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  • Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many people have applied for the Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund in each year since its establishment; and what estimate she has made of the total grants from that date to May 2015.

    Jo Swinson

    The number of people who have made applications to the Access to Elected Office fund by year is in the table.

    Financial Year

    Number of applicants

    2012/13

    27

    2013/14

    34

    2014/15 (to date)

    34

    The total value of Grants awarded to date (from July 2012 to January 2015) is £399,061, and applications totalling £92,442 are currently pending. Total grant expenditure will depend on the final number of successful applications between now and the end of March 2015, after which date the fund will cease to take applications.

  • Gerald Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Gerald Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Howarth on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will ensure that the change in definition of ambulance in Government Amendment 43 of the House of Lords Committee stage of the Deregulation Bill will continue to permit private ambulance and medical providers to operate (a) conventional ambulances and (b) fast response cars and motorbikes under blue lights.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    The relevant clause now contained in the Deregulation Bill is not intended to have any effect on the existing legal status of ambulances, including those used by the private or voluntary sector. Conventional ambulances may continue to use blue lights and be exempt from certain road traffic provisions when responding to emergencies. The amendments in the Bill continue to allow vehicles dispatched by the NHS ambulance services (including vehicles that private ambulance and medical providers operate), that are not ambulances, by allowing them to use blue lights and extending the road traffic exemptions to them.

  • Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department plans a full or part privatisation of the Ordnance Survey to result from the change of operating model for that organisation.

    Matthew Hancock

    No. The change to a Government–owned Company is operational in nature, designed to improve the performance of the organisation. There are no plans to privatise Ordnance Survey.

  • Gregory Barker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gregory Barker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Barker on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent progress he has made on UK participation in the Mumbai/Bangalore Economic Corridor; and if he will place in the Library the feasibility report for that project and other related studies.

    Matthew Hancock

    Her Majesty’s Government continues to engage with India on the Bangalore/Mumbai Economic Corridor (BMEC). BMEC was most recently discussed on 11 February 2015 in a meeting between Chief Executive of UKTI, Dominic Jermey, and Indian Commerce Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman.

    The feasibility report has not yet been completed by Egis, a French company commissioned by Government of India. The report will be the property of the Government of India and it will be their decision as to how it circulated when complete.

  • Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what meetings he and Ministers in his Department had with the Prospect and Public and Commercial Services trades unions before taking the decision to change Ordnance Survey from a trading fund to a Government-owned company; and whether he plans further such meetings.

    Matthew Hancock

    Ordnance Survey senior management have led on discussions with the trade unions and other Ordnance Survey staff members as the project has developed. This dialogue took place throughout 2014, and will continue as the project reaches its conclusion through regular meetings.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many young people living in Preston entered higher education in each of the last 20 years.

    Greg Clark

    The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) publishes young participation rates by parliamentary constituency. These show the proportion of young people in each parliamentary constituency who entered higher education by the age of 19, for each cohort of 18 year olds between 1998 and 2011. These can be viewed at the following link:

    http://www.hefce.ac.uk/analysis/yp/trendsyp/pment/

    The statistics will be updated to include the 2012 cohort of 18 year olds in the summer.

    “

  • Mark Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Mark Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he has received an invitation to the Crans Montana forum in Dakhla, occupied Western Sahara; and whether he plans to send a representative to that forum.

    Matthew Hancock

    My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has received and declined an invitation to this forum and my Department does not plan to send a representative. We are aware of reports that the African Union has called for the forum to be cancelled but we do not intend to make any assessment.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what briefing his Department provided on (a) the promotion and sale of arms and military equipment and (b) human rights to HRH the Prince of Wales before his trip to the Middle East; and if he will make a statement.

    Matthew Hancock

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 February 2015 by my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Tobias Ellwood), Minister for the Middle East to Question UIN 224052.

    “

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure policy coherence between trade policy and international poverty reduction with reference to the Sustainable Development Goals.

    Matthew Hancock

    Trade openness is a key driver of economic growth, which is essential for poverty reduction. Trade will therefore play a central role in the Means of Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. We are working with colleagues across Whitehall to develop an ambitious proposal for trade commitments in the Post-2015 agenda. These commitments range from securing increased market access for low income countries to ensuring that they can make the most of this access through tackling ‘behind the border’ obstacles to trade.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funding BAFTA receives from his Department and its agencies; and what diversity guidance and requirements accompany that funding.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    In April 2014, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) received a grant from Innovate UK of £358,000 for a collaborative research and development project, REVQUAL. This followed an Innovate UK competition on innovation in cross-platform production in digital media, on which information is publicly available: https://interact.innovateuk.org/guidance-for-applicants.

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