The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much public expenditure was allocated from her Department to Unilever in each financial year from 2009-10; and how much public expenditure is allocated to that company for 2015-16.
Justine Greening
No resources have been allocated to Unilever.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-01-14.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the total funds provided by Government for (a) corporate welfare grants and support schemes and (b) tax forgone.
Mr David Gauke
The Government offers a wide range of financial support to business through different grants and tax reliefs. For example the Regional Growth Fund has so far committed £2.6 billion of support to over 400 awards which are expected to deliver £16 billion of private sector investment and 573,000 jobs.
Overall Government grants and reliefs serve to support UK businesses to invest and grow, generating jobs and economic growth. Business investment has grown 26% since early 2010, there are more people in work now than ever before, and the IMF have forecast the UK as having the fastest growing economy in the G7 in 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dame Joan Ruddock on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take in response to the conclusions of the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, held in December 2014.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK was represented at the Vienna conference by our Permanent Representative to the International Organisations in Vienna, Susan le Jeune. As the Vienna Conference was a discussion platform there were no formal follow up outcomes agreed. However as stated at the Conference, the UK will continue to follow the step-by-step approach to disarmament through the existing UN disarmament machinery and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received from creditors of companies which have gone into liquidation about the priority of payments in cases of liquidation.
Jo Swinson
I occasionally receive representations from creditors of companies in liquidation about priority of payments in those cases. In broad terms, the principle applied in insolvency cases is that creditors are treated equally, and will receive any payment they are due after the fees, costs and expenses of the liquidation have been paid. This is not an area which the Government has any current plans to change.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2015-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent steps the Government has taken to tackle Islamophobia.
Stephen Williams
This Government has done more than any other to tackle anti-Muslim hatred which includes:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 10 February (HL4677), in the light of the change in franchisee and the expectation of more changes, what steps they are taking to ensure that there are sufficient luggage space and catering facilities for the anticipated use of those trains.
Baroness Kramer
The interior of the Intercity Express Programme is designed flexibly so that it can be adapted to meet different traffic conditions in the future. Operators have been fully engaged in this process. We continue to work very closely with them on the train, including catering provision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chidgey on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in relation to the arrest and reported incommunicado detention of Christopher Ngoyi and other activists in the wake of protests in January against the amendment of electoral law in that country.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
During the recent period of unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) officials at our Embassy in Kinshasa were in regular contact with the DRC authorities, and urged all parties to exercise calm and restraint. Officials also highlighted the importance of allowing those who wished to protest peacefully against the proposed electoral reform bill to be allowed to do so. This was echoed in a Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) press statement issued on 19 January. On 25 January a revised electoral law was passed, and on 26 January a FCO press statement welcomed the revised electoral law, which sought to address some of the protestors’ concerns. We are pleased that calls for an end to violence were heeded but are concerned that – according to UN reports – as many as 300 people remain in detention following the demonstrations, including some who have not had access to a lawyer. Of those currently being held, the UN estimates that at least 11 are believed to be in ‘incommunicado’ detention, including Christopher Ngoyi. Officials continue to raise the ongoing detention of protestors at the highest level. On 11 February, EU Heads of Mission in Kinshasa issued a joint statement expressing concern at arrests and arbitrary detention of political activists by the security services. Those imprisoned for peacefully exercising their right to free speech must be released without delay.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2015-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new HIV diagnoses were made among prisoners in 2014 in England and Wales.
Earl Howe
Data for 2014 is not available until October 2015.
Latest data from the national human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) surveillance system shows that in 2013, of 5,594 adults (aged 15 years old or above) newly diagnosed with HIV in England and Wales, nine were newly diagnosed with HIV at a prison service. An additional 210 patients living with a diagnosed HIV infection (diagnosed before 2013) were resident in prison.
Notes:
The numbers are likely to be under-reported because prison status is not routinely collected. Prisoners were identified if the residential information provided related to a prison setting. Therefore the completeness and accuracy of the numbers depends on the clinicians’ reports. Furthermore, most prisoners have short custodial sentences and consequently may not be included in the national HIV surveillance system which collects information relating to a patients’ most recent attendance at an HIV service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-02-11.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2014 to Question 215333, what the estimated cost to the Exchequer in the calendar year 2015 will be of raising Transport for London bus fares in line with the retail price index.
Danny Alexander
The estimated cost to the taxpayer in 2015 of raising Transport for London (TFL) bus fares is 1% of TFL’s bus fare income for 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2015-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the potential (a) number of job losses at and (b) redundancy costs to local authorities as a result of the proposed takeover of responsibility for LLC1 searches by the Land Registry.
Matthew Hancock
At this stage it is not possible to quantify whether there will be any redundancies at local authorities or if so, how many there could be.
Land Registry’s current research suggests approximately 850 local authority staff deal with Local Land Charges as all or part of their roles. Land Registry acknowledges the possibility that there may be redundancies among these staff, but they will typically have additional responsibilities alongside their Local Land Charges role.
Further work is required to understand exactly how much time is spent by each individual officer on the Local Land Charges service. Land Registry will, of course, fulfil any TUPE obligations if applicable in any particular case.