Tag: 2016

  • Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to provide (a) refuges and (b) other support to family members in rural areas experiencing domestic abuse and other relationship problems; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Domestic Abuse is a devastating crime and we are determined to ensure that no one is turned away from the support they need irrespective of where they live. Government has committed £80 million of extra funding up to 2020 to tackle violence against women and girls. In the strategy to end violence against women and girls published on 8 March, we set out our ambition to improve services for women suffering from domestic abuse committing to a new Statement of Expectations to set out for the first time what we expect from local areas. To support this, we are launching a new two year fund, which will be open to local authorities across the country including those from rural areas, to bid for funding for refuges and other forms of accommodation based support and to help local areas take the steps they need to meet the National Statement.

    This builds on the £3.5 million funding in 2015/16 and is on top of the £10 million funding to strengthen the provision of safe accommodation in the last spending review period. The Government does recognise the distinct challenges faced by victims of domestic abuse in rural areas and has supported bids for funding from rural areas for example Suffolk, Shropshire and Somerset.

    Our Troubled Families Programme is about transforming the way local services support families with multiple problems. It incentivises services to come together, working with and understanding the needs of the whole family instead of constantly reacting to their individual problems. 29% of families in entry to the programme between 2012 and 2015 were experiencing domestic violence or abuse.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recourse there is for individuals who have been prevented from earning a wage due to the time taken for the processing of Disclosure and Barring Service certificate applications.

    Sarah Newton

    The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has a target to issue 95% of certificates within 8 weeks, which it is close to achieving. The DBS is reliant on police forces completing their checks in a timely manner.

    DBS will liaise with the police on behalf of a customer who is experiencing delays when their enhanced level DBS application is with the police to undertake statutory checks. In these cases DBS will aim to resolve the customer’s issues as quickly as possible, and keep the customer informed until resolution. However, the DBS cannot provide financial remedy for any complaint about police actions including the timescales taken by the police to complete a check. It would be up to individual police forces to comment on any local redress policies.

    If the delay is due to maladministration on behalf of DBS, the DBS redress policy is designed to ensure that the person who is the subject of that maladministration is not disadvantaged. Further information can be found on the DBS website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service/about/complaints-procedure

  • Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Will Quince on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the trends in the level of uptake of (a) creative, (b) artistic and (c) technical subjects at GCSE since June 2015.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education does not define GCSE subjects as ‘technical’ or ‘creative’.

    Provisional information on the proportion of pupils entered for at least one arts GCSE between 2009/10 and 2015/16 is published as part of the ‘Provisional GCSE and equivalent results in England’ statistical first release (SFR)[1].

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-results-2015-to-2016-provisional (Table 1c)

    “

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the greatest number of times is that a person has been admitted to an immigration holding or removal centre having been previously removed from the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is not routinely collected and could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from Calderdale Council since 2010 on the level of local authority funding from central Government.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Calderdale Council have submitted a representation each year since 2010 as part of the annual consultation on the local government finance settlement.

    The annual local government finance settlement sets out details of central government funding for local authorities, including Revenue Support Grant, as well as considering councils’ locally raised funds, and represents the main funding source for local authorities.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.

    Brandon Lewis

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my rt. hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Matthew Hancock) today, PQ 27946.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-03-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the publication of the Departmental Minute by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on 21 October 2015 Notification that the Secretary of State may approve the entering into of contracts regarding the Hinkley Point C Power Station that could give rise to liabilities, whether the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs published a similar Minute in respect of its liabilities in connection with the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Defra did not submit a Departmental Minute on the Government’s contingent financial support package for the Thames Tideway Tunnel because the Secretary of State has statutory authority to give financial assistance for major water or sewerage infrastructure projects under section 154B of the Water Industry Act 1991. This is consistent with the approach set out in HM Treasury’s guidance, Managing Public Money.

  • The Lord Bishop of Bristol – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The Lord Bishop of Bristol – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Bristol on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the need to regulate or license the private drone market in the UK.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Commercial drone operations already require permissions from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Operators must satisfy the CAA that they can operate safely and are aware of all relevant legislation. Last year the CAA granted approximately 1100 permissions for light-weight, low risk operations. There are charges for new permissions and processing renewals.

    There are also existing regulations in place that require users of drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle and to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property. Guidance on tackling the risks of criminal drone use has been provided to constabularies across the UK.

    The Department for Transport (DfT) is currently working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones. We have also completed a series of public dialogues ahead of a public consultation which will help to inform a government strategy to be published this year. The consultation will look at a range of options including regulation, registration and licensing options, and the potential for restrictions on purchase and use.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which army regiments or corps may be joined by new recruits aged (a) under 16 years and six months and (b) under 16 years and three months; and which such regiments or corps entail (i) combat roles and (ii) non-combat roles.

    Mark Lancaster

    Recruits do not join their Army Regiments or Corps until after they have completed both Phase 1 and 2 training. It is not possible, therefore, for new recruits to join any Army Regiment or Corps whilst under the age of 16 years and six months.

  • Caroline Flint – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Caroline Flint – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the causes of recent increases in violent incidents between prisoners; and what steps she plans to take to reduce such incidents.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The level of violence in our prisons is unacceptable. I am clear that safety in prisons is fundamental to the proper functioning of our justice system and a vital part of our reform plans.

    There are a number of factors including the availability of psychoactive substances in prisons which must be tackled. It will take time to address there long-standing problems. I am determined to make sure our prisons are safe and places of rehabilitation.