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Tag: 2015

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made in implementing each of the recommendations of the review into the needs of families bereaved by homicide, published by his Department in July 2011.

    Mike Penning

    In July 2011 we published the Review into the Needs of Families Bereaved by Homicide by Louise Casey (then Victims’ Commissioner). She made a wide range of recommendations. Since then we have worked closely with victims and victims’ organisations and the report’s findings have played a critical role in informing our approach to ensuring that families get the help they need.

    This includes plans to implement a victims law to put into statute the right of the victim to tell a court how a crime has affected them, providing families of homicide victims with a copy of the judge’s sentencing remarks following the trial, and funding a dedicated national Homicide Service with more than £2million a year to support those affected by homicide at home and abroad.

    Further information requested is in the table attached.

  • Lord Stewartby – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Stewartby – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stewartby on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure that cheques will continue to be available for those who wish to use them, including in particular charities and the elderly.

    Lord Deighton

    The Government took decisive action on this matter by reversing the 2009 decision by banks to phase out cheques.

    As well as this, the Government is bringing in legislation that will require banks to accept cheques in both paper and digital forms. This digital innovation will allow consumers, firms and charities to pay in cheques using only a smartphone image if they wish. It will increase the efficiency of the cheque payment system, making it more sustainable for banks and building societies to provide cheque services. Customers who wish to use paper cheques will continue to be able to do so.

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent assessment she has made of the ease of disabled children’s access to play.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against disabled children which could include ‘play’. For example it would be unlawful to refuse or inhibit a disabled child’s access to a local playground; their enrolment at a local nursery or playgroup; or their taking part in any other play activities such as local sports. The Act requires service providers to make both requested and anticipatory ‘reasonable adjustments’ that will facilitate the participation of disabled children in all forms of ‘play’.

  • Ian Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons his Department has not undertaken and published an impact assessment for the Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2015.

    Damian Hinds

    The Summer Budget offered a new deal for working people. It means Britain moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society.

    A new National Living Wage for workers aged 25 and above, initially set at £7.20 per hour from April 2016, will directly benefit 2.7 million low wage workers, and up to 6 million could see a pay rise as a result of a ripple effect up the earnings distribution. The new National Living Wage will boost pay for those currently earning the National Minimum Wage by £4,800 a year by 2020 when the National Living Wage is expected to rise to over £9 per hour.

    To help working families keep more of what they earn, the personal allowance will increase to £11,000 in 2016-17 and £11,200 in 2017-18. The government has committed to increase the personal allowance to £12,500 by 2020 which will mean that a typical basic rate taxpayer will see their income tax cut by £1,205 a year compared to 2010.

    The government set out its assessment of the impacts of the Summer Budget policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July 2015. Taken together, the introduction of the National Living Wage, increases in the personal allowance and welfare changes mean that 8 out of 10 working households will be better off as a result of the Summer Budget.

    In response to a request from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, the government has chosen to produce and release an impact assessment on the tax credit changes to the Committee. The impact assessment shows that 60% of the tax credit savings come from the half of tax credit claimants with the highest income.

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 1.160 of the Summer Budget 2015, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects of aligning the rate of employment and support allowance for new claimants who are in the work-related activity group with jobseeker’s allowance on people who have mental and physical illnesses.

    Priti Patel

    The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. These are available on the Parliament website: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/welfarereformandwork/documents.html

    “

  • Lord Beecham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Beecham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to divert part or all of the £160m JEREMIE (Joint European Resources for Micro to medium Enterprises) 2 fund, succeeding the Finance for Business North East fund, to other Northern areas described as part of the Northern Powerhouse; and if so, what proportion of funding will be diverted, and why they are taking such action.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government has no intention of imposing any arrangements for the next round of ERDF ‘JEREMIE’ style Access to Finance funds that do not carry local support.

  • Baroness Falkner of Margravine – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Falkner of Margravine – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Falkner of Margravine on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of Georgia’s suitability to become a member of NATO.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK supports the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)’s Open Door policy and welcomes the membership aspirations of all countries currently seeking to join the Alliance. Allies declared at the NATO Summit in Bucharest in 2008 that Georgia will one day become a member of NATO. Georgia is a highly valued partner of NATO. Georgia co-operates with NATO through a number of mechanisms which provide Allies with on-going assessments of Georgia’s progress. In 2008, the NATO-Georgia Commission was established to serve as a forum for political consultations and practical co-operation to help Georgia achieve its goal of membership of NATO. At the NATO Summit in Wales, the Alliance also agreed a ‘Substantial Package’ of support for Georgia to strengthen defence capabilities, and interoperability with the Alliance, and provide a new “enhanced partnership” status. Separately Allies agreed to establish Defence Capacity Building Missions in Georgia and Moldova. The UK has contributed £1,750,000 to a new Trust Fund to help facilitate these. Allies will next assess Georgia’s progress in advance of the next NATO Foreign Ministers meeting on 2 December.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are consulting the Foreign Minister of Italy on his proposal for enhanced aid and investment in the whole Mediterranean region.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), most recently discussed the Mediterranean region with the Italian Foreign Minister during his visit to London on 14 September. Ministers frequently meet their Italian counterparts to discuss the broad range of issues affecting the Mediterranean, including our close cooperation on migration.

  • The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 17 December 2014 (HL3284), what measures have now been put in place, in partnership with police forces, to enable the collection of consistent and comparable data on domestic abuse from April.

    Lord Bates

    All forces through the Annual Data Return must record and provide data on domestic abuse related crimes and incidents. The requirement is part of the Home Secretary’s commitment to take forward recommendations made by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in its report on the police response to domestic abuse published in March 2014. It came into force in April 2015 and the first findings from this collection will be published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in October as part of the quarterly Crime in England and Wales statistics publication. The Home Office is working with the ONS on the publication of more detailed data in future crime publications.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 15 September (HL Deb, col 1741), what assistance they have given to the Karen and other ethnic minorities in Burma in overcoming obstacles to a comprehensive national ceasefire, particularly in regard to (1) the placing of weapons beyond use, (2) the restitution of land, and (3) the extension of the franchise to Burmese refugees living in refugee camps on the border between Burma and Thailand.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We welcome the continuing talks between the Burmese government and ethnic armed groups to agree a National Ceasefire Agreement. Throughout the negotiations the UK has funded specialists to provide expert advice in support of the peacemaking dialogue in Burma to both sides of the conflict. This includes support to the National Ceasefire Coordination Team, the ethnic groups’ negotiation team of which Karen groups are a part. We are also a member of the Peace Donor Support Group which is directly supporting work to move from ceasefire agreements to political dialogue with all of Burma’s ethnic groups.

    The signing of a ceasefire would only be the start of a wider peace process. The next stage, as envisaged by the draft National Ceasefire Agreement, is a National Political Dialogue. It is at this stage that issues such as decommissioning of weapons, land restitution and resettlement of internally displaced people will be discussed. To date we have not been asked to assist with any of these issues, and we would only do so with the consent of both sides. However, as I highlighted in the debate to which the noble Lord refers, the UK has earmarked £3million in flexible funding to support such activities in support of the continuing peace process through the multi-donor Peace Support Fund, with the potential to increase this to £5million.

    We have raised with the Burmese authorities the issue of extending voting to internally displaced people. Most recently our Ambassador lobbied the head of the Union Election Commission on the inclusion of internally displaced people in Burma on the voter lists.