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Tag: 2014

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the treatment of child victims and witnesses within the courts system.

    Damian Green

    We do everything we can to support child witnesses and help them give their best possible evidence to bring offenders to justice.We are piloting recorded pre-trial cross-examination, allowing vulnerable witnesses for the first time to give evidence in advance of trial.

    In ‘Transforming the Criminal Justice System: Strategy and Action Plan’ (June 2013), the Ministry of Justice committed to improving the consistency and take-up of special measures for vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses, such as the use of live-link, screens in court and the use of an intermediary (communication specialist). We are working with other criminal justice agencies to deliver this.

    Child victims and witnesses are automatically eligible for special measures when giving evidence in court. The presumption in most cases is that they should give their evidence by video-recorded statement, and that any subsequent cross-examination is conducted by live-link with a supporter present who has been approved by the court.

    The pre-trial cross-examination pilot ends in October 2014 and the evaluation of the pilot will inform plans for any future rollout of the measure.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service complaints have been received following armed forces personnel being disciplined after receiving a police caution; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    None.

  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time to process a personal independence payment claim has been in each month since it was introduced.

    Mike Penning

    The information you have requested is not currently available.

  • Nick Gibb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nick Gibb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Gibb on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Ofsted’s interpretation of closing the attainment gap between pupils eligible and not eligible for free school meals relates to the gap in attainment nationally or in the school being inspected.

    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 reply has been placed in the House Library.

  • Biography information for Duncan Hames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Biography information for Duncan Hames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Duncan Hames on Home Office.

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    Damian Green

    This is an operational matter for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

  • Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what support his Department has given to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for its commercial and procurement capability; and what assessment he has made of that capability.

    Michael Fallon

    The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for running competitions to manage its sites, and for managing the contracts with those sites; maintaining the capability to do so effectively is also the responsibility of the NDA. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State appoints the Chairman and other non-executive members of the NDA Board and we have ensured that it has strong commercial skills to support the Executive. With regard to the NDA’s Parent Body Organisation competitions, the process is subject to governance by the NDA’s Competition Programme Board (CPB), on which the Shareholder Executive (on behalf of DECC), HM Treasury and Infrastructure UK sit. A key role of the CPB is to provide assurance that the NDA has the right commercial and procurement capability. We also monitor continuously the NDA’s performance, capability and overall effectiveness.

  • Biography information for Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Biography information for Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Ian Lavery on Transport.

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    Stephen Hammond

    The public consultation exercise is a joint consultation conducted and prepared by the Department for Transport and Rail North, which is a body that represents all Local transport Authorities in the North of England. The consultation also encourages individual responses from Local Transport Authorities. The consultation can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/future-of-northern-and-transpennine-express-rail-franchises

    “

  • Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to his statement of 3 April 2014, Official Report, columns 1034-7, on bovine TB, what the evidential basis is for the statement that about a third of badgers in TB hotspot areas are infected with TB.

    George Eustice

    The prevalence of M. bovis in badgers based on post-mortems and a subsequent analysis of the post-mortem protocol following the Randomised Badger Culling Trail (RBCT) showed prevalence of around 33%.

    In the long-running study of badgers at Woodchester park TB prevalence in badgers has increased to over 30%.[1]

    In a separate study in Gloucestershire between 35% and 53% of badgers tested positive to a TB test. [2]

    [1]Delahay et al. Epidemiol. Infect. (2013), 141, 1445–1456. Long-term temporal trends and estimated transmission rates for Mycobacterium bovis infection in an undisturbed high-density badger (Meles meles) population

    [2]Carter SP, et al. (2012) PLoS ONE 7(12): e49833. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0049833 BCG Vaccination Reduces Risk of Tuberculosis Infection in Vaccinated Badgers and Unvaccinated Badger Cubs.

  • Biography information for Iain McKenzie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Biography information for Iain McKenzie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Iain McKenzie on Business, Innovation and Skills.

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    Jenny Willott

    The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs have 173 staff dedicated to the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage.

    The Government is already taking tougher action on employers that break minimum wage law. We have made it simpler to name and shame employers that don’t pay the national minimum wage and increased the financial penalty that employers pay for breaking the law.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Barry Gardiner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department’s biodiversity offsetting schemes, what spatial constraints will be placed on the location of such schemes.

    Dan Rogerson

    Defra is currently considering its policy options on offsetting which include what spatial constraints there might be on the location of offsets.

    These considerations are being made in light of feedback and evidence from several sources. These include our public consultation on biodiversity offsetting in England, the Environmental Audit Committee’s report and evidence from the six offsetting pilots.