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Tag: 2014

  • Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2014, Official Report, columns 171W, on children: maintenance, on how many occasions where contingency measures had to be employed by the Department’s Child Maintenance Group (CMG) to support the work of the Child Maintenance Options Service it was the case that call demands exceeded forecasted volumes; how many CMG staff were deployed on each such occasion; and in which office or offices of the CMG these trained contingency staff were located.

    Steve Webb

    Child Maintenance Group (CMG) staff, based at Barnsley, were used on three, limited duration, occasions (November 2013, January 2014 and February 2014) when call demand exceeded forecasted volumes.

    The number of CMG staff engaged in this activity, at any one time, varied between 5 and 20 colleagues for periods ranging from minutes to hours. Most of this activity took place in the CMG Barnsley office. Although, there was a short period, before telephony lines could be transferred, when CMG staff travelled to the Child Maintenance Options office.

    CMG staff have been used as contingency only where demand is above the agreed contracted level. This planned approach ensures value for money as we are not paying for long term resource where the forecast shows a short term increase in demand.

  • Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any improvement in the balance and fairness of media reports of incidents of hate-motivated offences and of prejudice against religious and ethnic groups since the Leveson report was published.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    No such assessment has been made. In the Royal Charter we have introduced a new system of independent press self-regulation that protects press freedom whilst offering real redress when mistakes are made. Importantly, the Government recognises the importance of a free press and does not interfere with what it does and does not publish.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what input officials in his Department sought from their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive in preparation for the UK’s attendance at the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council held in Brussels on 20 and 21 May 2014.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    DCMS officials seek to keep their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive informed of relevant EU developments on an ongoing basis. There was no specific contact prior to the meeting of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council on 20 and 21 May.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Laurence Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans he has to make changes to mandatory green energy charges on consumer bills; and if he will make a statement.

    Michael Fallon

    We have recently consulted on proposed changes to the Energy Company Obligation and expect to announce our response shortly. These proposed changes form part of the package of measures announced in December last year that has led to reductions this year of around £50 on the average household bill. We have no plans to make further changes.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether Ministers from the devolved administrations were invited to attend the Global Dementia Legacy Event in London in June 2014.

    Norman Lamb

    Senior officials from each of the devolved administrations are members of the Dementia Steering Group (International) and were involved and aware of plans for the UK Global Dementia Legacy event. They were also invited to attend the event. Ministers were not invited, senior officials were sent a formal invitation.

    The Scottish Government hosted an international dementia event on 9 and 10 June, and officials from the Department attended.

    Ministers from across the United Kingdom signed up to the Blackfriars Consensus to prevent and delay dementia, which was announced at the UK Global Dementia Legacy event.

  • John Denham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    John Denham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Denham on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which overseas organisations funded by her Department restrict employment to members of particular faiths.

    Lynne Featherstone

    DFID does not fund any organisation that state they specifically restrict employment to members of particular faiths. However, we acknowledge that certain posts require a particular understanding of the faith-based values and beliefs of individual organisations.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Stornoway was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in (a) April 2014 and (b) May 2014.

    Stephen Hammond

    Stornoway Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed below risk assessed levels during:

    a) April 2014 – 12 occasions out of 60 shifts

    b) May 2014 – 14 occasions out of 62 shifts

    Where there are specific issues at a MRCC Her Majesty’s Coastguard is using the current long established pairing arrangements between MRCCs. This enables each MRCC to be connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support.

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

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

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will assist in the implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme for diamonds coming from the Central African Republic.

    Baroness Warsi

    The Government implements its commitments under the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) in full. In order to maintain the integrity of the KPCS, the Central African Republic (CAR) was temporarily suspended from the KPCS in May 2013, preventing the possible introduction of rough diamonds produced in CAR into the legitimate diamond trade. This suspension was upheld in June 2014. It is likely to remain in place until the security situation in CAR improves significantly and the government of CAR is able to re-establish compliance with the KPCS.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the inclusion of a sustainable development goal to reduce inequality within and among countries by 2030 on the list of proposals being considered by United Nations member states.

    Baroness Northover

    The UK supports a focus on “leaving no one behind” across the post-2015 framework, as was recommended by the High Level Panel Report on the post-2015 development agenda, which was co-chaired by the Prime Minister.

    In practice, “leaving no one behind” means that targets must be met across all income and social groups.

    Language on inequality is included in the most recent draft list of goals and targets released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June. The final goals and targets in the post-2015 development framework will however be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

  • Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to school clothing grants via (a) vouchers and (b) cash or cheque to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out.

    Mr David Laws

    There is no national school clothing grant operating currently in England.

    Individual local authorities and academies may choose to provide school clothing grants or to help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship. In such cases, it is for the local authority or academy concerned to decide the criteria upon which pupils are entitled to this support. Local authorities and academies which choose to run such schemes must do so from within their existing delegated budgets.