The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will ensure that criminal cases continue to be considered at Wrexham Magistrates’ Court over the next five years.
Mr Shailesh Vara
HM Courts & Tribunals Service has no current plans to cease criminal work at Wrexham Magistrate’s Court.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Ainsworth on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the situation in Kashmir; and what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Indian, (b) Pakistani and (c) US counterparts on this matter.
Mr Hugo Swire
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has spoken to each of his Indian, Pakistani and US counterparts in recent months about South Asia regional issues and relations between India and Pakistan. We recognise the importance of finding a lasting solution to the situation in Kashmir, but remain of the view it is not for third parties to prescribe one. We continue to follow developments in the region closely, and officials from our High Commissions in both New Delhi and Islamabad regularly discuss the situation in Kashmir with both governments and travel to the region, security situation permitting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require landowners and service suppliers to install manhole covers that have resistance abrasion values to prevent slipping and injury.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The majority of manhole covers on the highway network fall under the responsibility of utility companies, with a small percentage in the ownership of local highway authorities.
The Department for Transport currently has no plans to bring forward legislative proposals for landowners and service suppliers to install high-friction manhole covers to prevent slipping and injury. That said, we are aware of a number of authorities who are taking steps to replace manhole covers with ones having enhanced anti-skid properties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients are waiting for gender reassignment surgery; and what the average waiting time for such surgery was in each of the last four years.
Norman Lamb
Information about how many patients are waiting for gender reassignment surgery and average waiting times for such surgery is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of increases in passenger numbers (a) nationally and (b) on the West Coast Main Line over the next 10 years.
Stephen Hammond
The total train passenger numbers is forecast to grow from an estimated 1,530 million in 2013-14 to 1,842 million by 2023-24.
The Department has made no forecast of increases in passenger numbers on the West Coast Main Line over the next 10 years. Chapter 4 of Network Rail’s West Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy sets out anticipated changes in demand to 2024/25 and is available here:
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have applied for passports using the (a) fast track and (b) premium service in the last month; and how many recent passport applications will receive compensation from her Department.
James Brokenshire
In June 2014, (a) 59, 692 people applied and paid for fast track and (b) 31,
289 applied for premium service. Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO) only
normally offer compensation for financial loss as a result of delays in their guaranteed
(Fast Track and Premium) services. HMPO does not have an estimate of how much
compensation may be paid this year in line with their policy. As the Home
Secretary announced on 12 June 2014, customers who need to travel within 7 days and who
have waited more than the three weeks service standard for a straightforward application to
be processed through no fault of their own, are fast-tracked free of charge.
To 15 July, HMPO has issued 13, 461 passports as a result of this change of
policy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Connarty on 2014-04-10.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential funds that will accrue to the public purse from the Europe for Citizens Programme.
Nicky Morgan
No estimate has been made of potential funds that will accrue to the public purse from the Europe for Citizens Programme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne McIntosh on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations she has received on the incorrect 0870 telephone number being given out to applicants seeking advice on their applications with UK Visas and Immigration; and if she will make a statement.
Karen Bradley
We are aware that some UK Visas and Immigration letters may still contain the
0870 contact number, and this is being addressed. A small number of
representations have been received on this matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-04-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of the recent arrival at Port Sudan of land cruisers, tanks and heavy artillery to be delivered via the Sudanese authorities to Malian fighters in Western Darfur in camps around al-Geneina and Kutum.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire
We have not seen any reports of a recent arrival at Port Sudan of land cruisers, tanks and heavy artillery to be delivered via the Sudanese authorities to Malian fighters in Western Darfur in camps around al-Geneina and Kutum. The UK remains deeply concerned about the escalation of violence in Darfur. We continue to monitor developments in Darfur and call for all sides to immediate cease the violence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of staff employed (a) directly and (b) indirectly by his Department were employed on (i) short term and (ii) zero hours contracts in each of the last 10 years.
Mr Shailesh Vara
We are unable to provide the number of staff and proportion of those employed by a third party to work indirectly by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). This information is partially held centrally and to collate all of this information as a whole would incur disproportionate costs.
However figures that are held on the MoJ central systems on staff directly employed by the MoJ and its agencies from 2008 to 2014 on (i) short term and (ii) zero hour contracts can be found in the tables below.
MoJ Staff with Fixed Term Contracts (SFTC) of 12 months or less as per the Office on National Statistics definition can be found below.
|
|
SFTC |
% of SFTC Workforce in MoJ |
|
31-Mar-08 |
2,087 |
3% |
|
31-Mar-09 |
1,489 |
2% |
|
31-Mar-10 |
1,305 |
2% |
|
31-Mar-11 |
1,025 |
1% |
|
31-Mar-12 |
409 |
1% |
|
31-Mar-13 |
1,372 |
2% |
|
31-Mar-14 |
637 |
1% |
MoJ Staff recorded as having no fixed hours of employment i.e. zero hour’s contracts.
|
|
Staff on Zero Hours contract |
% of ‘Zero hour’ Workforce |
|
31-Mar-08 |
158 |
0.25% |
|
31-Mar-09 |
208 |
0.29% |
|
31-Mar-10 |
188 |
0.26% |
|
31-Mar-11 |
204 |
0.26% |
|
31-Mar-12 |
158 |
0.21% |
|
31-Mar-13 |
133 |
0.17% |
|
31-Mar-14 |
123 |
0.16% |
The percentage of MoJ staff on zero hour contracts has been decreasing since 2009.