The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-11-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that contract staff in all government departments receive the Living Wage at the appropriate rate.
Lord Bridges of Headley
Every employer in the country will pay the National Living Wage, including all Government contractors, from April 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to reduce the cost of university for students.
Joseph Johnson
All eligible students can apply for an upfront tuition fee loan to meet the costs of their tuition fees. This ensures that students are not prevented from attending their course because they cannot pay for their fees.
From 1 August 2016 onwards, students who would otherwise have received a grant will see an increase in the amount of maintenance support they can access, with those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds receiving 10.3% more in loans for living costs.
Linking repayment to a borrower’s income will ensure that deductions are based on their ability to repay. Repayments are made through the UK tax system at 9% of earnings of any income over the relevant repayment threshold and they will cease if earnings fall below the threshold. Any outstanding loan balance will be written off after thirty years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to negotiate an extradition treaty with Pakistan.
James Brokenshire
Between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2015 there were no extraditions from Pakistan to the UK.
There is no bilateral extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan and, unless a multilateral convention applies, extradition is on the basis of reciprocity.
The Government will neither confirm nor deny whether it is considering or is involved in negotiations with a particular country regarding an extradition treaty.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage more milk processors to comply with the voluntary code on milk contracts.
George Eustice
The dairy industry code of best practice on contractual arrangements was created in Great Britain in 2012 in response to concern about fluctuating milk prices. About 85% of producers have signed up to it. There is general acceptance that the code’s introduction has led to some improvement for milk producers.
Ultimately, the code is voluntary and owned by the industry. However, this is something that I regularly discuss with the NFU and Dairy UK with a view to encouraging other, primarily smaller processors to sign up.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-03-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the criteria are for payments to be made from the Contingency Fund.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The criteria for access to the Contingencies Fund are set out in the Treasury publication “Supply Estimates: a guidance manual” which can be found on the gov.uk website. The Contingencies Fund enables the Treasury to make repayable cash advances to departments for urgent services, in anticipation of provision for those services being provided by Parliament.
The main criteria against which any application is judged is genuine urgency in the public interest and – in cases of new services – near certainty that any related Bill will become law. However, not all advances are dependent upon the passage of enabling legislation: existing legislation may already exist. Advances are generally made in anticipation of the relevant Supply and Appropriation Act.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will press to agree a definition of the term foreign fighter with his EU counterparts.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
I and the Home Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), have been actively working with our EU counterparts to agree an appropriate definition of the term foreign fighter. All member states agree on the need to tackle this threat and the Presidency is seized of the importance of agreeing a definition within the coming months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Berry on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps Border Force has taken to identify and assist potential victims of trafficking and modern slavery at ports across the UK.
James Brokenshire
Combating modern slavery, which includes human trafficking, slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour, is a leading priority for Border Force. All frontline Border Force Officers have access to comprehensive guidance on modern slavery and must complete mandatory training on identifying victims of modern slavery.
Additionally, Border Force has specialist teams at ports across the country which receive additional, in depth, training to increase their levels of expertise. This allows Border Force to maintain a high degree of vigilance to identify and protect those who may be a victim of modern slavery and to identify those seeking to exploit them. Border Force officers follow established processes and referring all identified child and consenting adult potential victims to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), which acts as the UK’s identification and support process for victims.
Border Force staff also receive mandatory training also takes places on how to refer potential victims to NRM. Working in close partnership with police forces, social services and the UK Human Trafficking Centre, Border Force also carries out intelligence led exercises to tackle the threat of trafficking at the border.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the Government’s policy is on access to the European Economic Area; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Robin Walker
Our economy is fundamentally strong, and the UK is open to business and investment. The Government has been consulting, and will continue to consult, with a broad range of stakeholders and we will need to consider all factors carefully in implementing the decision of the British people. This is clearly a very important issue for UK business and we will want the strongest possible economic links with our European neighbours.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hay of Ballyore on 2016-10-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with ministers of the government of the Republic of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Executive on cross-border efforts to tackle organised crime.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Home Office Ministers have regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland Executive. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.
UK and Irish law enforcement work together closely to combat serious and organised criminality. Since 20 May 2015, the National Crime Agency has been operating with full powers in Northern Ireland. The National Crime Agency has put in place dedicated resources to work with Ireland’s law enforcement agencies to tackle the threat from organised crime affecting both countries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she plans for the next contracts for difference auction to take place; and whether she plans to make any amendments to how that auction operates from previous such auctions.
Andrea Leadsom
As my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on the 18th November 2015, the current intention is to hold the next Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation round for ‘less established’ technologies in late 2016.
We will announce further plans in relation to the next allocation round in due course.
The auction design for the next round will not change materially. It will be a pay-as-clear auction with ‘less established’ technologies competing for a set budget. Further information will be announced in due course.
Government has also responded to recommendations made by the Energy and Climate Change Committee, and in the recent EMR Evaluation and Competition Market Authority reports. Published responses can be found on the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-market-reform-evaluation
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