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Tag: 2014

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to reduce the levels of obesity.

    Earl Howe

    We have a well-developed and wide-ranging programme of actions to reduce levels of obesity. These include working with a wide range of partners including Public Health England, NHS England, Government departments including the Department for Education and Department for Transport, and industry through the Public Health Responsibility Deal. Key initiatives include Change4Life, the National Child Measurement Programme, NHS Health Checks, Change4Life Sports Clubs, School Sports Funding and the School Food Plan.

    Our national ambition for a downward trend in excess weight in adults and children by 2020 requires collective action by Government, businesses, health and care professionals, and individuals. We believe the actions we are taking are delivering results with obesity rates levelling off, but we still have much further to go.

  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what Government spending was in reform of the process of procurement and across central Government in each year since May 2010.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Cabinet Office has been working with central Government departments to implement a demanding Commercial Reform agenda which is aimed at leveraging the Crown’s buying power, deriving better value for money and savings for the taxpayer to support deficit reduction and growth. This work has been carried out across departments and costs are not held centrally.

    As a result of our work to date, we have made the way we buy goods and services in central Government quicker, more competitive, more transparent, better value and far simpler than before. This has saved the taxpayer £2.9bn in 2010-11, with a further £3.0bn in 2011-12, £3.8bn in 2012-13 and £5.4bn in 2013-14. These savings are all calculated against a 2009-10 baseline and include both recurring and non-recurring items.

    All of this could have been started before the 2010 General Election. However in May 2010 there was no effective central oversight of procurement, commercial skills were lacking and Government didn’t even know who its strategic suppliers were, let alone how much was being spent with them.

  • David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Crausby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to record cases of bullying as reported by victims in schools by counts of cyber-bullying and similar sub-categories.

    Elizabeth Truss

    There is no legal requirement on schools to record and report incidents of bullying and we have no plans to introduce one. Schools are free to develop their own approaches to monitoring bullying and exercise their own judgement as to what will work best for their pupils. For some schools, this will involve formal recording of incidents so that they can monitor bullying and identify where it is recurring between the same pupils. Alternatively, some schools may prefer to take a different approach, such as surveying their pupils anonymously to identify trends in bullying, including how safe young people feel at school.

    Schools are held clearly to account by Ofsted for pupil behaviour and safety which includes how they tackle bullying. Inspectors consider the types, rates and patterns of bullying and the effectiveness of the school’s actions to prevent and tackle all forms of bullying and harassment, including cyberbullying.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the release of Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Sha’ar and Naftali Frenkel, who were abducted in the West Bank on 12 June 2014.

    Hugh Robertson

    As of 30 June, we have received no reports that the three kidnapped Israeli teenagers have been released.

  • Steve Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Steve Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with the Lord Chancellor on the introduction of section 77 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 in relation to data protection offences; and if she will make a statement.

    Simon Hughes

    I am not aware that any discussions have taken place between the Lord Chancellor and the Home Secretary on the introduction of s77 of the Criminal Justice Act 2008 (CJIA). The Ministry of Justice will liaise with all interested Government Departments before deciding whether to consult on introducing section 77 (CJIA) and commencing the enhanced public interest defence under section 78 (CJIA).

  • Ian Paisley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Ian Paisley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Paisley on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people are in prisons in Northern Ireland for terrorist-related offences; what the age profile is of those prisoners; what assessment she has made of that age profile; and if she will make a statement.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    This is a devolved matter within the remit of the Northern Ireland Department of Justice for Northern Ireland.

  • Lord Bassam of Brighton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Bassam of Brighton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 18 June (WA 84), what plans they have to recognise the contribution of women in auxiliary, emergency and support services during the Second World War; and whether they have considered the introduction of a badge such as the badge awarded to the Veterans of the Women’s Land Army and Women’s Timber Corps in 2008.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    I am sure the commemorations will seek to honour the work of all of those who contributed to the Second World War effort including women in the auxiliary, emergency, and support services. As the Noble Lord points out, a number of Departments have introduced badges, such as that for female pilots of the Auxiliary Transport Service provided by the Department of Transport. The Ministry of Defence Veterans badge recognises all women who served in the Armed Forces during the Second World War.

  • Lord Noon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Noon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Noon on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the government of Iraq has accepted their offer to send counter-terrorism officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to assist against the current jihadi insurgency; if so how many personnel will be sent to Iraq; and how the recent decision to cut the number of counter-terrorism personnel in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will affect future deployments of that nature.

    Baroness Warsi

    We are currently reviewing a number of specific counter-terrorism options to assist the Iraqi government. However, any assistance can only be truly effective alongside an urgent show of unity by Iraq’s leaders. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), reinforced this message when he met with leaders across Iraq’s communities during his visit to Baghdad and Erbil at the end of June.

    The Counter-Terrorism Department is one of the largest policy departments in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). We constantly monitor and review our projects, programmes and diplomatic engagement, as our part of the wider Government efforts on counter-terrorism, to ensure our resources are having the maximum possible impact in the right places as the global security environment changes.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the regulation of the practice of dark pool trading by high frequency bank traders.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Treasury Ministers regularly meet with Ministers in other departments as part of normal Government business. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.

    Dark pool trading is subject to regulation under the markets in financial instruments directive (2004/39/EC) (MiFID). The new MiFIR Regulation (600/2014/EU) recently agreed as part of the “MiFID 2” negotiations will impose significant limits on dark pool trading in the EU.

  • Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Great Britain Tourism Survey that domestic trips in the UK fell by three million in 2013; and if he will make a statement.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    The number of trips taken in GB in 2013 was the 3rd highest in the 8 years that the current survey has been running and well above pre-recession averages, with spending second only to 2012. We do expect to see a natural increase in people booking holidays abroad as the economy improves but people are continuing to choose Britain for their holiday. Through its Holidays at Home are GREAT campaign, VisitEngland continues to promote England as a place for all residents of Britain to enjoy, and Visit Scotland and Visit Wales are also actively promoting their offer. The GB Tourism Survey also noted the record number of inbound tourists in 2013 reaching nearly 33 million.