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Tag: 2014

  • Kate Hollern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Hollern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress has been made on his Department’s rail electrification programme.

    Andrew Jones

    Since 2010, the Department has overseen the successful delivery of 50 miles of electrified track as compared to the ten miles which were delivered in the 13 years from 1997 to 2010. Electrification between Liverpool and Manchester, and Liverpool and Wigan, was completed earlier this year.

    The work to electrify and upgrade the North TransPennine has resumed, as announced on 30 September 2015 by the Secretary of State. When the North of England electrification programme is finished, the whole route from Liverpool to Newcastle (via Manchester, Leeds and York) will be fully electrified.

  • Drew Hendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Drew Hendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase the uptake of jobseeker’s allowance by people who are eligible.

    Priti Patel

    The Department does all it can to ensure that people are aware of the benefits to which they may be entitled and how to claim them, through its information providing services.

    Advice is available in different languages and formats, and across multiple locations. In addition to Jobcentre Plus offices, these include local authorities, law centres, Citizens Advice, post offices, doctors’ surgeries, libraries, the internet, community groups, welfare rights groups, advice centres, and various voluntary organisations.

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on the potential effects of the provisions of the Trade Union Bill in Scotland.

    Anna Soubry

    The Minister for Skills in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has had an exchange of correspondence on the Trade Union Bill with Roseanna Cunningham, Minister for Fair Work, Skills and Training.

    On 8 October, he also had a telephone conversation with Ms Cunningham that covered the Bill.

    On 7 September, he also met with the Scottish Trade Unions Congress to discuss the Bill.

  • Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what practical support they have offered to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro as transit and recipient states of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    On September 23, the Prime Minister, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), pledged £3.1 million of aid to Western Balkans countries affected by the migration crisis, to cover both humanitarian and border management assistance. The funds form part of a wider UK pledge of nearly £115 million, most of which is being put towards lifesaving aid in Syria and its neighbouring countries. The funds will go through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to support projects in transit countries most affected, chiefly Serbia and Macedonia, and to support the UN agency’s regional office in Sarajevo. The £3.1 million will also support activities of the International Organisation of Migration in both Western Balkans transit countries, to further strengthen the response of host governments to the migration crisis. In addition, on 13 October, the UK despatched blankets, sleeping bags, and roll mats to Serbia for up to 11,000 vulnerable people as winter approaches.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the bulldozing of agricultural land owned by Palestinian farmers near the city of Nablus in the West Bank to open new roads to connect Jewish outposts and settlements south of the city.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While we have not made any representations on this specific issue, our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised the issue of demolitions with the Israeli Ministry of Defence Director of Political-Military Affairs on 21 October. The British Government has repeatedly condemned Israeli settlement activity. The UK position is clear:- settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and take us further away from a two state solution.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are plans to improve the Stansted Express service from Liverpool Street to Stansted airport; and if so, what are the details of those plans.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The current operator is engaged in discussions with Network Rail in regard to improving Sunday service provision to Stanstead Airport. And as we have stated in the East Anglia Stakeholder Briefing Document and Consultation Response, in the next long-term franchise Stansted will be served with an earlier weekday morning service, and other measures we have specified will improve both reliability and punctuality across the franchise including the London Liverpool St to Stansted services. We are also specifying a direct Norwich to Stansted service for the new franchise.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2015-10-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new wording in the Ministerial Code, issued in October, alters the legal obligations or duty of ministers to comply with international law and treaties.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    I refer the Noble Lady to the answer given to the Noble Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 5 November 2015 to HL3046,HL3047,HL3048, which I have attached for ease of reference.

    The Ministerial Code is normally updated and reissued after a General Election. The updated Code makes clear that Ministers must abide by the law. The obligations of Ministers under the law including international law remain unchanged.

    Information relating to internal discussions and advice is not disclosed.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of conducting an area-based review of post-16 education and training institutions in (a) Tees Valley, (b) Birmingham and Solihull, (c) Greater Manchester, (d) Sheffield City Region, (e) Sussex Coast, (f) Solent and (g) West Yorkshire.

    Nick Boles

    The Joint Area Review Delivery Unit supporting the area reviews will arrange for Hon. Members to receive a letter informing them when a review is being launched in any part of their constituency, which will also invite them to give their views.

    Area reviews of post-16 education and training institutions are predominantly focused on general further education and sixth form colleges in order to ensure there is a high quality and financially resilient set of colleges in each area of England. Schools with sixth forms can opt in to a review if they wish to and the review’s local steering group agrees.

    Each review will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current post-16 provision in the area which will include the offer made by schools with sixth forms. Regional Schools Commissioners will sit on local area review steering groups and will identify any issues with school sixth form provision, particularly academy and free school sixth forms and University Technical Colleges, and feed these into the reviews. We expect Regional Schools Commissioners to take account of the analysis from area reviews in any decisions they make about future provision.

    The area reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. Existing government resources are being reprioritised to support delivery of the area reviews.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing parents over the age of 65 to emigrate to the UK as adult dependents.

    James Brokenshire

    The family Immigration Rules implemented in July 2012 require non-European Economic Area national adult dependants, including parents and grandparents, to demonstrate that they require a level of long-term personal care that can only be provided in the UK by their sponsor here. The route now provides for those most in need of care, but not for those who would simply prefer to live in the UK, given the significant NHS and social care costs to which these cases can give rise. Adult relatives can continue to visit a family member in the UK for up to six months but must return home at the end of their visit.

  • Henry Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Henry Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many trees the Government plans to plant during the current Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

    Rory Stewart

    A total of £31m per year of new Rural Development Programme funding will be spent on forestry, with £13m being spent on woodland management and £18m on new planting. By investing in woodlands, Countryside Stewardship will help us fulfil the Government’s manifesto commitment to plant another 11 million trees by supporting the creation of around 24,711 acres of new woodland.

    I will keep the House updated on our progress.