The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Grant on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions in each of the last five years officials of his Department have contacted representatives of a foreign government to ask for an account of private meetings or discussions held between representatives of that government and Scottish Government ministers.
Matthew Hancock
Details of discussions with foreign governments are not usually disclosed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Palmer on 2015-11-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which contracts awarded by the Department of Health have conditions within them relating to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and in each case, whether legal advice was taken before the issuing of that tender.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government takes its obligations as a Party to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) very seriously, including the obligation to protect public health policy from the vested interests of the tobacco industry.
The Department considers the detail of Invitation to Tender (ITT) and contract documentation, including the legal aspects, on a case by case basis. The standard documentation includes a requirement to declare actual or potential conflicts of interest and some ITTs make specific reference to FCTC obligations.
This issue is considered as part of the evaluation process and through the contract monitoring process as appropriate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans the Government has to attempt to remove or deport refugees and asylum seekers at the the UK Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus to third countries.
Penny Mordaunt
Under Sovereign Base Areas legislation, people whose asylum claims fail are liable for deportation. Some applications for asylum in Cyprus are still being processed.
We will seek to deport those who have not claimed asylum or have had their application rejected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wes Streeting on 2016-01-26.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings he has had with external organisations on Google’s tax arrangements in the last 12 months.
Mr David Gauke
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available on GOV.UK.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the conduct of enquiries, and Ministers are not informed of the progress of enquiries and play no part in agreeing the amount of tax to be paid by any taxpayer. HMRC is transparent about how conducts its enquiries and resolves matters under dispute. HMRC publish a Litigation and Settlement Strategy which prevents them from accepting a smaller settlement than they would expect to get in court.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-02-23.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether a five per cent VAT rate could continue to apply to solar PV and solar thermal within the terms of the EU’s VAT directive and the judgment of the European Court of Justice on that matter.
Mr David Gauke
The Government has recently consulted on this matter, the results of which will be announced shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment claimants there were in Inverclyde in 2015.
Justin Tomlinson
Information on the number of claimants in receipt of Personal Independence Payment, by month and a range of geographic breakdowns, including parliamentary constituency, is available from Stat-Xplore. https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Leeds on 2016-04-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 5 April (HL7332), what financial and technical assistance they are providing to the Kurdistan Regional Government in its efforts to document the evidence of mass graves and genocide committed by Daesh.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of reports that mass graves have been discovered in northern Iraq. The relevant authorities in the Kurdistan Regional government (KRG) have not requested us to send forensic teams to investigate these reports, and we have no plans to do so.
We condemn in the strongest terms the targeting and persecution of Yezidis, Christians and other communities by Daesh. We continue to urge the Government of Iraq and the KRG to do all it can to ensure the security and rights of all communities in Iraq.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made in his review of the effects of the one per cent rent reduction on small almshouse charities.
Brandon Lewis
The Social Housing Rents (Exceptions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2016 provided a one year exception for almshouses from the one per cent rent reduction. We are carefully considering the approach for the second year of the reduction onwards, and my officials recently met the Almshouse Association to discuss this. Our aim is to ensure there is a workable and sustainable solution for almshouses, their residents and for taxpayers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions her Department has had with Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions on people who have been granted refugee status in the UK being eligible to access disability living allowance.
Mr Robert Goodwill
There have been no recent discussions between the Home Office and Department of Work and Pensions Ministers about people who have been granted refugee status in the UK being eligible for disability living allowance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing life skills into secondary education.
Edward Timpson
We are clear that as part of schools’ duty to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, all young people should be provided with a curriculum that prepares them for success in adult life. High quality personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) teaching has a vital role to play in this, helping young people understand the world around them, building resilience and helping them to make good choices and stay safe. We have made it clear in the introduction to the national curriculum that all schools should make provision for high quality, age appropriate PSHE, drawing on examples of good practice.
During the Education Select Committee hearing in September 2016, the Secretary of State agreed that we need to look again at how schools deliver high quality PSHE. We are considering all the options and will come to a view in due course..