UKPOL.CO.UK

Category: Speeches

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people are part of the team working on projects to improve Turkey’s prospects of joining the EU based at the British Embassy in Ankara; and what the total cost of that team was in the last 12 months.

    Mr David Lidington

    Four members of staff at the British Embassy in Ankara work either for all or part of their time on projects to promote reform and democratisation, as a full part of our work to promote UK interests in Turkey. The total annual cost of these staff for that project work was approximately £76,000 for Financial Year 2015/2016. This does not include the cost of the one UK-based member of staff which could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    The UK remains committed to supporting security and prosperity across Europe, where we will continue to have close relationships and mutual interests.

    In countries aspiring to join the EU, our bilateral focus will remain on strengthening stability, security, good governance and the economic fundamentals; and on building the resilience and capability to tackle global threats and challenges such as irregular migration and terrorism.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the remaining total cost to the public purse will be of construction at Hinkley Point C should that project receive approval.

    Jesse Norman

    Under the terms of the contract, which has yet to be entered into, the remaining total cost to the public purse for the construction at Hinkley Point C would be borne entirely by the developer, who would bear all the construction risk. If construction comes in under budget then any savings above a threshold would be shared with consumers, but if there are overspends then the developer would bear any additional costs.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-10-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) financial and (b) childcare support is offered to young women who work as apprentices in the (i) engineering, (ii) manufacturing, (iii) hospitality, (iv) IT, (v) transport and (vi) science sectors.

    Robert Halfon

    An apprenticeship is a paid job. As an apprentice, an individual can acquire skills much-valued in the labour market without having to contribute to the costs of their learning. The benefits system treats an apprentice in the same way as any other employee regardless of the sector they are working in. As an employee aged 18 or over, an apprentice may be entitled to the usual in-work benefits, such as Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credits.

    If an apprentice has children, or is aged 16 or over and does paid work of at least 16 hours a week, they could qualify for tax credits, unless they are already earning £25,000 or more per year. Further information can be found on the tax credit section of the HMRC website.

    The Apprentice National Minimum Wage applies equally to all apprentices regardless of gender. Most apprentices receive more than the apprentice minimum rate of £3.40 per hour. The latest Apprenticeship Pay Survey (2014) estimates that the median hourly pay for Level 2 and Level 3 female apprentices across Great Britain is £6.36. For males it was £6.19. Differences in pay may be related to the proportion of males and females in higher and lower paid apprenticeship occupations.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on the NHS of missed outpatient appointments due to (a) public transport and (b) other reasons.

    Jane Ellison

    The information requested is not held centrally and no assessment has been made.

  • Lord Watson of Invergowrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Watson of Invergowrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Watson of Invergowrie on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated cost per pupil of auditing the accounts of a 1,000-pupil secondary school, in (1) the maintained sector, and (2) the academy sector.

    Lord Nash

    Schools in the maintained sector do not require an external audit as this is undertaken at local authority level.

    Each academy trust’s audit fees vary reflecting a number of different factors such as the auditing firm used and the complexity of the business. We are, therefore, unable to provide an estimation of audit fees on a cost per pupil basis for a 1,000-pupil secondary school.

  • Bill Esterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Bill Esterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of Government departments which failed to pay outstanding debts to SMEs within the 60 day maximum period set out in the Prompt Payment Code.

    Matthew Hancock

    Government does not hold this information centrally. When undisputed public sector invoices are not paid within 30 days, interest becomes liable under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

    In March 2015 central government restated its longstanding commitment to pay 80% of undisputed and valid invoices in 5 days with the remainder paid in 30 days. To increase transparency through publication, departments are required to publish performance against these targets on a quarterly basis on GOV.UK.

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  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to meet the UN target of reducing food wastage by 50 per cent by 2030.

    Rory Stewart

    Food waste is an issue requiring urgent action throughout the world and the UN target of halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels is an important objective. Working through WRAP, we are taking concerted action and are leading the way in the EU and Internationally.

    We have made significant progress to reduce food waste through the Courtauld Commitment, a voluntary agreement with retailers and food manufacturers, and WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign which gives consumers advice and tips on reducing food waste at home. Courtauld Commitment signatories reported a reduction of 7.4% in supply chain waste between 2009 and 2012 under Courtauld 2. Interim results for Courtauld 3 show signatories reported a further 3.2% reduction by 2014.

    We also made progress through a voluntary agreement with the hospitality and food service sector. Hospitality Agreement signatories achieved a reduction in CO2e emissions of 3.6% by preventing food waste and the food and packaging recycling rate rose from 45% to 57% between 2012 and 2014.

    We want to go further. WRAP is currently brokering a new agreement, Courtauld 2025, which will build on this progress. Courtauld 2025 is expected to be launched in March 2016.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many referrals her Department has made to the children’s section of the Refugee Council related to detainees in immigration removal centres who her Department believed to be children in each year since 2009-10.

    James Brokenshire

    Since the Home Secretary announced the immediate closure of Yarl’s Wood for families with children on 16 December 2010 it has not been the policy of Her Majesty’s Government to detain those we believe are children whilst their asylum claims are under consideration. We do not have records for the number of referrals made in 2009-10.

  • Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Vicky Foxcroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the UK aid budget will be allocated as (a) grants and (b) loans in 2016-17.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The information requested is not available for 2016-17.

  • Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of dairy products procured for his Department was sourced from British producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Mr Mark Francois

    The Department for Communities and Local Government sources 75% of its dairy products from British producers as at March 2016.