The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the proportion of new homes planned for construction in 2014-15 that will be (a) wheelchair accessible and (b) built to lifetime homes standards.
Stephen Williams
DCLG does not collect information on the number of wheelchair-accessible or lifetime homes standard planned for 2014-15.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2014-03-10.
To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the electoral registration figures were in each ward in the recent confirmation dry run conducted in (a) Lancashire County Council and (b) Hyndburn constituency.
Gary Streeter
The Electoral Commission informs me that the confirmation dry run involved matching all entries on the electoral registers against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Customer Information System database. Entries would be marked as green if they matched with DWP, amber if they were a partial match or red if there was no match.
It is not possible to provide results for the divisions used by Lancashire County Council area as the matching was carried out using the district councils’ electoral wards. However, the table for all the wards within the district authorities in the Lancashire County Council area and the table for Hyndburn constituency have been deposited in the House of Commons’ Library.
Results for all wards are available on the Commission’s website here: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0003/163146/Confirmation-dry-run-2013-Results-Wards.xls
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he or other Ministers of his Department have visited a foodbank in order to assess the contribution of foodbanks to public health and nutrition.
Dr Daniel Poulter
No Departmental Ministers have made a visit to a food bank since May 2010 on official Departmental business, but this does not preclude visits in their personal capacities or as constituency MPs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Roger Godsiff on 2014-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will assess the potential for improved administration and awareness of the short-term benefit advances scheme to affect demand for food banks; and if he will make a statement.
Esther McVey
DWP does make claimants aware of relevant support services, but will always consider whether it has provision first.
Short Term Benefit Advance awards are available to those entitled to them prior to initial payment of benefit, almost 100% of applications are routinely processed within 24 hours.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the newly-elected Ukranian President about the support the UK can offer to stabilise the situation in that country.
Mr William Hague
The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) spoke to President Petro Poroshenko on 29 May, when he congratulated him on his election victory and praised the Ukrainian people for their determination to hold elections in such difficult circumstances and choose their own future. I also did so when I met him on 6 June. The Prime Minister praised Mr Poroshenko’s clear messages on democracy, as well as financial and political reform, and offered his continued support in helping him to build a secure and prosperous Ukraine, through an inclusive national dialogue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2014-03-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ascertain the number of ex-service personnel receiving (1) custodial, and (2) non-custodial, sentences.
Lord Faulks
The Ministry of Justice does not centrally collate or hold information on the current or previous occupations of those receiving custodial or non-custodial sentences; it is therefore not possible to identify ex-service personnel within centrally held data sources. However, in September 2010, the MOJ and Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) published an estimate of the number of regular ex-service personnel in prison in England and Wales and in March 2011, the MOJ and DASA published a further estimate of the number of regular ex-service personnel under probation supervision in England and Wales.
Copies of the reports are available via the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/veterans-on-probation-statistics
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the Exchequer was of statutory maternity pay in the last year for which figures are available.
Steve Webb
The amount of Statutory Maternity Pay in the last year for which figures are available was £2,303 million for 2012/13 (nominal terms). Figures are subject to change due to more information becoming available through employers’ returns to HM Revenue and Customs.
The figure is for Great Britain only. Northern Ireland figures are the responsibility of the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland.
Source:
Original source is expenditure data from employer returns to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and is the amount recovered by employers rather than the amount received by claimants. This information is shown in DWP’s expenditure tables found on the Gov.uk website at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/benefit-expenditure-tables
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Boateng on 2014-03-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidelines have been issued to the Legal Aid Agency to ensure that families of deceased victims are legally represented at an inquest where criminal charges have previously been investigated.
Lord Faulks
The Government is confident that the inquest system is functioning effectively following reforms introduced last July under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. We are committed to reviewing the impact of the reforms in 2015.
In addition, the Government has specifically protected legal aid for families at inquests. Legal Help (the advice and assistance level of legal aid) remains routinely available within the scope of the civil legal aid scheme. In exceptional circumstances funding can also be provided for the family’s legal representation at the inquest pursuant to section 6(8)(b) of the Access to Justice Act 1999 (AJA) or section 10(1) of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) (the applicable legislation depending on the date of the original application). A means test applies but can be waived in certain circumstances.
The Lord Chancellor is prevented by statute from giving directions and guidance to the Legal Aid Agency in relation to an individual case, but has published general guidance to which the Director of Legal Aid Casework must have regard when making individual decisions on applications for exceptional funding for representation at inquests. The guidance sets out the relevant criteria and specifically addresses inquests where there is a death in custody or a death in the course of police arrest, search, pursuit or shooting.
Following a review of its decision in the Groce family’s case, the Legal Aid Agency made a funding request to the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor has considered the request and has granted funding
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs were injured as a result of (a) dog fighting, (b) dog baiting and (c) unprovoked attacks by other dogs in each region of the UK in each of the last five years.
George Eustice
The data requested is not collected or held by Defra.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregg McClymont on 2014-03-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the upper limit will be of the amount of state pension top-up people can buy.
Steve Webb
As announced in the Budget 2014, the maximum amount of additional State Pension that individuals can obtain under the State Pension top-up scheme (Class 3A) will be £25 per week. We intend to make details available shortly of the contribution rates by age for each £1 per week of additional pension.