The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2014-05-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many officials of his Department are working on the Sir John Holmes’ independent medal review; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 2014-05-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what briefings they have received from the United Kingdom Ambassador to Nigeria with regard to the incitement by certain individuals to treat some children as witches; and what reports they have received about the physical and mental effects on children subjected to such accusations.
Baroness Warsi
Our High Commission in Abuja have previously reported on children being accused of witchcraft in Nigeria. We are aware of various reports detailing the physical and mental damage caused by such accusations. Our officials in Nigeria, and in London, regularly meet with individuals and non-governmental organisations to discuss this.
Child abuse is appalling and unacceptable wherever it occurs and in whatever form it takes. Abuse linked to faith is an abhorrent crime, which should be condemned by people of all cultures, communities and faiths.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-12.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what recent discussions he has had with (a) church and community leaders from black and minority ethnic communities and (b) Operation Black Vote on increasing registration levels for voters in those communities.
Greg Clark
It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff will be employed in the specialist housing teams that will be established in univesral credit centres.
Esther McVey
A team exists to support current live service. This will expand as the rollout continues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of a Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived on deprived communities in the UK.
Esther McVey
The Government is currently considering the best use of the money. It is therefore too early to assess what impact it might have.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent modern slavery.
Karen Bradley
The Government is determined to lead the global fight against modern slavery,
and have introduced the Modern Slavery Bill to help us do so. The Bill aims to
give law enforcement the tools to stamp out modern slavery and to enhance protection for
victims. The Bill was published on 10th June 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the findings from the US Senate Intelligence Committee, what information his Department holds on the number of detainees held in Diego Garcia.
Hugh Robertson
There are no detainees on Diego Garcia and the British Government is aware of no evidence that US detainees have been held on Diego Garcia since September 2001. The findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee remain classified and we have not seen them.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the change in waiting times for an initial decision for Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa applications in the last year; what the average waiting time is for an initial decision for a Tier 1 application; and what assessment she has made of the economic effect of the time taken for such decisions on economic growth.
James Brokenshire
The average waiting time for a Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) customer in the financial
year 2013-14 was 125 calendar days. The number of days taken to process
applications dropped by 50 days over the course of the financial year and
processing times continue to decrease.
A record number of applications were decided in the financial year 2013-14, and
there is nothing to suggest that processing times are deterring entrepreneurs
from applying.
|
Month Despatched |
Average Calendar Days Between Application Raised Date and Despatch Date |
|
Apr-13 |
131 |
|
May-13 |
148 |
|
Jun-13 |
142 |
|
Jul-13 |
129 |
|
Aug-13 |
134 |
|
Sep-13 |
126 |
|
Oct-13 |
96 |
|
Nov-13 |
108 |
|
Dec-13 |
114 |
|
Jan-14 |
141 |
|
Feb-14 |
97 |
|
Mar-14 |
81 |
|
Overall Average / Total Cases |
125 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of failure to return a completed abortion notification form in each of the last five years.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. However, not all offences are individually reported within the centrally held data. It is not possible to separately identify from this centrally held information convictions resulting from failure to return a completed abortion notification form. This information may be held by the individual courts in England and Wales and as such it can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Marcus Jones on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in schools in Nuneaton will receive free school meals from 2014-15.
Mr David Laws
The information requested is not available. Receipt of a free school meal is dependent upon eligible parents or pupils making an application, and it is not possible to predict how many will do so.
We do, however, recognise that 631 pupils in reception, year 1 and 2 were known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals in Nuneaton constituency in January 2014. This was 18.7% of all pupils in those year groups. With the introduction of universal infant free school meals in September 2014, all children in reception, year 1 and year 2 will be eligible for a free school lunch.