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Tag: 2015

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of continuing violence by paramilitaries in Colombia on the progress of peace talks in that country.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The government of Colombia has made significant progress on peace process negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). I am pleased that an agreement has been reached this week between the parties on the long-standing issue of Transitional Justice and reparations for victims. Both sides have committed to sign a final agreement by the end of March 2016 and the UK remains committed to supporting this deadline.

    I am concerned about the continued negative influence of organised criminal gangs and resulting violence in Colombia. I am pleased to see that the Colombian Minister of Defence has announced that tackling organised crime is a top priority for 2016. The UK, through the work of the National Crime Agency and others, continues to support the government of Colombia on this issue.

    Much of the government of Colombia’s success on tackling organised crime and related violence will depend on the progress of peace negotiations in Havana, which provide an opportunity to bring about real change for all Colombians.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the number of people in receipt of the Carer’s Allowance and (b) the total cost of the Carer’s Allowance scheme in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Benefit expenditure and the number of people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance at a Great Britain level are available in our published expenditure tables which are available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015

    “

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the NHS has to make use of (a) information technology and (b) informatics to improve the delivery of healthcare.

    George Freeman

    The Government’s policy for using information technology to improve the delivery of healthcare and transform outcomes for patients and citizens was set out in the National Information Board Framework for Action: Personalised Heath and Care 2020, published in November 2014. The document is available from:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personalised-health-and-care-2020

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many safety case assessments the Health and Safety Executive has received from installation operators in the oil and gas sector in each of the last three years; and what the rate of compliance of that sector is with the provision of the EU Directive on the safety of offshore oil and gas operations.

    Justin Tomlinson

    HSE received Safety Case submissions from UK Continental Shelf oil and gas installation operators as follows: 2012 – 187; 2013 – 183; 2014 – 223; 2015 (to 11/11/2015) – 223. These figures include submissions required by statute for new installations, and material changes or summaries of thorough reviews of existing safety cases.

    The 223 submissions received so far in 2015 include 53 cases required for compliance with the provisions of the EU Directive.

  • Norman Lamb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Norman Lamb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on the roll-out of liaison and diversion services; and what timetable he has set for completion of the business case for completing the national roll-out of those services.

    Alistair Burt

    Liaison and diversion services are currently available to approximately 50 per cent of the population in England.

    Further rollout is conditional upon completing business case approvals. The business case approval process is underway and we hope that this process will be completed early in 2016.

  • Kelly Tolhurst – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Kelly Tolhurst – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelly Tolhurst on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on changing the police funding formula.

    Mike Penning

    Current police funding arrangements are complex, opaque and out of date. This reflects views put forward by PCCs, police forces and Committees of this House. It is essential that we come to a new funding formula that is fair, transparent and matched to demand – but also one that is supported by policing as a whole. However, we have listened to the views of policing partners and are minded to delay the proposed changes to the formula for 2016/17.

  • Michael Tomlinson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Michael Tomlinson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the range of waiting times is for the return of Disclosure and Barring Service documentation for applications in Dorset.

    Karen Bradley

    The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) measures its performance against a set of Published Service Standards (PSS). Performance data applying to certificates dispatched to people whose applications were made from a Dorset postcode between 1 December 2014 and 30 November 2015 are contained in the table below. Current performance levels reflect a number of challenges for Dorset Police, including delivering an upgraded IT system. The DBS has agreed a recovery plan with Dorset Police. This will mean additional staff are recruited to enable it to improve its disclosure turnaround times.

    Measure

    National Target

    Performance in Dorset

    All within 56 Calendar days

    95%

    82.7%

    All within 21 Calendar days

    85%

    75.7%

    All E-Bulk (or electronic applications) within 21 Calendar days

    88%

    77.9%

    All Paper within 21 Calendar days

    82%

    70.5%
  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 3 November (HL3059) concerning the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station project, what alternatives to the contract with EDF and China were explored, and with what results.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    When the then Government first asked for expressions of interest in Final Investment Decisions (FID) enabling, EDF was the only nuclear developer to come forward, so it was appropriate to enter bilateral negotiations with EDF on this project. This Government continues to explore many different options for providing secure, affordable and clean electricity, making use of different technologies and commercial developers, including nuclear developers. The UK requires reliable, safe, base load electricity from new nuclear, and other low carbon generation sources, and price is one consideration amongst a number for achieving this.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates there were on 1 April (a) 1989, (b) 1994, (c) 2000, (d) 2005, (e) 2010, (f) 2014 and (g) 2015.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The requested information that is recorded is provided in the table below. Data for 1989 is not recorded. The reduction in the number of magistrates reflects the reduction in the workload in the adult criminal court. The role of a magistrate remains a sought after one and competition for vacancies tends to be strong.

    1994

    30,054

    2000

    30,308

    2005

    28,253

    2010

    28,607

    2014

    21,626

    2015

    19,634
  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will raise the issue of transport of assault rifles and semi-automatic machine guns into and across the EU at the next Home Affairs European Council; and whether she has raised the issue with Europol.

    Mike Penning

    It is vital that we tackle the threat from automatic and high powered semi-automatic firearms, including their movement across Europe. My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, attended an extraordinary meeting of the European Justice and Home Affairs Council on Friday, where she pressed for greater action on this issue. Since the terrorist attacks in Paris in January, the Home Secretary has consistently intervened at meetings of the Justice and Home Affairs Council urging EU partners to take prompt and effective action to reduce the threat from illegal firearms. My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Immigration Minister (James Brokenshire), has also highlighted the importance of action on firearms to Europol.