The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) services and (b) jobs within the Passport Office were transferred to the private sector in the last five years; and when those transfers took place.
James Brokenshire
No jobs have been transferred from Her Majesty’s Passport Office to the private
sector in the last five years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he or officials of his Department last raised the issue of torture of prisoners in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the government of UAE.
Hugh Robertson
The Government unreservedly condemns the use of torture and urges all countries to comply with international law. Our close relationship with the UAE allows us to discuss sensitive issues, including human rights concerns, at every level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on increasing the range of services provided by the Post Office network.
Jenny Willott
Post Office Ltd, with its network of over 11,500 branches, is well placed to become a provider of front office services for Government, helping citizens interact with Government either face-to-face or online.
While public services must be competitively tendered, Post Office Ltd has shown that it can very effectively bid for and win new work. It has won every Government contract it has bid for the past three years in highly competitive tendering processes.
In particular, in 2012 it successfully bid for the competitively-tendered DVLA framework contract for Front Office Counter Services (FOCS). This contract runs to 2020 and is available to other Government departments. For example HM Passport Office recently moved its services with Post Office Ltd onto FOCS and this Department and the Cabinet Office are in close contact about a range of other opportunities.
Furthermore, Post Office Ltd was recently one of the successful bidders for the Cabinet Office’s online identity assurance contract, ensuring that Post Office Ltd can play a role in the delivery of modern, online Government services.
Whilst I continue to highlight to my colleagues the opportunities available to Government from using the Post Office network and contracts such as these, individual contracts are a matter for the services in question and their respective public bodies and departments. I have not had recent discussions specifically with the Welsh Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to address the current backlog of applications within the Passport Office.
James Brokenshire
On 12 June, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Home Secretary set out to the House the
measures HM Passport Office is putting in place to respond to the exceptional
current levels of passport demand.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer of 12 June 2014, Official Report, columns
693 and 694 for details.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the standard individual export licence granted in May 2011 to permit tear gas ammunition to be exported to Turkey expired.
Michael Fallon
The licence expired on 4th May 2012. Temporary export licences are issued for a period of 12 months, with a condition that the goods are returned to the UK within the validity of the licence. The goods were returned to the UK on 23 May 2011.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on increasing the range of services provided by the Post Office network.
Jenny Willott
Post Office Ltd, with its network of over 11,500 branches, is well placed to become a provider of front office services for Government, helping citizens interact with Government either face-to-face or online.
While public services must be competitively tendered, Post Office Ltd has shown that it can very effectively bid for and win new work. It has won every Government contract it has bid for the past three years in highly competitive tendering processes.
In particular, in 2012 it successfully bid for the competitively-tendered DVLA framework contract for Front Office Counter Services (FOCS). This contract runs to 2020 and is available to other Government departments. For example HM Passport Office recently moved its services with Post Office Ltd onto FOCS and this Department and the Cabinet Office are in close contact about a range of other opportunities.
Furthermore, Post Office Ltd was recently one of the successful bidders for the Cabinet Office’s online identity assurance contract, ensuring that Post Office Ltd can play a role in the delivery of modern, online Government services.
Whilst I continue to highlight to my colleagues the opportunities available to Government from using the Post Office network and contracts such as these, individual contracts are a matter for the services in question and their respective public bodies and departments. I have not had recent discussions specifically with the Northern Ireland Executive.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport (a) applications and (b) renewal applications were received by the Passport Office in each (i) month and (ii) year of the last five years.
James Brokenshire
The following table provides the requested information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will investigate whether any tear gas exported to Turkey under the standard individual export licence granted in May 2011 was used on demonstrators in Turkey in 2013.
Michael Fallon
The licence granted in May 2011 was for temporary export of "inert tear gas/irritant ammunition" for exhibition purposes. It was a condition of the licence that the goods were returned to the UK within 12 months and they were returned on 13 May 2013 .The licence did not authorise the export of any tear gas or "live" tear gas ammunition.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will undertake a comparative assessment of Government spending on apprenticeships in the UK and Germany.
Matthew Hancock
A wide variety of public sources frequently make comparative assessment of international Apprenticeships systems.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications were made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority’s Hardship Fund in 2013-14; and what proportion of such applications were successful.
Damian Green
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority received ten applications under the hardship fund in 2013-14, of which four were successful.
People who did not meet the fund’s earnings criteria lodged the six remaining applications. The fund is there to support low-paid workers and four of these six people earned too much to be eligible, while the other two lost no income as a result of the injuries they sustained.