The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will (a) publish and (b) provide to the recognised trade unions, a detailed cost analysis for the closure of Hull Official Receiver’s office.
Jenny Willott
The Insolvency Service has provided a cost analysis to the Trade Unions, on a confidential basis. In view of its commercial nature, I do not consider it appropriate to publish this information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill on 2014-06-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of women remanded in custody are subsequently convicted and receive an immediate custodial sentence in (1) each magistrates’ court, and (2) each Crown Court, in England and Wales.
Lord Faulks
The decision to sentence a person to a custodial sentence, or to remand a person into custody prior to trial or sentencing, is a matter for the independent judiciary and courts will take into account all the circumstances of the offence and the offender in determining this. The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 introduced a new “no real prospect” test which means that people should be released on bail if it is unlikely that they would receive a custodial sentence on conviction. Sentencing guidelines also make clear that if an offender is the sole or primary carer for dependent relatives then this should be considered a mitigating factor for avoiding a custodial sentence.
We are committed to making sure sentencers have robust community options at their disposal. Companies bidding for contracts under our Transforming Rehabilitation reforms will be expected to demonstrate in their bids an effective approach to the identification and recognition of women’s needs, as well as protected characteristics, to make sure that individual needs are properly addressed, and they will be held to account to deliver these services in their contracts. We have recently introduced Section 10 of the Offender Rehabilitation Act which requires contracts and service level agreements with all future providers for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders to identify which services are designed to meet the particular needs of female offenders.
We are also working through the Female Offenders Advisory Board to improve options for Enhanced Community Provision and will be raising awareness of this to criminal justice system practitioners.
Table 1 shows the proportion of female defendants remanded in custody at magistrates’ courts and subsequently given immediate custody, broken down by local justice area in England and Wales in 2013.
Table 2 shows the proportion of female defendants remanded in custody at the Crown Court and subsequently given immediate custody, broken down by Crown Court centre in England and Wales in 2013.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2014-04-10.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.
Andrea Leadsom
In line with Government policy and to benefit from public sector buying power, HM Treasury has centralised common commodity procurements, such as stationery, through contracts awarded and managed by the Crown Commercial Service.
The stock information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will increase the minimum rate of pay for apprentices from £2.68 per hour to £2.96 per hour.
Jenny Willott
This Government is fully committed to the National Minimum Wage set by the independent Low Pay Commission at a level that maximises the wages of the low paid without damaging their employment prospects by setting it too high.
We ask the Low Pay Commission to consider the evidence and recommend the National Minimum Wage rates, to achieve this.
This Government has accepted an above inflation increase in the NMW including an increase in the apprentice rate from £2.68 to £2.73. The increase will come into effect on 1 October 2014 and will provide low paid workers with the biggest cash increase in their pay packets since 2008.
The Low Pay Commission has judged that a higher increase in the minimum wage would risk damaging employment prospects for the lowest paid.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes have been self-built in each of the last eight years.
Kris Hopkins
The Department does not hold official statistics.
To assist the preparation and implementation of policy to support self-builders, the Department is examining how best the take-up of self-build can be quantified.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Crockart on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to publish draft legislation to amend the legal threshold from substantial damage and distress to nuisance, annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety for the International Commissioner’s Office to take enforcement action from substantial damage or distress under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003; and when he expects that legislation to be in force.
Mr Edward Vaizey
We plan to publish a consultation document shortly, which will seek views on proposals to lower the legal threshold for enforcement of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003. Following consultation we will look to implement any reforms as soon as parliamentary time allows.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Ainsworth on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) associated costs and (b) utility of the Trident Alternatives Review.
Mr Philip Hammond
I have made no such assessment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Corbyn on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what facility rekit projects have taken place at the Atomic Weapons Establishment under the scope of the Nuclear Weapons Capability Sustainment Project; and what the cost of each such project was.
Mr Philip Dunne
The term rekit is used by the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) to mean the replacement or modernisation of process plant and /or equipment within an existing facility, including upgrading of building services. The following is a list of major facility rekits that have or are taking place at AWE. There are also a number of more minor rekits underway which are not listed.
Depleted Uranium Upgrade
Beryllium Facility
Plutonium Capability Programme (A90)
Enriched Uranium Facility (A45)
Explosive storage and processing Facility
Salts Sustainment
Facility for assembly/disassembly of Warhead
The information relating to individual rekit costs for each facility for the years 2003 to date is not centrally held and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms his Department has put in place to ensure that (a) schools, (b) nurseries and (c) learning establishments receiving any funds or endorsement from his Department teach evolution and do not teach that creationism is scientifically valid.
Elizabeth Truss
The Government’s policy is that evolution should be taught in schools as an essential element of a rigorous scientific education; teaching creationism as science is incompatible with the delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum.
The national curriculum requires all maintained schools to teach evolution as an established scientific theory. All academies and free schools are required to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum. The model funding agreements for all kinds of academies and free schools are being revised. The latest published version includes a specific requirement to teach evolution, and prohibits the teaching of creationism as an evidence-based theory.
As in all areas of education, we look to Ofsted as the best and most effective lever to ensure expected standards are being achieved. All state funded schools are subject to Ofsted inspections which are required to report on the quality of education provided in the school including the quality of teaching.
Providers in receipt of early years funding must follow clear standards to make sure children are taught the key skills they need to get a good start in life. Where an Ofsted inspector identifies any concerns, they must notify Ofsted’s compliance, investigation and enforcement team, who will consider notifying the appropriate agencies.
We expect the Government’s position on creationism and evolution to be supported by any learning establishment in receipt of funding from the Department for Education to support science education.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the National Audit Office report, Army 2020, HC 263, published on 11 June 2014, page 10, which Minister in his Department signed off on the decision not to provide supporting ICT infrastructure for Capita’s new recruitment software as part of his Department’s contractual arrangements with Capita in relation to the Recruiting Partnering Project.
Anna Soubry
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 January 2014 (Official Report, column 111W).