Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start children’s centres offer perinatal mental health support for new and expectant mothers.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Department for Education does not routinely collect the information requested. While perinatal mental health is important to the government, we believe that children’s centres are best placed to decide which services to offer, based on an assessment of local needs.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase the number of successful prosecutions for incidences of rape.

    Karen Bradley

    Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes which we remain committed to tackling. We continue to work with the police to look at ways to improve their response to rape and sexual assault. We have supported the publication of data on rape for every police force in the country as a basis for improving recording and investigations of rape. The Rape Action Plan, led by the Crown Prosecution Service, ensures that investigators and prosecutors have both the right tools for handling rape cases, and improved referrals from the police to prosecutors to increase successful prosecutions.

    We want victims to have the confidence to report these crimes to the police, knowing they will get the support they need and that everything will be done to bring offenders to justice. Police recorded rape increased by 43% (to 31,621 offences) in the year ending June 2015 compared with the previous year. This significant rise in the reporting of rape is the result of a renewed focus on the quality of crime recording and a greater willingness of victims to come forward. These can only be positive developments in our fight to end abuse.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse was of legal fees in the case of Bondada, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2015] EWHC 2661 (Admin) (15 October 2015).

    James Brokenshire

    Costs incurred are £48, 575.35, including applicant’s costs of £31, 118.79.

  • David Mowat – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    David Mowat – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mowat on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many days the Crown Court sat in each court chamber at Warrington in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The information requested can be found in the table below.

    Crown Court sittings at Warrington (days):

    Period

    Courtroom 1

    Courtroom 2

    County Court courtroom

    January to December 2013

    132

    120

    2

    January to December 2014

    105

    182

    1

    January to September 2015

    87

    104

    4

    There are two dedicated Crown courtrooms in Warrington Combined Court, which also houses the County Court. The final column therefore sets out the number of days sat in County Court accommodation when, exceptionally, the Crown courtrooms were unavailable.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the effect of noise from High Speed 2 on rural communities is minimised.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    HS2 applies the aims of the Noise Policy Statement for England (2010) whichseeks to avoid, minimise and mitigate significant adverse impacts on health and quality of life. This is undertaken through the design, construction and operation of HS2 infrastructure. Phase One includes extensive noise mitigation to reduce impacts on communities, including rural ones.

  • Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2015 to Question 11226, for what reasons decisions were not made on 118,039 of the applications his Department received in the period between October 2014 and September 2015 for Short Term Benefit Advance.

    Priti Patel

    We only collect limited data on those requests for a Short Term Benefit Advances that are refused although we do know that the vast majority of refusals are either because:
    (i) There was a doubt about whether the claimant would be entitled to the benefit being claimed and, therefore, we could not be sure that there was any benefit to advance or
    (ii) Actual benefit was paid instead, which is a better outcome for the claimant.

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make it his policy to ensure that cash retentions in the construction industry are placed in trust to safeguard them against possible bankruptcy; and if he will make a statement.

    Nick Boles

    The Government does not collect data on the different types of unsecured debts and the creditors to whom they are owed across the full range of formal insolvency procedures.

    The Government acknowledges that some people are unhappy with the system of retentions as it stands, but it is an embedded feature of the construction industry.

    Therefore, our general approach is towork with the industry through the Construction Leadership Council and its supply chain payment charter; endorsing its commitment to zero retentions by 2025. Achieving this commitment will involve far-reaching changes to the way the sector works.

    It is not clear that requiring money to be placed in trust funds is the best way to overcome any shortcomings in the system of retentions: it would impose a financial burden on construction clients, many of whom are themselves small businesses, and where there is financial weakness, may itself make insolvency more likely. The Government is commissioning research on the costs and benefits of the retention system and alternatives, including the use of trust funds. This will inform future action.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11448, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of providing free school meals for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils in each of the next five years.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The government is currently conducting a Spending Review across all its programmes. Our assessment of cost scenarios forms part of that review.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to support carers.

    Alistair Burt

    This Government recognises that our health and care system would not be possible without the invaluable contribution made by the millions of unpaid carers.

    That is why we continue to support implementation of the improved rights for carers enshrined in the Care Act 2014. The Department has provided £104 million of funding to local authorities for these rights in 2015/16, which include an extended right to assessment and, for the first time, a duty on local authorities to meet carers’ eligible needs for support.

    We have also made an additional £400 million available to the National Health Service between 2011 and 2015 to provide carers with breaks from their caring responsibilities to sustain them in their caring role.

    In May 2014, NHS England published its action plan NHS England – Commitment to carers, it includes a series of commitments around eight priorities, which include raising the profile of carers, including young carers.

    The Department is also leading on a new National Carers Strategy that will consider evidence around the economic impact of caring as well as also review international and national best practice on what support works best for carers.

  • Liam Byrne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Liam Byrne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total spending on alcohol treatment services was in England in each of the last five years for which data is available.

    Jane Ellison

    Local authorities are responsible for assessing local need for alcohol treatment and commissioning services and interventions to meet that need, using the public health grant.

    The Department of Communities and Local Government publishes statistics on local authority expenditure. The most recent year for which final data is available is 2013-14, and the statistics show that local authorities in England spent £190.4 million on alcohol misuse for adults. This figure includes spending on both alcohol harm prevention and treatment, and is not broken down between the two. Similarly, local authorities spent £70.8 million on substance misuse youth services (for under-18s), but it is not possible to break down how much of this spending went on alcohol or drugs prevention or treatment.

    Figures on spending on alcohol treatment before the public health grant came into effect in 2013 are not available centrally.