Tag: 2016

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners returned to jail having broken their licence conditions and subsequently been found to be carrying concealed drugs.

    Andrew Selous

    Prisoners recalled to custody having breached the conditions of their licence will be arrested by the police and then taken to the nearest local prison for the area in which they were arrested.

    Once returned to a local prison, prisoners will be searched and risk assessed in line with the prisons’ local policy for stopping contraband. Prisons deploy a comprehensive range of robust searching and security measures to detect items of contraband, both at the point of entry to the prison and concealed within the prison. We will continue to explore new methods of preventing drugs coming into prisons

    Prisoners found with drugs on entry to prison are sanctioned, potentially including days added to their sentence, or, in cases where the quantity of drug or packaging suggests possession with intent to supply, will be referred to the police. All visitors or staff caught with drugs are referred to the police.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who were charged to appeal against a parking ticket in each of the last three years.

    Andrew Jones

    Parking is a devolved matter and policy in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the respective Government.

    Information on parking penalties in England is not held centrally. Records of the number of penalty charge notices issued are contained in annual reports from the traffic adjudicators – London Tribunals covers London Councils and the Traffic Penalty Tribunal reports on authorities outside London.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the order of battle is of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

    Penny Mordaunt

    As at 22 March 2016 the Order of Battle for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is as follows:

    Order of Battle

    Fleet Tanker

    2

    Small Fleet Tanker

    2

    Fleet Replenishment Ship

    3

    Landing Ship Dock

    3

    Aviation Training Ship

    1

    Forward Repair Ship

    1
  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of freedom of speech for (a) bloggers and (b) other people in Bangladesh.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    Our assessment is that the rise in extremist attacks has increased pressure on free speech in Bangladesh. This is one of the reasons that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has named Bangladesh as one of its 30 Human Rights Priority Countries. The UK supports freedom of expression as both a fundamental right in itself and as an essential component of a full range of human rights. Ministers have unequivocally condemned the murders of secular online activists and minority groups, and called for free speech to be protected in Bangladesh. On Monday 25 April, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire) said that he was deeply saddened by the senseless murders of Xulhaz Mannan, Tanay Fahim and Rezaul Karim Siddique and called for the killers to be brought to justice. On 9 April, following the brutal murder of Nasimuddin Samad, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) restated the Government’s position that the right to freedom of expression and open debate in Bangladesh must be upheld.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the effect of the introduction of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

    Mike Penning

    We are committed to monitoring the impact of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 which commenced on the 26 May.

    Section 58 of the Act commits the Secretary of State to review the operation of the Act, prepare a report of the review, and lay a copy of the report before Parliament 30 months after the commencement of the Act. This review will therefore report its findings in late 2018.

    Since commencement, the police have made arrests across the country of those involved in the supply of psychoactive substances; a number of head-shops have ceased trading and many more have handed in their remaining stock to be destroyed; and action by the National Crime Agency has resulted in the removal of psychoactive substances from sale by United Kingdom based websites.

  • Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what safety improvements are planned for the A34; and what the planned date of completion is for each such improvement.

    Mr John Hayes

    Highways England has a major scheme planned for the A34 to ease congestion, improve safety and incident management between the M4 junction at Chievely and the M40 junction at Wendlebury. Vehicle detection loops (in the road) will detect when traffic is building or slowing down to help operate traffic signals and activate electronic message signs. CCTV cameras and driver information systems will be installed at key locations along the A34 between the M4 and the M40. Highways England intends to start work by March 2020.

  • Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to substitute funding to start-up loan schemes previously funded completely or partly by EU programmes after the UK leaves the EU.

    Mr David Gauke

    As set out by the Chancellor, the Treasury will guarantee funding for structural and investment fund projects and funding secured through direct bids to the European Commission, even after the UK leaves the EU. This is where the funding provides strong value for money and is in line with domestic strategic priorities. These include projects signed after Autumn Statement and before we leave the EU.

    Alongside this funding, the Start-Up loan programme, funded by the UK government and overseen by the British Business Bank (BBB), has supported over 39,500 entrepreneurs to set up their own business and facilitated loans of over £230m.

  • Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

    Jane Ellison

    Information about the number of jobs that (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020 is set out in the attached tables. The information about non-Departmental public bodies, executive agencies, and other accountable statutory bodies is not held centrally by the Department and their information, as indicated below, has been provided by those bodies.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of decommissioning sites where children could be detained on (a) the mix of children in custody, (b) the implementation of the Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint system and (c) staff numbers.

    Andrew Selous

    The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is responsible for commissioning and placing all young people under-18 in a suitable secure establishment.

    Following the welcome and continued reduction in the number of young people in custody, the YJB has been able to reduce the number of commissioned places across the secure estate. However, as the number has reduced so those who remain tend to be those who have been arrested for the most violent crimes and who pose the greatest difficulties for those who care for them.

    Although decommissioning will affect the number of places available in the secure estate, young people are placed in establishments that can most effectively manage their individual needs and risks. Factors such as age, suitability of regime, closeness to home, risk of self-harm or to others, and other risk factors are all been taken into account when placing a young person in custody.

    Restraint should only be used against young people as a last resort where it is absolutely necessary to do so, when young people are putting their own safety and the safety of others at risk, and where no other form of intervention is possible or appropriate. We are committed to closely monitoring the independently assessed Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint system, including through an ongoing analysis of its effectiveness.

    Information on the effects of decommissioning on staff numbers within the youth secure estate is not available centrally and can only be collected at disproportionate costs.

  • Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Harrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2016-02-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the European Commission’s Recommendation in 2014 on a new approach to business failure and insolvency on the UK’s insolvency regime.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The UK’s flexible and effective restructuring and insolvency regime is very much in keeping with the general themes of the EU Recommendation. Following the European Commission’s 2014 Recommendation, the Government conducted a call for evidence seeking the views of stakeholders and submitted a response to the Commission’s survey on how Member States comply with the Recommendation. The Government published the UK’s response in August 2015. This can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/european-commission-recommendation-on-business-failure-and-insolvency-call-for-evidence

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