Asked by: Simon Danczuk (Independent - Rochdale)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many and what proportion of staff of his Department were based in each region of the UK in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The number and proportion of Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) staff based in each region of the UK (as shown on the BIS staff database) as at 31 March 2015 was as follows:
Location | Headcount | Percentage |
Birmingham | 37 | 1.5% |
Bristol | 12 | 0.5% |
Cambridge | 8 | 0.3% |
Cardiff | 46 | 1.8% |
London | 2065 | 81.2% |
National | 133 | 5.2% |
Sheffield | 241 | 9.5% |
Grand Total | 2542 | 100.0% |
Due to a change in the database used to capture staff information it is not possible to provide data for previous years within the timescale.
Asked by: Simon Danczuk (Independent - Rochdale)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, if he will review the position of the incumbent Director of Public Prosecutions in view of the recent decision to charge Lord Janner.
Answered by Jeremy Wright - Shadow Attorney General
Decisions on whether or not to bring criminal charges are taken by prosecutors who are independent from government and independent from Parliament. I am confident of the independence and the integrity of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Alison Saunders, in making the difficult judgements the job of a prosecutor involves.
The Victims’ Right to Review, which Alison Saunders helped to bring in, allows any victim of crime who is dissatisfied with a decision taken by a prosecutor not to proceed with their case to ask for the decision to be reviewed. This review has operated as it was designed to in the case of Greville Janner.
We are world leaders in offering that safeguard for victims and since Alison Saunders has been DPP, the CPS has prosecuted and convicted more child sex offenders than ever before.
Asked by: Simon Danczuk (Independent - Rochdale)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent candidates standing in both local and general elections when those elections are held on the same day.
Answered by John Penrose
The Government has no plans to change the current arrangements in this area.
Asked by: Simon Danczuk (Independent - Rochdale)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to increase the deposit necessary to stand in local elections.
Answered by John Penrose
Deposits are not currently required for candidates to stand in local government elections and the Government does not have any plans to introduce such a provision.
Asked by: Simon Danczuk (Independent - Rochdale)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was accrued to the public purse as a result of candidates losing their deposits at the 2015 General Election.
Answered by John Penrose
Every candidate standing in the General Election must pay a deposit of £500, which is forfeited if they fail to gain five per cent of the vote in the constituency in which they are standing.
The total amount that is to be returned to the Consolidated Fund as a result of candidates losing their deposit at the 2015 General Election is £773,000. This represents 1,546 candidates that lost their deposit.
Asked by: Simon Danczuk (Independent - Rochdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made in achieving parity of esteem for mental health services.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Good mental health is very important to this Government. Having legislated for parity of esteem, this Government will take mental health as seriously as physical health and hold the National Health Service to account for making progress towards parity of esteem. We have committed to introducing new access and waiting standards and will ensure these are delivered.
Asked by: Simon Danczuk (Independent - Rochdale)
Question
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps the Government is taking in response to the European Commission's recommendation to extend overseas voting rights for UK citizens living in EU countries beyond 15 years.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The Government is keeping the current 15 year time limit for all UK citizens living overseas under consideration. There are no plans to change the law at the present time.
Asked by: Simon Danczuk (Independent - Rochdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the ease of opening bank accounts for small businesses.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The Government has put in place a range of measures to support small businesses, including making it easier for them to find a bank that meets their needs. For example, the Business Banking Insight survey will help the UK's SMEs understand their options, make decisions about who they should bank with, and plan how they will finance their growth. It provides detailed information on what the UK's SMEs think about every aspect of their bank, and includes a ranking of banks against key indicators.
In addition, the British Bankers' Association website hosts a 'Business Account Finder'. This provides information on a range of financial services available to businesses, including current accounts. It presents a list of the most competitive current accounts available with separate sections for sole traders, limited companies, charities and other types of business.
Asked by: Simon Danczuk (Independent - Rochdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people in Rochdale who are seeking talking therapy treatment have to wait for over three months to find out whether they will receive such treatment.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The data is not available in the format requested. Data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows that in 2013-14 21.2% of patients requiring Improving Access to Psychological Therapies treatment in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group area waited over 90 days from referral to first treatment.
Asked by: Simon Danczuk (Independent - Rochdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is for talking therapies in (a) Rochdale and (b) nationwide.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The following table shows the mean and median waiting times nationally and for Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area from referral to first treatment for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services in 2013-14.
Area | Median waiting time (days) | Mean waiting time (days) |
England | 21 | 39.5 |
Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale CCG | 29 | 61.9 |
Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre