Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Caroline Nokes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Caroline Nokes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Nokes on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential psychological effect on victims of domestic abuse who are representing themselves as litigants in person in the family court of having to cross-examine their alleged abuser.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The Government is committed to supporting victims of domestic violence and abuse.

    The Ministry of Justice is undertaking research to explore how the family judiciary are currently managing cases where unrepresented alleged perpetrators of abuse can cross-examine vulnerable witnesses in the family court, and to establish what, if any, additional provisions could be considered to support them in doing so. A report will be published in due course.

    The research did not aim to assess the psychological impact of any cross-examination on victims of domestic abuse. However, some of the findings relate to the considerations the judiciary make in managing such cases appropriately, and the report will outline options to further protect vulnerable witnesses in the family court. It was out of scope of this research to explore cases where an unrepresented litigant who is a victim of domestic abuse may have to cross-examine their alleged abuser.

    Family judges have a range of powers and training to manage difficult court room situations and to ensure they are handled sensitively for victims of domestic violence and other vulnerable witnesses. Judges can intervene to prevent inappropriate questions or have questions relayed. Practical protections, for example, protective screens, video links, separate waiting rooms and separate entrances are available where appropriate. It is for the judge involved, on the basis of the evidence, to determine how the framework will be applied in a particular case.

    The family courts take the issue of domestic violence extremely seriously. The Child Arrangement Programme and Practice Direction 12J set out a strong and clear framework where domestic violence is alleged and all judges receive specific training on this framework.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average time taken to provide reimbursement when a benefit sanction is overturned by appeal in the last 12 months.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much Child Support Agency schemes arrears as at 31 March 2016 are being handled by the Child Maintenance Service; and how many cases those arrears relate to.

    Priti Patel

    Figures for 31 March 2016 are not yet available.

  • 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 2016-05-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government who defines parity of esteem as required by the Belfast Agreement 1998; how it is defined; whether it is possible to change the definition; and if so, how.

    Lord Dunlop

    ‘Parity of esteem’ is expressed and defined in the 1998 Belfast Agreement in relation to people living in Northern Ireland. That Agreement was reached following talks between the then UK Labour Government, several of Northern Ireland’s political parties – including the Ulster Unionist Party, Sinn Fein and others – and the then Irish Government. This Government sees parity of esteem as treating everybody in Northern Ireland fairly, with equal respect, just as it is committed to treating people fairly and with equal respect wherever they live in the United Kingdom.

  • Lord Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Sheikh on 2016-07-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ceasefire declarations by the government of Sudan and the rebel movements in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We welcome the Sudanese Government’s announcement of a cessation of hostilities for the Two Areas last month, and the opposition’s announcement in April. We are aware of recent allegations of breaches and our Ambassador in Khartoum raised this issue with the Chief of Staff for the Sudanese Armed Forces on 18 July who reiterated the government’s commitment to upholding the cessation of hostilities. We continue to call on all sides to ensure the declarations are respected and allow full humanitarian access.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to continue to support Commissioning through Evaluation; and whether he plans to maintain patient access to that programme whilst a formal decision is made on its future.

    David Mowat

    There are no current plans to stop supporting the Commissioning through Evaluation programme.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of recent comments by European Council President Donald Tusk that Russian military action in Syria is increasing the number of refugees to Europe; and what assessment they have made of the impact of the US-led coalition’s military action on the number of Syrian refugees.

    Baroness Verma

    We continue to closely monitor the humanitarian impact of Russian airstrikes in Syria. We are particularly concerned at UN reports that Russian-backed regime offensives have caused the displacement of at least 140,000 people in Aleppo, Hama, and Idlib governorates since 5 October. We are currently not aware that the flow of refugees has increased as a result of Russian military action. However with displacement on such a scale we cannot rule out that it will have an impact on refugee flows.

    Unlike the Assad regime and its allies, who are bombing indiscriminately, Coalition military efforts in both Iraq and Syria are specifically designed to minimise civilian casualties in line with International Humanitarian Law.

    We continue to call upon all parties to the conflict to uphold International Humanitarian Law and protect civilians.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contingency plans his Department has for the funding of the new Northern and TransPennine franchises in the event that projected passenger number increases are not achieved.

    Andrew Jones

    Revenue risk for these two franchises lies with the franchisee, not the Department. This means the Department is not responsible for covering any shortfall in farebox revenue compared to the successful bidders’ expectations.

    The successful bids are backed by significant parent company support which can be called upon in life to ensure the liquidity ratios are met. Also both franchises were subjected to a financial robustness test as part of the bid evaluation process and considered low risk for the Department.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the movement of nuclear materials on roads in Scotland by his Department is supervised and regulated.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The transport of Defence Nuclear Material is regulated by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator according to the provisions of Joint Service Publication 538, Regulation of the Nuclear Weapon Programme, available at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/341332/20140801_JSP_538_V3_1_Pt_1.pdf

    A wide range of safety and contingency measures are in place to ensure the safety of nuclear convoy operations. These are summarised in the Local Authority and Emergency Service Information document available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-emergency-services-information.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 21012 on roads: floods, what recent assessment his Department has made of (a) the extent of damage caused by the winter floods, (b) the estimated cost of such damage, (c) the timetable for repairs and (d) relevant projects which have been identified as national priorities.

    Andrew Jones

    I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 January 2016, UIN 23151 (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=23151).

    The Government is determined to help hard working families and local businesses in flood affected areas as quickly as possible. The Department for Transport continues to work closely with all affected highway authorities as they finalise their assessments to local highway infrastructure prior to final assessment and consideration of what further support and assistance may be provided.

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