The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-01-29.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has assessed for changing the status of HM Revenue and Customs Digital Technology Services to enable it to become profit-making.
Mr David Gauke
The company was set up as a not-for-profit and there are no plans to change its status to a profit-making entity.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to support the British Heart Foundations’ Wear It Beat It campaign.
Jane Ellison
We congratulate the British Heart Foundation (BHF) on its Wear It Beat It campaign, which aims to raise funds for research into heart disease.
Heart disease is a vital area of research. The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a wide range of research relating to these conditions, spending £49 million on cardiovascular disease research in 2014/15. The NIHR works in partnership with the BHF and other medical research charities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carol Monaghan on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her French counterpart on French authorities’ use of tear gas in the refugee camp in Calais.
James Brokenshire
The UK Government is in regular contact with French counterparts on the migrant situation in Calais.
Steps taken by French authorities to clear sections of the migrant camp in Calais are consistent with the shared strategy to encourage those in need of protection to claim asylum in France and to return those not in need to their home country. The French Government, with support from the UK, has made huge efforts to provide decent accommodation in France for all those that need it, including for women and children.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Rawlings on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 21 April (HL7637), whether the new settlement for the UK in the EU negotiated by the Prime Minister included a provision for the British Art Collection in the European Parliament to be repatriated in the event that the UK votes to leave the EU.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hooper on 2016-06-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they have given to the government of Colombia to help it develop its national business and human rights action plan, and whether further assistance will be given to aid its implementation.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We supported Colombia in the development of their National Action Plan (NAP) to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The NAP, which is the first of its kind outside of Europe, was launched in December. It allows Colombia to meet its existing human rights obligations and increase business awareness.
The Minister of State for Trade and Investment, my noble Friend, the Lord Price of Sturminster Newton, launched a campaign for British businesses to support peace, primarily through the respect for human rights, during his visit to Colombia last month. Twenty of the largest British companies operating in Colombia subsequently agreed to align themselves to the Colombian National Action Plan for business and human rights.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many officials from (a) the Foreign Office and (b) HM Treasury have (i) moved and (ii) are planning to move to work in his Department.
Mr David Jones
The new Department for Exiting the European Union will be made up of staff from various departments across Government, including from the UK’s Permanent Representation to the EU. The department has already started drawing together expertise from a wide range of departments where there is specific relevant knowledge. The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are now being considered – the department now has over 180 staff.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2016 to Question 42843, whether all necessary checks were completed on the departure of the ferry Barfleur from Cherbourg to Poole.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Any checks on the Barfleur when it departs from Cherbourg is the responsibility of the French authorities. We reaffirm that 100% of necessary checks were completed on the Barfleur on arrival into Poole on the 23rd June.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2015-11-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the document, Fixing the Foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation, Cm 9098, published in July 2015, if he will publish his Department’s analysis linking changes to tax credits with increased productivity.
Mr David Gauke
The Paper, “Fixing the Foundations: creating a more prosperous economy” focuses not on the link between welfare reforms and productivity but instead on how ‘a productive economy must make the most of its labour force and effectively mobilise people into jobs’.
This governments tax and welfare policies are supporting this end.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 December 2015 HDVS 369 on rail franchising, when he expects to publish the new franchise agreements for the Northern and TransPennine Express franchise awards.
Andrew Jones
The draft franchise agreements are already published by the Department:
TransPennine Express (TPE): https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/417830/franchise-agreement.pdf
and the final agreements will be published after the agreed redactions have taken place.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-01-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what alterations were made to the pulsion system of the Type 45 destroyer between the launch of the first and the sixth such destroyers.
Mr Philip Dunne
The decision to procure the Rolls Royce WR21 was taken in November 2000 by the then Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon. In announcing the decision, he accepted this decision "presents a greater degree of risk to the programme."
Following that decision a number of issues with the Type 45 Integrated Electrical Propulsion (IEP) system were identified when the First of Class, HMS Daring was launched in 2006.
From 2006 to the launch of the sixth and final Type 45 in October 2010, the Type 45 Destroyer class had around fifty minor design alterations directly attributable to the development of the Type 45 IEP system identified. The subsequent implementation process for acceptance of these alterations is necessarily rigorous to maintain safety and system design intent. As a result, the majority of Type 45 IEP alterations were implemented after the launch of the last of class.
A report was commissioned in 2011 to examine the reliability of the power and propulsion system in greater detail. This work was re-assessed in 2013 to examine the extent to which the issues identified in the report had been dealt with, (by changes to operating procedures and training) and establish which were not simply the problems associated with a new complex system.
As part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 the Government is committed to improving the Type 45’s power and propulsion system an ongoing Equipment Improvement Plan is successfully making further alterations to the existing power and propulsion system.
Over the last two years, Type 45 Destroyers have been routinely deployed to the Gulf to maintain a destroyer presence in the region, including HMS Defender’s support to US Carrier operations against Daesh.