The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-04-28.
To ask the Prime Minister, what receptions were held in 10 Downing Street on each day in the week commencing 21 April 2014; and what the occasion was of each reception.
Mr David Cameron
Details of official and charity receptions held at Downing Street are published on a quarterly basis. Details can be accessed via the gov.uk website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-04-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of single people who will be claiming universal credit in the first year of the roll-out of universal credit in the six boroughs of the Merseyside Jobcentre Plus district.
Esther McVey
[Holding answer 1 May 2014]
The Department announced on 5th December 2013 that Universal Credit would roll out in the North West in Summer 2014. The Department confirmed on 30 April that it is now in discussion with relevant Local Authorities in the North West on the detailed planning to make that happen.
As with Jobseeker’s Allowance, the Department does not hold forecasts of UC claimant numbers split by both borough, and then by marital status within that borough. Claimant numbers at this degree of detail will be influenced by a range of factors; these include likely local demographics and likely economic conditions within each borough. It is not possible to combine these in any meaningful way, and any such estimates might prove to be unreliable.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on increasing the range of services provided by the Post Office network.
Jenny Willott
Post Office Ltd, with its network of over 11,500 branches, is well placed to become a provider of front office services for Government, helping citizens interact with Government either face-to-face or online.
While public services must be competitively tendered, Post Office Ltd has shown that it can very effectively bid for and win new work. It has won every Government contract it has bid for the past three years in highly competitive tendering processes.
In particular, in 2012 it successfully bid for the competitively-tendered DVLA framework contract for Front Office Counter Services (FOCS). This contract runs to 2020 and is available to other Government departments. For example HM Passport Office recently moved its services with Post Office Ltd onto FOCS and this Department and the Cabinet Office are in close contact about a range of other opportunities.
Furthermore, Post Office Ltd was recently one of the successful bidders for the Cabinet Office’s online identity assurance contract, ensuring that Post Office Ltd can play a role in the delivery of modern, online Government services.
Whilst I continue to highlight to my colleagues the opportunities available to Government from using the Post Office network and contracts such as these, individual contracts are a matter for the services in question and their respective public bodies and departments. I have not had recent discussions specifically with the Northern Ireland Executive.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alun Cairns on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on Streamlining Regulatory and Competition Appeals launched in June 2013; and on what timetable he intends to introduce reforms arising from that consultation.
Jenny Willott
We hope to publish the Government response before Summer. Any legislative changes we decide to make will be taken forward when Parliamentary time permits.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Halfon on 2014-04-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had on combining national insurance and income tax.
Mr David Gauke
As set out at Autumn Statement 2012, the Government will wait for further progress on planned operational changes to the tax system before formally consulting on the operational integration of income tax and NICs.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graeme Morrice on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of emergency telephone coverage in West Lothian local authority area.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not made any specific assessment of the adequacy of emergency telephone coverage in the West Lothian local authority area. However, the Department and the independent national telecommunications regulator (Ofcom) work closely with all the Scottish emergency services and communications providers on matters such as this through the Government’s 999/112 Liaison Committee. All the Scottish emergency services have been key contributors both in discussions on next generation access to 999 and in reviewing the code of practice that defines how emergency services and telecommunications providers work together.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mowat on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department takes to audit or monitor the outcomes of successful applications to the Armed Forces Covenant (Libor) Fund.
Anna Soubry
The Ministry of Defence administers the £35 million LIBOR Fund on behalf of the Cabinet Office-led Covenant Reference Group. Successful projects are funded on the basis of a standard set of terms and conditions plus additional measures as appropriate. Those who receive funding are required to produce regular monitoring reports, and to retain financial data for audit purposes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people were training for teaching qualifications in each year since 2003.
Mr David Laws
The initial teacher training (ITT) census provides provisional figures on the number of new entrants who have started, or expect to start, an ITT programme in England in that academic year; for previous years the final figures are included.
Figures from 2003 to present are publicly available.
Statistics from May 2010 onwards are available on GOV.UK:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-teacher-training#census-data
Archived statistics are available on the National Archives:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions on IUU fishing took place at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels on 24 March 2014.
George Eustice
The Council of Ministers on 24 March agreed to list Belize, Guinea and Cambodia as non-cooperating third countries, acting insufficiently in fighting against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Under the EU IUU Regulation, any imports into the EU of any fisheries products caught by these flag state vessels will be banned. In addition, Ministers discussed the proposed review of the IUU Regulation and the Commission confirmed its intention to undertake the review next year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on whether the government of Burma plans to open a country office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in that country.
Mr Hugo Swire
It has been over 18 months since President Thein Sein committed to opening an in-country Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights. This would allow for more constructive relations between the international community and the Government on human rights. Most recently, the British Ambassador raised the issue with the Burmese Foreign Minister on 31 March. We continue to call on the Government to publish a timeline for the opening of the Office, with a mandate that includes monitoring and technical assistance.