Rules provide guidance to police forces on all matters that relate to the recording of crime and disposals. They are issued annually
by the Home Office.
This Government is committed to increasing the transparency of information available to the public on recorded crime and outcomes. From April 2014, we introduced the recorded crime outcomes framework, replacing the previous regime of detections. This will inform the public how forces have dealt with 100% of crimes reported to them. For the first time, therefore, the public will be able to see how those crimes previously recorded as ‘undetected’ and as requiring ‘no further action’ have been resolved. The first data will be available in July 2015.