UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will consider extending the trial advocate scheme to unaccompanied children.

    Karen Bradley

    In January 2014 the Home Office announced proposals to trial specialist,
    independent advocates for trafficked children which is due to begin this
    summer. This trial forms part of the Government’s work to eradicate modern day
    slavery and as such there are no plans for this trial to be extended to
    unaccompanied children.

    The Child Trafficking Advocate will be fully independent from the local
    authority, but will need to work with the existing structures around the Child
    Trafficking Victim, such as children’s services, education, criminal justice
    system and immigration system.

    The advocate role is intended to deliver the best outcomes for children. The
    advocate’s role will include the following activities but this is not an
    exhaustive list and we expect the advocate to respond to the specific needs of
    the child.

    • being a consistent point of contact for the Child Trafficking Victim;
    • assisting the local authority to assess the needs of the Child Trafficking
    Victim as a victim of trafficking, thereby promoting the safety and wellbeing
    of the Child Trafficking Victim (in particular in light of the risk of
    re-trafficking);
    • making recommendations for referrals to other services (e.g. mental health
    services) to ensure the Child Trafficking Victim receives educational, medical,
    practical and legal support they need and deserve;
    • accompanying the Child Trafficking Victim to certain meetings – e.g. with an
    immigration lawyer;
    • supporting the Child Trafficking Victim in any age assessment process;
    • supporting the Child Trafficking Victim in overcoming language and cultural
    barriers;
    • supporting witnesses through the criminal justice system;
    • supporting looked after children and children in need through the care
    system, in particular in safety planning, age assessment and future planning;
    • assisting the local authority to plan for the Child Trafficking Victim’s
    future and receive any compensation that they may be entitled to;
    • helping prevent the Child Trafficking Victim from facing further exploitation
    or harm from traffickers (and the risks of going missing);
    • providing advice on immigration, criminal justice and welfare matters to the
    Child Trafficking Victim and arranging effective legal representation;
    • involvement in the key decisions relating to the Child Trafficking Victim
    (but final decisions would remain the responsibility of the local authority or
    Home Office, where relevant).

    The Home Office is commissioning an independent evaluation of the trial which
    will report six months after the trial commences. The evaluation will include
    the terms of reference for the trial.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Valerie Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each such number has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at BT local rates are available in each such case.

    Andrea Leadsom

    HM Treasury do not use 0845, 0844 or 0830 telephone numbers.

  • John Redwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    John Redwood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what levels of stock the House of Commons Commission holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

    John Thurso

    The House purchases stationery, printer cartridges, fasteners and other consumable items through a contract providing a next day delivery service. No central stocks are held.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions his Department has had with local authorities in the Tees Valley on the creation of a combined authority.

    Brandon Lewis

    On 16 June 2014 the Government signed a City Deal with the Tees Valley in which the local leaders committed to develop plans to strengthen governance, including progressing the idea of a combined authority for the area.

    It is for the local areas themselves to decide, given their circumstances, what governance arrangements will best enable effective and collaborative decision taking, which is transparent and locally accountable, thus delivering successfully the implementation of the area’s Strategic Economic Plan. Where councils come forward with a proposal for a combined authority that commands wide local support, if the Secretary of State considers that the statutory conditions are met, he will invite Parliament to approve an Order which enables the combined authority to be established.

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to sections 30 to 41 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, where the offence was committed against an adult, in each of the last four years.

    Jeremy Wright

    The number of offenders found guilty at all courts of the offences specified in the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, the Indecency with Children Act 1960, the Sexual Offences Act 1967 and the Criminal Law Act 1977, in England and Wales, from 2008 to 2012 is provided in the attached tables.

    Please note that offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 sections 9 to 12, 14 to 19, 25 to 26, 47 to 50 provide data where the victim can be specifically identified as a child, whereas offences under sections 3, 4, 52 to 53, 57 to 59, 61 and 66 to 67, are not specific to the age of the victim.

    The tables do not include data for offences under section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 1967, or under section 3 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000. These offences, along with section 54 of the Criminal Law Act 1977, were repealed by the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and there have been no convictions in the last four years.

    The number of offenders found guilty of offences under section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 was provided in answer to PQ 193582 and can be found at Official Report c638W, 1 April 2014. It is not possible to separate out the age of the victims of offences under section 2.

    Similarly, it is not possible to separate out the age of the victim of offences committed under sections 30 – 41 Sexual Offences Act 2003 from centrally held data. For data on offences under this legislation as a whole, I refer the honourable lady to the answer provided to PQ 193810, which can be found at Official Report column 136W, 7 April 2014.

    Section 20 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 deals with offences in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Statistics for these offences in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government, with those in Northern Ireland being a matter for the Department of Justice Northern Ireland

    Court proceedings data for England and Wales for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.

    The Government takes very seriously all matters relating to the sexual abuse of children and adults. Our laws in these areas are rightly robust and clear. The 2003 Act, which came into effect in May 2004, significantly modernised and strengthened the laws on sexual offences in England and Wales.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lisa Nandy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when Dominic Cummings last had email contact with officials, Ministers and special advisers in his Department.

    Matthew Hancock

    Mr Cummings is an ex-employee of the Department for Education. It is not uncommon for ex-employees to be in contact with Ministers and the Department. As the Secretary of State for Education explained to the House on Monday 16 June, many people seek to visit and contact the Department for Education to exchange ideas with old friends and colleagues.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what rules his Department has in place on the (a) proven and (b) alleged criminal actions of potential bidders for the Transforming Rehabilitaiton programme.

    Jeremy Wright

    Final bids to run the Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) are expected in June 2014, and will be rigorously assessed against robust quality, legal, commercial and financial criteria. In the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire, bidders were required to declare that they had no convictions in relation to criminal offences such as conspiracy, corruption, bribery, fraud or criminal offences relating to the conduct of their business or profession and acts of grave misconduct. The MoJ also undertook extensive due diligence of bidders on a range of matters, including integrity and legal compliance issues. As a consequence we have a robust and diverse market and are confident that the bidders who passed the first stage of the competition – the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) – are credible organisations.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether UK Coal Surface Mining is a limited company wholly owned by UK Coal Mining Holdings; and whether it can be sold off as a separate entity without the £20 million loan package being agreed between all parties.

    Michael Fallon

    Any sale of all or part of the UK Coal Group of companies would be a matter for the relevant board / boards of directors to consider and decide upon.

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004 in each of the last four years.

    James Brokenshire

    The table below provides the number of defendants proceeded against for
    offences under Section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004 in England and
    Wales from 2009 to 2012.

    [INSERT TABLE HERE]

    The statistics on defendants proceeded against for offences under Immigration
    Acts 1971 to 2007 in England and Wales are supplied by the Ministry of Justice
    for the Home Office to publish annually within Immigration Statistics. Annual
    data is available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: October
    December 2013, table pr_01, from the Library of the House and from the GOV.UK
    website at:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-dec
    ember-2013

  • Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Ainsworth on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding his Department allocated to the Conflict Pool for South Asia in each of the last three years.

    Mark Simmonds

    The Conflict Pool is part of an HMT settlement which is distinct from departmental budgets. It is tri-departmentally managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence, and the Department for International Development. In financial year 2013/14, the South Asia allocation was £20m. In the two preceding years, it was £15.5m per annum. The allocation for this financial year will be laid before Parliament shortly in a Written Ministerial Statement.