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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions the Prison Service Gold Command has been opened in each of the last 36 months; and what the nature was of each incident that caused it to be opened.

    Jeremy Wright

    A Gold Command Suite (GCS) is located at National Offender Management Service (NOMS) headquarters in London. It provides strategic assistance in the managing of serious prison incidents to the Governor of a prison in England and Wales.

    Reason

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    Hostage

    20

    27

    54

    Concerted indiscipline

    4

    6

    13

    Escape

    1

    Industrial Action

    1

    4

    Barricade

    2

    Civil Disturbances

    1

    At Height

    3

    5

    11

    Fire

    1

    Barricade

    2

    Miscellaneous

    1

    Total

    32

    43

    81

    Although there has been an increase in the number of times the GCS was opened, the number of callouts of Tornado staff (a mutual aid arrangement between prisons who respond to the most serious incidents that cannot be managed locally) is half of what it was in 2007. There has been no rise in the number of serious incidents being attended.

    A large part of the increase in the number of times the GCS was opened was for hostage incidents. Many incidents that we manage as “hostage” we believe to be acts of collusion between the alleged perpetrator and victim(s) in attempts to have their demands met. NOMS National Tactical Response Group, which has the specialist skills required to deal with such incidents, is frequently called to attend as a precautionary measure. Many of these incidents are dealt with very quickly with minimal disruption to the prison.

  • Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the additional costs resulting from Israeli border, access and planning controls to UK-funded development projects in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

    Mr Alan Duncan

    No such assessment has been possible. UK aid helps to finance the Palestinian Authority’s fiscal deficit, which would significantly decrease if Israeli movement and access restrictions in the OPTs were lifted. The World Bank estimates that if Israeli restrictions were lifted in ‘Area C’ of the West Bank alone, the Palestinian economy would expand by more than a third and potentially would not require international donor assistance.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her priorities are for extending the scope of the National Crime Agency in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the UK.

    Karen Bradley

    The National Crime Agency is committed to assisting the Police Service of
    Northern Ireland in tackling serious and organised crime as far as the
    restrictions on its powers permit.

    Discussions continue in order to achieve full operating powers for the National
    Crime Agency in Northern Ireland to ensure the response to organised crime in
    Northern Ireland is more effective. This is a priority.

    The National Crime Agency does have full operating powers elsewhere in the UK.

  • Christopher Chope – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Christopher Chope – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on how many UK citizens are not being paid those Zimbabwean government pensions to which they are entitled; and what steps the UK Government is taking to end that default.

    Mark Simmonds

    The Overseas Service Pensioners Association (OSPA) have estimated that there are approximately 1250-1500 pensioners who are entitled to a pension from the Government of Zimbabwe, of whom 300-400 are estimated to be resident in the UK. This is unverified by the Government of Zimbabwe.

    The payment of Zimbabwe public service pensions is the responsibility of the Government of Zimbabwe. We appreciate the frustration and financial burden the non-payment of pensions puts on many pensioners and have continually pressed the Government of Zimbabwe to fulfil their obligations.

  • Harriet Harman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Harriet Harman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harriet Harman on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss the abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok in north-eastern Nigeria on 14 April 2014 at the next European Union meeting of Foreign Ministers.

    Mark Simmonds

    We expect the next Foreign Affairs Council to focus on Ukraine. Nigeria is not currently on the agenda. Our High Commissioner in Abuja has discussed the abductions with his EU colleagues.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the letter dated 5 March 2014 from the Minister of State for Pensions to the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth, what estimate he has made of the number of service spouses who will be affected by his plans to bring forward legislative proposals to make national insurance credits available for past periods for service spouses.

    Steve Webb

    Subject to Royal Assent of the Pensions Bill a duty will be placed on the Secretary of State to make regulations to allow service spouses and civil partners, due to reach State Pension age from 6 April 2016, to apply for National Insurance credits for periods during which they accompanied their husband, wife or civil partner on a posting outside the UK. The regulations will make provision to allow credits for periods between 1975/76 and 2010.

    We are working with the Ministry of Defence on the finer details of the scheme including the manner in which applications will need to be made and the precise date when the administrative arrangements will be in place.

    We estimate that up to 20,000 individuals could have a higher single-tier pension from these credits as some individuals may, at state pension age, already have sufficient qualifying years to gain a full single-tier pension.

  • Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to ensure that pregnant women and nursing mothers in receipt of section 4 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are recognised as a vulnerable group when contracting and allocating placement accommodation.

    James Brokenshire

    The guidance and procedures on providing accommodation to pregnant women in the
    asylum support system is contained in the policy document "Healthcare needs and
    Pregnancy Dispersal guidance", which can be found at:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthcare-needs-and-pregnancy-disper
    sal-instruction

    The Home Office is currently considering some changes to the document following
    consultation with the Refugee Council and Maternity Action.

    Pregnant women are already recognised as a vulnerable group in the asylum
    support system. Regulation 4 of the Asylum Seekers (Reception conditions)
    Regulations 2005 provides that their special needs must be taken into
    consideration.

  • Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Seabeck on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what powers the Child Maintenance Service has to address non-compliance by employers with a notice of deduction of earnings; and how many cases have there been of such non-compliance in each of the last three years.

    Steve Webb

    It is a criminal offence under section 32 (8) of the Child Support Act 1991 not to comply with a deduction from earnings order. Failure to comply may result in enforcement action being taken against the employer, which can include a fine of up to £500.

    The 2012 child maintenance scheme, administered by the Child Maintenance Service, was opened to all new applicants on 25 November 2013. We are not yet in a position to release full statistics for this scheme. When 2012 system data become available and fully assured they will be released as part of a managed process, which will be pre-announced and in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

    With regard to cases on the 1993 and 2003 schemes operated by the Child Support Agency (CSA), it is not possible to specify the exact number of instances of non compliance with these orders. This is due to the fact that while data are collected on the numbers of deduction from earnings orders not receiving payment, this can be for reasons other than non-compliance, including time delays of the employer implementing the request and the time to action a change in employment circumstances.

    However, information on the number of prosecutions under section 32(8) of the Child Support Act 1991 in cases on the 1993 and 2003 schemes can be found on page 48 of the CSA Quarterly Summary of Statistics at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-statistics-december-2013.

    “

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward proposals to enable small businesses to claim a rates reduction to help them retain staff.

    Brandon Lewis

    As announced at the Autumn Statement, the Government has introduced in England a £1 billion package of business rates support for 2014-15. That includes the continued doubling of Small Business Rate Relief for a further year which we estimate will support 540,000 businesses. The Localism Act has also made it easier for small firms to claim the rate relief to which they are entitled. This support builds on the £11 billion a year of tax cuts this government has announced to corporation tax, employer National Insurance Contributions and fuel duty.

    Business rates in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly.

  • Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to publish in full all monitoring data collected on the second year of the pilot badger culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset.

    George Eustice

    The outcome of the monitoring of the second year of the pilot culls will be published after culling has concluded and the analysis is completed.