Tag: 2014

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many applicants for the Start-Up Loans Scheme have been received from Northern Ireland; and what value of such loans have been provided for new businesses in Northern Ireland since the scheme was launched.

    Matthew Hancock

    To date there have been 913 applications for Start-Up Loans in Northern Ireland including applications that have been withdrawn, declined or still in progress. Of these applications, 120 loans with a value of £562,110 have been drawn down to date.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the £72.3 billion allocated in the Defence and Equipment Plan 2013 supporting existing in-service equipment, how much of that allocation is devoted to (a) nuclear propulsion and (b) nuclear weapons.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Of the £72.3 billion referred to in the 2013 Equipment Plan we plan to allocate to the support of in-service equipment over the next decade, £1.6 billion is for nuclear propulsion and £13.0 billion for maintaining the Trident Strategic Weapons System, including costs associated with the nuclear warhead.

  • Austin Mitchell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Austin Mitchell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Austin Mitchell on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people have been prosecuted for setting intertidal nets in England in each of the last three years.

    George Eustice

    Prosecutions for setting intertidal nets in England are undertaken, for the most part, by the Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authorities (IFCAs). The ten IFCAs manage sea fisheries resources to six nautical miles around the English coast.

    · In 2011, North Eastern IFCA made one prosecution relating to intertidal nets and Cornwall IFCA had one case where a prosecution was commenced alongside another, potentially more serious, non-fisheries offence.

    · In 2012 there were no prosecutions.

    · In 2013, North Eastern IFCA made two prosecutions.

    · To date in 2014, there are two cases under investigation by Cornwall IFCA,

    one case under investigation by North Eastern IFCA, and three pending cases with Southern IFCA. These cases will not necessarily result in a prosecution in a court.

    In all of these years there will be cases where warnings or cautions were issued or seizures were made instead of formal prosecutions.

    Environment Agency records indicate that 12 people have been prosecuted in the past three years for setting an intertidal net which targeted or caught salmon or sea trout for which they did not have an Environment Agency licence to do so in England.

    The River Tweed Commission (RTC) has its own legislation to control netting both in England and in Scotland which is included in The Scotland Act 1998 (River Tweed) Order 2006. In England, the RTC took seven prosecutions relating to intertidal nets in 2011, five prosecutions in 2012, and five prosecutions in 2013.

  • Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will include prostate cancer in the next Be Clear on Cancer awareness campaign; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    Be Clear on Cancercampaigns are tested at a local and regional level, before a decision is taken on whether to run them nationally throughout England.

    Public Health England is actively considering potential local pilot activity specifically targeting prostate cancer within Black African-Caribbean men, due to their significantly increased risk of developing prostate cancer.

  • Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will strengthen levels of protection of elderly and vulnerable people by allowing the Office of the Public Guardian to investigate abuses of power of attorney in cases where these powers have been revoked.

    Simon Hughes

    The Government is committed to protecting elderly and vulnerable people, and to ensuring that anyone responsible for abuse is dealt with appropriately.

    The Public Guardian has power to investigate cases where concerns are raised about the actions of a person acting under a power of attorney, and to apply to the Court to revoke the power of attorney where necessary to prevent abuse. The Public Guardian will refer cases to health and care authorities, who can act under statutory safeguarding powers to protect an individual who may be at risk, and to the police if he suspects a criminal offence has been committed.

    We are currently considering whether the Public Guardian needs additional powers to strengthen his role in safeguarding elderly and vulnerable people, including the power to continue an investigation after a power of attorney or court order has been revoked or disclaimed. This would require changes to primary legislation.

    Data on prosecutions for fraud, or for ill-treatment and neglect under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, do not specify whether the allegation relates to a person acting under a power of attorney. The Government’s response to the House of Lords Select Committee’s report on the Mental Capacity Act includes a commitment to review the use of the criminal offence under s44 of the Act.

  • James Arbuthnot – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    James Arbuthnot – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Arbuthnot on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department intends to acquire aircraft to carry out long range search and rescue at sea; and if he will make a statement.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Department for Transport uses its own search and rescue helicopters and those of the military to provide search and rescue today. The Department for Transport will also draw upon other resources including other military assets and assets from neighbouring states under long established arrangements for international cooperation. The Convention of the High Seas also enables the Department to divert merchant ships to provide assistance to those in distress where it is reasonable to do so.

  • Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements local authorities will have in place, following the abolition of the paper Vehicle Access Duty tax disc from 1 October, to check the status of a vehicle parked in a bay or location authorised only for use by a disabled driver.

    Baroness Kramer

    It is for individual local authorities to decide how to establish the licensing status of vehicles parked in areas restricted to disabled drivers following the abolition of the vehicle tax disc.

    The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has liaised with local authorities about the abolition of the tax disc and provided a broad range of information to help inform their customers. A specific email address has been established to deal with any queries from local authorities and a workshop has been organised for 2 July.

    The DVLA has also enhanced its online vehicle enquiry system, which now includes information about the taxation class of a vehicle.

  • Nick de Bois – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Nick de Bois – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick de Bois on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2014, Official Report, column 228W, on billing, what the value is of the sums being claimed by outstanding creditors at 31 May 2014.

    Mr Francis Maude

    The value of sums being claimed by non-government creditors at 31 May 2014, can be found in the table below. All unpaid invoices are in dispute.

    Number of days unpaid

    Value

    45 – 59

    £120,891.87

    60-74

    £293,868.79

    75 and over

    £334,974.27

  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish the official appointments which took place during the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities’ recent visit to Brazil; and if he will make a statement.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/expenses-and-hospitality

    The latest data available at this time is:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-meetings-and-hospitality-data-october-to-december-2013

  • Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to WaterSure to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out.

    Dan Rogerson

    I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

    The WaterSure tariff lowers the bills of low-income, metered customers that have unavoidably high water use. WaterSure is provided by all water companies in England to qualifying customers and caps their water bills at the average for their region. WaterSure customers will continue to benefit from the scheme when their qualifying benefit or tax credit is replaced by Universal Credit. The WaterSure tariff is funded through cross subsidy between water customers; there is no cost to the public purse.