The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding his Department received from the European Social Fund (a) between 2007 and 2014 and (b) from 2014 to the last month for which data is available.
Matthew Hancock
The Department has no record of receiving any funds from the European Social Fund.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with HM Revenue and Customs on the level of prosecutions relating to cross-border fuel smuggling and laundering.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
Prosecutions relating to cross-border fuel smuggling and laundering are a matter for HM Revenue and Customs, whose policy is to arrest individuals where there is evidence that they have been involved in fuel fraud, as long as this is proportionate.
The Northern Ireland Executive, under the Fresh Start Agreement, is implementing additional measures aimed at tackling the impact of criminality and paramilitarism in Northern Ireland. That includes the establishment of a new cross-jurisdictional joint agency task force with a focus on a range of crimes, including fuel smuggling and laundering.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2016-05-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage better customer service in insurance companies that allow for consumers to make free claims.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules.
The FCA’s Insurance Conduct of Business Sourcebook (ICOBS) sets the conduct standards required of insurance firms in relation to their business which aim to ensure consumers are treated fairly. This includes provisions relating to the handling of claims by insurers. ICOBS states that insurers must handle claims fairly and promptly; provide reasonable guidance to help a policyholder make a claim, and appropriate information on its progress; not reject a claim unreasonably; and settle claims promptly once settlement terms are agreed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on opening up school facilities to the local community for use outside the school day.
Nick Gibb
Schools play an important role in supporting their local communities and often make land available in various ways for a variety of community uses alongside their core education purpose.
We support these efforts and the academy funding agreement contains a specific provision stating that “the Academy Trust must ensure that the academy is at the heart of its community, promoting community cohesion and sharing facilities with other schools and the wider community”.
Decisions on making specific facilities available are for the individual school.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-10-11.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the percentage change in (a) trade, (b) foreign direct investment and (c) the level of productivity in the UK in the event of the UK leaving the EU without securing any preferential trade agreements and reverting to standard World Trade Organisation rules from current trading relationships.
Mr David Gauke
As the Prime Minister has said, we want the best outcome for Britain. That means pursuing a bespoke arrangement which gives British companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the single market, and enables us to decide for ourselves how we control immigration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Nokes on 2015-11-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of increasing free childcare provision to 30 hours per week on (a) the number of childcare places, (b) child to adult ratios in nursery settings and (c) the number of nurseries which offer free childcare provision.
Mr Sam Gyimah
Introducing the new entitlement to 30 hours of free childcare for working parents will require growth in the childcare market which the Government is confident can be achieved. We know that many working families with three- and four-year-olds already use more than 15 hours of childcare so many of the required childcare places already exist. We also believe that there is some existing spare capacity in the system to help deliver the new entitlement. The Government is committed to keeping the existing child to adult ratios and has no plans to change them to deliver the extended entitlement.
We have already made significant progress in ensuring that there are more childcare places available with an increase of 230,000 places since 2009. Furthermore, data from the Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey (2013) showed that 97% of full day care settings that took three and four-year-olds offered funded places. The childcare sector is healthy, vibrant and growing. During the last Parliament, it demonstrated its ability to respond to the extension of the free entitlement to disadvantaged two-year-olds.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-11-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to tackle religious intolerance in schools.
Nick Gibb
Religious intolerance in schools is unacceptable. All schools are required to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Schools should be places where we promote the understanding of other cultures for example, through the National Curriculum programme for citizenship, which includes teaching about the diverse range of identities in the UK and the importance of respecting others.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has contacted the Saudi Arabian government on the human rights element in the case of Waleed Abu al-Khair.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are very concerned about the case of Waleed Abu Al-Khair and we have raised this case with the Saudi Arabian authorities. Our Ambassador in Riyadh, as well as our Embassy team, continues to make representations on cases like this on a regular basis.
The UK’s position on human rights in Saudi Arabia is a matter of public record. We frequently raise our human rights concerns with the Saudi Arabian authorities using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Duty Provider Crime Contracts have been awarded to women’s syndicate firms in (a) the West Midlands, (b) the city of Birmingham and (c) Birmingham, Hodge Hill constituency.
Mr Shailesh Vara
As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of Thursday 28 January, the crime Tender process has been withdrawn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.
Mike Penning
The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Library of the House and online at
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