The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Chinese government on the detention and charging of Tibetan education advocate Tashi Wangchuk; and what response he has received to those representations.
Mr Hugo Swire
We plan to raise the case of Tashi Wangchuk at the next round of the UK-China human rights dialogue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Bacon on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS has paid BT for the licensing, deployment and support of acute IT systems in the south of England.
Mr Philip Dunne
Information regarding payments made by National Health Service trusts to BT is not held centrally.
The Department, to the end of financial year 2015-16, paid BT £0.5 billion in respect of services it delivered to acute and community and mental health trusts in the south of England under the BT Local Service Provider contract. This contract has now closed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hussain on 2016-10-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of India concerning violence in Indian-administered Kashmir and the continued curfew order in place in cities and towns.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We remain concerned by reports of violence and offer our condolences to the victims and their families. The UK abides by its commitments under international law and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have updated our travel advice. As the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Alok Sharma) said in the House of Commons on 18 October, the UK’s long-standing position, held by successive Governments, is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or act as mediator.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimates he has made of expenditure on the state pension for people in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Justin Tomlinson
Due to the geographical level of information requested it has been assumed that the question refers to benefit expenditure.
The information on requested is shown in the table below.
Tables show expenditure for Great Britain, not the UK, as expenditure in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive.
| State Pension Expenditure £ million | 2014/15 |
| Great Britain | 86,515.8 |
| Scotland | 7,323.8 |
| Glasgow (City) | 615.4 |
| Glasgow East (constituency) | 104.5 |
Benefit expenditure information is published and can be found using the following URL:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2015
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he next plans to publish a Single Departmental Plan for his Department.
David Mundell
Single departmental plans for 17 Government Departments will be published in January 2016. The Scotland Office and other territorial offices are not required to produce single departmental plans.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Eagle on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff who work at Wallasey Jobcentre Plus in Liscard live within two miles of that office; and how many of those staff will be (a) made redundant and (b) transferred as a result of the closure of that office.
Priti Patel
Staff currently based at Wallasey Jobcentre Plus live in various locations throughout Merseyside. Travel considerations form an integral part of the One-to-One discussion process with all staff.
No staff will be made redundant as a result of the proposed relocation of services to Birkenhead if Wallasey Jobcentre Plus were to be closed.
There are 116 staff based at Dominick House, all of whom will be transferred to either Brunswick House or other locations depending on personal circumstances – should the closure go ahead.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the section of the Belfast Agreement 1998 entitled Human Rights, in the subsection Comparable Steps by the Irish Government, what is their interpretation of the meaning of the statement that that government will bring forward measures to ensure at least an equivalent level of protection of human rights as will pertain in Northern Ireland”; how that commitment is monitored; and what changes the government of the Republic of Ireland reported to them as a result of that commitment.”
Lord Dunlop
The Belfast Agreement commits the Irish Government to ensuring an equivalent level of protection for human rights in Ireland to that established in Northern Ireland by the Agreement. As a result of this commitment, the Irish Government established the Irish Human Rights Commission, which in November 2014 merged with the Equality Authority to form the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. The UK and Irish Governments meet regularly both at ministerial and official level to discuss issues of mutual interest and concerns including matters relating to the implementation of the Belfast Agreement in each jurisdiction. These include matters relating to human rights in Northern Ireland and Ireland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to secure the appropriate data to monitor the progress of programmes which encourage the uptake of STEM subjects by girls.
Nick Gibb
The Government funds a number of programmes which encourage the uptake of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects by girls. We monitor the progress of these programmes against their key performance indicators through regular reports and by evaluating their impact.
In 2014 the Government published for the first time data showing the proportion of girls and boys studying A levels in science and maths at each post-16 institution, and in 2016 time series data of students entered for mathematics and science A level subjects by number of subjects and gender. Both sets of data will continue to be published on an annual basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-03-24.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.19 of the report, Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates, published on 16 March 2016, which technologies his Department is considering (a) adding and (b) removing from the list of qualifying technologies for the first-year allowance scheme for energy-saving and environmentally-beneficial technologies.
Damian Hinds
At Budget 2016, the Government announced changes to 100 percent enhanced capital allowances for energy-saving and environmentally-beneficial (water-efficient) technologies.
Each autumn, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) consult manufacturers and suppliers. DECC and Defra then recommend to Treasury Ministers updates to the schemes.
Details of the changes will be set out in Treasury Order 2001/2541 for energy and 2003/2076 for water in the next few months. As is routine, an impact assessment will be published alongside the Order.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve the Rural Payments Agency call centre service.
George Eustice
The Rural Payments Agency always receives a high volume of calls on a wide range of subjects and continues to review its resources in response to demand. A number of new measures have recently been introduced, including more automated options, to help route customers to the best solution for their enquiry. The agency’s helpline, based in Workington, played an important role in the Basic Payment Scheme 2015 application campaign.