The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the budget for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate is for 2014-15.
Jenny Willott
The budget for the Employment Agency Standards inspectorate is no longer devolved below branch level in the Labour Markets Directorate, and we are therefore unable to provide this information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the pilot scheme for advocates will be independent of local authorities.
Karen Bradley
In January 2014 the Home Office announced proposals to trial specialist,
independent advocates for trafficked children which is due to begin this
summer. This trial forms part of the Government’s work to eradicate modern day
slavery and as such there are no plans for this trial to be extended to
unaccompanied children.
The Child Trafficking Advocate will be fully independent from the local
authority, but will need to work with the existing structures around the Child
Trafficking Victim, such as children’s services, education, criminal justice
system and immigration system.
The advocate role is intended to deliver the best outcomes for children. The
advocate’s role will include the following activities but this is not an
exhaustive list and we expect the advocate to respond to the specific needs of
the child.
• being a consistent point of contact for the Child Trafficking Victim;
• assisting the local authority to assess the needs of the Child Trafficking
Victim as a victim of trafficking, thereby promoting the safety and wellbeing
of the Child Trafficking Victim (in particular in light of the risk of
re-trafficking);
• making recommendations for referrals to other services (e.g. mental health
services) to ensure the Child Trafficking Victim receives educational, medical,
practical and legal support they need and deserve;
• accompanying the Child Trafficking Victim to certain meetings – e.g. with an
immigration lawyer;
• supporting the Child Trafficking Victim in any age assessment process;
• supporting the Child Trafficking Victim in overcoming language and cultural
barriers;
• supporting witnesses through the criminal justice system;
• supporting looked after children and children in need through the care
system, in particular in safety planning, age assessment and future planning;
• assisting the local authority to plan for the Child Trafficking Victim’s
future and receive any compensation that they may be entitled to;
• helping prevent the Child Trafficking Victim from facing further exploitation
or harm from traffickers (and the risks of going missing);
• providing advice on immigration, criminal justice and welfare matters to the
Child Trafficking Victim and arranging effective legal representation;
• involvement in the key decisions relating to the Child Trafficking Victim
(but final decisions would remain the responsibility of the local authority or
Home Office, where relevant).
The Home Office is commissioning an independent evaluation of the trial which
will report six months after the trial commences. The evaluation will include
the terms of reference for the trial.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 160W, on venture capital, what steps he has taken to support crowdfunding and peer-to-peer (a) lending to and (b) investment in small businesses; and if he will assess the value of such forms of finance to the small and medium-size sector.
Andrea Leadsom
Crowdfunding and peer to peer lending are innovative new forms of finance that support competition in the business lending sector.
The Government has taken a number of steps to support their growth, including bringing peer to peer lending within the scope of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and announcing that the range of products that can be held in stocks and shares ISAs will be expanded to include loans made through peer to peer platforms.
The Government also operates two tax-advantaged venture capital schemes which are used by equity crowdfunding investors; the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS).
The Government has not made any assessment of the value of investment in small and medium sized businesses from peer to peer lending and crowdfunding platforms.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what levels of stock her Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.
Mr Alan Duncan
DFID does not hold information on stock levels. Stationery and other items, including printer cartridges, are ordered and distributed as and when required.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Wallace on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to review the boundaries of the county of Lancashire.
Brandon Lewis
It is not possible to make changes to county areas other than as a consequence of local government structural or boundary changes recommended by the independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England. We have no intention of seeking such change. We are however keen to recognise and acknowledge the continuing role of England’s traditional counties in the public and cultural life of the nation and the Government has sought to encourage the marking and continued use of traditional county names and areas irrespective of current tiers of local administration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many inmates committed suicide in prison between 2010 and 2013.
Jeremy Wright
The number of self-inflicted deaths in each year is published in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin. The latest bulletin was published on 24 April and can be found at
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics.
We are working hard to manage the levels of self-harm in prison and are carefully investigating the rise in self-inflicted deaths.
We are providing further resources and support to prisons to help support their safer custody work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will release all email correspondence between officials, Ministers and special advisers in his Department and Dominic Cummings since Mr Cummings left the Department.
Matthew Hancock
Mr Cummings is an ex-employee of the Department for Education. It is not uncommon for ex-employees to be in contact with Ministers and the Department. As the Secretary of State for Education explained to the House on Monday 16 June, many people seek to visit and contact the Department for Education to exchange ideas with old friends and colleagues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of (a) domestic and (b) sexual abuse were reported by victims attending a police station in each year since May 2010.
Norman Baker
The requested information is not held centrally. The Home Office holds data on
offences recorded by the police.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what research his Department has co-sponsored with its US, French and German counterparts at the Sandia National Laboratory into the safety and security of spent nuclear fuel casks; and if he will publish details of the reports arising from such research.
Michael Fallon
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has not funded any co-sponsored research with US, French and German counterparts, at the US Sandia National Laboratories into the safety and security of spent nuclear fuel casks.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 in each of the last four years.
Damian Green
Section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 was enacted to deal with the situation where it was clear that one of a number of members of a household was responsible for the death of a child or vulnerable adult in that household but it could not be proved which one.
This Government is committed to protecting the rights of children and vulnerable adults. Since 2010 those who commit a serious offence are more likely to go to prison and go for longer. The average custodial sentence length for indictable offences is now the highest in more than a decade.
The number of offenders found guilty at all courts for offences under section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 as it applies to causing or allowing death, in England and Wales, from 2009 to 2012 (latest data available) can be viewed in the table.
The number of people convicted in a year, does not reflect the number of cases going through the system, as this could be carried on from previous years.
The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims (Amendment) Act 2012 amended section 5 of the 2004 Act to extend it to causing or allowing serious physical harm to a child or vulnerable adult.
Court proceedings data for 2013 are planned for publication inMay 2014.