The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of the proposed extension of Sunday trading hours on the pay and conditions of retail workers.
Anna Soubry
In view of the will of the House, we are no longer proposing to give local authorities the ability to extend the Sunday trading hours of large shops.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-04-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken in the light of the report by Help Refugees in March that 129 unaccompanied children are unaccounted for in the Calais refugee camp.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government is working closely with the French Government to ensure that unaccompanied children in Calais and Dunkirk quickly receive the support and protection they need.
The UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015 committed the two governments to establishing a permanent official contact group focused on ensuring that the provisions of the Dublin III Regulation are used efficiently and effectively, including the provisions on family unity.
As a result a Home Office official has recently been seconded to the Interior Ministry’s Dublin Unit in Paris in part to assist with the identification of potential requests for the UK to take charge of asylum seeking children in France and to bring them into the Dublin Regulation procedure without delay.
In order to receive the proper support they need and to be eligible under Dublin, children must first make an asylum for application in France.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-05-05.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential cost of the apprenticeship levy to (a) schools and (b) Multi-Academy Trusts in (i) 2017-18, (ii) 2018-19 and (iii) 2019-20.
Greg Hands
Local authorities, academies and multi academy trusts along with all other employers, ‘will only pay the apprenticeship levy if their company paybill exceeds £3 million.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to engage the Bahraini monarchy to ensure that freedom of religion and belief is promoted and upheld.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We regularly discuss freedom of religion and belief with the highest levels of the Government of Bahrain. I did so most recently on 2 June when I met with the Bahraini Foreign Minister at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the total annual value to the UK of each trade deal to which the UK is a party as a consequence of the UK’s membership of the European single market.
Greg Hands
Fifteen per cent of the UK’s exports of goods and services in 2014 went to countries with which the EU has negotiated free trade agreements (FTAs). This includes FTAs that have been implemented and those where negotiations have been completed but are still awaiting ratification. It does not include UK exports to EEA countries or non-EU members of the Customs Union.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobseekers who have registered disabilities in East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow have been sanctioned in each of the last five years.
Priti Patel
The available information on JSA sanctions, including those with a disability (which refers to the disability status of the claimant undergoing a sanction and is self-recorded by the claimant) is published at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started—SuperWEB2.html
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have assessed the humanitarian impact of increasing the capacity of the Kerem Shalom goods crossing between Israel and Gaza; and whether they have plans to discuss that issue with the government of Israel.
Baroness Verma
The biggest impediments to Palestinian economic progress are the Israeli-imposed movement and access restrictions. The current movement and access restrictions relating to Gaza are leading to a stagnated economy and worsening situation for the people living there. An improved economy is not only essential for the people of Gaza, but is firmly in Israel’s security interests. We have consistently called on Israel to improve movement and access into and out of Gaza, including extending operating times at Kerem Shalom and will continue to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will hold discussions with train operators on making the process of purchasing railway tickets from ticket machines simpler in respect of (a) indicating peak and off-peak times, (b) where peak and off-peak times differs between train operators and (c) in other ways.
Claire Perry
I recognise that ticket vending machines can sometimes be confusing and do not always make it easy for passengers to find the best ticket for their journey.For that reason, I challenged the rail industry at a Summit I held in December 2014 to improve the information they provide through ticket vending machines.The industry has responded by agreeing with the Office of Rail and Road a code of practice on retail information, published in March 2015, and most train operators now have actions underway or complete, which include providing new messages on screens to explain time restrictions and improving the availability of off-peak tickets through vending machines. The Department continues to monitor progress closely in this area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when his Department plans to answer Questions 25349, 25350, 25505, 25506, 25604, tabled on 2 February 2016 and Question 24982, tabled on 1 February 2016.
Joseph Johnson
I have replied to the hon Member.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials of his Department have specific policy responsibility for freedom of information.
Matthew Hancock
I refer the hon Member to the Cabinet Office organogram: https://data.gov.uk/organogram/cabinet-office.