Asked by: Andrew Turner (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, How many reports the police recorded of sexual offences against children under 16 in each local authority in (a) 2009 and (b) the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Norman Baker
The police recorded crime data that the Home Office receives from the police forces of England and Wales relate only to how many crimes are recorded and not how many reports are received. It is only possible to centrally provide figures for certain sexual offences that identify the age of the victim in statute, namely:
Rape of a female child under 16
Rape of a female child under 13
Rape of a male child under 16
Rape of a male child under 13
Sexual assault on a female child under 13
Sexual assault on a male child under 13
Sexual activity involving a child under 13
Sexual activity involving child under 16
Sexual grooming (the victim must be under 16)
Data for these offences are provided at the community safety partnership (CSP) level in Tables A and F. Police recorded crime data are not wholly available at the local authority level although in most areas local authorities and CSPs are coterminous.
Data are provided for the financial year 2009/10 due to changes in offence codes in April 2009 and data for 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14 are provided for context (Tables B to E).
Recent increases in the overall number of recorded sexual offences have been attributed by the Office for National Statistics to a) the willingness of victims to come forward and report these crimes to the police, partly due to wider ‘operation Yewtree effect, where victims of sexual offences that are not directly connected to Yewtree are now reporting these offences to the police. and b) an improvement in crime recording by the police for these offences.
The information requested is also published quarterly as part of the police recorded crime open data tables and can be accessed in an unformatted list here):
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
(see tables titled ‘Police recorded crime data by community safety partnership’).
Asked by: Andrew Turner (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question
To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission, if the Commission will take steps to reduce expenditure by the National Audit Office.
Answered by Edward Leigh
The Commission, working with the National Audit Office, has taken significant steps to reduce expenditure by the NAO. By the 31st March 2015, NAO expenditure will have reduced by 20% from its 2010–11 baseline of £74.1 million. This is a cut of more than 25% after adjusting for inflation.
The Commission will be discussing future resource proposals for the National Audit Office at a hearing scheduled for 2nd December 2014. This discussion will also consider the additional responsibilities in local government the NAO will take on following the passage of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014.
Asked by: Andrew Turner (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the decision of the House on 13 October 2014 in respect of recognition of Palestine.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
I have discussed the debate with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials. I reiterated that we share Parliament’s commitment to recognising a Palestinian State as a contribution to a negotiated two state solution, at a time most helpful to the peace process. The UK is a long-standing supporter of seeing a sovereign, democratic and viable Palestinian State - living in peace and security, alongside Israel.Asked by: Andrew Turner (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether there will be a consultation by the Homes and Communities Agency over plans for the Venture Quays building in East Cowes.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The overarching plan for the redevelopment of East Cowes has been the subject of widespread consultation and engagement with the local community over a number of years. As phases of the development come forward, there will be further consultation on these new proposals as part of the planning process - this will include the latest phase of development where the Agency is currently seeking a delivery partner to bring forward a mixed use development.
Asked by: Andrew Turner (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on what basis the Homes and Communities Agency determined the market value of the Venture Quays site in East Cowes.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Homes and Communities Agency has a robust and well established policy on land disposals whereby it seeks to dispose of land at market value. As part of this process, the preferred bid for the sale of any land within the East Cowes site will be reviewed by an independent chartered surveyor - in line with the requirements set by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
Asked by: Andrew Turner (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Homes and Communities Agency has made of the (a) value to the Isle of Wight economy of and (b) number of jobs protected or created by expressions of interest in the Venture Quays site in East Cowes.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Homes and Communities Agency is working closely with the Isle of Wight Council and Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and anticipates that:
(a) The development of land at East Cowes will benefit the Isle of Wight through the creation of at least 300 jobs, and around £60 million of private investment.
(b) Around half of the 300 new jobs have been generated by the developments completed to date, and the remaining balance should be secured over the next few years from the remaining phases of development including the proposed marina.
Asked by: Andrew Turner (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the money allocated by his Department to Eastbourne Pier is covered in full or in part by insurance.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The £2 million of funding to Eastbourne council will be used to help counter the impact of the loss of the pier on local businesses and the community. None of the funding will be provided for rebuilding of the Pier itself, which, I understand, is covered by the Pier owner’s insurance.
Asked by: Andrew Turner (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, under what cost heading Eastbourne Pier has been granted money to help in its reconstruction.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Government announced that up to £2 million will be made available to Eastbourne Council to help them recover from the fire at Eastbourne Pier. HM Treasury will provide additional funding as required and this will be agreed as part of the 2014-15 Supplementary Estimates. The £2 million funding to Easbourne Council will be used to support local businesses and traders. None of the funding will be provided for the rebuilding of the pier itself, which, I understand is covered by the Pier owner's insurance.
Asked by: Andrew Turner (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the GDP is of each of the 10 countries receiving the most aid from the UK; and what the average GDP value is of all other aid recipients.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The GDP of each of the 10 countries receiving the most bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the UK in 2012 and the average GDP value of all other aid recipients are shown in the table below. GDP is presented both in absolute terms and per capita. GDP per capita is more widely used since it takes into account the population of each country, giving a more meaningful measure.
Country | GDP per capita (£) | GDP (£m) | |
India | 949 | 1,173,054 | |
Afghanistan | 434 | 12,942 | |
Ethiopia | 295 | 27,014 | |
Nigeria | 1,718 | 290,064 | |
Bangladesh | 473 | 73,229 | |
Pakistan | 792 | 141,922 | |
Tanzania | 384 | 17,828 | |
Congo, Dem. Rep. | 264 | 17,325 | |
Zimbabwe | 574 | 7,871 | |
Malawi | 168 | 2,676 | |
It is not possible to give an average for other countries as GDP data for 2012 is not available for all countries.
Asked by: Andrew Turner (Conservative - Isle of Wight)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason no Minister in his Department was able to represent his Department in the debate on the political independence of charities scheduled to take place in Westminster Hall on 15 July 2014.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
The debate was withdrawn.