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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • David Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    David Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing capacity on the West Coast Mainline after completion of the HS2 and related projects.

    Claire Perry

    Network Rail leads the long term planning process, which works with local authorities and operators to identify and consider future options for capacity improvement across the rail network as a whole. Network Rail studies are underway to consider future capacity on the West Coast Main Line, but no assessment has been made at this stage by the government. In due course, the government will consider the full range of options for capacity improvements on national rail that are identified by the industry processes. These industry options will feed into the Government’s decisions on Rail Investment Strategies for the periods 2019-2024 and beyond, taking into account the recommendations of the Hendy, Bowe and Shaw reports.

  • Seema Kennedy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Seema Kennedy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Kennedy on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps the Government is taking to tackle organised crime in Northern Ireland.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The Fresh Start Agreement created a Joint Agency Task Force to identify strategic priorities and co-ordinate joint operations against those involved in cross-border organised crime.

    Tackling organised crime in Northern Ireland is primarily a matter for the devolved Department of Justice, under the auspices of the Organised Crime Task Force.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the application of parity of esteem applies to those in jail in Northern Ireland but who have a residence elsewhere.

    Lord Dunlop

    This Government understands the concept of parity of esteem, as set out in the 1998 Belfast Agreement, as placing a general obligation on the UK Government to treat people of different traditions in Northern Ireland fairly and with equal respect. In the Agreement it is clearly expressed and defined in relation to people living in Northern Ireland.

    As a general obligation there is no definition of particular circumstances in which it does or does not apply.

    As I have set out in previous replies to the Noble Lord, this Government is firm in its commitment to the protection of people against any form of discrimination, and the promotion of opportunity for all, across the whole of our United Kingdom.

    In respect of the Noble Lord’s question about those who might march wearing army uniforms but who are not members of an army, the concept of parity of esteem clearly does not absolve people from upholding the law. This Government has made clear many times that we will never accept any form of equivalence between members of the security forces and those who engage in terrorism or other forms of paramilitary activity.

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-06-24.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to change the pension freedoms rules to allow people to withdraw a lump sum after drawing down their pension.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Chancellor announced at the March Budget 2015 that the government intends to remove the restrictions on the sale of existing annuities. This will allow pensioners to sell the income they receive from their annuity. Subject to agreement from their annuity provider and there being a willing buyer, people will then be able to access their money either as a lump sum or arrange for it to be put into a drawdown product to use the proceeds more gradually.

    In December 2015, the government published its response to its initial consultation on these proposals confirming that the government intends to implement these proposals from April 2017.

  • Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure the protection of single crew police officers.

    Brandon Lewis

    Individual chief constables are best placed to assess the risks to their force and decisions about patrol policy must remain with them. Chief Constables, working with directly elected police and crime commissioners, have a duty to manage and support the police workforce effectively, ensuring the welfare of all officers and staff. Chief constables keep their patrol policies under regular review and decide how best to respond to their local circumstances.

  • Lord Kilclooney – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Kilclooney – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government who are the UK members of the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly; and to which political group each member belongs.

    Lord Dunlop

    Responsibility for appointing the United Kingdom delegation to the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly lies with the Lords Speaker and the Speaker of the House of Commons.

    The current members of the United Kingdom delegation and the political party to which they belong are set out below:

