Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2014, Official Report, column 13W, on domestic visits, what domestic visits he and his predecessor has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.
Answered by Helen Grant
Details of Ministers’ visits are published quarterly and can be found at:
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the recommendations contained in the report, A review of pedestrian walking speeds and time needed to cross the road, published by Living Streets and Transport Research Laboratory on 1 September 2014.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department notes the recommendation that the relevant guidance on this subject should be updated.
The Department expects to bring the successor to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions, which will include all pedestrian crossing types, into force in 2015 and once that is complete will consider the need to update existing guidance.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time was between (a) an employment and support allowance applicant submitting an ESA 50 questionnaire and undergoing a work capability assessment, (b) an employment and support allowance applicant undergoing a work capability assessment and advice being submitted to a decision-maker and (c) advice being submitted to a decision-maker and a decision being issued to an employment and support allowance applicant in each year since 2008.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 675W, on official visits, what domestic visits each of the Ministers of his Department has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Details of all Ministerial overseas travel are published on a quarterly basis and can be found on www.gov.uk/government/publications.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost is of initiating payment of employment and support allowance (ESA) at the assessment rate; what the annual cost is of maintaining an existing claim for ESA; and what the cost is of closing a claim for ESA.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Please see table below:
| Operating Cost | Unit Cost |
ESA Claims | £21,639,678.74 | £25.09 |
ESA Changes | £52,547,108.49 | £10.89 |
The cost of initiating payment of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) at the assessment rate is provided in ESA Claims. We have provided the annual costs for 13/14 and the Unit Costs. The Unit Cost is the average cost of one ESA Claim through the process.
The annual cost of maintaining an existing claim for ESA would be provided in ESA Changes. We have provided the annual cost for 13/14 and the unit costs. The Unit Cost is the average cost of one ESA change being made.
The cost of closing an ESA Claim is included in the ESA Change costs and cannot be extracted separately.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost is of processing a new claim for jobseekers' allowance; what the cost is of a jobseekers' allowance interview; and what the annual cost is of maintaining an existing claim for jobseekers' allowance.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Please see table below:
| Unit cost |
JSA Claims | £13.72 |
JSA NJI Advice | £20.37 |
DWP does not carry information on the annual cost of maintaining an existing claim.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many diplomatic cars have been sold by his Department in each year since 2010; how much each car was sold for; and how much was raised in total from such sales.
Answered by David Lidington
Responsibility for purchase and sale of diplomatic vehicles is devolved to Embassies and High Commissions. Diplomatic vehicles are sold when no longer cost-effective to run, or when fewer vehicles are needed. These vehicles are sold for a fair, local market price. Sales of all vehicles raised £777,000 in 2013/14 and £1.166million in 2012/13.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that staff of her Department alleviate distress suffered by families who are subject to questioning at border control because the children have different surnames to their parents.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Border Force has a duty under section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and
Immigration Act 2009 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. All
Border Force officers undergo mandatory training and have guidance to enable
them to fulfil this important duty in an appropriate manner. Checks are
conducted on passengers arriving in the UK in accordance with the Border Force
Operating Mandate.
Where a child is encountered at the border, and it is not immediately apparent
that the accompanying adult is their parent or guardian, Border Force officers
will ask questions to satisfy themselves as to the child’s welfare and to
discharge their statutory duty. This will be done as quickly and as sensitively
as possible to avoid unnecessary delay and distress to the passenger and their
accompanying family.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect on operations at border control of trends in the number of women having different surnames to their children.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Border Force has a duty under section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and
Immigration Act 2009 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. All
Border Force officers undergo mandatory training and have guidance to enable
them to fulfil this important duty in an appropriate manner. Checks are
conducted on passengers arriving in the UK in accordance with the Border Force
Operating Mandate.
Where a child is encountered at the border, and it is not immediately apparent
that the accompanying adult is their parent or guardian, Border Force officers
will ask questions to satisfy themselves as to the child’s welfare and to
discharge their statutory duty. This will be done as quickly and as sensitively
as possible to avoid unnecessary delay and distress to the passenger and their
accompanying family.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff of his Department have been seconded to (a) other Ministries of Foreign Affairs and (b) international organisations in each year since 2010; and to which (i) other Ministries of Foreign Affairs and (ii) international organisations such staff have been seconded.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff can be seconded to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or international organisations on agreement between the Directorate, Post and the MFA or international organisations. These secondments are a valuable tool for the FCO to meet objectives, increase ties with partner governments or international organisations and develop staff skills and experience.
There is no centrally held record of each of these secondments since 2010 and to answer this question would incur disproportionate costs.