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Tag: 2014

  • Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussion she has had with Ministers in the Scottish Government on transitional arrangements to cover the potential gap between the UK Government opting out of EU justice measures and negotiating its re-entry into specific measures.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government is clear that there is no need for there to be an operational gap after 1 December, and is negotiating on that basis. Other Member States support the UK position and are keen for this process to be concluded as swiftly as possible to provide certainty for all involved.

    The Government has engaged with the Devolved Administrations throughout this process at Ministerial and official level. The Immigration and Security Minister (James Brokenshire) visited Edinburgh last year, where he met the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill, representatives from the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland and the Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland QC. I plan to visit Edinburgh to discuss this matter further later this year.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the policy is of the Passport Office on the passing of information on the status of a delayed passport application when dealing with correspondence from an hon. Member acting on behalf of a constituent.

    James Brokenshire

    Her Majesty’s Passport Office’s policy is to make available the same
    information to MPs and their constituency secretaries as they would
    to their constituents. On receipt of correspondence on behalf of a constituent, it
    is deemed that the constituent has provided authority for their MP to act on
    their behalf. This applies to written, e-mailed and telephone correspondence.

  • Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2014-03-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many former unaccompanied children who have exhausted their appeal rights have been served with removal directions in each of the last five years, and to date in 2014.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    For the purpose of answering this question, ‘unaccompanied children’ has been interpreted as unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

    The following table gives data on the number of removal directions (RD) set for formerunaccompanied asylum seeking children who have exhausted their appeal rights from 2009 to 2013.

    Year Removal Direction was set

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    Total

    Individuals with Removal Direction set

    29

    82

    188

    146

    158

    603

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what visits each of the Ministers in her Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

    Mr Alan Duncan

    Details of all overseas visits undertaken by DFID Ministers are published under the transparency section of the DFID website and can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-secretary-of-state-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-with-external-organisations

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-minister-of-state-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-with-external-organisations

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-parliamentary-under-secretary-of-state-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-with-external-organisations

  • Lord Fellowes – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Fellowes – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Fellowes on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Lord Chancellor considers that the rehabilitation and behaviour of prisoners will be encouraged by preventing them receiving books by post.

    Lord Faulks

    Up to 12 books may be held by prisoners in their cell at any one time. Prisoners may have additional books stored locally at the prison. Every prison has a library, to which every prisoner has access.

    Ministers have not made any policy changes specifically about the availability of books in prisons. The changes to the Incentives and Earned Privileges national policy framework we introduced last year in relation to parcels were introduced to ensure consistency across the estate and to make sure that security can be maintained. There have always been controls on the sending of parcels into prisons, and allowing parcels to be sent in unrestricted would be operationally unmanageable and would lead to a significant risk of drugs and other illicit items being smuggled into prisons.

    The National Offender Management Service works closely with the Shannon Trust to support schemes such as ‘Toe by Toe’, which includes peer mentoring to improve reading levels.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

    Stephen Hammond

    Details of ministerial overseas travel and meetings with external organisations are routinely published every quarter and information covering the period up to the end of March 2014 can be accessed on the Department’s website via the following:

    http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/ministerial-transparency/.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Emily Thornberry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Attorney General, if he will make it his policy to introduce the option of anonymity for victims of female genital mutilation in court trials.

    Oliver Heald

    The Crown Prosecution Service recognises that more needs to be done to encourage victims of female genital mutilation (FGM) to come forward. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has said that the introduction of anonymity for victims of FGM should be considered to encourage more victims to come forward as, given the very personal nature of the offence, very few do so. However, any change of law on anonymity is a matter for the Ministry of Justice.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what visits each of the Ministers in the Government Equalities Office have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-meetings-and-hospitality-data-october-to-december-2013

    “

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what records his Department keeps of use of Government-funded credit cards by employees of Ofsted.

    Mr David Laws

    This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his response has been placed in the House Library.

  • Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the waiting period will be before an individual qualifies for support through universal credit; and how long he expects it will take to calculate entitlement and process new claims for universal credit.

    Esther McVey

    The Chancellor announced in the 2013 Spending Review that a seven day waiting period is to be introduced into Universal Credit from April 2015.

    Each claim for UC is assigned an assessment period. The payment due date is a fixed day of the month that falls 7 days after the end of the assessment period and on the same day of each subsequent month. Entitlement will be assessed so that payment should arrive in the claimant’s bank account on or before the payment due date.

    If any claimant is in need of support during this time they are eligible to apply for a UC Advance (New Claim).