Tag: 2015

  • Lord Grade of Yarmouth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Grade of Yarmouth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Grade of Yarmouth on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iran about the detention of journalists in Iran.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Freedom of expression in Iran is severely restricted. Iran has one of the highest numbers of journalists in prison in the world. News outlets and online media are heavily censored and the majority of newspapers are now government controlled. The UK continues to urge Iran to guarantee the rights of all its citizens in line with its international obligations. We last raised our concerns around freedom of expression during Iran’s Universal Periodic Review during the UN Human Rights Council on 31 October 2014.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department first learnt of the installation by Volkswagen of software to distort emissions tests on diesel vehicles; and what steps he took in response to that information.

    Andrew Jones

    The government first became aware of the installation of software fitted to Volkswagen vehicles to distort emissions tests following the announcement of the US Environmental Protection Agency investigation in the US on 18 September 2015.

    In response, the Vehicle Certification Agency, the UK regulator, has started investigations to establish whether this affects other manufacturers.

    As part of this work they will re-run laboratory tests where necessary and compare them against real world driving emissions.

    The government have called on the EU to conduct a Europe wide investigation into whether there is evidence that cars here have been fitted with illegal defeat devices.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the (a) capacity and (b) skills of Jobcentre Plus staff to provide appropriate support to disadvantaged parents.

    Priti Patel

    The support available to vulnerable and disadvantaged claimants is tailored to meet their individual needs, helping to overcome barriers that might make finding a job more difficult.

    Jobcentre Plus staff are provided with the skills and knowledge required to support a range of claimants with a diverse set of circumstances, and to respect each individual’s needs.

    Each member of staff works with their line manager to assess their individual skills and ensure they deliver high levels of competence and professionalism, including identifying additional training needs.

    This approach encourages continuous improvement and skills growth to meet the full range of customer needs.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many liability orders issued by the Child Support Agency (CSA) for the non-payment of child maintenance resulted in (a) bailiffs acting on the CSA’s behalf, (b) a county court third-party debt order, (c) an order of disqualification and (d) a warrant of commitment.

    Priti Patel

    The Department records statistics on the number of instances of different types of enforcement actions and publishes these in the Quarterly Summary Statistics. This information is set out on Page 41 of the Child Support Agency quarterly summary of statistics which can be accessed online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-of-statistics-june-2015.

    Note:

    A County Court third-party debt order was the enforcement action used prior to the introduction of Regular and Lump Sum Deduction Orders.

    “

  • Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2015 to Question 9035, which properties are shared by his Department in flexible delivery locations; and which of these properties are shared with (a) local authorities, (b) the Scottish Prison Service, (c) third sector and other voluntary organisations and (d) other private or public sector organisations.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Our current Flexible delivery locations are attached. The majority of these do not constitute full time locations but are used on a part time basis as agreed locally. Due to that local agreement the number does fluctuate. In addition to the sites listed in the attached, we have one site currently working in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council with the intention of progressing to full co-location of all JCP services in Banff Local Authority premises in the near future.

  • The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the decision by the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia to uphold the sentencing of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, who was arrested as a juvenile, to death by crucifixion for seeking democratic reforms in that country.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government is very concerned about the case of Ali Mohammed Al-Nimr. We have raised this case with the Saudi Arabian authorities at a senior level including by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond). We will continue to follow this case closely. The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, especially in cases which do not meet the minimum standards defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This includes the execution of a minor and the use of the death penalty for a crime which isn’t deemed “the most serious”.

  • 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, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, or other similar bodies, will be sending official observers to the general election on 1 November in Turkey; and if not, why not.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The British Government has already deployed 2 Long Term Observers to Turkey to join the 18 other Long Term Observers in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Limited Election Observation Mission for the early parliamentary elections in Turkey scheduled for 1 November 2015.

    Delegations from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and from the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE will also observe the elections in Turkey on 1 November.

  • Baroness Northover – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Northover – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Northover on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which Minister in the Department for International Development has responsibility for ensuring that the particular vulnerabilities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people are addressed through international development.

    Baroness Verma

    I am the Minister in DFID who has responsibility for ensuring that the particular vulnerabilities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people are addressed through international development.

  • Lord Wallace of Saltaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what level of surveillance the UK Border Force practices with regard to maritime and air travel between the United Kingdom mainland and the Channel Islands.

    Lord Bates

    The Channel Islands are a part of the Common Travel Area. As such, Border Force is not permitted to conduct routine immigration checks on people travelling between the Channel Islands and the United Kingdom either by air or maritime routes. However, Border Force carries out a wide range of intelligence-led activity, which can include different forms of surveillance, to intervene against vessels which are a potential threat to UK border security in the English Channel. Where necessary, this includes mounting interventions against vessels which have sailed from the Channel Islands.

  • Baroness Coussins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Coussins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Coussins on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Modern Languages teachers have left the teaching profession in each of the last five years (1) through retirement, and (2) for other reasons.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    The information requested is not available.