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49378

registered interest
date	01/05/2014
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will stop requesting that government departments review their arrangements regarding employees paying their trade union subscriptions using check-off.
tabling member constituency	Derby North
tabling member printed	Chris Williamson
uin	197495
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation</p> answering member constituency Horsham answering member printed Mr Francis Maude question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 115 label Biography information for Lord Maude of Horsham
tabling member	3976 label Biography information for Chris Williamson

49380

registered interest
date	01/05/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what active steps his (a) Department has taken and plans to take to facilitate the convening of a conference on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Paul Flynn
uin	197556
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/05/2014 answer text <p>The UK is fully committed to convening a Conference on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction as soon as possible, in line with the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference Action Plan. The Foreign Secretary, Ministers and officials have discussed the Conference with their counterparts from the region, and will continue to do so. Officials have attended, and supported, recent informal consultations between the Facilitator and states of the region at Glion in Switzerland, and will engage in future informal consultations to build agreement. The UK continues to provide financial support for the work of the Facilitator, Finnish Under Secretary of State Jaakko Laajava.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Hugh Robertson question first answered 08/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1415 label Biography information for Sir Hugh Robertson
tabling member	545 label Biography information for Paul Flynn

49381

registered interest
date	01/05/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of (a) the the government of Sri Lanka's decision to proscribe a number of Tamil groups and individuals for alleged links to terrorist activities and (b) the effect this will have on the reconciliation process.
tabling member constituency	Ealing, Southall
tabling member printed	Mr Virendra Sharma
uin	197551
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2014 answer text <p>I am concerned at reports that the Sri Lankan government has proscribed a number of individuals and Tamil organisations operating outside Sri Lanka. Whilst we respect the right of the Sri Lankan government to take appropriate action against individuals and groups where there is clear evidence of their involvement in terrorist activities, our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka has made clear to the Sri Lankan government that proscription should not be used to prevent or stifle the right to freedom of speech, particularly at a time when Sri Lanka's human rights record is under international scrutiny. We believe that this development is not conducive to a successful reconciliation process and will continue to monitor developments closely.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 12/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1604 label Biography information for Mr Virendra Sharma

49382

registered interest
date	01/05/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka; what recent representations he has made to the government of Sri Lanka about the arrest and detention of human rights defenders; and what recent discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterpart about the use of that country's Prevention of Terrorism Act.
tabling member constituency	Ealing, Southall
tabling member printed	Mr Virendra Sharma
uin	197542
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2014 answer text <p>We continue to have serious concerns about respect for human rights in Sri Lanka, in particular continued intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders and activists. We have consistently made clear to the Sri Lankan government the importance of safeguarding freedom of expression and protecting human rights defenders, and continue to urge the Sri Lankan government to uphold their international human rights obligations and to ensure that civil society, human rights defenders and activists are allowed the space to act freely.</p><p>The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Human Rights Report for 2013 and the quarterly updates to the report, which are available online, includes Sri Lanka as a ‘Country of Concern' for human rights and outlines our assessment more fully.</p><p>I made clear to the Sri Lankan government following the arrest of Ruki Fernando and Father Praveen - who have now been released – that it is important that human rights defenders are not subject to intimidation and have a right to freedom of expression. We are also aware of the arrests of Mrs Jeyakumari Balendran and others in Sri Lanka. Officials at our High Commission in Colombo have raised concerns with the Sri Lankan government, in particular on the lack of clarity around the evidence against the suspects and the charges brought.</p><p>We have previously raised concerns with the Sri Lankan government about the length of time individuals can be detained without charge under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. On 27 March, the UN Human Rights Council agreed a resolution which calls on the Sri Lankan government to make progress on human rights issues and to implement Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations, which includes the re-evaluation of detention policies.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 12/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1604 label Biography information for Mr Virendra Sharma

