The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-05-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the total number of sittings was by magistrates who sat more than 70 half days in the last year.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The Department does not keep this information centrally and it could only be collected at a disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Duddridge on 2014-05-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long his Department expects East Beach in Shoeburyness to be closed.
Anna Soubry
East Beach is managed by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council under a licence agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The decision to close the beach was made by the Council and it will be for them to determine when to re-open it. As such, no estimates have been made by the MOD about the economic effect of the Council’s decision to the local economy.
A MOD survey of East Beach will assist in the formulation of a risk management plan that will focus mitigation work on those areas of the beach at greatest risk. It is too early to say what mitigation work will be required, when it will be carried out, and how long it will take to complete.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Condon on 2014-05-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in response to the predicted increase in tick-transmitted diseases such as Lyme disease.
Earl Howe
Public Health England (PHE) and the National Health Service have public information on tick-borne diseases on their websites, and PHE works with patient groups to promote the recognition and prevention of Lyme disease. PHE also provides information for health professionals, and wrote to all general practitioners last spring to alert them to the risks. A new leaflet for the public will be released later this month and advertised through social media sites and the PHE website. National parks and other organisations also offer advice to visitors on avoiding tick bites and awareness of Lyme Disease, and PHE will work with these groups to enhance the information available over the summer season. PHE is also developing national guidance for the management of Lyme disease, and a research programme through the Health Protection Research Unit at Liverpool with NHS partners.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2014-05-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is a requirement in the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive to treat surface rainwater runoff.
Lord De Mauley
The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive requires the collection and treatment of urban waste water. The Directive defines urban waste water as ‘domestic waste water or the mixture of domestic waste water with industrial waste water and/or run-off rain water’. Therefore, the treatment of surface rainwater runoff is required where it is mixed with domestic or industrial waste water and collected in a collecting system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2014-05-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the International Monetary Fund’s Staff Discussion Notes published in February and March dealing with inequality and its impact on growth.
Lord Deighton
At its April 2014 meeting, the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) of the IMF, attended by the Chancellor, agreed that rising inequality and high unemployment be addressed by removing structural impediments to inclusive growth.
It is not Government practice to comment on the detail of IMF Staff Discussion Papers. IMF Staff regularly produce such papers, and the analysis and views therein are those of staff and not necessarily the IMF or its Executive Board.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2014-05-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what diplomatic or alternative measures are being taken to secure the release of the several hundred children abducted by Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria.
Baroness Warsi
In the days following the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria, we have offered our assistance to the highest levels of the Nigerian government. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), spoke to the Nigerian Foreign Minister on 18 April immediately after the abductions and offered the UK’s assistance.
On 7 May the Prime Minister, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), spoke to President Jonathan and offered to send a team of UK experts to Abuja. The President accepted and the team, led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), arrived in Abuja on 9 May. The team will provide expertise in counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, military mentoring and training, victim support and economic development. Human rights compliance is, and will remain, an essential element of any UK assistance in Nigeria. The Minister for Africa, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) visited Nigeria on 14 May, and reiterated our support with President Jonathan.
We are coordinating closely with international partners. An FCO team was in Washington on 5 May for talks with the US on Nigeria. Our expert team in Abuja will be coordinating closely with a US team also in Abuja. We are also speaking to the French and are encouraging other EU partners to lend their support. Given Boko Haram’s exploitation of Nigeria’s porous borders and indications that some of the girls may have been taken to Cameroon or Chad, we are engaging with Nigeria’s neighbours.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck on 2014-05-07.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the Government’s political and constitutional reform priorities are for the remainder of the present Parliament.
Mr Nick Clegg
The Government continues to work on political and constitutional reform, particularly on devolving more powers from Whitehall to our cities and regions.
Work also continues on the implementation of Individual Electoral Registration, recall of MPs and implementing the statutory register of consultant lobbyists.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the rate of liver disease amongst adults was in the most recent period for which figures are available in each clinical commissioning group area.
Jane Ellison
The table attached shows finished admission episodes for liver disease in 2012-13 by clinical commissioning group of residence, where the patient was 18 years or older. The rate is supplied per 100,000 of the population.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, which local authorities have achieved the highest increase in levels of voter registration in the last two years; and what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the practices leading to such increases are adopted in other local authorities.
Greg Clark
In 2012/13 the areas with the five largest percentage increases in the numbers registered on the local government register of electors were:
Tower Hamlets
Wycombe
Cambridge
East Lindsey
City of Edinburgh
In 2011/12 the areas were:
Clackmannanshire
Thanet
West Lothian
City of Edinburgh
Shropshire UA
The Government encourages local authorities to share best practice through the Expert Panel of electoral administrators, and various other forums in place to deliver Individual Electoral Registration.
Guidance has also been available on the Association of Electoral Administrators’ website with examples of good practice which electoral registration officers can use to shape their work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 7 June 2010, Official Report, columns 75-6W, on electoral register, what his most recent estimate is of the electoral registration rate for each region of the UK.
Mr Nick Hurd
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.