The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the UK’s current trade deficit with the EU.
Anna Soubry
This data is publicly available and can be found on the ONS website in the ‘Balance of Payments, Quarter 2 (April to June) 2015’.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of illegal immigrants in residence in each constituent region and nation of the UK in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.
James Brokenshire
Government estimates on the number of illegal migrants currently living in the UK by constituent region and nation are not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the Director of Public Prosecutions the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to take Mark Pearson to trial for sexual assault, and the claim by the defence solicitor in that case that the CPS initially provided amended and misleading video evidence to the court.
Lord Keen of Elie
The CPS’s function is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider.
The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, as this can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of whether there is a realistic prospect of conviction and, if so, whether the public interest lies in prosecuting.
It is open to the defence in any crown court case to argue, after the prosecution has closed its case, that the evidence is too weak for the decision to be left to the jury. In this particular case the judge clearly considered that the decision was properly a matter for the jury.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2016-03-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they next plan to meet the Chief Executive of the Go-Ahead Group in order to discuss its Southeastern rail franchise and (1) health and safety, (2) passenger satisfaction, and (3) responsiveness to customer complaints.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Senior officials will continue to meet with the Chief Executive of the Go-Ahead group on a regular basis to discuss the performances of the franchises. The next meeting is on 21st March.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Barker on 2016-04-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what meetings or other communications took place between Cabinet Office officials and Mr Chris Snowdon of the Institute of Economic Affairs relating to government funding of voluntary organisations in the twelve months prior to the announcement on 6 February of the new clause in grant agreements restricting the use of government grants for lobbying purposes.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The Institute of Economic Affairs’ written research into the misuse of government grants was acknowledged at the time that the clause was first introduced by the Department of Communities and Local Government before the last general election, and also by the Cabinet Office when it published its guidance on the new clause.
Details of Cabinet Office Ministers’ meetings, and those of the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretaries, are centrally collated and routinely published in transparency returns available on the Gov.uk website.
Information relating to the meetings and communications of Cabinet Office civil servants, including special advisers, is not routinely collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Adams on 2016-05-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that ancillary services, including black start, are available to the national grid following the removal of coal-fired power stations from the system; and who will be responsible for providing those services.
Andrea Leadsom
National Grid ancillary services, including Black Start, are procured from generators that have the capability to meet the service requirements. National Grid assesses the suitability of different technologies from a Black Start perspective on an ongoing basis and any generator technology can be considered as a Black Start provider.
As we drive forward our decarbonisation strategy, DECC is working with National Grid to ensure that the Black Start strategy remains resilient and cost effective. Part of this work includes National Grid assessing which new technologies may be suitable for Black Start in the future and engaging these providers to understand the feasibility of achieving this.
National Grid is also investigating alternative approaches to the Black Start strategy and is taking forward the recommendations of two independent consultant reports commissioned in 2015. Both reports are available on the Energy Networks Associations’ website via the Smarter Networks Portal.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Principles for maintaining continuity of care when moving across borders within the United Kingdom, published in March 2015, whether an adult with a care package who needs to raise a cross-border moving issue should raise that issue with the local authority they are leaving or the one they are moving to.
Alistair Burt
The “Principles for maintaining continuity of care when moving across borders within the United Kingdom” provide a framework for local authorities to support adults with care and support who move between countries in the United Kingdom without having their care interrupted.
Adhering to the principles should reduce the potential for disagreement, however, where disagreements do arise, the Department and the Devolved Administrations would expect the parties to act reasonably and to make full efforts to resolve the dispute between themselves through constructive dialogue, cooperation and communication, including the timely sharing of information, and focussing on the well-being of the adult. The timely and effective resolution of disputes is in the interest of all parties, not least, the adult in question.
It is not possible to be definitive about which authority a cross-border continuity of care matter should be pursued with because it will depend on the facts and the nature of the issue. The adult may wish to approach their own local authority in the first instance. However where an issue raised with an authority falls within the remit of the other, the principle that the authorities should work together and share information should apply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2016-09-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the replenishment target of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is met at the Pledging Conference in Montreal on 16 September.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
My Right Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, announced an investment of £1.1billion in the Global Fund, including a commitment to double private sector contributions for tackling malaria, up to a maximum of £200million, and £90 million tied to successful delivery against a performance agreement.
The UK’s investment will fund 40 million bednets to tackle malaria; provide enough lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy for 1.3 million people with HIV; and support the treatment of 800,000 people with tuberculosis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-11-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what dates in the last 24 months the government of the Republic of Ireland attended in any capacity meetings held under section 1 of the 1998 Belfast Agreement.
Lord Dunlop
The Government has held regular meetings with the Irish Government over the last two years in accordance with the established three-stranded approach.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2015-12-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on jobs in Dundee of the policies outlined in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.
Greg Hands
The government has made no assessment of the effect on jobs in Dundee as result of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015. A number of economic policies which affect jobs are devolved to the Scottish Government.
The government has set out its commitment to have the highest employment rate in the G7 and the Autumn Statement set out further measures to support people into work, including extending Jobcentre Plus support to 1.3 million additional claimants on Universal Credit by 2020, and a real terms increase in funding to support people with disabilities and health conditions find, and remain in, work.