The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have had their initial assessments for personal independence payments assessments payments upheld on appeal in (a) the UK, (b) Wiltshire and (c) the Chippenham constituency in each of the last 12 months.
Andrew Selous
The information requested is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many Russian language (a) speakers, (b) interpreters and (c) translators are employed by his Department; and what steps he is taking to increase the number of such experts working in his Department.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We have 163 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) employees with some level of Russian capability, ranging from basic Russian to operational skills (equivalent to degree level) recorded centrally.
Russian is a priority language for the FCO, and since 2010, we have increased the number of Russian-language speaker positions in our Russian and former Soviet Union Posts by 30% and increased the minimum duration for Russian-language training from 10 to 14 months.
The FCO does not deploy UK-based staff overseas as translators or interpreters. British Embassy Moscow has one full time locally recruited translator/interpreter position. Our local staff overseas routinely assist with translation as part of their daily work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-05-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value was of the salvage expenses deducted by Odyssey Marine Exploration from the Government’s share of the silver recovered from SS Gairsoppa.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Odyssey Marine Exploration deducted 29,228,972 US Dollars as salvage expenses from the total value of silver bullion recovered from the SS Gairsoppa.
The question as to whether or not Odyssey Marine Exploration deducted excessive salvage expenses under the contract, which was awarded in January 2010, is disputed between the parties, and would accordingly need to be the subject of legal proceedings in the United Kingdom and possibly also in the United States of America to resolve. This issue is being kept under review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2016 to Question 41528, what discussions the Civil Service Chief People Officer, Rupert McNeil, has had with permanent secretaries of other government departments on meeting external organisations to discuss meeting temporary or permanent skills and staff needs.
Ben Gummer
The Civil Service constantly reviews its capabilities in order to deliver the Government’s agenda. Civil Servants regularly meet with external organisations and stakeholders to discuss how best to deliver that agenda, including seeking advice and assistance where appropriate. Following the decision to exit the European Union, Rupert McNeil, the Chief People Officer, is working closely with departments and functions across government to understand the capabilities required, including considering what new skills the Civil Service may require. To do that, he is in the process of meeting all Departmental Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Function.
Work is on-going to establish the new Department for Exiting the European Union and the new Department for International Trade and all departments are currently reviewing their own structures and resources to ensure we get the best deal for the whole of Britain.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-10-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many enquiries were made to the Tax Credit Office by each hon. Member on behalf of constituents in (a) July, (b) August and (c) September 2016.
Jane Ellison
HM Revenue and Customs does not hold data showing the individual breakdown of enquiries by each hon. Member. The number of enquiries made to the Tax Credit Office by hon. Members on behalf of constituents between July and September 2016 were as follows:
|
Telephone Enquiries |
Written Enquiries |
|
|
July |
642 |
527 |
|
August |
1169 |
414 |
|
September |
3172 |
1838 |
|
Total |
4983 |
2779 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2015-10-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many officials of her Department have been employed to communicate the benefits of the Union to the Scottish public.
Mr Desmond Swayne
Scotland’s contribution to the UK’s international development effort is immense and we can be proud of what we have achieved together. As one United Kingdom, we have a much greater impact in saving lives and helping the world’s neediest people.
We have a duty to communicate to the UK public how international development, funded by the British people, is making a difference in the world’s poorest places. That includes making sure that people in Scotland know what we are achieving together.
In line with the cross-party International Development Committee’s recommendations, DFID has recruited one senior external communications officer for Scotland and devolved administrations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-24.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph DISP 2.8.4 of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Handbook, if he will direct the FCA to amend its policy on the application of the six year rule in exceptional circumstances to enable the Financial Ombudsman to consider cases in which important evidence emerges after that six year period.
Harriett Baldwin
This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) who are independent from Government.
The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the Honorable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20252, how her Department assesses the effect of Government policy on domestic violence.
Karen Bradley
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) publishes an annual violence against women and girls report, which includes national level data on the number of convictions for domestic abuse and supports the assessment of the effectiveness of Government policy on domestic violence.
The latest data, published in June 2015, showed that the volume of convictions in 2014-15 reached 68,601 – a rise of 10,325 convictions since 2013-14 and the highest volume ever.
The Office for National Statistics also publishes data on the prevalence of domestic abuse in the Crime Survey for England and Wales. Latest data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that 6.1% of adults aged 16-59 were a victim of ‘Any Domestic Abuse’ in 2014-15 – the lowest estimate since these questions were first asked in the 2004-05 survey.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Tim on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in which BDUK contract areas (a) new duct and (b) poles installed by BT with funding from BDUK have been made available for use by other communications providers.
Mr Edward Vaizey
All ducts and poles in BT’s network beyond the telephone exchange are open to other providers, under the Passive Infrastructure Access obligation imposed by Ofcom, to provide primarily residential broadband services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of starter homes that will be wheelchair accessible.
Brandon Lewis
Starter Homes like all new homes, will ahve to meet Building Regulations’ access requirements which ensure reasonable provision for people to gain access to and use, the dwelling and its facilities.