UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Speeches

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information she holds on the number of schools that have received teaching materials on the EU provided by the EU Commission and the Information Office in the UK.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department does not hold the information on the number of schools that have received materials from the European Commission.

    Schools are aware of their duties regarding impartiality and treatment of political issues. Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 require maintained schools to secure the balanced treatment of political issues. This duty is reflected in the model funding agreement for academies and free schools. Schools are best-placed to understand their pupils’ needs and to tailor their curricula accordingly. They are aware of their duties regarding impartiality and treatment of political issues, and are required to prevent political indoctrination and secure the balanced treatment of political issues. Teaching should equip pupils to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, to debate, and to make reasoned arguments. It should also prepare them to take their place in society as responsible citizens. At key stage 4, the national curriculum includes teaching about local, regional and international governance and the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so when, they intend to instigate an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in politics at all levels.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Everyone in Britain has the right to feel safe and at ease in the place where they live. There is no place for hatred against people because of their race, gender, ethnic origin, faith, sexual orientation, age or disability. This includes anti-Muslim attacks which are unacceptable in Britain.

    The Government is already taking a number of steps to counter Islamaphobia and does not intend to carry out an independent inquiry. We fund Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) to encourage reporting of these crimes and to support victims. We have also set up the first cross Government Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group to raise awareness of Islamaphobic attacks. In addition, the police began to disaggregate hate crime by religion in April 2016. This will help the police to build community trust, target their resources and enable the public to hold them to account.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans the Government has to force Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to establish public central registers of beneficial ownership.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    While the Overseas Territories (OTs) and Crown Dependencies (CDs) are separate jurisdictions, and are responsible for their own fiscal matters, we are working closely with them on their role on company transparency. Our priority has been for them to establish a central register of beneficial ownership information (or a similarly effective system) where they do not already have one, and for UK law enforcement and tax authorities to have full and automatic access to that information. Bilateral arrangements to this effect have now been concluded with all the relevant OTs and with the CDs, and these will enter into effect by June 2017. The registers will, with one exception, not be public, but these measures will place our Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories well ahead of other similar jurisdictions and represent a significant step forward in our ability to counter criminal activity.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2016 to Question 45678, on Ethiopia: security, what non-overseas development assistance elements were included in the executive masters programme in security sector management, which closed in June 2015.

    James Wharton

    UK non-Overseas Development Assistance support for the Executive Masters Programme in Security Sector Management – totalling £140,000 – covered the costs of the non-civilian students that attended the course.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what factors were considered by HM Revenue and Customs when making its decision to locate its regional hub in Leeds rather than Bradford.

    Mr David Gauke

    On 12 November, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced the next stage of its ten-year modernisation programme. As part of that, the department demonstrated its long-term commitment to Yorkshire and the Humber by setting out that it would establish a Regional Centre in Leeds.

    A number of factors were considered by HMRC when deciding where to locate its new Regional Centres. In addition to cost, it considered local and national transport links, the local labour market, supply of future workforce and the retention of current staff and skills.

    HMRC modelled the impact of locating the Regional Centre for Yorkshire and the Humber in both Bradford and Leeds. For both scenarios, it took into account the potential loss of jobs for staff expected to be outside of reasonable daily travel (defined as approximately 1 hour from home to work, though dependent on individual circumstances).

    HMRC first shared its transformation plans with its employees 18 months ago. Since then has held more than 2,000 events across the UK, setting out how and why it is changing. The department is committed to continuing to support all of its employees who are affected by these changes.

    Staff in Yorkshire attended a number of face-to-face events, providing feedback on the potential location of the regional centre. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances in one-to-one meetings with their manager.

    This transformation programme will ultimately enable HMRC to deliver better public services at lower cost to the taxpayer. It will generate estate savings of £100 million a year by 2025.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that police officers are aware of the outcome of prosecutions in which they have been involved.

    Mike Penning

    Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, through its IT systems, passes data onto the police national computer so that records of convictions and sentences can be maintained by the police.

  • Wes Streeting – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Wes Streeting – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wes Streeting on 2016-01-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made representations to the Bank of England regarding the regulation of any specific bank since May 2015.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Prudential Regulation Authority is a subsidiary of the Bank of England and operationally independent of Government.

    Treasury Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Prudential Regulation Authority to discuss relevant regulatory issues.

    As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what work his Department is undertaking to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in the construction industry to expand and create more jobs.

    Nick Boles

    The Government is working to help all construction companies to expand and create jobs. At the Spending Review the housing budget was doubled to over £2 billion per year, and the Chancellor also committed to £100 billion of spending in this Parliament for new roads, rail, flood defences and other vital projects.

    We are making sure that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have access to government contract opportunities, making it easier for them to do business with us. We are requiring departments to publish details of future projects on the “contracts finder” website, giving businesses the confidence and time to invest in relevant skills, labour and capabilities.

    Access to finance can be a barrier to growth. There is a range of support and assistance available through the Business Support Helpline. The British Business Bank is a government-owned business development bank dedicated to making finance markets work better for smaller businesses, through schemes such as the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG). The British Business Bank promotes the EFG to high street lenders to encourage them to lend to viable smaller businesses that would otherwise be declined for lacking adequate security.

    More widely the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ red tape challenge programmes are targeting rules and regulations in the construction sector. Many of those red tape requirements fall disproportionately heavily on smaller construction employers.

    In addition the Government is placing employers, including small businesses, in the lead in developing new apprenticeship standards and providing financial support. Specific grants are available for smaller businesses and for younger apprentices. In addition there is a range of support for all approved learning outcomes available from the Construction Industry Training Board.

  • Owen Thompson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Owen Thompson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Thompson on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to page 69 of the Budget 2016, when his Department plans to start the science and innovation audit in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

    Joseph Johnson

    The first wave of Science and Innovation Audits, including the Edinburgh and the Lothians audit, were announced at Budget on 16th March. Consortia going through Wave 1 have been selected to represent a cross section of approaches, geographical areas, and capacity to engage actively in developing the methodology. Initial planning meetings will commence shortly and we expect the project to be delivered by the Autumn.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civil servants and diplomats form part of the UK Permanent Representation to the EU; how many such officials there were in each pay band in each of the last five years; and what the total staffing cost of UKREP was in 2015-16.

    Mr David Lidington

    UKRep includes staff from a number of different Government Departments. The number of staff employed by UKRep varies throughout the year, depending on changing requirements at the Representation. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently has 122 full time posts at UKRep, both UK based and Locally Engaged. Details of the current senior team at UKRep can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/uk-representation-to-the-eu/about/our-governance .

    A breakdown of officials by pay band for the last five years could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost; however FCO’s annual report and accounts for each financial year, including an overview of salary costs, can be found on GOV.UK .