The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-03-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many public interest immunity applications her Department has (a) received and (b) approved in the last five years.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
Records indicate that my Department has received and approved a total of 31 applications for public interest immunity in the last five years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2015-11-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ringfence spending on the Homelessness Prevention Grant until 2020 in the Spending Review.
Greg Hands
From 2013-14 support for preventing homelessness has been included in the annual Local Government Finance Settlement, split between Revenue Support Grant and estimated retained business rates.
Revenue Support Grant and retained business rates are not ring-fenced. It is up to individual authorities to decide how grant funding should be spent in order to deliver local services.
The Chancellor will set out full details of the Spending Review on Wednesday 25 November.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2016 to Question 23014, what assessment he has made of the disbenefits to drivers resident in Northern Ireland of not being able to use the online facility to change the address on their driving licence; and if he will take steps to extend this facility to Northern Ireland.
Andrew Jones
No assessment has been made. Driver licensing in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive. The provision of online driver licensing systems for motorists in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-03-22.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with response to his contribution of 16 March 2016, Official Report, column 963-64, whether the proposed exemption from the sugar levy for fruit juices will apply to (a) fruit juices with added sugar and (b) fruit juices with natural sugars only.
Mr David Gauke
The levy applies to drinks with added sugar, excluding milk-based drinks.
Therefore, the levy will apply to fruit juices with added sugar, but not to fruit juices containing only naturally occurring sugar.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to redirect proceeds from the National Lottery away from the Big Lottery Fund to fulfil his Department’s existing commitments to fund the arts, heritage and sport.
Tracey Crouch
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for the regulatory framework for the distribution of National Lottery good causes, which is currently 40% for good causes, 20% for arts, 20% for heritage and 20% for sports.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on whether there is a causal link between a mother suffering from post-natal depression and the number of children aged up to three years old taken into care.
Alistair Burt
Neither the Department of Health nor the Department for Education holds the information requested.
The latest statistics on looked-after children at both national and local authority levels for the financial year 2013 to 2014 can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption–2
Table A1 (National Tables) gives a breakdown of the primary reasons for children becoming looked after.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-03-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a ban on travelling to the UK still applies to US citizen Mr Robert Spencer.
Mr John Hayes
The Government does not routinely comment on individual immigration cases. As certain information on this particular case has been publicly disclosed, however, I can confirm that on 25 June 2013 the Home Secretary personally directed that Robert Spencer should be excluded from the UK on the grounds that his presence here would not be conducive to the public good.
The Home Secretary considered that Mr Spencer brought himself within scope of the unacceptable behaviours policy by making statements that may foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in what instances special or additional pension provision has been made for part-time military personnel in the last 20 years.
Mark Lancaster
Since the mid 1990s Reserves have had a variety of pension options to choose from when mobilised, including access to an Armed Forces pension scheme for the period of their mobilisation. However, there has been no special or additional pension provision made for part-time military personnel beyond the following statutory arrangements.
Since 1 April 2015 all members of the UK part-time Volunteer Reserves have been enrolled in the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 and for the first time all their attendance-based paid service now counts as pensionable. Prior to that, from 6 April 2005 to 31 March 2015, personnel serving on an Additional Duties Commitment (ADC) were eligible to join the Reserve Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (RFPS 05). Those members of the RFPS 05 still serving on an ADC on 1 April 2015 transferred to the new scheme unless they met the criteria for transitional protection.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children aged up to three years old were taken into care in the last five years; and what assessment she has made of the reasons why those children were taken into care.
Edward Timpson
The number of children aged 0-3 years, that started to be looked after in the last five years ending 31 March, and the main reason why they entered care, is shown in the table below. This information is for England only.
|
Category of need |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
Abuse or neglect |
6,880 |
7,350 |
7,430 |
7,380 |
7,270 |
|
Child’s disability |
50 |
50 |
60 |
50 |
50 |
|
Parents illness or disability |
520 |
550 |
480 |
500 |
460 |
|
Family in acute stress |
690 |
710 |
740 |
740 |
670 |
|
Family dysfunction |
1,460 |
1,560 |
1,710 |
1,840 |
1,730 |
|
Socially unacceptable behaviour |
50 |
40 |
70 |
70 |
60 |
|
Low income |
20 |
20 |
10 |
20 |
20 |
|
Absent parenting |
260 |
210 |
190 |
150 |
160 |
|
Total number of looked after children aged 0-3 years, in England |
9,910 |
10,500 |
10,690 |
10,740 |
10,420 |
Source: SSDA903
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations 2007 to ensure that customers can use discount vouchers to purchase formula in supermarkets.
Jane Ellison
The restrictions on promotional sales of infant formula are an important aspect of the Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations 2007 which implement the World Health Organization International Code on the Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes. There are no plans to amend this part of the Regulations. While the Department encourages exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life because of the significant health benefits to both mothers and babies, we recognise that infant feeding choices are complex and based on individual and family circumstances, and therefore, low income households have access to the Healthy Start Scheme and may use the vouchers to purchase infant formula.