49383

registered interest
date	01/05/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights about the implementation of the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka of 27 March 2014; what technical advice and assistance his Department will provide to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the investigation into alleged war crimes and human rights violations in Sri Lanka; and what representations he has made to the government of Sri Lanka about the UN Human Rights Council resolution.
tabling member constituency	Ealing, Southall
tabling member printed	Mr Virendra Sharma
uin	197543
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2014 answer text <p>Our officials in Geneva continue to discuss the March 2014 UN Human Rights Council (UN HRC) resolution with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). We will continue to fully support and work with the UN HRC and international partners to ensure proper implementation of this resolution. The OHCHR will lead an independent investigation into alleged violations. We continue to urge the Sri Lankan government to co-operate with the UN resolution.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 07/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	1604 label Biography information for Mr Virendra Sharma

49384

registered interest
date	01/05/2014
answering body	HM Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	CaTreasury
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people registered as self-employed claimed tax credits in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	197586
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2014 answer text <p><strong>The following table is </strong><strong>based on finalised tax credits administrative data for each financial year. The latest data available is 2011-12. </strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Tax Year</p></td><td><p>Number of families in receipt of tax credits containing at least one member identified as self-employed</p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td><p>Thousands</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007-08</p></td><td><p>820</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008-09</p></td><td><p>860</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>910</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>950</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>910</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Loughborough answering member printed Nicky Morgan question first answered 12/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4027 label Biography information for Baroness Morgan of Cotes
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

49385

registered interest
date	01/05/2014
answering body	Deputy Prime Minister
answering dept id	58
answering dept short name	Deputy Prime Minister
answering dept sort name	Deputy Prime Minister
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what estimate he has made of the number of electoral registration officers who have not fulfilled their statutory responsibilities in each of the last 10 years.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	197584
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2014 answer text <p>The Government has made no such estimate.</p><p>Since 2008, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have been subject to performance standards set and monitored by the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission publishes its annual reports on ERO performance on its website.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Tunbridge Wells answering member printed Greg Clark question first answered 12/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1578 label Biography information for Greg Clark
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

49386

registered interest
date	01/05/2014
answering body	Deputy Prime Minister
answering dept id	58
answering dept short name	Deputy Prime Minister
answering dept sort name	Deputy Prime Minister
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion and number of voters with learning disabilities who (a) register to vote and (b) vote.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	197553
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2014 answer text <p>The Government has made no such estimate.</p><p>No record is made of disability when registering to vote or when voting.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Tunbridge Wells answering member printed Greg Clark question first answered 12/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1578 label Biography information for Greg Clark
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

49387

registered interest
date	01/05/2014
answering body	Deputy Prime Minister
answering dept id	58
answering dept short name	Deputy Prime Minister
answering dept sort name	Deputy Prime Minister
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps his Department has taken to improve registration rates and voter turnout of (a) visually impaired voters and (b) voters with learning difficulties.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	197554
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2014 answer text <p>Electoral law requires returning officers to take account of the needs of people with disabilities by making polling stations and voting accessible.</p><p>In June 2014, the government will be introducing an online facility for registration which will support further accessibility options for those with particular needs. User testing of paper forms has allowed their design to take into account the requirements of those with disabilities.</p><p>The Cabinet Office has also funded the Royal Mencap Society to create educational resources for people with a learning disability and to develop a model for one-to-one support for families, carers and others to encourage and enable registering to vote.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Tunbridge Wells answering member printed Greg Clark question first answered 12/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1578 label Biography information for Greg Clark
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

49388

registered interest
date	01/05/2014
answering body	Cabinet Office
answering dept id	53
answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has given across government on steps to improve communications with the visually impaired.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	197585
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2014 answer text <p>I refer the Hon member to the Office for Disability Issues's publication Fulfilling Potential. The Cabinet Office's Government Digital Service is working with departments to digitise public services. Our Assisted Digital approach will ensure that these services serve the needs of all users, including people with a visual impairment.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 12/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane