The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to respond to Question 18949, tabled by the hon. Member for Halifax on 7 December 2015.
Mr Shailesh Vara
I can confirm that the answer to PQ 18949 was given on the 29th February 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on police safety of the distinction between the offences of assault on a police officer or police community support officer and resisting arrest.
Brandon Lewis
I want to be clear that an assault of any kind on a police officer or Police Community Support Officer is wholly unacceptable. The choice of which is the most appropriate offence to charge an offender with is one that the Crown Prosecution Service must take.
Sentencing guidelines already provide for assault of a police officer to be treated more severely in appropriate cases. The courts need to be able to take into account all the circumstances of each case.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with the Bank of England regarding risks to financial stability that arise as a consequence of climate change.
Andrea Leadsom
The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change met the Governor of the Bank of England on 18 September 2015. They discussed: the Bank of England’s work on financial stability and climate change with regard to its report ‘The impact of climate change on the UK insurance sector’ commissioned by the Department of Food and Rural Affairs; and the Financial Stability Board’s work on disclosure of climate risk.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Halifax constituency will be affected by changes to employment and support allowance for new claimants in the work-related activity group.
Priti Patel
Forecasts for Employment and Support Allowance are made only at the national level. As such, the information requested is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance has been issued on the criteria used for deployment of police air support when a vehicle has failed to stop.
Brandon Lewis
The College of Policing has issued Authorised Professional Practice on the management of vehicle pursuits which includes guidance on the use of air support. Deployment of police air support is an operational matter. Since October 2012, the provision of air support to the forces of England and Wales has been the responsibility of the National Police Air Service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS staff can report patient safety incidents quickly and efficiently.
Ben Gummer
NHS England is responsible for the National Reporting and Learning System which collates information on patient safety incidents reported by staff working in NHS funded care.
There are plans to develop a new patient safety incident management system and one of the aims will be to make it quicker and easier for staff to report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the current projections used by the Environment Agency on the expected frequency of extreme flooding in the Calder Valley in any given year are for a (a) 1.5 , (b) two and (c) four degree rise in average temperatures.
Rory Stewart
Current research undertaken jointly by the Environment Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs suggests that corresponding to a 2 degree global average warming, rivers in the area of the Calder could see a 20% increase in typical flood flows by the 2080s compared to current levels.
The Government’s National Flood Resilience Review will re-examine worst case extreme weather scenarios and the resulting potential flood impacts across the country.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with mental health charities on the effect of the Work Programme on its participants.
Priti Patel
Officials met with the Disability Charities Consortium on 15 January to discuss input into the new Work and Health Programme, which included discussion of the lessons learned from the Work Programme. Officials will also be attending a round table on future employment support, hosted by Mind, on 24 March.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the availability of police dogs nationally; and what estimate she has made of the number of police forces that have introduced the recommended ratio of dogs to officers.
Brandon Lewis
Operational decisions on the availability and deployment of dogs are made on a force by force basis and are a matter for chief constables, working with their Police and Crime Commissioners.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with her ministerial colleagues on the effect of the increase in the state pension age on women.
Mr Shailesh Vara
Ministers regularly discuss matters of policy that span their responsibilities.
Reasonable mitigation for those worst affected by changes in State Pension age was introduced in 2011. A concession was made prior to the passing of the 2011 Act which reduced the delay that anyone would experience in claiming their State Pension, relative to the previous timetable, to 18 months. This concession was worth £1.1 billion in total.
This Government is committed to better outcomes for pensioners. However, the several billions of pounds that it would cost to make further policy changes in this area, that prolong the gender inequality in State Pension provision, cannot be justified.