Category: Speeches

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the UK Government plans to provide through the EU in advance of presidential elections in Ukraine in May 2014.

    Mr William Hague

    The UK will be sending 90 short term observers, in addition to the 10 long term observers already in Ukraine, to join the observer mission being mounted by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). This will allow for an objective assessment as to whether the required standards are met. We also welcome the announcement by the OSCE/ODIHR that they will be providing advice and training on running elections.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    Mr Francis Maude

    The Prime Minister’s Office and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.

    Declaration of ethnicity for staff is voluntary and it is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.

  • Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen vocational education in Nigeria.

    Lynne Featherstone

    DFID recognises the importance of vocational skills training for reducing poverty among young people in Nigeria, and is currently considering options on how best to support the sector to increase the economic opportunities available to marginalised groups of young men and women in six of the poorest states in Northern Nigeria.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what proportion of staff within his Office who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    Mr Nick Clegg

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by My Rt Hon Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office today.

  • Anne Main – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Anne Main – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much local authorities in (a) St Albans, (b) Hertfordshire, (c) the East of England and (d) the UK have returned to his Department in unused discretionary housing payment funding since 2011; and what steps he is taking to ensure that such funds are targeted towards those most in need.

    Esther McVey

    The Department has responsibility for the funding of Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in Great Britain, but not the UK. The table below shows the amounts of unused DHPs returned to the Department since 2011 for the respective areas. The figures for 2013/14 will be available in due course once the information has been collated from local authorities.

    Local Authority Area

    Under Spend since 2011

    St Albans

    £18,717

    Hertfordshire

    £72,108

    Eastern England

    £1,494,137

    Great Britain

    £20,982,679

    The Department provides local authorities with a guidance manual and good practice guide to aide them in the administration of the DHP scheme. This has recently been updated following informal consultation with stakeholder groups and local authority practitioners. The new guidance encourages councils to make longer term awards where appropriate to those with ongoing needs.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    Dan Rogerson

    The data in the table relates to staff in core Defra only.

    Financial Year

    Percentage of staff subject to formal disciplinary proceedings who have not declared their ethnicity

    Percentage of staff subject to formal disciplinary proceedings who have declared themselves to be white British

    2009-10

    33%

    67%

    2010-11

    75%

    25%

    2011-12

    33%

    67%

    2012-13

    17%

    67%

    2013-14

    25%

    67%

    Employees declare their ethnicity and national identity on a voluntary basis.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what incentives were (a) offered to (b) accepted by priority investors in relation to Royal Mail privatisation.

    Michael Fallon

    No incentives were offered to priority investors.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what proportion of staff within the House of Commons Commission who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    John Thurso

    The breakdown of staff who classed themselves as white British and who were dismissed following formal disciplinary procedures addressing poor performance, unsatisfactory attendance or misconduct is as follows:

    2009/10 – 0%
    2010/11 – 100%
    2011/12 – 80%
    2012/13 – 0%
    2013/14 – 25%

    Over the five years as a whole there were 15 such dismissals of which eight described themselves as White and British. In a further four cases the ethnic background was unknown or not stated and the nationality was unknown or not stated in three cases.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many business rates appeals to the Valuation Office Agency are currently classified as (a) outstanding, (b) received and (c) cleared, by region; and what the current median time taken in days is to clear business rates challenges in each region.

    Mr David Gauke

    Table 1 shows the latest available statistics on proposals (appeals), by region, to amend the 2010 rating lists. The numbers provided cover England and Wales for the duration of the 2010 rating list as of 30 September 2013.

    Table 1: Proposals to amend the 2010 Rating Lists

    Region

    Total Received1,2

    1 Apr 10 to 30 Sept 13

    Total Cleared1,2

    1 Apr 10 to 30 Sept 13

    Total Outstanding1,2 at 30 Sep 13

    Median time to clear (days)

    30 Sept 13

    England and Wales

    572,780

    409,680

    163,100

    360

    England

    544,550

    388,850

    155,700

    360

    North East

    23,030

    17,370

    5,660

    360

    North West

    79,090

    58,620

    20,470

    370

    Yorkshire and the Humber

    52,920

    41,150

    11,770

    330

    East Midlands

    34,530

    26,520

    8,010

    300

    West Midlands

    53,310

    40,540

    12,770

    320

    East

    53,340

    37,530

    15,820

    380

    London

    119,130

    71,540

    47,590

    400

    South East

    77,700

    56,440

    21,260

    380

    South West

    51,500

    39,150

    12,350

    350

    Wales

    28,230

    20,830

    7,400

    360

    1 Figures may not sum to the totals due to the rounding of figures.

    2 VOA Official Statistics, Local Rating Lists: Business Rates

    (Experimental Statistics): Table As, November 2013

    http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/_downloads/xls/NDR_TableA_All_2010.xls

    “

  • Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment he has made of the average waiting time for claimants of the personal independence payment who require a home consultation in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the UK.

    Mike Penning

    The information you have requested is not currently available.