The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naomi Long on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether it remains her policy that the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry chaired by Sir Anthony Hart is the most appropriate place where all allegations surrounding Kincora should be examined.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
It remains my view that the Inquiry chaired by Sir Anthony Hart is the best forum to consider the allegations surrounding Kincora.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what conclusions about effective approaches to universal credit in work conditionality he has drawn from the labour market trials which started between May 2013 and January 2014; and if he will make a statement.
Esther McVey
The purpose of the initial Jobcentre Plus-led trials tested within Jobcentre Plus were to help inform and shape the design of larger-scale Randomised Controlled Trials that we plan to run in Universal Credit from April 2015, from which conclusions about effective in-work support will start to be drawn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to answer Question 217181, tabled on 4 December 2014 by the hon. Member for Wolverhampton North East.
Brandon Lewis
Question 217181 was answered on 23 February 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of cases in which two or more babies born to the same mother were put into kinship care.
Mr Edward Timpson
The information requested is not collected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Russian government about (a) human rights in general and (b) LGBT rights in that country.
Mr David Lidington
(a) We remain deeply concerned about deteriorating human rights in Russia and regularly make this clear in bilateral interactions at all levels. I discussed human rights with the Russian Ambassador in London at our last meeting on 18 December. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable and noble friend Baroness Anelay, discussed human rights with the Russian Ambassador on 25 November. The British Embassy in Moscow regularly raises our concerns about human rights with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, most recently with Foreign Minister Lavrov on 13 January.
(b) We have raised concerns about LGBT rights in Russia bilaterally at a number of levels since the law banning the promotion of “non-traditional” sexual relations among minors was passed in June 2013. I raised concerns about the protection of LGBT people in Russia with the Russian Ambassador at our last meeting on 18 December. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also discussed the safety of participants at LGBT events with the Russian authorities in November, and they regularly meet with LGBT activists and attend LGBT events to provide support.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Lewell-Buck on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that recipients of social care are able to access complaints advocacy, equivalent to the measures for health complaints advocacy established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
Norman Lamb
There are no current legislative proposals to ensure that recipients of social care are able to access complaints advocacy.
There is a duty to provide statutory advocacy support in adult social care in relation to some of the most vulnerable people using social care services – people who lack capacity to make decisions themselves. They have the right to statutory advocacy in relation to care planning and also in some cases for care reviews and safeguarding, under certain circumstances.
The Care Act 2014, which comes into force in April this year, introduces a new statutory duty on local authorities to provide access to independent advocacy. This has been introduced to support people’s involvement in care and support needs assessments, carers’ needs assessments, care planning, review and adult safeguarding boards. It extends the availability of independent advocacy to those who are judged to have substantial difficultly in being fully involved in these processes, where there is no one appropriate, such as a carer, relative or friend, who can support their involvement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners had reached the state pension age (a) on the latest date and (b) during the most recent year for which information is available.
Andrew Selous
The number of prisoners of state pensionable age on 30 September 2014 was 2221. In the year to 30 September 2014, 262 prisoners reached state pensionable age.
Further information can be found in the National Offender Management Service Offender Equalities Annual Report 2013/14 the link to which is below.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what arrangements are in place to ensure that the (a) embankments, slip roads and hard shoulders and (b) other areas of the M67 motorway from the Denton interchange to the River Tame are swept and adequately litter-picked.
Mr John Hayes
I have taken a keen interest in this matter and believe more should be done.
The Highways Agency is required by the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to ensure that motorways and a small number of trunk roads in England are, so far as is practicable, kept clear of litter and refuse. The Act is supplemented by a Code of Practice which specifies standards of cleanliness and response times.
A dedicated litter inspection is undertaken on the M67 at the beginning of each month which assesses the condition of the motorway and applies a grading for both litter and detritus in accordance with the Code of Practice.
Any required restoration measures take place within the required timescales, in accordance with the Code of Practice – 14 days for slip road carriageways, hard shoulders and verges and 28 days (or as soon as is reasonably practicable) for the main line carriageway, central reserve, hard shoulders and verges.
However, I intend to discuss with the Highways Agency what further steps could be taken to reduce litter on the Strategic Road Network.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date they expect to be able to invite (1) local authorities, and (2) national organisations, to apply for (a) funding to boost voter registration, and (b) funding for wider voter registration activities.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire
I refer the noble peer to the answer I gave on 20 January, Official Report, Column WA299.
The Government will outline further detail about the use of the funding in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many public bodies as defined in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill do not meet the provisions of the Prevent duty guidance consultation document, according to each category of public body.
Lord Bates
The duty outlined in Chapter 1 of Part 5 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill (‘the Prevent duty’) falls on the specified authorities listed in Schedule 3 to the Bill. The authorities include local government, prisons and probation services, schools, further and higher education institutions, NHS bodies, and the police. The Government does not hold information about the Prevent policies and processes of all the authorities on which the duty would fall. There are many examples of good practice, but involvement in Prevent activity is not consistent across the country. In legislating, the Government’s intention is to spread that good practice, and ensure all apply the duty in a risk-based and proportionate way.