Tag: 2014

Chris Williamson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Williamson on 2014-03-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which responsibilities for tackling animal welfare crimes are managed by (a) her Department and (b) non-governmental organisations.

Norman Baker

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is the lead Government department for policy and legislation in relation to animal welfare, including offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The police and local authorities have powers to enforce that Act, but any person or organisation (such as the RSPCA) can initiate criminal proceedings under it.

In addition to the Government’s funding for individual police forces to tackle all types of crime, including wildlife crime, the Home Office and DEFRA both contribute funding to support the work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, the national police unit dedicated to tackling wildlife crime. And where wildlife crimes are sufficiently serious, organised or complex, the National Crime Agency will ensure that partners across the law enforcement community benefit from its coordination, tasking and intelligence arrangements, as well as being able to access its specialist capabilities. Furthermore, the Home Office plays a key role in the Government’s efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, which is a serious transnational criminal industry worth billions of pounds each year. I was therefore pleased that, at the recent London Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference which I attended, world leaders from over forty countries made a commitment to eradicate the trade.

The Home Office also regulates the use of living animals in scientific procedures in England, Scotland and Wales under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

01/11/2022
Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2014-06-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect Lady Justice Hallett’s inquiry into the on the runs” administrative scheme to be published.”

Baroness Randerson

While Lady Justice Hallett is making good progress on her report, she has informed the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that it will not be ready for publication until shortly after the 30 June deadline.

01/11/2022
Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-03-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the operation of the Work Programme in rural areas.

Esther McVey

The independent evaluation of the Work Programme includes providers and participants in a range of geographical areas. The Department will publish findings once the evaluation is complete.

01/11/2022
Lord Howard of Rising – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Howard of Rising on 2014-06-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money was repaid to taxpayers as a result of overcharging by HM Revenue and Customs in each of 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12 and 2012–13.

Lord Deighton

The information is not available as HM Revenue and Customs does not collect information on amounts underpaid or overpaid.

For many of the taxes that HM Revenue and Customs is responsible for such as income tax and corporation tax, taxpayers are required by law to make payments on account before the ultimate tax liability for the year is known. This can result in overpayments, in which case the taxpayer would be due a refund once the final liability was known. But it can also result in underpayments, in which case HMRC would seek to collect the additional amount owed.

In either case, interest may be due to HMRC or to the taxpayer according to the statutory rates.

01/11/2022
Margaret Curran – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Curran on 2014-03-12.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people aged 18 to 24 years old in Scotland have been unemployed for (a) six months, (b) one year, (c) two years and (d) more than two years.

Nick Hurd

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

01/11/2022
Lord Adonis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Adonis on 2014-06-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many apprenticeship starts there were in public sector employers in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively in total and for each apprenticeship framework; for each year, how many were in (1) central government, and (2) local government, in total; and for each year and type of public sector employer, how many of those apprentices were aged (a) 16–18, (b) 19–24, or (c) over 25, when starting their apprenticeship.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

We do not separately measure the number of apprenticeship starts in the public and private sector.

Information on the number of Apprenticeship starts by Sector Subject Area is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 27^th March 2014 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships–2

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01/11/2022
Mr Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electorial Commission

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Gregory Campbell on 2014-03-12.

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps are being taken by the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland to promote electoral registration in rural areas where residents live some distance from permanent electoral offices.

Gary Streeter

The Electoral Commission informs me that it runs public awareness campaigns across Northern Ireland to encourage electors to register to vote. Its most recent campaign was conducted during the 2013 canvass of electors when all households in Northern Ireland were contacted. It also plans to conduct a public awareness campaign ahead of the upcoming elections this May.

The Chief Electoral Officer is responsible for maintaining the electoral register in Northern Ireland and the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland run a number of registration and electoral identity clinics throughout Northern Ireland.

01/11/2022
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2014-06-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the changes to service provision at the Cannock Chase Minor Injuries Unit onemergency departments in Staffordshire and Wolverhampton.

Earl Howe

The reconfiguration of local health services is a matter for the National Health Service. All service changes should be led by clinicians and be in the best interests of patients, not driven from the top down.

We are aware that local general practitioners in Cannock Chase Clinical Commissioning Group are currently developing proposals for the future configuration of the Cannock Chase Minor Injuries Unit. Any proposed service redesign would be subject to public consultation in due course. No decisions on the future of the unit have been made yet.

01/11/2022

Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-03-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Warrington currently have benefits of which type paid into a Post Office card account.

Steve Webb

The information is not available in the format requested as data held relates to payment accounts rather than people. A customer may receive benefits in the form of a separate payment for each benefit to which they are entitled or a single, combined payment. Each of these payments is termed a payment account which would be paid into the same Post Office card account.

The number of payment accounts paid into a Post Office Card Account split by benefit type in Warrington Local Authority as at February 2013 is shown in the table below.

Number of payment accounts paid via a Post Office Card Account by benefit type in Warrington Local Authority: February 2013

Total Benefits paid via Post Office Card Accounts	9,540
Attendance Allowance	390
Bereavement Benefit	10
Disability Living Allowance	1,260
Employment and Support Allowance	610
Incapacity Benefit	200
Carer’s Allowance	170
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit	190
Income Support	480
Jobseeker’s Allowance	440
Pension Credit	1,730
State Pension	3,970
Severe Disablement Benefit	90
Widow’s Benefit	10

Source: DWP Information, Governance & Security Directorate, 100% data

Notes:

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

2. Figures refer to payment accounts. Claimants with more than one account will be counted for each account. Figures only relate to accounts live and in payment on the specified date.

01/11/2022

Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2014-06-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to protect vulnerable people from radicalisation.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Prevent, which is a key strand of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy, aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. The Prevent strategy, which was revised in 2011, now covers all forms of extremism where it creates an environment conducive to terrorism.

The Prevent strategy has three objectives: respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it; prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensuring that they are given appropriate advice and support; and work with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation that we need to address.

Frontline staff have a significant role to play. We have produced a training tool, ‘Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent’ (WRAP), which teaches staff how to recognise people who may be vulnerable to radicalisation and how to refer people who may need support to our Channel programme.

Channel is a key element of the Prevent strategy, and was rolled out nationally in April 2012. It uses existing collaboration between local authorities, the police, the local community and statutory partners (such as the education and health sectors, social services, children’s and youth services, and offender management services), to identify individuals at risk of being drawn into terrorism, assess the nature and extent of that risk; and develop the most appropriate support plan for the individuals concerned.

Since roll-out, over 2000 Channel referrals have been received, and over 300 people offered support. We are working to increase awareness of Channel, particularly among public sector frontline staff, in order to maximise the number of appropriate referrals.

01/11/2022