The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the ratio of prison officers to inmates of each gender was in each (a) prison establishment and (b) category of prison in each of the last five years.
Jeremy Wright
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on April 7th 2014, Official Report, [261W].
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was spent by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on tea and biscuits in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.
Mr Francis Maude
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minster is an integral part of my department.
The information requested is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Health in Northern Ireland on the establishment of a cancer drugs fund; and if he will make a statement.
Norman Lamb
We have had no such discussions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2014-05-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stowell of Beeston on 9 April (WA 304), whether the range of services to which they refer includes electoral registration.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston
Local authorities are statutorily required to provide a number of services including electoral registration. Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 provides for the appointment of an officer of the council to be the Registration Officer for the registration of parliamentary and local government electors, and section 54 of that Act provides that expenses properly incurred by a registration officer in the performance of his registration duties shall be paid by the local authority by whom the registration officer was appointed.
Additionally, the Government has committed to funding all net costs of the transition to Individual Electoral Registration to ensure that authorities are not left with unfunded burdens in line with the New Burdens Doctrine. In April 2014 the programme paid non-ring fenced section 31 grants to local authorities in England and Wales and paid invoices directly to Scotland to cover core Individual Electoral Registration costs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2014-05-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in respect of which vessels engaged on domestic passenger routes in the United Kingdom the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has notified the European Commission of regulatory exemptions and equivalencies to Directive 2008/45/EC used by the MCA to issue EU Passenger Ship Safety Certificates from 2012; and whether there are any vessels operating for which notification has not taken place.
Baroness Kramer
Her Majesty’s Government has notified the European Commission of a regulatory equivalence to Directive 2009/45/EC in respect of the MV SCILLONIAN III. No other vessels operating on domestic passenger routes in the United Kingdom require exemptions or equivalencies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Avebury on 2014-05-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why data on the presence of asbestos were not covered in the Property Data Survey Programme in United Kingdom schools; and what are their plans for removing any remaining asbestos from United Kingdom schools.
Lord Nash
The Property Data Survey gathers high-level condition data across the state-funded educational estate in England only. The surveyors employed on the programme are general building surveyors and they perform a visual, non-intrusive survey. In comparison, considerably more detailed surveys are required to assess asbestos and that is why asbestos is not included as part of the Property Data Survey.
The Department for Education does not have a programme for the phased removal of all asbestos from schools in England. Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations, the employer – either the school or local authority – has clear responsibilities to manage asbestos containing materials in schools safely. The advice from the Health and Safety Executive is that it is safer to leave undisturbed or undamaged asbestos in place and to carefully manage it rather than to risk disturbing or damaging asbestos unnecessarily. If asbestos is managed effectively, as required by the regulations, the safest and most effective way to plan for its removal is when existing buildings are refurbished or replaced.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of aligning health services in regulatory bodies and ombudsman services.
Dr Daniel Poulter
The Government is considering reports of the Public Administration Select Committee into how complaints about public services are handled. As part of this inquiry, the Cabinet Office is undertaking work to further investigate how public services can make best use of complaints and also to take a wider look at the role and powers of the public sector Ombudsmen. The Government will respond to these reports in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain McKenzie on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Thai government on the restoration of democracy in that country.
Mr Hugo Swire
Following a statement by the Foreign Secretary on 22 May, I made a statement on 25 May expressing my strong concerns about the situation in Thailand and calling for a clear timetable for elections and the restoration of democracy.
Our Ambassador to Thailand has communicated through senior Thai civilian officials our serious concerns about the military takeover. Through them, he has urged the Thai military authorities to provide a clear and detailed timetable for the restoration of civilian government. Most recently he met with the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 3 June. The Head of ASEAN Department in London met the Thai Charge d’affaires, also on 3 June to deliver the same message. Our Defence Attaché in Bangkok meets members of the Thai military on a daily basis and repeats these points each time.
We have made it clear to the Thai authorities that we will not continue to have normal bilateral relations until an elected government is in place. We are currently reviewing the scope of our cooperation with Thailand.
We are consulting with EU members, the US, Australia and other allies, to ensure that the international community speaks with one voice on this.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which cathedrals will receive funding from the new grant scheme for cathedral repairs announced in Budget 2014.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund is open to all Anglican and Catholic cathedrals in England. Applications for the first round will be considered by the expert panel later this month.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 7 May 2014, Official Report, column 228W, on social security benefits: disability, if he will take steps to reduce the national average waiting times for work capability assessments for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) incapacity benefit reassessment.
Mike Penning
We are working closely with our supplier to deliver the best possible service for claimants, driving up performance and quality to help reduce waiting times and process claims as quickly as possible. We are continuing to monitor and robustly manage this contract.
We do not have a target timescale for waiting time for an Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment Work Capability Assessment.