Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the nationality was of (a) all people in prison and (b) people in prison who self-identified as Muslim on 1 January 2014.

    Jeremy Wright

    Data are held centrally on the prison population in England and Wales on the last day of each month, so figures have been provided for 31st December 2013 (with the exception of PQ 197068 which has been answered as at 30 June 2013 – the latest available data for criminal history information).

    For PQ 197067, Table 1 below provides the number for the sentenced prison population by sentence length for self-declared Muslim prisoners and the total for all religions.

    For PQ 197068, Table 2 provides the number of offenders in prison on 30th June 2013 who identified themselves as Muslim and all other religions by the number of previous custodial sentences received.

    For PQ 197069, Table 3 provides the prison population by nationality for self-declared Muslims and the total for all other religions.

    For PQ 197090, Table 4 provides the prison population by age group for self-declared Muslims and the total for all other religions.

    Please note that the religion of prisoners is self declared and prisoners are under no obligation to declare their religion.

    These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the treatment of child victims and witnesses within the courts system.

    Damian Green

    We do everything we can to support child witnesses and help them give their best possible evidence to bring offenders to justice.We are piloting recorded pre-trial cross-examination, allowing vulnerable witnesses for the first time to give evidence in advance of trial.

    In ‘Transforming the Criminal Justice System: Strategy and Action Plan’ (June 2013), the Ministry of Justice committed to improving the consistency and take-up of special measures for vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses, such as the use of live-link, screens in court and the use of an intermediary (communication specialist). We are working with other criminal justice agencies to deliver this.

    Child victims and witnesses are automatically eligible for special measures when giving evidence in court. The presumption in most cases is that they should give their evidence by video-recorded statement, and that any subsequent cross-examination is conducted by live-link with a supporter present who has been approved by the court.

    The pre-trial cross-examination pilot ends in October 2014 and the evaluation of the pilot will inform plans for any future rollout of the measure.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many prisoners reached (a) Key Stage 1, (b) Key Stage 2 and (c) Key Stage 3 qualifications in (i) English and (ii) mathematics whilst in prison in each of the last five years.

    Matthew Hancock

    We do not centrally hold information on prior attainment.

    Work is under way to introduce, this summer, mandatory education assessment by the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) provider for all newly-received prisoners. This will ensure that all offenders, not just those that go on to learning, receive a learning assessment (focused around English and maths, but also covering learning difficulties and disabilities).

    Table 1 shows Offender Learner English and Maths Achievements for the 2012/13 academic year. The data are broken down by Level rather than Key Stage as this is the appropriate measure for further education qualifications.

    Table 1: Offender Learners – English and Maths Achievements by level, 2012/13

    Level

    English

    Maths

    Entry level

    5,100

    5,250

    Level 1

    3,550

    4,020

    Level 2

    1,280

    1,930

    Total

    9,300

    10,100

    Notes

    1) The data source is the Individualised Learner Record.

    2) Volumes are rounded to the nearest ten except for the Grand Totals which are rounded to the nearest hundred.

    3) Learners undertaking courses at more than one level will be counted once for each applicable level, but once only in the Total.

    4) Offender learners are defined as offenders aged 18 or over that participated in Skills Funding Agency funded learning while in the prison system. These offenders were funded via the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) budget.

    Information on Offender Learner English and maths achievements by level for 2010/11 and 2011/12 is published as a Supplementary Table to a Statistical First Release. Data for earlier years are not available on a comparable basis.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284253/January2013_OLASS_Participation_Achievement.xls

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-further-education-and-skills

  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time to process a personal independence payment claim has been in each month since it was introduced.

    Mike Penning

    The information you have requested is not currently available.

  • Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Ainsworth on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to support business start-ups in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry.

