The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-07-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to accelerate negotiations to leave the EU to ensure that they are completed before July 2017 when the UK is due to take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Government has no such plans.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role her Department plays in Government plans to ensure a higher rate of prosecution for knife crimes.
Sarah Newton
The decision whether or not to bring a prosecution is a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The Home Office works closely with the CPS, other Government departments, and the police to tackle knife crime and ensure that offenders are dealt with effectively.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Green on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that jobcentres help younger jobseekers plan for the future.
Priti Patel
This Government is committed to ensuring all young people are either earning or learning. That is why we have launched Jobcentre Plus support for schools and from April 2017 we will ensure all young people are supported through our new Youth Obligation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 23 February (HL6044), whether they will clarify whether the Conference held in 2007 was the final meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference or its most recent meeting.
Lord Dunlop
The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference remains part of the architecture of the Belfast Agreement and its most recent meeting was held in 2007. There are no plans to hold a meeting of the Conference in the immediate future.
Interaction between the UK Government and Irish Government takes place regularly at all levels and in many different forums. These include an annual summit between the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach, and regular meetings between the heads of UK and Irish government departments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-10.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths resulting directly from epilepsy have been recorded in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-04-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues in (a) her Department and (b) other Departments on establishing a new national centre of expertise on tackling child sexual abuse.
Karen Bradley
Tackling child sexual abuse is a top priority for this Government and good progress is being made on delivering the commitments made in “Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation” – the Government’s response to address on a national scale the failures that had been seen in Rotherham and elsewhere. We are working collaboratively across Whitehall to deliver on our commitments and will publish an update to the “Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation” report later this year. This will set out our progress to date on what we have achieved in tackling offending, reducing vulnerability and supporting victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. It will also set out what future steps the government plans to take.
As part of this work, we have prioritised child sexual abuse as a national threat, providing a clear mandate for police forces to safeguard children and to share intelligence and best practice. We have also rolled out to all UK police forces Child abuse image database (CAID) which provides law enforcement with effective tools to search seized devices. We have delivered a £7 million uplift in funding over the financial years 2014 – 15 and 2015 – 16 for non statutory organisations which support victims and survivors of sexual abuse and have announced that the same amount will be available in 2016 – 17.
In January this year we launched a new national whistle-blowing helpline, operated by the NSPCC, for any employee who wants to raise a concern about how their organisation is dealing with a concern about a child. The establishment of the Centre of Expertise has formed part of discussions held at the Inter Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse, and we are currently working towards its procurement. In terms of the Centre working with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Inquiry is independent of Government, but the Government is, and will, continue to fully co-operate with it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 36039, on fertility: medical treatments, which services NHS England commissions centrally.
George Freeman
NHS England is responsible for directly commissioned services which include not only specialised services, but also offender and military health services, as well as primary care services such as optometry and dentistry.
A complete list of Prescribed Specialised Services for 2016/17 can be found in the attached document.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to safeguard the status of UK nationals studying in other member states of the EEA as a result of the outcome of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.
Joseph Johnson
The EU referendum result has no immediate effect on students abroad or those applying for 2016/17. Payments will be made in the usual way. Access after we leave the EU is a matter for the forthcoming negotiations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions Ministers in her Department have declined to disclose information to the Intelligence and Security Committee under Schedule 1 to the Justice and Security Act 2013; and if she will make a statement.
Mr Ben Wallace
The Home Office is unable to find any record of having declined to disclose information to the Intelligence and Security Committee under Schedule 1 of the Justice and Security Act 2013. The Home Office is unable to find any record of having delayed providing information to the Intelligence and Security Committee in order to make a determination as to whether to share that information, as set out in Schedule 1 of the Justice and Security Act 2013.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-01-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 16853, what responsibilities were allocated to the additional staff added to national minimum wage enforcement teams in 2015-16.
Greg Hands
The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it.
Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker. A further increase in penalties will come into force in April 2016 and will increase the penalty percentage from 100% to 200% of the underpayments owed to each worker, up to the existing maximum.
The extra funding was allocated in two tranches. The first of £3 million has been used by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to recruit additional staff primarily into front line compliance posts to increase the scope and coverage of interventions aimed at identifying employers who do not pay the minimum wage.
The second tranche of £1 million has been used to appoint staff into new roles specifically geared to promoting compliance with the National Minimum Wage, through education and support for employers, helping workers to understand their rights, and tackling serious non-compliance where deliberate behaviour is suspected.
Staff across HMRC contribute to enforcing National Minimum Wage, including people who work in legal advice, debt management, technical support and criminal investigation. However, HMRC does not record the specific numbers of those staff involved beyond those identified in UIN 16853.
HMRC does not breakdown the overall budget allocated into specific activities. For details of the overall budget in 2015/16, I refer the honourable member back to the answer provided at UIN 16853. Funding allocations for 2016/17 onwards have yet to be confirmed.