Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 8 June (HL359) and 16 June (HL388) on the subject of violence against women and girls, whether the British Embassy in Pyongyang or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have raised the issue of rape and sexual violence of women and girls by North Korean public officials with North Korea since June 2016.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have not raised this specific issue since the previous answers (HL359 and HL388) in June 2016. However, we continue to raise our concerns on human rights directly with the regime of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Most recently, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office my Honourable Friend the member for Reading West (Mr Sharma), summoned the Ambassador for the DPRK to the Foreign Commonwealth Office, where Mr Sharma made clear our concerns that the regime was prioritising its nuclear and ballistic missile programme ahead of the welfare of its people. In addition, we are currently working with partners at the UN General Assembly Third Committee on a strong resolution to maintain international attention on the human rights situation in the DPRK.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make it his policy to reopen the Government’s Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme, which has supported thousands of small businesses, is now closed as the funding has been fully allocated. Any decision regarding new funding is subject to the forthcoming Spending Review.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-11-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are taking any action against the West London Mental Health NHS Trust for allegedly barring Dr Stuart Lorimer from commenting on his being placed on The Independent on Sunday’s Rainbow List; and if so, what.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    We are assured by the NHS Trust Development Authority that the West London Mental Health NHS Trust has not sought to prevent Dr Stuart Lorimer or any other member of staff from speaking about the Independent on Sunday’s Rainbow List and the recognition of Dr Lorimer’s work with the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. We understand the Trust has congratulated Dr Lorimer on being recognised for his work with the LGBT community.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has assessed the potential effects on nursing students of abolishing grants and maintenance allowances and introducing student loans and tuition fees for nurses’ training placement.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department plans to issue a public consultation by the end of Febraury 2016 on how we can most successfully take forward and implement the reforms. An impact assessment will be published alongside the consultation document.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answers of 28 January 2016 to Questions 24029 and 24048, what (a) financial assessment, (b) cost-benefit assessment and (c) impact assessment his Department has carried out on the proposal to cap the cost of local housing allowance for people living in sheltered and supported housing.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The policy is still under development and full impact and equality assessments will be undertaken in due course.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to reduce the amount of litter on Highways England’s road network; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    Highways England, as a Government Owned Company, is responsible for complying with the mandatory legal requirements under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which includes removing litter on England’s motorways. Collecting litter puts road workers at risk and is a costly operation, so Highways England works collaboratively with a number of organisations to promote anti-litter campaigns.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether children who receive the higher rate of the mobility component of disability living allowance are considered to be eligible children for free school transport; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    Local authorities have a statutory duty under section 508B of the Education Act 1996 to make suitable travel arrangements for all eligible children attending their nearest suitable school. This includes children with special education needs (SEN) or a disability or mobility problem (including temporary conditions) if their SEN or disability or mobility problem means that they could not reasonably be expected to walk to the school. Being in receipt of the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (a benefit with different eligibility criteria and assessment process administered by the Department for Work and Pensions) does not necessarily confer eligibility for free home to school transport but neither does it preclude it if the conditions above are met.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) migrants and (b) people seeking asylum who have attempted to travel to Europe via Egypt in each of the last two years.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We do not hold figures for the number of migrants and asylum seekers who have attempted to travel to Europe via Egypt. According to the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders (Frontex), in 2014 there were 170,760 detections of illegal border-crossings on the Central Mediterranean route (not only from Egypt). In 2015, the number of detections was 153,946.

  • Edward Argar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Edward Argar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Edward Argar on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to increase the effectiveness of the UK Border Force as a law enforcement organisation since it was established as an independent operational command within her Department in 2012.

    James Brokenshire

    Since it was established as an operational command of the Home Office in 2012, a number of positive changes have been made to Border Force’s working practices in order to make it a more effective law enforcement organisation. In 2012, Border Force was, for the first time, provided with an operating mandate which set out parameters for operational decision-making, including the need to maintain 100% checks on all passengers arriving at passport control at all times. Border Force has also become more intelligence-led – adept at utilising increasing volumes of advance data to make targeted interventions against potentially dangerous passengers and consignments of goods upon arrival in the UK.

    Other important changes include: an improvement in command and control arrangements so that Border Force can rapidly respond and adjust to evolving security threats across different locations; employing new leadership in headquarters and ports across the country to install a more security-focussed culture in the organisation and plan effective operations with partner organisations at both a national and international level. Border Force has also increased the capability of its officers to respond to security threats, by equipping all permanently employed staff working at passport control with powers and training to detain individuals that pose a threat to the public who are subject to an arrest warrant or otherwise liable to arrest.

    These reforms have had a transformative effect on Border Force. As well as undertaking its traditional immigration and customs roles more effectively and efficiently, it has also proved capable of meeting a range of new strategic priorities, including rapidly implementing a screening regime in response to the global ebola outbreak and being a international leader in its work to identify victims of trafficking and slavery. Furthermore, in the past year Border Force has seized nearly 8 tonnes of Class A Drugs, more than two and half times as much as in 2009/10.

  • Justin Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Justin Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Attorney General, what progress he has made on increasing the number of prosecutions for disability hate crime.

    Robert Buckland

    In 2015/16, the CPS completed 941 prosecutions for disability hate crime, an increase of 41.3% on the previous year when it completed 666 prosecutions.

    The number of convictions rose from 503 in 2014/15 to 707 in 2015/16, an increase of 40.6%.