Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May 2016 to Question 35790, what data her Department holds on criminal assets abroad and whether such assets are recovered or not.

    Mr John Hayes

    As the Answer to Question 35790 set out, the Action Plan for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist finance states that there is no definitive measure of the scale of money laundering, but the best available international estimate, by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), of amounts laundered globally are equivalent to 2.7% of global GDP or US$1.6 trillion in 2009. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not hold data on criminal assets held abroad. Criminal assets recovered since 2009 under asset sharing arrangements were set out in the previous answer.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have made for bilateral and multilateral aid to the Palestinian Authority after the UK has left the EU.

    Baroness Verma

    The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain’s future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Action Fraud.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    Action Fraud is the national reporting point for fraud and financially-motivated cyber crime. We have seen significant improvement in performance; official figures show reports of fraud have trebled since Action Fraud was rolled out nationally, addressing the concern that fraud was an under-reported crime type.

    Since it’s launch the Government has been building the capability of police forces, GCHQ and the NCA to respond to online cyber crime. Over the last year, Action Fraud has introduced an improved system which keeps victims informed of the progress of their case. The number of disseminations to local forces has also increased.

  • Lord Ahmed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 6 November (HL2947), why they have decided not to raise the issue of the three British citizens who were killed during the Gujarat Massacre in 2002 with Prime Minister Modi during his visit to the UK.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    This case is ongoing in the Indian courts. The United Kingdom cannot interfere in another country’s legal system, as we would not expect them to interfere in ours. The British Government has registered its interest in this case, and our officials will continue to press the relevant Indian authorities for the family’s appeal to be heard swiftly and fairly.

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, whether access for disabled students will be included in measures to determine whether higher education institutions deliver effective outcomes for widening access and social mobility.

    Joseph Johnson

    Higher Education Institutions have clear responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support their students, including those with disabilities.

    The Independent Office for Fair Access (OFFA) has agreed 183 Access Agreements for 2016/17 with plans for Universities to spend more than £745 million on measures to improve access and student success for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, up from £404m in 2009/10. HEIs choose their own access agreement measures and targets, in line with their own particular mission and challenges and these can include targets on disability where appropriate.

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to respond to the recommendations in the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission’s 2015 State of the Nation Annual Report.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The government is grateful to the Commission for its wide-ranging and comprehensive report and will study the findings and recommendations very carefully. As the Prime Minister announced on 11 January, we are committed to publishing a Life Chances Strategy in the Spring.The Strategy will set out a comprehensive plan to fight disadvantage and extend opportunity, including a wider set of non-statutory measures on root causes of child poverty such as family breakdown, problem debt, and drug and alcohol dependency. The government looks forward to working with the new Social Mobility Commission, which will continue to play a very important role in the drive to promote and increase social mobility in the years to come.

  • Vernon Coaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Vernon Coaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of allegations arising from documents stolen from RUC offices in Castlereagh in 2002 relating to the Shankill Road bombing in 1993; and if she will make a statement.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The previous Government initiated an inquiry into the implications falling from the loss of information from Castlereagh police station. This was conducted by Sir John Chilcot. The report made recommendations about how to avoid any similar incidents happening in the future.

    In relation to allegations made about the Shankill bombing, responsibility for the murder of nine people in this attack, and injury to many others, rests with the terrorists who carried it out. It is also the case that the Chief Constable has stated that he believes that the RUC had no knowledge of the attack which could have enabled them to prevent it.

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Prime Minister’s announcement of 14 December 2015, We will not stand by – failing children’s services will be taken over, how the Government plans to spend the £100 million to be invested in attracting more high-calibre graduates into social work.

    Edward Timpson

    This Government is investing in Step Up to Social Work and Frontline, our fast-track graduate entry programmes, to attract future high-calibre graduates into social work. We aim to train over 3,000 new social workers through fast-track schemes over the Spending Review period.

    The cost for the continuation of the Frontline pilot from April 2016 – end March 2019 is estimated at around £10m.

    In October 2015, Government issued a tender for a national fast-track social work programme to succeed the Frontline pilot. Funds will be allocated for delivery once the contract is confirmed. Costs will vary according to actual numbers recruited.

  • David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants (a) from each Department and (b) at each civil service grade have been seconded to the Cabinet Office Referendum Unit.

    John Penrose

    I refer my right hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice and Howden and the hon. Member for Clacton to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for St Albans on 18 April 2016 to UIN: 32678.

    The cost of the secretariat, including the Referendum Unit, will be accounted for in the Department’s annual report and accounts.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Ethiopian government on the killing of protestors in the Oromia region since December 2015.

    James Duddridge

    The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the handling of demonstrations in Oromia and the reported deaths of a number of protestors, and has repeatedly made representations to the Ethiopian Government over the ongoing situation in Oromia. Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for International Development, raised our concerns with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 21 January, as did I, with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Dr Tedros, at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on 27 January. Our Ambassador did the same in a meeting with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 26 April.

    The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been appointed to look into the handling of the protests in Oromia, and we await the publication of its report. We will continue to urge the EHRC and the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that their report is credible, transparent and leads to concrete action.