The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Jones on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to renew funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit after March 2016.
Mike Penning
Decisions on future funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit will be made as part of the current Spending Review process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many residents of care homes had an emergency admission to a hospital in 2014-15.
Alistair Burt
The information is not available in the format requested.
The number of emergency admissions[1] from care homes to a hospital for 2014-15 was 22,682.
However, we cannot provide a count of how many residents of care homes had an emergency admission, because data within the Hospital Episode Statistics database is not recorded at patient level. It is possible for a single person to have more than one admission in any given time period.
[1] These are finished admission episodes (FAEs). A FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the Syrian people in establishing a framework for post-conflict reconstruction.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have pledged over £1.1 billion to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US.
In addition to humanitarian support, the Department for International Development is working closely with the Syrian National Coalition, NGOs, civil society, and human rights activists to strengthen the ability of the moderate opposition to provide governance and services inside Syria in a way that will help prepare the ground for post-conflict reconstruction. The UK is also helping the National Coalition to build its capacity as an institution, to meet the needs of Syrians and to represent their interests.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Worthington on 2015-12-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the amount of stamp duty reserve tax that will be repaid following the 2012 decision of the First-Tier Tribunal (Tax) in the case of HSBC Holdings PLC and the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation v HMRC (TC/2009/165484).
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is not in a position to provide an assessment of Stamp Duty Reserve Tax that may be repaid following the 2012 First Tier Tribunal decision in the case of HSBC Holdings PLC and the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation v HMRC. This is due to ongoing litigation of cases arising from that decision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with HM Treasury on the removal of the fuel duty escalator for liquefied petroleum gas as part of government proposals to reduce emissions from road transport.
Andrew Jones
Ministers and officials meet regularly with HM Treasury on a wide range of issues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-12-11.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints were rejected by the Financial Ombudsman Service on the grounds of failure to meet the time limits for such complaints in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date.
Harriett Baldwin
The issues raised are a matter for the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) who are operationally independent from Government.
The questions have been passed on to the FOS. The FOS will reply directly to the Honorable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all types of credit union account are eligible for the receipt of universal credit.
Priti Patel
DWP can pay Universal Credit into any credit union account.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect Libya from further infiltration by Daesh.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are extremely concerned about the growing threat from extremist groups in Libya, including Daesh and groups affiliated with it. These groups pose a threat to the stability of Libya and the region, and potentially to the UK and our interests and citizens overseas. We are working closely with international partners to deepen our understanding of Daesh’s presence in North Africa, including in Libya, and to develop a comprehensive approach to defeat it. This includes working closely with Libya’s neighbours to enhance their ability to protect themselves against threats from terrorists in Libya, and prevent fighters and weapons being smuggled across the region. We are supporting UN-led efforts to establish a Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya, which will be crucial in the long term to tackling the Daesh threat present in that country and across the region.
I joined international and regional Ministers at the Rome Conference on 13 December to underline our firm commitment to providing the new GNA with full political backing and technical, economic, security and counter-terrorism assistance, as requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-11-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the document Fixing the Foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation Cm 9098, what the evidential basis is for proposed reforms to tax credits increasing productivity.
Damian Hinds
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on [20] November 2015, PQ 16701.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in what proportion of criminal cases in (a) magistrates courts and (b) crown courts the defendant (i) pleaded guilty without trial and (ii) was acquitted following trial.
Mr Shailesh Vara
In 2014, 18.5% of all defendants tried at the Crown Court were acquitted (15,868 out of a total of 85,943 defendants tried at the Crown Court).
In 2014, 99.5% of defendants who pleaded guilty in the Crown Court did so before a jury trial commenced. The methodology for producing the relevant magistrates data is being developed and I will write to the Honourable Member as soon as it is available. A copy of the letter will be placed in the House Library.