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Tag: 2014

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees whether he will initiate a debate in the House of Lords before any decision is taken to privatise the security arrangements of the House.

    Lord Sewel

    The following information about decisions on the new security contract arrangements was published in March 2014:

    “In March 2015, the current contract with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to provide armed protection, policing and security officer functions will expire. Over the last year, the Security Arrangements Renewal Programme (SARP) Board has been working to analyse options and make a recommendation on new contract arrangements to be introduced next year. That recommendation was endorsed by the Lords House Committee and the Commons Commission.

    The agreed recommendation is that the two Houses should renegotiate with the MPS to continue to provide security officer functions, armed protection and policing, whilst moving the provision of the search and screening function for the three main public entrances (Black Rod’s Garden, Cromwell Green and Portcullis House) to a specialist commercial provider. The Clerk of the House and the Clerk of the Parliaments have now written to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner requesting new arrangements from 2015, and a commercial procurement for search and screening will start soon.

    This is a major contract for Parliament, both in terms of its financial value and its central role in ensuring the security of parliamentarians, employees and visitors to the Parliamentary Estate. As well as continuing to benefit from the expertise and experience of the Metropolitan Police officers and staff, new search and screening arrangements at the busiest public entrances will be better able to provide the greater flexibility and scalability needed to meet Parliament’s changing requirements for public access”.

    Discussions with the Metropolitan Police Service on future arrangements are continuing. Security matters are not discussed on the floor of the House and the House Committee has agreed to the initial approach taken by the Security Arrangements Renewal Programme Board. That Committee will be further consulted during the process. I have no plans to initiate a debate on the floor of the House.

  • 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 2014-03-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much in victim surcharge has been imposed by adult courts since October 2012; and how much of that figure has been collected to date.

    Shailesh Vara

    The amount of victim surcharge imposed and collected from October 2012 to September 2013 (latest published period) is set out below:

    Imposition month

    Amount imposed

    Amount collected by end of September 2013

    October 2012

    £1,253,491

    £826,583

    November 2012

    £1,460,874

    £941,311

    December 2012

    £1,263,756

    £788,671

    January 2013

    £1,900,543

    £1,158,226

    February 2013

    £1,869,900

    £1,068,110

    March 2013

    £2,086,393

    £1,139,143

    April 2013

    £2,424,548

    £1,240,960

    May 2013

    £2,543,344

    £1,201,270

    June 2013

    £2,556,998

    £1,096,358

    July 2013

    £2,982,204

    £1,096,130

    August 2013

    £2,707,508

    £776,618

    September 2013

    £2,626,937

    £357,217

    Total

    £25,676,496

    £11,690,597

    The balance of the amount imposed that is remaining at the end of the period will include amounts that are being paid by instalments or were not due for payment by that time. The closer to the point of imposition the greater the proportion will be that remains outstanding as many offenders will be paying by instalments.

    HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) takes the issue of financial penalty enforcement very seriously and is working to ensure that clamping down on defaulters is a continued priority nationwide. HMCTS actively pursues all outstanding impositions until certain they cannot be collected. Total collection reached an all time high at the end of 2012/13 and collection has continued to rise in this financial year.

    HMCTS are actively seeking an external provider for the future delivery of compliance and enforcement services. This will bring the necessary investment and innovation to significantly improve the collection of criminal financial penalties and reduce the cost of the service to the taxpayer.

  • Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    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 upon what terms they propose to hand over control of Hillsborough Castle to Historic Royal Palaces.

    Baroness Randerson

    On 1 April 2014, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) transferred responsibility for operating Hillsborough Castle to Historic Royal Palaces (HRP). This includes the upkeep, maintenance and presentation of the Castle to the public.

    HRP will provide the NIO with a number of services, including the continued readiness of the Castle for use by the Royal Family, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and the Minister of State for Northern Ireland.

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

    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, how many people referred by Jobcentre Plus to the Work Programme in each month since June 2011 failed to start on the Programme.

    Esther McVey

    The information we have on the number of Work Programme referrals, since June 2011, who failed to start on the Programmecan be found in table 2.6 of the Work Programme Statistical Summary through the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-programme-statistical-summary-december-2013

    “

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

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

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the offer of partial amnesties by President Assad of Syria.

    Baroness Warsi

    The limited amnesties on prisoner release offered by President Assad do not offer a genuine solution to the problems in Syria. While the British Government has been consistent in calling for the release of political prisoners it is as yet unclear who these amnesties will affect and how prisoners’ safety will be assured. The lies and brutality of the Assad regime, as set out in the UN’s Commission on Inquiry reports, mean that this amnesty will not provide reassurance to the Syrian opposition. If the Syrian regime is serious about bringing the conflict to an end, then they should release political prisoners unconditionally and negotiate seriously within the framework set out in the Geneva communiqué.

