The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Buck on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what change there was in the number of (a) mortgage and (b) landlord possession orders in each local authority between 2010 and 2015.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The data is published quarterly at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics under ‘Mortgage and landlord possession statistical data (zip file).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what her Department’s wellness strategy is.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
The Northern Ireland Office’s wellness strategy is to promote and sustain a healthy, safe and supportive working environment for all our people. We do this by:
As a small department the Northern Ireland Office has also secured access to the Ministry of Justice’s networks and services for our staff to use.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of Baroness Williams of Trafford, 1 March 2016, HL Deb column 809, if he will place in the Library a copy of the research referenced in that contribution on the affordability of starter homes.
Brandon Lewis
This is a finding from DCLG analysis of the estimated lower quartile of prices paid by first time buyers in 2014, and the total income of households in the private rented sector, considered by region.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Marion Fellows on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what mechanisms his Department has put in place for redress and backdated payments to the parent with care in the event that it is found that the non-resident parent (a) provided false information about their income and (b) failed to inform the relevant body of an increase in their income under (i) the Child Support Agency scheme and (ii) the Child Maintenance Service scheme; and what the timescales are for such redress or payments.
Priti Patel
All three statutory maintenance schemes allow the Secretary of State to revise any maintenance liability decision found to be incorrect as a result of misrepresentation by either parent. There is no timescale within which the misrepresentation must be discovered, before a revision may be completed.
Under the 2012 scheme, in the first instance maintenance is assessed using historic income information from HMRC. Annual reviews are carried out using HMRC income data and liabilities are adjusted accordingly. Over the lifetime of a case changes to income should therefore be reflected appropriately.
Where an individual is assessed on current income, they are obliged to inform the Child Maintenance Service of any increase to their income of 25% or over. If they fail to do so and the Child Maintenance Service subsequently becomes aware of an increase in their income, the Secretary of State may still calculate a new assessment, taking effect at the point the income increased.
Any arrears that result from such “retrospective” action will nonetheless be due and CMS will take enforcement action if the Paying Parent does not arrange to pay them themselves. The CMS has a comprehensive range of enforcement actions at its disposal, to help ensure that parents fulfil their obligations.
All maintenance liability decisions carry an underlying right of appeal to an independent Tribunal.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the risk that President Joseph Kabila may attempt to change the constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to remain in power and not hold the elections scheduled for November.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is clear: a President may serve two terms of five years. In 2015 President Kabila made a tentative attempt to change the Constitution to enable him to stay on beyond the end of his current, final term of office but was rebuffed by the Congolese Parliament. The risk that he will attempt to do so again remains, but the UK position is clear: we do not believe that constitutions should be amended for the benefit of incumbent leaders. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), has repeatedly urged Foreign Minister Tshibanda to do all in his power to ensure the DRC government enables elections to take place in line with the Constitution.
We remain concerned by the lack of progress towards elections in the DRC. Primary responsibility for organising the elections rests with the government and institutions of the state of the DRC. The UK stands ready to support elections. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for International Development, my Hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), announced in March that the UK would make up to £11.4million available to support the election process, provided certain conditions were met. But we have also been clear that individuals responsible for repression and human rights violations in the run-up to the election period will have to face the consequences of their actions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has had discussions with her European counterparts on the letter signed in July 2016 by eight European Ambassadors to Israeli officials on the confiscation of EU-funded structures in Jabal al Baba; and if she will make a statement.
Rory Stewart
I have not had discussions with my European counterparts about the letter regarding EU-funded structures, and the UK Ambassador to Israel was not asked to sign this letter. I understand that a group of international donors to the Occupied Palestinian Territories UN Humanitarian Pooled Fund wrote to the Israeli authorities to note their concerns about confiscation of several humanitarian assistance projects. The UK is not part of this fund.
The UK remains extremely concerned at the large increase in demolitions and confiscations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since the start of 2016, compared to the monthly average in 2015, and continues to raise this with the Israeli authorities. Demolitions and the evictions of Palestinians from their homes cause unnecessary suffering, are harmful to the peace process, and in all but the most exceptional of cases are contrary to international humanitarian law.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his UN counterparts on invoking UN Resolution 337A, Uniting for Peace, in order to convene an emergency Special Session of the General Assembly on Syria.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK regularly discusses with UN partners the appropriate forums to discuss this appalling and deteriorating situation in Syria. The UK has requested and co-sponsored a number of Emergency Sessions in the Security Council on different events in Syria, to ensure the Council is fully appraised of the intensity of violence and indiscriminate attacks in Aleppo and across Syria, as well as the consequences of Asad’s ‘starve and surrender’ tactics and use of chemical weapons. We will continue to consider UN General Assembly action, including an Emergency Session.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the use of illegal sub-contracting employment arrangements in Colombia.
Mr Hugo Swire
Her Majesty’s Government has not received official reports on the scale of illegal sub-contracting employment in Colombia.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which particular measures his Department has included in its Road Safety Statement of 21 December 2015 to help reduce the number of cyclists killed and injured every year.
Andrew Jones
The government has a manifesto commitment to reduce the number of cyclists and other road users killed or injured on our roads every year and we published our British Road Safety Statement, setting out our priorities in achieving that goal on 21 December 2015.
The Statement describes a series of actions to be undertaken across government over the short, medium and long term. Several of these contribute specifically to cyclist safety, including:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK rail operators who may lose their franchise as a result of the recently announced proposals to transfer the responsibility for inner suburban rail services in London from his Department to Transport for London maintain and improve their services while this change takes place.
Claire Perry
No current franchises will be affected by the proposals, therefore we would not expect to see any operator lose their franchise as a result. The proposed transfer will take place at the start of, or within the, successor franchises.