    MEMBERS

    Lord (Paul) Bew

    Cross-Bench

    Baroness (May) Blood MBE

    Labour

    Mr Andrew Bridgen MP

    Conservative

    Ms Deirdre Brock MP

    SNP

    Mr Oliver Colvile MP

    Conservative

    Miss Rosie Cooper MP

    Labour

    Rt Hon Baroness (Jean) Corston

    Labour

    Rt Hon Mr Jeffrey Donaldson MP

    DUP

    Lord (Alf) Dubs

    Labour

    Mr Mark Durkan MP

    SDLP

    Mr Nigel Evans MP

    Conservative

    Mr Paul Farrelly MP

    Labour

    Lord (Robin) Glentoran

    Conservative

    Ms Helen Jones MP

    Labour

    Mr Danny Kinahan MP

    UUP

    Mr Jack Lopresti MP

    Conservative

    Rt Hon Lord (Brian) Mawhinney

    Conservative

    Mr Conor McGinn MP

    Labour

    Mr Nigel Mills MP

    Conservative

    Lord (Roger) Skelmersdale

    Conservative

    Mr Robin Walker MP

    Conservative

    ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

    Ms Caroline Ansell MP

    Conservative

    Ms Victoria Atkins MP

    Conservative

    Mr Tom Blenkinsop MP

    Labour

    Viscount (Robin) Bridgeman

    Conservative

    Mr Glyn Davies MP

    Conservative

    Lord (Bernard) Donoughue

    Labour

    Lord (Reg) Empey

    UUP

    Mrs Margaret Ferrier MP

    SNP

    Lord (James) Gordon of Strathblane

    Labour

    Rt Hon David Hanson MP

    Labour

    Mr Stephen Hepburn MP

    Labour

    Lord (John) Kilclooney

    Cross-Bench

    Ms Siobhain McDonagh MP

    Labour

    Sir Alan Meale MP

    Labour

    Lord (Christopher) Tugendhat

    Conservative

    “

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what Action Fraud’s budget has been in each year of its existence; how many cases it has pursued in each such year; and what proportion of such cases involved cybercrime.

    Mike Penning

    Action Fraud is the national reporting point for fraud and also cyber crime. Crime reports received by Action Fraud are considered by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), both of which are operated by the City of London Police. Neither Action Fraud nor the NFIB are investigatory agencies. Crime reports are evaluated to assess the information available which could assist an investigation, and to identify links between seemingly unconnected incidents. Where there is enough evidence available and a viable lead, actionable intelligence packages are created by the NFIB and are sent to the appropriate police force to consider whether enforcement activity should take place. All crime reports are assessed against a number of variables, which may alter according to demand. It would be improper to comment on the procedure on which these decisions are made in the public domain.

    Action Fraud was rolled out to all police forces in April 2013; the data below includes crime reports and disseminations in England and Wales only. For the 12 months to 31 March 2015, Action Fraud received 230,399 reports of crime. Of these, 14,509 were cyber dependent crimes, namely, crimes which can only be committed using computers, computer networks or other forms of information communication technology – for example, hacking or malware offences. These crimes fall under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. For this period, the NFIB disseminated a total of 61,682 crimes to Forces and partner agencies to consider investigation. For the period April 2013 – March 2014 Action Fraud received 211,221 crime reports and of these, 21,686 were cyber dependent. For this period, the NFIB disseminated a total of 39,138 crimes to Forces and partner agencies to consider investigation.

    Historically the Action Fraud capability came into life in 2009 and was funded by the National Fraud Authority (NFA), which has since been closed, a proportion of the NFA’s total budget was used to fund the Action Fraud Capability and is as follows:

    • 2009/10 £5.7 million including a £1.4 million uplift to set up the service

    • 2010/11 £4.9 million

    • 2011/12 £6.68 million

    • 2012/13 £9.4 million

    Since the closure of the NFA in March 2014 Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau have been funded by Home Office funding, Cabinet Office funding for Cyber Security and funding from the City of London Police core grant, and is as follows:

    • 2013/14 £11.11 million

    • 2014/15 £10.62 million

    • 2015/16 £11.03 million

  • Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Wasserman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wasserman on 2016-01-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they have made to archive the public papers of Police and Crime Commissioners following the end of their terms in May 2016.

    Lord Bates

    It is the responsibility of the local Chief Executive in their role as Monitoring Officer and the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to make arrangements for the archiving of public papers following the end of their PCC’s term of office in May 2016.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to performance indicators for helping cyclists, walkers and other vulnerable users of the network in the Highways England operational metrics manual, whether any additional resource funding has been allocated under the Road Investment Strategy to reduce vulnerable user casualties.

    Andrew Jones

    Highways England has committed to provide a safer, integrated and more accessible strategic road network for cyclists, walkers and other vulnerable road users. Through the first Road Investment Strategy for Highways England, a ring-fenced allocation of £175 million has been made available between 2015 and 2020 to improve the safety of the Strategic Road Network and improve conditions for cyclists and other vulnerable road users.

    The Highways England current delivery plan states that £78 million will be used to improve conditions for those cycling alongside and crossing the Strategic Road Network. The remaining £97 million will be used to enhance the safety of our network, with £20 million of this specifically targeted at improving facilities to provide a more accessible and integrated network.

  • Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on legal costs related to the under-occupancy penalty.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Government has incurred approximately £387,155 to date on legal costs associated with judicial review challenges to the under-occupancy penalty.

    It should be noted that this figure includes VAT where this is payable (e.g. on Counsel’s fees) and disbursements but does not include costs attributable to the time spent by Government advisory lawyers, as time spent by such advisory lawyers is not recorded in a manner that allows it to be attributed to individual cases. This figure does not include all of Counsel’s fees incurred in relation to the Supreme Court hearing of MA & Others/A and Rutherford v the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (29 February to 2 March) which have not yet been billed.