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Tag: 2016

  • Stephen Hammond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Hammond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hammond on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support the Metropolitan Police in tackling terrorism in London.

    Mr John Hayes

    We have ensured the police have the necessary powers and resources to tackle the terrorist threat, including in London, where the Metropolitan Police play a leading role in tackling terrorism across the country.

    Counter-Terrorism Policing spending will be protected over the next Spending Review period. Indeed, for 2016/17 it will be increased in real terms to £670 million for England and Wales. An additional £34 million will also be provided to enable a national uplift in armed policing capability and capacity to respond more quickly and effectively to a firearms attack.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-03-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to reinforce the Royal Navy’s operations in the Aegean Sea in order to save more lives and to arrest more traffickers.

    Earl Howe

    I refer the noble Lord to the statement I made to this House on Monday 7 March (Official Report, column 1079). The Royal Navy has deployed Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Mounts Bay and a Wildcat helicopter to support NATO activity in the Aegean Sea. These will work alongside three Home Office vessels: VOS Grace, which has been deployed since November; the cutter Protector, which is en route to the region; and a further cutter that is expected to start operations later this month.

    In addition to RFA Mounts Bay, there are five NATO ships on station at the moment. Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Turkey have each deployed a ship.

    NATO ships will provide information to enable Greek and Turkish civilian authorities to intercept migrant vessels and arrest traffickers. It is not an interdiction or search and rescue operation, but RFA Mounts Bay would give assistance to any vessel it found in distress, in accordance with international obligations.

    With regards to sufficiency, we note the substantial contribution being made by the UK and other members of NATO, but we always look to see what further contributions members of the Alliance can make.

  • Kate Osamor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Kate Osamor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the effect of the EU-Turkey refugee deal on her Department’s policy on family reunification for refugees.

    James Brokenshire

    The EU-Turkey deal does not affect our family reunion policy.

    Under the family reunion policy a spouse, partner or children under 18 can apply to join someone granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK providing they formed part of their family unit before the sponsor fled their country of origin.

  • Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of by how much the cost of the Type 26 programme is expected to increase for every year that the in-service date for each ship is delayed.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    For equipment procurement programmes, the cost and schedule is set at the main investment decision, however, the Type 26 Global Combat Ship (GCS) programme has not yet reached that stage.

    As is normal practice for equipment procurement programmes, we have developed a planning assumption that the first Type 26 GCS would come into service in 2022.

    We are working with industry to develop an optimised schedule for the Type 26 GCS programme to implement the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. This work is ongoing and will inform the main investment decision.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-06-20.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the additional staffing and resources required to deal with the backlog of employment histories for occupational disease compensation claims requested from HM Revenue and Customs.

    Mr David Gauke

    In response to the significant increase in demand for employment histories in recent years, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has looked at a range of options for improving the Record Retrieval Service; this has included introducing measures such as prioritising requests relating to serious and life-threatening conditions (when specifically identified).

    However, the key constraint to reducing turnaround times is the existing machinery used to manually access the microfilm records – as these machines are no longer manufactured. Therefore, the deployment of additional staff would have negligible impact on service levels. It is not possible to provide a figure for the number of HMRC staff currently allocated to the production of employment histories for occupational disease compensation claims, as requesters of this information are not required to specify the reason for their employment history request. However, around 200 full time equivalent staff are allocated to the department’s Record Retrieval Service.

  • Kevin Foster – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kevin Foster – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make plans to introduce number plates for all mobility scooters to ensure that such scooters could be traced in the event of a collision with a pedestrian.

    Andrew Jones

    Mobility scooters have to comply with the prescribed conditions and requirements set out in the ‘Use of Invalid Carriages on Highways Regulations 1988’ which divides them into two main categories.

    The Class 2 type can travel at 4mph and is primarily intended for use on the footway or footpath. 4 mph is considered appropriate for pavement use as it is akin to a brisk walking pace.

    The Class 3 type can travel on the road at up to 8 mph, but must have the facility via a limiter to be driven at no more than 4 mph when used on the footpath.

    Users of new or second hand Class 3 vehicles are required to register their vehicles with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for use on public roads. However, there is currently no requirement to display the vehicle registration number on the scooter and I have no plans to change this.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost is of the transfer to Individual Electoral Registration; and what proportion of such costs have been borne by local government.

    John Penrose

    In financial years 2013/14 and 2014/15 the Government has spent £72 million in the transition to Individual Electoral Registration (IER).

    Of this, over £49 million was shared between all EROs in Great Britain, ensuring the transition to IER was fully funded. This included over £10 million that was allocated to local authorities specifically to boost levels of voter registration.

  • Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Attorney General, what the CPS’s policy is on seeking prosecutions of former members of paramilitary and terrorist organisations in Northern Ireland for attacks made against members of the armed forces during the Troubles; and if he will make a statement.

    Robert Buckland

    Criminal cases in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland. Its decisions are independently made and it reports to the devolved authorities.

    In relation to offences involving attacks against armed forces in England and Wales, all cases referred to the CPS are reviewed in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors by specialist prosecutors within the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division. There is no specific policy in respect of prosecutions of this type and they will be dealt with in the usual way.

  • Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Foulkes of Cumnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees what is the current number of Members of the House (1) not on leave of absence, and (2) on leave of absence.

    Lord Laming

    815 members are not on leave of absence or disqualified as members of the judiciary; 30 have taken leave of absence; 8 are disqualified as members of the judiciary.

    You may find it helpful to know that up-to-date information about membership of the House is available on the Parliamentary website: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/lords/composition-of-the-lords/.

    “

  • Nusrat Ghani – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nusrat Ghani – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what operational mitigation measures have been proposed by (a) Heathrow Airport Limited and (b) Gatwick Airport Limited to reduce the effect of aviation noise in the event of expansion of those airports.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Heathrow Airport Ltd. and Gatwick Airport Ltd. have published proposals on their respective websites to mitigate the impacts of aviation noise. The Government is continuing to engage with promoters for all three schemes shortlisted by the Airports Commission to develop the best possible packages of mitigation measures, including on noise.