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.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Joint Services Publication 398 on UK Rules of Engagement has been amended to reflect use of remotely piloted aircraft systems.
Mr Mark Francois
JSP 398 was updated on 21 October 2013, replacing the previous 2004 edition. Rules of engagement govern how force can be applied in any given operation. They are not tailored to weapon system types per se, but are written to be applied as appropriate to the full spectrum of weapons systems available to UK Forces. Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) are governed by the same rules and regulations as any other weapons system; therefore the amendment of JSP 398 did not require any special provision to reflect the use of RPAS by UK Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department provides to reserve military personnel forced to leave military service as a result of injury sustained in the course of duty.
Anna Soubry
The provision of healthcare for veterans in the UK is the responsibility of NHS(England) and the Devolved Administrations. For NHS(England) this is the responsibility of individual GP-led Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). The comprehensive services CCGs commission reflect local priorities and the aspirations of the Armed Forces Covenant.
When mobilised, a Reservist has the same entitlement to healthcare provided by Defence Medical Services as a Regular Service person. The Defence Medical Rehabilitation Programme provides rehabilitation for injured or ill personnel, including Reservists mobilised for operations. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is extending rehabilitation services to Reservists injured during training; which will facilitate their return to fitness.
The MOD also provides War Disablement Pensions under the War Pensions Scheme if Reservists are no longer serving in HM Armed Forces and their disablement arose before 6 April 2005. The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme provides compensation for any injury, illness or death which is caused by service on or after 6 April 2005.
Help and advice is available to all veterans, including Reserves, from Veterans UK (formerly the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency). Information about how to claim a war pension or AFCS is available from Veterans UK at www.veterans.uk.info, or email veterans.help@spva.gsi.gov.uk or free helpline 0808 1914 2 18. Veterans UK can signpost individuals to other sources of assistance including the Veteran’s Welfare Service, which provides dedicated welfare support to veterans (including Reserves), their families, and dependants.