The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions the e-gates at UK airports have broken down since 2015.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Protecting the UK border is, and always has been, of paramount importance to this Government. It has never been government practice, for reasons of national security, to comment on operational issues relating to border security.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2015 to Question 15363, how many drivers incurred a fixed-penalty charge for using a mobile telephone at the wheel in each of the last five years.
Mike Penning
Data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued by the police for using a handheld mobile phone while driving in England and Wales in the last five years is set out below.
The enforcement of this offence is an operational matter for individual Chief Officers of police and decisions on the size and composition of a force’s workforce are for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.
Number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued by police in England and Wales (1) for using a handheld mobile phone while driving, 2010 (2) to 2014:
Number (thousands) England and Wales
|
Offence |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
Use of handheld mobile phone while driving |
124.7 |
123.1 |
92.7 |
52.4 |
29.7 |
Source: Police Powers and Procedures, year ending March 2015, Home Office
Notes
|
1. Excludes British Transport Police |
|
2. Data for 2010 is not directly comparable with data from 2011 onwards due to the introduction of the PentiP system which records FPNs in England and Wales. Data from 2011 onwards is slightly lower that comparative data from the previous system. |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people in (a) Feltham and Heston constituency, (b) Houndslow, (c) London and (d) the UK sought advice from the Family Rights Group in 2015.
Edward Timpson
The Department for Education supports the Family Rights Group (FRG) in providing a national helpline for England. Our grant agreement with FRG does not require them to provide us with data by ward or the wider UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Leader of the House, what the order of precedence is for induction to the Privy Council.
Chris Grayling
By custom and convention, the Order of precedence for the induction of new members of the Privy Council is that those wishing to take an Oath are appointed first, followed by those wishing to make affirmation. Other than this distinction, the Order of induction is alphabetical. Privy Counsellor appointments are published after each Privy Council meeting and are available at http://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/privy-council/privy-council-meetings/.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what work his Department is undertaking to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in the construction industry to expand and create more jobs.
Nick Boles
The Government is working to help all construction companies to expand and create jobs. At the Spending Review the housing budget was doubled to over £2 billion per year, and the Chancellor also committed to £100 billion of spending in this Parliament for new roads, rail, flood defences and other vital projects.
We are making sure that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have access to government contract opportunities, making it easier for them to do business with us. We are requiring departments to publish details of future projects on the “contracts finder” website, giving businesses the confidence and time to invest in relevant skills, labour and capabilities.
Access to finance can be a barrier to growth. There is a range of support and assistance available through the Business Support Helpline. The British Business Bank is a government-owned business development bank dedicated to making finance markets work better for smaller businesses, through schemes such as the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG). The British Business Bank promotes the EFG to high street lenders to encourage them to lend to viable smaller businesses that would otherwise be declined for lacking adequate security.
More widely the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ red tape challenge programmes are targeting rules and regulations in the construction sector. Many of those red tape requirements fall disproportionately heavily on smaller construction employers.
In addition the Government is placing employers, including small businesses, in the lead in developing new apprenticeship standards and providing financial support. Specific grants are available for smaller businesses and for younger apprentices. In addition there is a range of support for all approved learning outcomes available from the Construction Industry Training Board.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Thompson on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to page 69 of the Budget 2016, when his Department plans to start the science and innovation audit in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Joseph Johnson
The first wave of Science and Innovation Audits, including the Edinburgh and the Lothians audit, were announced at Budget on 16th March. Consortia going through Wave 1 have been selected to represent a cross section of approaches, geographical areas, and capacity to engage actively in developing the methodology. Initial planning meetings will commence shortly and we expect the project to be delivered by the Autumn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual Report and Accounts of the Office of the Public Guardian 2014-15, page 22, for what reasons was the review of the Office’s fee structure put on hold at ministerial level.
Caroline Dinenage
Work to review the Office of the Public Guardian’s (OPG) fee structure is ongoing. Depending on the outcome of that work, a consultation will be published in due course if required.
No estimate has been made of the average cost to a user of OPG services of the over recovery of costs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wes Streeting on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many burglaries have been (a) reported and (b) successfully prosecuted in Ilford North constituency since 2010.
Mike Penning
The Home Office holds information on crimes recorded by the police by police force area and community safety partnership. The table provided contains statistics on the total number of recorded burglaries, by year, in Redbridge Community Safety Partnership, the closest geographical area for which data is held to the constituency requested.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) are responsible for figures on prosecutions. They do not hold data centrally at the geographical level requested, however figures for London are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/524365/courts-by-criminal-justice-area.zip
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government’s legal costs have been to date in connection with the legal case brought by Mishcon de Reya in respect of Article 50 of the Treaty of European Union.
Mr David Davis
The government does not comment on ongoing litigation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to provide additional financial assistance to local authorities to help support resettled Syrian refugees who have physical and mental health needs.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government has made available significant funding to support Syrians with physical and mental health needs who are resettled in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.
In the first year after arrival in the UK, each individual attracts a standard tariff for healthcare costs and additional funding is in place to cover the costs of exceptional medical cases during that period. This is a substantial level of funding which will enable local authorities to support these vulnerable people as they rebuild their lives in safe and secure surroundings, among supportive communities in the UK.