The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-05-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, of what crimes UK citizens returned from abroad to complete their custodial sentences in prisons in England and Wales had been convicted in each of the last four years.
Jeremy Wright
It has not been possible to obtain this information. I will write to the Right Honourable member in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has given across government on steps to improve communications with the visually impaired.
Mr Nick Hurd
I refer the Hon member to the Office for Disability Issues’s publication Fulfilling Potential. The Cabinet Office’s Government Digital Service is working with departments to digitise public services. Our Assisted Digital approach will ensure that these services serve the needs of all users, including people with a visual impairment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tobias Ellwood on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will introduce legislative proposals to clarify the obligations that fairground attractions meet when publishing the price of rides.
Jenny Willott
There is already legislation, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) which requires traders to provide consumers with the information they need to make informed decisions. The Regulations prohibit commercial practices which omit or hide material information which the average consumer needs, according to the context, to decide how they meet these obligations in relation to the prices they charge, but having a clearly visible price list would be a relatively easy way of ensuring that consumers have access to relevant information. The CPRs also make it a criminal offence to give misleading price information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2014, Official Report, columns 526-7, on student visas, if she will publish details of the successful pilot with one university on ensuring overseas students return home once their course is completed.
James Brokenshire
Foreign national students who had been served with an adverse immigration
decision were, at times, encountering a delay in receiving their travel
documents back from the Home Office. On occasion this resulted in their
immigration status changing to an overstayer.
The pilot referred to was conducted through an informal relationship between
the South Central Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) team and the
International Student Advisors embedded within two local Universities. Through
this link, those whose leave has been curtailed, have had an adverse decision,
or wish to depart the UK are provided with local assistance by the Immigration
Enforcement team. The pilot has enabled the local ICE team to facilitate the
return of travel documents quickly, resulting in an earlier departure for the
student. This has benefits for both the student and University as becoming an
overstayer could jeopardise future applications from students to continue their
studies. During 2013/14, fifty students were assisted in this way from two
Universities (this is local data taken from local records that has not been
sourced from an official database).
The Government is looking at how this example of local good practice can be
extended nationally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the contribution of 26 November 2013 of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Official Report, columns 56-9WH, what recent assessment he has made of the prevalence of fly-grazing in Wales.
George Eustice
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Science has met a number of interested bodies to discuss what action can be taken to address fly grazing in England. There is a range of legislation that can be used depending on the individual circumstances of each case. Most of the problems associated with fly grazing are linked to difficulties in tracing owners of unidentified horses. In such cases we would encourage a joined-up approach by enforcers and interested parties at a local level to help tackle the problem. It is already an offence under the Horse Passport Regulations for horses not to be identified. These regulations are enforced by local authorities. Fly grazing in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many quangos have been abolished since 2010; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Nick Hurd
The Government has already reduced the number of public bodies by over 280. 185 bodies have been abolished.
This is the largest restructuring of public bodies in a generation, making the landscape smaller, more accountable and transparent, and offering better value for money to the public.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken to raise awareness of the conditions that can lead to young sudden cardiac death and sudden death syndrome.
Jane Ellison
The UK National Screening Committee advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. It is currently reviewing the evidence for screening young people between the ages of 12 to 39 years for the major causes of sudden cardiac death. A public consultation will open shortly.
NHS England is working with the Chief Coroner to discuss what the coronial system can do to help reduce sudden cardiac death in the young. As a result, the Chief Coroner has written to local Coroners asking them to make families of those who have died of the condition aware that it may be inherited, and encouraging them to contact either the British Heart Foundation, Cardiac Risk in the Young, or their general practitioner for testing and counselling.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress he has made on plans to extend the funding of Victim Support beyond 2015.
Damian Green
The Ministry of Justice is extending grant funding arrangements to March 2015, for the provision of its core victims’ support service. These extended arrangements will cover all areas until October 2014, when a small number of Police and Crime Commissioners will move out of MoJ grant arrangements with Victim Support. The remaining majority of areas will continue to be covered by the grant funding arrangements until end March 2015.
From April 2015, the MoJ grant arrangement with Victim Support for its core service will end as all Police and Crime Commissioners replace the MoJ grant arrangement with Victim Support with locally commissioned arrangements for support to victims. These arrangements may include Police and Crime Commissioner commissioning services from Victim Support, but are not restricted to this.
Some national services, including the national homicide service, the court-based witness service, the rape support fund, and some telephone helplines will remain nationally commissioned by the Ministry of Justice. Victim Support is the current provider of some of these services and is able to compete for future provision of these services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to achieve agreement at the UN climate summit in September 2014 on the amount of finance that will be pledged to assist developing countries with their climate actions.
Mark Simmonds
The UK is actively engaged in discussions on preparations for the UN Secretary General’s climate summit in September 2014. We welcome this opportunity to further build international momentum to tackle climate change, and towards a new global, legally-binding climate agreement in 2015.
The UK is committed to the goal of jointly mobilising USD 100 billion of climate finance per year by 2020 from a range of public, private and alternative sources, and encourages all countries to work on strategies for scaling up climate finance. The UK is also actively supporting the development of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which we hope will be ready for initial resource mobilisation in 2014. The UK’s International Climate Fund (£3.87 billion of UK public funds provided by the Department for International Development, Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, in 2011-16) already supports a range of adaptation, low carbon development and innovative finance projects to assist developing countries with their climate actions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2014-05-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the decision was made to embark on an expansion of the Public Defender System advocates.
Simon Hughes
The decision to expand the Public Defender Service was taken shortly before the advert for advocates was published on the 20th January 2014