Tag: 2016

  • Paul Farrelly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paul Farrelly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Farrelly on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to include reduced-harm products in the Government’s tobacco control plan on account of their potential health benefits to smokers.

    Jane Ellison

    For the first time, from May 2016, cessation information to signpost consumers to quitting support has become mandatory on tobacco products. The Government’s advice remains that the best thing a smoker can do is to quit and quit for good. Any smokers wanting to quit, with or without the help of products available on the market, are four times more likely to stop smoking and quit for good with the personalised support offered by local stop smoking services.

    The National Centre for Stop Smoking Services has issued guidance on offering advice to those wanting to use e-cigarettes as part of their quit attempts and encouraged local stop smoking services to be open to their use.

    The Government recognises that some people have found e-cigarettes helpful in quitting smoking and that they are considerably less harmful than continuing to smoke. The forthcoming tobacco control plan will consider the role of e-cigarettes and other harm reduction products in further reducing the prevalence of smoking in England.

    The Department has no current plans to review the restrictions on advertising for tobacco products.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans continued participation in Frontex after the UK leaves the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The European Border and Coast Guard was launched on 6 October, building on and replacing Frontex. The new Agency builds on provisions of the Schengen agreement in which the UK does not participate. The UK is not therefore bound by the new regulation although we are supportive of steps to increase the security of the external Schengen border and currently participate in Frontex operations on a voluntary basis, agreed by the Management Board.

    Our future cooperation with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency will be considered as part of wider negotiations for the UK’s exit from the EU. The Prime Minister has made clear that the Government will not be giving a running commentary on negotiations.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Seema Malhotra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-01-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessments he has made of the effect of the level of the current account deficit on the future strength of the pound sterling.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The widening in the UK current account deficit in recent years has been driven by a deterioration in the UK’s net investment income from abroad, while the trade deficit has continued to improve. The Office for Budget Responsibility expect factors that have depressed the returns on the UK’s net assets, such as the relative weakness in economic activity in the UK’s trading partners, to recede. The current account deficit is forecast to narrow to -2.1 per cent by 2020, limiting any impact on the exchange rate. Furthermore, the government’s plan to complete the repair of the public finances will support a gradual narrowing of the current account deficit.

  • Ann Coffey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ann Coffey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time between (a) offence commission and charge, (b) charge and first court appearance and (c) first court appearance to sentencing or acquittal was for all completed sexual offence cases in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

    Mike Penning

    Our courts system is in need of urgent reform, which is why we have committed to building a justice system that is swifter and more certain.

    We are investing £700 million over the next five years to create a more effective service. We will utilise modern technology to meet the needs of everyone who uses our services.

    MOJ do not hold figures on dates of sentencing or acquittals and have instead provided the time from first listing to completion.

    The age of a victim is only known where specified as part of the wording of an offence in statute. Figures for sexual offences cases where the victim was a minor are based on cases where the victim was known to be a minor, and figures where the victim was an adult include cases where the age of the victim was not known.

    Data included in the attached tables.

    Table 1 – the average duration from offence to charge, from charge to first listing, and from first listing to completion for sexual offences cases in Greater Manchester LCJB and in England and Wales, for cases completing in 2013, 2014 and January to September 2015.

    Table 2 – the average duration (days) between offence to charge, charge to first listing, and first listing to completion for sexual offence cases completed in England and Wales where the victim was a minor or an adult, 2013 to Q1-Q3 2015.

    Table 3 – the average durations for sexual offences cases in England and Wales. These are an update of Tables 5.1 and 5.2 in the ‘Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales’ publication. Figures are for the last 12 months available, from October 2014 to September 2015.

  • The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The Lord Bishop of St Albans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of those individuals who previously claimed a motability allowance under the Disability Living Allowance and have lost that allowance after being reassessed for Personal Independence Payments, have (1) appealed that decision, and (2) succeeded at appeal.

    Lord Faulks

    The First-tier Tribunal – Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service­­ hears appeals against decisions by the Department for Work and Pensions­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ on a range of benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

    Information about the number and success rates of SSCS appeals by benefit type, including PIP, is published in the Tribunal and Gender Recognition Certificate Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report can be located on the government website.

    The specific information requested is not held centrally.

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-04-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what tools are available to the Inland Revenue to ensure that local employees at foreign embassies in London pay their tax, apart from individuals voluntarily registering for Self Assessment.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue and Customs have a specialist team to deal with the tax affairs of locally engaged staff employed at foreign embassies and International organisations in the UK. The team is tasked with ensuring that these employees pay the appropriate tax and National Insurance.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police, emergency responders and other security and military personnel have been deployed from other EU member states to respond to emergencies and other security threats in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

    Mr John Hayes

    The information requested is not held centrally by the Home Office.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 27762, on roads: suicide, how many suicides or attempted suicides have been recorded on the Strategic Road Network in 2016 up to the most recent period for which figures are available.

    Andrew Jones

    Highways England’s systems are used to record incidents that occur on the Strategic Road Network.

    Between 1 January 2016 and 30 June 2016, the number of incidents defined as either suicide or attempted suicide was 568.

  • Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to require that EU staff employed at Northwood relocate to another country after the UK leaves the EU.

    Mike Penning

    The European Union (EU) Staff employed at Northwood within the EU Operational Headquarters (OHQ) and the NATO Maritime Commander (MARCOM)’s Headquarters provide vital support to Operation ATALANTA (a Counter-Piracy mission off the Horn of Africa) and broader NATO Maritime Operations.

    The requirement for the OHQ, its location, and its EU Staff depend on a continuing mandate (expected to be extended until December 2018) and decisions of the EU; and the UK supports continued NATO – EU cooperation including that through MARCOM.

    There are are no current plans to relocate the OHQ or EU staff from Northwood.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he had during the visit of President Narendra Modi to the UK in November 2015 on outstanding payments to British companies for services provided during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The British High Commission in New Delhi has repeatedly raised with the Government of India the dispute over payment of the British company Satellite Information Services (SIS), urging them to settle the case, and has provided consistent support to SIS. I also raised this case with the Indian High Commissioner in London in October 2015. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) discussed opportunities and challenges for British business in India with Prime Minister Modi during his visit to the UK in November 2015. We will continue to press for a satisfactory settlement.