The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recipients in the (a) work related activity group and (b) support group were also in receipt of the severe disability premium in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16 to date.
Priti Patel
The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress is being made through the British-Irish Council on tackling alcohol misuse throughout the British Isles.
Mr Ben Wallace
I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Office who are the lead Department.
The British-Irish Council facilitates and fosters collaboration among member administrations and provides a forum where issues, such as substance misuse, can be discussed. The use and misuse of alcohol was the theme of the British-Irish Council Ministerial Summit hosted by the Irish Government in June 2015 on which the following communiqué was issued: http://www.britishirishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/communiqu%C3%A9s/24%20-%20Twenty%20Fourth%20Summit%20-%20Dublin%20-%2019%20June%202015.pdf
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times Russian military (a) aircraft and (b) ships have entered British territory in the last 12 months; what the average response time was for the armed forces on each of those occasions; and what the type and model was of the aircraft or ship on each of those occasions.
Penny Mordaunt
I can confirm that there have been no unauthorised incursions by Russian military aircraft into UK sovereign airspace in the last twelve months.
There have been three authorised Treaty inspection flights by Russian military An-30b aircraft in UK airspace under the auspices of the multi-national Open Skies Treaty. On each occasion the UK received advance notice of the aircraft’s arrival and it was hosted for the duration of its mission at RAF Brize Norton.
For information on Russian naval assets entering UK territorial waters I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 March 2015 by the previous Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mark Francois) to Question number 218391.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-03-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many SMART awards have been made to companies in Cambridge in each year since the introduction of that scheme.
Joseph Johnson
Innovate UK started delivering the Smart scheme in April 2011. The number of Smart awards made to companies in Cambridge in each year is:
2011-12 37 awards
2012-13 22 awards
2013-14 25 awards
2014-15 29 awards
2015-16 20 awards
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-04-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment claimants have had their claim re-assessed more than six months before the end of their initial award period in the last 12 months for which figures are available.
Justin Tomlinson
The Department does hold the requested information and it could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
For all PIP claimants with a fixed term award, except where the claimant would be expected to have little or no functional limitation within a two year period, a review date is set when the award is made. This review date is based on advice from a health professional and is communicated to the claimant when the award is made. A review process is then initiated on this date. In all such cases the review process is initiated a year in advance of the award end date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2016 to Question 38323, whether an annual record is kept by his Department of locations visited by Ministers and officials of his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Mark Francois
No separate annual record of locations visited by Ministers and officials is kept by this department. However, details of Ministers meetings with external organisations are published online as part of our transparency agenda. Details can be found at:
http://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-communities-and-local-government&publication type=transparency-data
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to accelerate family reunification for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government began work to implement the ‘Dubs amendment’ immediately after the Immigration Bill gained Royal Assent. Over 30 children who meet the criteria in the Immigration Act have been accepted for transfer since it received Royal Assent in May, the majority of these have already arrived in the UK.
We continue to work with the French, Greek and Italian authorities and others to speed up existing family reunification processes or implement new processes where necessary for unaccompanied children. We have seconded a UK official to Greece, we have a long-standing secondee working in Italy and will shortly be seconding another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts.
We have established a dedicated team in the Home Office Dublin Unit to lead on family reunion cases for unaccompanied children. Transfer requests under the Dublin Regulation are now generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. Over 120 children have been accepted for transfer this year from Europe. We also continue to consult local authorities about the transfer unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK, where it is in their best interests.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Lord Beecham on 2016-10-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, of the 700 employers named and shamed” by them since October 2013 for failing to pay the minimum wage
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The National Minimum Wage naming and shaming scheme represents the end point of civil sanctions against employers who fail to pay at least the appropriate rate of minimum wage to their workers. Where there is evidence that an offence has been committed the case will always be considered for criminal investigation which may in turn result in prosecutions. But criminal investigations are reserved for the most serious cases of non-compliance.
Our number one priority is getting workers the money they are owed and the civil route is more successful in achieving this. Criminal investigations by HM Revenue & Customs and prosecutions by the Crown Prosecution Service will not necessarily result in arrears of wages being paid back to the workers. This would require further civil prosecutions following the Courts’ ruling.
Under the civil route, employers are not only faced with reputational consequences, but also face a financial penalty for breaking the law.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects work on a long-term strategy for UK food and farming to conclude; and if she will make a statement.
George Eustice
We are due to publish our 25 year plan for British food and farming early in 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of his Department’s running costs for the Command Support Air Transport fleet in each year from 2015 to 2020.
Mr Philip Dunne
It is estimated that the running costs for the Command Support Air Transport Fleet would be some £19 million – £20 million per annum, in each year from 2015-2020.