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  • Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-04-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funds were provided in Barnett consequentials to the Northern Ireland Executive as a result of the flood relief funds granted in England and Wales.

    Danny Alexander

    The table below sets out the extra funding allocated to the Northern Ireland Executive through the Barnett formula to reflect new funding provided to UK government departments for flood defence measures at Budget 2014.

    Northern Ireland

    2014-15

    £m

    2015-16

    £m

    Flood Maintenance (Resource)

    0.7

    1.2

    Flood Maintenance (Capital)

    2.0

    0.8

    “

  • Harriet Harman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Harriet Harman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harriet Harman on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many children were aged under five in (a) London and (b) each London borough in each of the last five years.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps have been taken to monitor and regulate contacts between Mr Lynton Crosby and representatives of the tobacco industry, in particular in relation to consultations on the introduction of standard packaging.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Mr Lynton Crosby is not employed by the Government.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2014, Official Report, column 469W, on public sector: fraud, if he will publish the independent project review of the Counter Fraud Checking Service when it is completed.

    Mr Francis Maude

    As is usually the case, such a decision would be taken after the review is completed.

  • Ann McKechin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ann McKechin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann McKechin on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to improve levels of customer service in UK businesses.

    Jenny Willott

    Well-functioning, competitive markets encourage growth by creating incentives for firms to become more efficient and innovative to compete for customers including through better service quality. Markets can only be fully competitive if consumers are active and confident, meaning that they are willing to challenge firms to provide a better deal, switch between suppliers, and take up new products.

    That is why this Government has undertaken the most fundamental reform to the competition and consumer landscape in decades to make the UK’s already world class market framework fit for the future. That has included establishing a new Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), streamlining the landscape of Government-funded consumer organisations to put Citizen’s Advice at its centre, and overhauling the UK framework of consumer rights through the Consumer Rights Bill.

  • Ann McKechin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ann McKechin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann McKechin on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many firms that advised his Department on the privatisation of Royal Mail were awarded a bonus payment.

    Michael Fallon

    No firms have received bonuses in relation to the sale of Royal Mail shares.

  • Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Huppert on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria were used to calculate the levels of area cost adjustment used for sixth form colleges in (a) Cambridgeshire and (b) Oxfordshire; and how frequently those criteria are reviewed.

    Matthew Hancock

    Area cost adjustments for 16-19 education and training are based on the differing wage costs across England, as indicated by the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The same area cost index is used for sixth form colleges as for all other post-16 institutions in England that are funded by the Department for Education. It is also used for education and training for adults funded by the Skills Funding Agency.

    The current area cost index was developed in 2002 by the Learning and Skills Council and has been reviewed on several occasions since then. Initially Cambridgeshire did not have an area cost adjustment, but in 2008 there was a specific review of the area cost adjustment for the county, which considered a range of factors and gave Cambridgeshire an uplift of 2% for the academic year 2009/10 and all years subsequently. The uplift for Oxfordshire is 7%.

    The whole post-16 funding formula was reviewed in 2012, and we decided at that stage not to make any changes to area cost adjustments.

  • Ann McKechin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ann McKechin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann McKechin on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many professional and business services special envoys have been appointed by his Department; and what the remit of those envoys is.

    Michael Fallon

    There are currently six appointed Business Ambassadors covering the Professional and Business Services Sector: Caroline Plumb – CEO FreshMinds, Alan Parker – Chairman Brunswick Group, Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE – CEO MITIE, Rona Fairhead CBE, Will Lawes – Senior Partner Freshfields Bruchaus Deringer and Steve Varley – UK Chairman and Managing Partner (UK and Ireland) EY.

    Business Ambassadors are appointed by the Prime Minister to act as advocates of the UK, promoting the UK’s excellence, economy, business environment and its reputation as the international trade and inward investment partner of choice.

    Business Ambassadors agree to undertake a programme of activities agreed with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) including, among others, holding events to promote UK businesses around the world, meeting overseas Ministers and inward missions; participating in trade missions; and providing insights into how UKTI can best deliver for business.

  • Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Huppert on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to provide capital funding for sixth form colleges to enable them to provide free school meals to disadvantaged pupils.

    Matthew Hancock

    We are making available approximately £75 million revenue funding over the course of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 financial years to enable sixth-form and further education colleges to provide free meals to disadvantaged 16- to 18-year-old students.

    We will publish advice on the funding and implementation of this policy shortly.

  • Ann McKechin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ann McKechin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann McKechin on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for which firms his Department has agreed bonus payments as part of the privatisation of Royal Mail; and on what criteria such payments were made.

    Michael Fallon

    No firms have received bonuses in relation to the sale of Royal Mail shares.