Author: admin

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 11 February (HL5647), whether the UK Stem Cell Bank holds appropriately detailed records on the origin of stem cell lines deposited therein; and if so, when any bona fide stem cells derived from trophectoderm were recorded as having been deposited in the UK Stem Cell Bank.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    When human embryonic stem cell lines are deposited at UK Stem Cell Bank originators of the cells complete a detailed application that includes the scientific characteristics of the cells. Applications to deposit cell lines derived in the United Kingdom are reviewed to confirm that they comply with Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority licencing by the steering committee. The cell lines currently deposited with UK Stem Cell Bank do not include human stem cell lines derived from trophectoderm.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which lobbying campaigns organised by charities have been funded by government grants since May 2010.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    Information on lobbying campaigns organised by charities is not collected by government.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which, if any, ministers and officials have met representatives of the Institute of Economic Affairs since May 2012 to discuss proposals that resulted in the change announced on 6 February to the terms and conditions attached to all grant agreement letters issued by public-sector grant providers to recipients of grant funding.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    Information of all government meetings is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The details of ministerial meetings are provided in transparency documents available on Gov.uk website.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations were made to ministers and officials on the subject of lobbying by charities between May 2010 and February 2016 by organisations other than the Institute of Economic Affairs.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Government has received a range of representations since 2010 on charities’ lobbying, campaigning and political activities, including from charities themselves. There is no central record that categorises the different representations received.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much Kids Company received in gift aid payments from 2005–6 to 2015–16.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has a statutory duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality and cannot comment on the affairs of individual organisations.

    HMRC publishes national statistics showing the total cost of Gift Aid and other charitable tax reliefs.

  • Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Barker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, prior to the change of terms and conditions attached to all grant agreement letters issued by public-sector grant providers to recipients of grant funding being announced by the Cabinet Office on 6 February, due diligence was undertaken to ensure that that policy complies with Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control requires governments to protect public health policy from the commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry. The grant funding clause announced on 6 February 2016 helps protect the taxpayer by ensuring that grants are only used for the purposes for which they are intended. It is therefore entirely consistent with the aforementioned Article.

  • Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking, if any, to ensure that the Bede’s World museum in Jarrow will be able to re-open after its unexpected closure.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    As a local authority heritage attraction, the management of Bede’s World is a matter for South Tyneside Council to address as part of the council’s overall cultural offer. Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund are continuing to liaise closely with the council as they explore practical options for operating Bede’s World in the future.

  • Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria are being employed to determine the accountability of elected metropolitan mayors that have been agreed as part of devolution deals.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Mayors that have been agreed as part of devolution deals will provide accountable, visible and transparent leadership for their local area. They will be directly elected and accountable through the ballot box. Additionally, they will be held to account by the combined authority, who will be able to reject or amend their spending plans and strategies. Their decisions and actions will also be examined by an overview and scrutiny committee and an audit committee, that must be established following the commencement of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016. These committees will be able to ‘call-in’ decisions and ask that they be reviewed, they can also demand the mayor to answer questions before them, and these hearings will be open to the public, who will have the legal right to film, blog, tweet or use any other type of social media.

  • Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made on devolution deals for non-metropolitan areas.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Government is determined to rebalance the economy and empower local government through the devolution of powers away from Whitehall. We have already agreed seven ground-breaking devolution deals with areas ranging from Liverpool to Cornwall.

    The Government is progressing devolution discussions with non-metropolitan areas that submitted devolution proposals in September 2015. We are at an advanced stage in negotiations with a number of non-metropolitan areas and expect to be able to announce further deals in the near future.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the minimum number of bids for rail franchises they require to create the necessary competitive tension to ensure value for money for the travelling public, and in particular whether they consider that three bids is sufficient for that purpose.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Whilst the Department for Transport prefer to have three bids for each franchise competition, as was the established practice under the previous government, we are prepared to accept that on occasion, we may only have two genuine bidders.