The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2016-05-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many passport applications have been made using the legend of a deceased person in each of the past six years.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We do not routinely publish this data.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department to use to distribute funding accrued from the soft drinks industry levy to schools in order to extend their school day for physical activities.
Edward Timpson
The Department is currently determining the details of how funding will be allocated, with a view to beginning to distribute funding to schools in 2017. We will provide further details in due course so that schools have sufficient time to apply for the funding and to consider how they will deliver the new provision, including through appropriate consultation with parents.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department has provided to public service broadcasting of UK minority languages; and if she will make a statement.
Matt Hancock
The BBC Charter Review has recently considered the BBC’s contribution to minority language broadcasting. A clearer commitment to each minority language has been included in the draft BBC Framework Agreement, setting out the need for the BBC to continue to deliver output in Welsh, Gaelic, the Irish language and Ulster-Scots.
There is also a new commitment for the BBC to continue their partnership with MG Alba for the next 11 years and arrangements for continued partnership with S4C are also in place.
The Government provides Exchequer funding to S4C – in 2015-16 this was £6.782 million. The Government also provides £3 million p.a. to the Irish Language Broadcasting Fund and £1 million p.a. to the Ulster-Scots Broadcasting Fund which are administered via Northern Ireland Screen.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2016-03-14.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the membership of the National Flood Resilience Review team is.
Mr Oliver Letwin
The National Flood Resilience Review Group meets regularly to review progress of the review. We do not comment on specific date, nor do we publish agendas or minutes
The National Floods Resilience Review Group is chaired by Oliver Letwin and consists of Ministers and senior officials from relevant departments, including Defra, DECC, DfT, DCLG, HMT, DCMS, the Environment Agency and the Met Office.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) security and (b) political situation in the Central Africa Republic.
James Duddridge
The security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is grave. Outside the capital Bangui, violence, looting, hostage-taking and human rights abuses continue to occur with relative impunity. The security situation in Bangui is more stable than the rest of the country, having improved following the surge in violence in late September, but tensions still run high and we continue to advise against all travel to CAR. The political situation is precarious. The transitional government, led by President Catherine Samba-Panza, is being undermined by actors from armed groups and dates for elections have been moved a number of times in the last months. The first round is currently planned for late December 2015, with additional rounds planned for January 2016. Great efforts have been made to register all CAR citizens both in CAR and in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. We expect a deterioration in the political situation, in parallel with the security situation, in the lead up to these elections.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for the return of disclosure and barring service documentation for applications made by people in East Dorset.
Karen Bradley
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is undertaking a transformation programme to reform the way it delivers its services. Release 1 (R1) will improve efficiency with modernised IT solutions and business processes, making it more convenient and quicker for customers. This does not include using volunteers to operate the disclosure process, given the highly sensitive nature of the information involved.
For applications received from individuals with a Dorset postcode between December 2014 and November 2015, the average processing time was 23.4 days. It is not possible to calculate the average figure for those from East Dorset specifically as this information is not collected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-01-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in tackling problem gambling.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
This Government wants to ensure that people are protected from being harmed or exploited by gambling. We welcome the ongoing work of the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB), the Gambling Commission and the Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT) to identify the causes of problem gambling and to implement effective deterrents and treatments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-02-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the effect of third party capture on motor insurance premiums.
Dominic Raab
The Government is determined to crack down on fraud and the compensation culture.
The Government recognises that offers to settle made to claimants without medical evidence may encourage opportunistic and fraudulent claims. The Government introduced new court rules in October 2014 to discourage such offers and we continue to keep the matter of third party capture, including the impacts on motor premiums, under review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-03-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they propose to change the operation of, and access to, the services provided by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.
Lord Dunlop
The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is currently considering a range of options for reforming his office. Any reforms will ensure that elections and electoral registration will continue to be delivered in the most effective way while placing his office on a sustainable financial footing. I understand work on some of the options for reform remains at an early stage.
In addition to the currently available paper registration process we propose to introduce, by the end of 2016, an on-line registration service. This will improve the registration service offered to people in Northern Ireland.
The consideration of possible structural changes to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland is a matter for the Chief Electoral Officer and it will be for him to consult with stakeholders once the options have been fully explored.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Graham on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of psychological assessment and rehabilitation of people convicted of stalking offences under Sections 2A and 4A.
Dominic Raab
The Government recognises that stalking is an insidious crime that can have a devastating impact on the lives of victims and their families. That is why the coalition Government created specific stalking offences in 2012 and why we continue to look at ways to protect victims of stalking, ensure stalking is recognised early and dealt with effectively and, where an offender is convicted, provide the courts with appropriate sentencing powers.