UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Doughty – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) security and (b) political situation in the Central Africa Republic.

    James Duddridge

    The security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is grave. Outside the capital Bangui, violence, looting, hostage-taking and human rights abuses continue to occur with relative impunity. The security situation in Bangui is more stable than the rest of the country, having improved following the surge in violence in late September, but tensions still run high and we continue to advise against all travel to CAR. The political situation is precarious. The transitional government, led by President Catherine Samba-Panza, is being undermined by actors from armed groups and dates for elections have been moved a number of times in the last months. The first round is currently planned for late December 2015, with additional rounds planned for January 2016. Great efforts have been made to register all CAR citizens both in CAR and in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. We expect a deterioration in the political situation, in parallel with the security situation, in the lead up to these elections.

  • Michael Tomlinson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Michael Tomlinson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for the return of disclosure and barring service documentation for applications made by people in East Dorset.

    Karen Bradley

    The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is undertaking a transformation programme to reform the way it delivers its services. Release 1 (R1) will improve efficiency with modernised IT solutions and business processes, making it more convenient and quicker for customers. This does not include using volunteers to operate the disclosure process, given the highly sensitive nature of the information involved.

    For applications received from individuals with a Dorset postcode between December 2014 and November 2015, the average processing time was 23.4 days. It is not possible to calculate the average figure for those from East Dorset specifically as this information is not collected.

  • Lord Chadlington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Chadlington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in tackling problem gambling.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    This Government wants to ensure that people are protected from being harmed or exploited by gambling. We welcome the ongoing work of the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board (RGSB), the Gambling Commission and the Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT) to identify the causes of problem gambling and to implement effective deterrents and treatments.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the effect of third party capture on motor insurance premiums.

    Dominic Raab

    The Government is determined to crack down on fraud and the compensation culture.

    The Government recognises that offers to settle made to claimants without medical evidence may encourage opportunistic and fraudulent claims. The Government introduced new court rules in October 2014 to discourage such offers and we continue to keep the matter of third party capture, including the impacts on motor premiums, under review.

  • Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they propose to change the operation of, and access to, the services provided by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

    Lord Dunlop

    The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is currently considering a range of options for reforming his office. Any reforms will ensure that elections and electoral registration will continue to be delivered in the most effective way while placing his office on a sustainable financial footing. I understand work on some of the options for reform remains at an early stage.

    In addition to the currently available paper registration process we propose to introduce, by the end of 2016, an on-line registration service. This will improve the registration service offered to people in Northern Ireland.

    The consideration of possible structural changes to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland is a matter for the Chief Electoral Officer and it will be for him to consult with stakeholders once the options have been fully explored.

  • Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the local government finance settlement 2016-17, whether he consulted the Office for Budget Responsibility on the distribution of the transitional grant.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Office for Budget Responsibility is concerned with national economic forecasting, while the Transition Grant is a subnational distribution. It was therefore not necessary nor would it have been standard practice to consult the OBR on this issue.

  • Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-05-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why spending on court fine collection is being cut, in the light of the value of fines that remain uncollected.

    Lord Faulks

    In recent years efficiency savings have been required right across HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Continuous improvement practices within compliance and enforcement have led to record totals of financial impositions collected each year for the last four years.

    Following the decision to modernise the compliance and enforcement service through an in-house solution, HM Courts and Tribunals Service has been working to develop a new strategy which will lead to further investment in the service and further increased collections.

  • Lord Scriven – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Scriven – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-06-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Médecins Sans Frontières’ refusal to take any funds from the EU in protest against the EU’s refugee policy, whether they will reconsider their support for the EU–Turkey refugee deal.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The UK is committed to the successful implementation of the EU/ Turkey migration deal. The numbers of migrants arriving on Greek islands has significantly reduced since this deal came into effect and it is making a genuine difference to managing the flows of migration; preventing people from dying in attempting the crossing or putting themselves in the hands of smugglers.

    We continue to deploy expert staff to the Greek islands to act as interpreters and help with the processing of migrants. These teams help ensure that vulnerable people, including children, are identified and can access asylum procedures as quickly as possible.

  • Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many serving personnel will return from Germany as part of the planned rebasing in each year to 2020.

    Mike Penning

    The number of serving personnel that will return from Germany as part of the planned rebasing in each year to 2020 is shown below.

    Year

    Number of service personnel

    2016

    1,270

    2017

    120

    2018

    0

    2019

    4,000

    2020

    20 (drawdown)

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for police forces across (a) regions and (b) the UK having variations in their respective plans of action for dealing with traveller camps in (i) public parks and recreation sites and (ii) other publicly-owned land.

    Brandon Lewis

    Dealing with unauthorised traveller sites requires a multi-agency response, involving local authorities and supported by the police.

    The police have powers under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to remove travellers from a site. The decision on whether to use these powers is an operational matter for the police who must consider their duties under the Equalities Act and Human Rights Act in each case.