    Matthew Hancock

    We continue to work hard to provide the right support to make life easier for people looking to start a business and those looking to grow their business.

    www.gov.uk is the home for Government services and information online. One of the tools available is the ‘Finance and Support Finder;’ a searchable database of publicly-backed sources of finance and Business Support. The website www.greatbusiness.gov.uk also provides support and advice for entrepreneurs starting out as well as for anyone trying to grow a business

    In addition to on-line support, the Business Support Helpline is available to provide a quick response on queries about starting a business, or a personalised and in-depth advice service for more complex needs Start-Up Loans provide start up funding and intensive support to entrepreneurs to enable them to start a business. The Start-Up Loans Scheme has so far helped 26 companies in Coventry North East with a value of £108,400, and 75 companies in Coventry with a value of £359,617.

  • Biography information for Duncan Hames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Biography information for Duncan Hames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Duncan Hames on Home Office.

    1

    Damian Green

    This is an operational matter for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

  • Caroline Flint – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Flint – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 3 April 2014, Official Report, column 993, on energy efficiency, how many households in each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area have received energy efficiency improvements under the Energy Company Obligation.

    Gregory Barker

    The Department breaks down the provisional number of Energy Company Obligation (ECO) measures installed by local authority area and parliamentary constituency in its quarterly Official Statistics series:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-december-2013).

    I will be placing copies of the tables showing the number of households in each local authority area (Table 1) and parliamentary constituency (Table 1a) that had ECO measures installed up to the end of December 2013 in the Libraries of the House.

  • Biography information for Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Biography information for Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Ian Lavery on Transport.

    1

    Stephen Hammond

    The public consultation exercise is a joint consultation conducted and prepared by the Department for Transport and Rail North, which is a body that represents all Local transport Authorities in the North of England. The consultation also encourages individual responses from Local Transport Authorities. The consultation can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/future-of-northern-and-transpennine-express-rail-franchises

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on anti-democratic violence in Venezuela.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I am deeply concerned about the reports of violence associated with protests in various cities in Venezuela since early February and call on all sides to refrain from violence. I receive regular reports on the situation from our Embassy in Caracas.

    The majority of the demonstrations, including large-scale gatherings organised by the government or by the opposition, have been peaceful, but some disturbances have been marred by violence. The number and frequency of the incidents have decreased over the last few weeks, but there are still violent incidents. To date, at least 41 people have died and more than 650 have been injured since the start of protests. About half the victims are anti-government protestors and the rest pro-government supporters, security forces or bystanders. Around 2,500 people have been detained and around 200 people remain in custody, including police officers and students. The authorities are investigating around 100 cases of reported human rights abuses.

    It is important that the Venezuelan government respects the right to protest peacefully, ensures public security and due process is afforded in investigations. I welcome the meetings held between the government and opposition which are an important step towards genuine dialogue. We continue to monitor the situation closely and keep travel advice for British nationals under constant review.

  • Biography information for Kelvin Hopkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Biography information for Kelvin Hopkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Kelvin Hopkins on Home Office.

    1

    Norman Baker

    The Advisory Board is a strategic sounding board for the Alcohol Impact pilot, providing NUS with advice to enable it to:
    • maximise the impact and success of the pilot;
    • identify, and react to, strategic barriers and opportunities in the short,
    medium and long-term;
    • identify, and develop, influential and effective strategic partnerships for
    the Programme;
    • develop a strong legacy plan beyond the pilot.

    Representatives for the board were selected by the NUS, in consultation with the Home Office, to provide a cross-section of groups who have expertise in a project that combines alcohol and the night-time economy, crime, higher education and community interests.

    In addition to officials from the NUS and Home Office, 19 external advisors form the NUS Alcohol Impact Advisory Board.

    They are representatives of:
    • Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education
    • Association of University Directors of Estates
    • Addaction
    • Portman Group
    • Association of Town and City Management
    • British Universities and Colleges Sport
    • Research and Analysis
    • Leeds University Union
    • Universities UK
    • Best Bar None
    • GuildHE
    • Newcastle University
    • Northamptonshire Police
    • Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers
    • Greater Manchester Police
    • British Beer and Pub Association
    • Public Health England
    • Best Bar None