The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Prime Minister, what recent representations he has made to officials working on the Chilcot Inquiry; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Cameron
I refer the hon. Member to Sir John Chilcot’s letter to me of 28 October 2015, and my reply of 29 October, copies of which can be found on the Iraq Inquiry website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kramer on 2016-03-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much is being spent on advertising the Married Couple’s Allowance; when the campaign started; and for how long they intend it to run.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
As of March 24 2016, 585,487 couples had successfully applied for Marriage Allowance, including apporoximately 181,00 who applied in March.
The campaign ran until 31 March and final figures are not yet available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Evans on 2016-04-26.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the economic benefit of extending real-time data sharing to the whole consumer credit market.
Harriett Baldwin
HM Treasury does not hold information on the effect that sharing data in real time across the whole consumer credit market would have on consumer debt levels, or on wider economic conditions.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has regular discussions with his Cabinet colleagues on a wide variety of issues. In line with the practice of previous Administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Type 26 frigate will be able to operate across the full range of climatic conditions in which the Royal Navy operates.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Type 26 Global Combat Ship will be designed for joint and multinational operations from the tropics and Arabian Gulf in the summer to the sub-Arctic. The ship’s design will accommodate a broad range of environmental conditions to deliver a globally deployable ship throughout its planned life.
I am withholding further detail as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to respond to the policy briefing from the Royal College of Surgeons on English language testing of EEA healthcare professionals, dated 17 August 2016; and what plans he has to introduce clinical language tests for EEA healthcare professionals working in the UK.
Mr Philip Dunne
Changes to United Kingdom law introduced in April 2014 and March 2015, allow the General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing Midwifery Council, General Dental Council (GDC), General Pharmaceutical Council and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland to carry out language controls for European Economic Area (EEA) doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Britain. The regulators are now able to apply proportionate language controls for EEA professionals before registration and admission onto the register ensuring that only those healthcare professionals who have the necessary knowledge of the English language to do their job in a safe and competent manner are able to practise in the UK.
Under the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive (MRPQ) regulatory healthcare bodies, including the GMC and GDC, are required to recognise primary and specialist medical qualifications gained in an EEA healthcare professional’s home member state.
The people of the UK have voted to leave the European Union, however until exit negotiations are concluded the UK remains a full member of the EU and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. This includes implementation of the MRPQ Directive.
A number of concerns have been raised about the constraints that the Directive places on the ability of UK regulators of health professionals to carry out robust checks of both the clinical and language skills of medical professionals from the EEA seeking to practice in the UK. The Government shares these concerns and will review the checks that UK regulators are able to apply in light of the EU exit negotiations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the future of St Helena airport.
Rory Stewart
DFID officials, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State and DFID Ministers, are in regular contact with FCO officials about the future of St Helena Airport.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to accept into the UK refugee children from Syria who are travelling unaccompanied within Europe.
James Brokenshire
We have been consistently clear that the relocation of asylum seekers between Member States is the wrong thing to do. It will act as a ‘pull factor’ and does not address the underlying issues.
We are not persuaded of the need to make an exception for children as they are on the territory of Member States who have duties to protect and support them.
The UK is committed to supporting the most vulnerable in the region through our humani-tarian response to the crisis as well as our commitment to resettle 20,000 Syrians in need of protection, including children, through our Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-01.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the 26 new Enterprise Zones are which were announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.
Greg Hands
The full list of successful Enterprise Zones, which is available to view online at the link below, was published by DCLG following the Spending Review announcement:
www.gov.uk/government/news/the-new-enterprise-zones
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Kendall on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people of each gender work in his Department.
Mark Lancaster
The requested information, as at 1 October 2015, is provided below:
|
Male |
Female |
|
|
UK Regular Armed Forces |
136,750 |
15,400 |
|
Future Reserves 2020 Volunteer Reserve |
28,740 |
4,540 |
|
Ministry of Defence core civilian personnel |
22,140 |
14,970 |
Full analyses of UK Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence civilian diversity statistics are published on a regular basis and can be found at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-2015
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-civilian-personnel-quarterly-report-2015
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the value of savings held in the UK that are no longer covered under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme as a result of changes implemented in January 2016 under an EU directive on deposit protection units; and if he will make representations to his EU counterparts on reversing the effect of that directive.
Harriett Baldwin
The Deposit Guarantee Scheme Directive (DGSD) is a single market measure to ensure that depositors are entitled to the same level of protection wherever they deposit their money, and that UK firms are not competitively disadvantaged in relation to firms in other European Economic Area (EEA) jurisdictions.
As a result of the recent strength of the pound in relation to the euro, it was necessary for the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to review the sterling coverage limit. On 31 December 2015, the FSCS coverage limit changed to £75,000 per person, per authorised firm. The vast majority of UK depositors are not directly affected – more than 95% of depositors are still fully protected by the FSCS after this change.
The Government brought forward legislation to ensure that the deposit protection limit was maintained at £85,000 until 31 December 2015, to ensure those depositors affected had the time to be informed of the change and to take any actions they felt appropriate. In addition, the PRA made new rules to ensure that, until 31 December 2015, depositors with more than £75,000 worth of deposits at a single authorised firm could withdraw those deposits without penalty.
The Government has made representations to the Commission to suggest that the reviews of the coverage level in non-euro states should occur after the Commission completes its review of suitability of the coverage level as a whole and also that changes for non-euro states reflect genuine, very large and lasting changes in exchange rates.