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

    Francis Maude

    At the time of the last General Election the central Government estate was far larger than required and taxpayers were paying to maintain, run and rent properties which were under-occupied while other part of the freehold estate remained vacant.

    The Government Property Unit has been supporting departments to rationalise rapidly the Government’s estate including by taking a whole of Government view of property. Since the 2010 General Election over £1.25 billion has been raised by selling surplus freehold properties. Through the exiting of property across the central civil estate, we have also delivered cumulative, gross run rate savings of over £454 million per annum.

    Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end, the government looks to explore all disposal options, including commercially sub-letting all or part of the space. Surplus property is listed on gov.uk

    There is no liability at taxpayers’ expense for business rates on any vacant Cabinet Office properties in the current financial year.

  • Lord Ashcroft – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Ashcroft – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any gallantry awards other than the Victoria Cross and the George Cross can be awarded posthumously.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    All military and civilian gallantry awards may be awarded posthumously.

  • David Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electorial Commission

    David Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electorial Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Wright on 2014-03-12.

    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 Telford and Wrekin.

    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.

    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

    The ward results for Telford and Wrekin Council were as follows:

    Ward

    Green matches

    Amber matches

    Red matches

    Apley Castle

    84.4%

    1.3%

    14.3%

    Arleston

    81.3%

    1.8%

    16.9%

    Brookside

    81.0%

    1.2%

    17.9%

    Church Aston & Lilleshall

    82.5%

    3.7%

    13.7%

    College

    79.3%

    2.6%

    18.1%

    Cuckoo Oak

    81.4%

    1.7%

    16.9%

    Dawley Magna

    82.4%

    1.3%

    16.2%

    Donnington

    81.6%

    1.5%

    16.8%

    Dothill

    84.8%

    1.3%

    14.0%

    Edgmond

    81.8%

    5.3%

    12.9%

    Ercall

    83.3%

    1.9%

    14.8%

    Ercall Magna

    80.5%

    4.9%

    14.6%

    Hadley & Leegomery

    79.3%

    1.5%

    19.2%

    Haygate

    80.7%

    1.7%

    17.6%

    Horsehay & Lightmoor

    75.8%

    3.2%

    21.1%

    Ironbridge Gorge

    76.5%

    3.1%

    20.5%

    Ketley & Oakengates

    81.8%

    1.3%

    16.9%

    Lawley & Overdale

    81.7%

    1.7%

    16.6%

    Madeley

    83.6%

    1.0%

    15.4%

    Malinslee

    83.1%

    1.2%

    15.7%

    Muxton

    82.8%

    1.2%

    16.0%

    Newport East

    86.1%

    0.9%

    13.0%

    Newport North

    84.8%

    1.6%

    13.6%

    Newport South

    86.3%

    1.8%

    11.9%

    Newport West

    82.2%

    1.5%

    16.3%

    Park

    87.3%

    1.0%

    11.7%

    Priorslee

    82.4%

    1.0%

    16.6%

    Shawbirch

    86.0%

    0.8%

    13.2%

    St Georges

    82.1%

    1.2%

    16.7%

    The Nedge

    82.9%

    1.0%

    16.1%

    Woodside

    78.7%

    1.6%

    19.7%

    Wrockwardine

    82.3%

    2.4%

    15.3%

    Wrockwardine Wood & Trench

    84.5%

    1.2%

    14.3%

    “

  • Baroness Meacher – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Meacher – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Meacher on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to respond to concerns expressed by the leaders of the social care profession that profit-making companies should not determine sensitive family matters.

    Lord Nash

    The Government’s proposals regarding the delegation of children’s social care functions would enable local authorities to delegate children’s social care functions to a third party. The intention is to broaden the range of approaches available to secure the best outcomes for children in their area. The proposals do not oblige local authorities to delegate any functions and do not remove responsibilities from local authorities for ensuring their statutory obligations on child protection and children’s social care are met.

    The consultation on the proposals closed on Friday 30 May and the Government is currently considering the responses.

  • Ms Karen Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ms Karen Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Karen Buck on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which 30 local authority areas have received the largest number of homeless households in temporary accommodation placed by London local authorities since March 2010.

    Kris Hopkins

    [Holding Reply: Monday 17 March 2014]

    I refer the hon. Member to my answer to her of 19 December 2013, Official Report, Column 713W.