Tag: 2014

Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent progress has been made on negotiations on the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The E3+3 and Iran agreed on 24 November 2014 to extend the negotiations for seven months because both sides believed that a comprehensive nuclear deal was possible, but more time was needed to bridge differences, in particular on Iran’s enrichment capacity. Since then there have been two further rounds of talks, most recently on 18 January. These talks have been serious and useful. For us to reach a deal, Iran needs to show more flexibility on the key issue of enrichment. Talks will resume in February.

November 2, 2022
Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in the government of Afghanistan on the operation of ISIL in the south of that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are aware of recent media reports claiming that elements of the insurgency in Afghanistan have pledged allegiance to ISIL. Alongside our international partners, we continue to monitor the situation as part of our close cooperation on security matters with the Afghan Government.

November 2, 2022
Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what aggregate outcomes she has set for her Department’s strategic framework for economic development.

Justine Greening

The current DFID results framework includes a number of aggregated economic development related results that can be directly linked to DFID programmes and projects. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-s-results-framework .

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November 2, 2022

Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many ultra low emission vehicles of what models have been registered under the Plug-in Car Grant.

Mr Robert Goodwill

17601 plug-in car grant payments have been made between the start of the scheme and 31 December 2014.

These were for the following models:

Manufacturer	Model	No. of claims paid
Nissan	Leaf	6398
Mitsubishi	Outlander	4354
Toyota	Plug-in Prius	1206
Vauxhall	Ampera	1139
Renault	Zoe	873
BMW	i3 REV	624
BMW	i3 BEV	535
Tesla	Model S	515
Peugeot	iOn	343
Mercedes	Smart Fortwo	268
Mitsubishi	i-Miev	206
BMW	i8	194
Citroen	C-Zero	193
Porsche	Panamera	191
Volvo	v60	177
Chevrolet	Volt	130
VW	e-Up	89
Renault	Fluence	82
VW	e-Golf	46
Audi	E-tron	37
MIA	Mia	1

The total number of PICG claims to end December 2014 is 22125. The difference between this figure, and the total payments figure above, represents claims currently being processed in the system.

The Department for Transport also publishes registration data per model. The latest annual data is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/veh01-vehicles-registered-for-the-first-time

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November 2, 2022

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Avebury on 2015-01-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to imposing sanctions on Saudi Arabian ministers responsible for legislation providing for sentences of cruel and unusual punishments, particularly for acts permitted under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Currently there are no sanctions in place for Saudi Arabia and we have not considered imposing them on Saudi Arabia.

The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Mr Grayling), and the Saudi Minister of Justice, Dr Al Issa, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will further help us to support Saudi Arabia’s reform efforts in the judicial sector.

November 2, 2022
Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-01-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on total passenger capacity of the East Coast Main Line of the use of 280-seat trains on 17 per cent of the long distance train paths into and out of King’s Cross, as compared with the 530-seat trains used by the InterCity East Coast franchise.

Baroness Kramer

Decisions on the allocation of track capacity on the railway are matters for Network Rail and the Office of Rail Regulation. Clearly, where the number of available train paths on a route is constrained, as in the case of parts of the East Coast Main Line, the use of trains with fewer seats than the maximum operationally possible would reduce passenger capacity. However there are other factors influencing the allocation of train paths, including the need for services to cover a range of different routes and stopping patterns, and the availability of rolling stock. The Government would expect such considerations to be taken into account within the decision process.

November 2, 2022
Lord Greaves – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment have they made of the rate and extent of the spread of Japanese Knotweed in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world where it is not native.

Lord De Mauley

We are aware that Japanese knotweed is widespread across many parts of the world; recent information (from the CABI Compendium, part funded by Defra) suggests it is found in 35 countries outside its native range. Following its introduction to the UK in the early 1800s, Japanese knotweed was first recorded in the wild in 1886. Its initial spread was slow. By 1930 it was present in 73 hectads (i.e. 10km x 10km squares) in the British Isles; by 1986 it had spread to 948 hectads and it is now present in approximately 2,879 hectads.

November 2, 2022
Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Ariel Trust’s recent pilot scheme to teach every primary school pupil how to tackle cyberbullying within Liverpool, what plans they have to tackle cyberbullying in schools across England.

Lord Nash

The Government believes that schools, internet providers and parents all have a role to play in keeping children and young people safe online.

All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to tackle bullying, including cyberbullying, and they are held closely to account by Ofsted. The Department for Education has issued advice to schools on preventing and tackling bullying and on supporting bullied children which includes cyberbullying. We have also recently issued advice aimed at parents on how to keep children safe online, spot the signs that a child may be being cyberbullied and what to do if it happens.

In addition, e-safety is being taught at all four key stages of the curriculum and covers responsible, respectful and secure use of technology. Pupils are also taught age-appropriate ways of reporting any concerns they may have about what they see or encounter online.

The Department is also providing around £4 million in funding to various anti-bullying organisations, such as the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), who work in schools to combat bullying, including cyberbullying. The NCB has produced a guide for schools on preventing and tackling cyberbullying of children with a special educational need or disability who are especially vulnerable to this form of bullying.

Furthermore, we are currently considering bids through a £25 million voluntary and community sector grant programme to extend the work being done by anti-bullying charities in schools. A £2 million grant is being offered in conjunction with the Government Equalities Office to support projects which tackle specifically homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools.

More widely, the Government continues to work to protect children online through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) which brings together representatives from government, industry, law enforcement, academia, charities and parenting groups.

November 2, 2022
Baroness Whitaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2015-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the conclusions of the report by the National Federation of Gypsy Liaison Groups Civil Society Monitoring on the Implementation of the National Roma Integration Strategy in the United Kingdom in 2012 and 2013, launched on 2 December 2014; and what steps they plan to take in response to that report’s recommendations.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

I refer the noble Lady to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Housing and Planning (Brandon Lewis) on 5 January 2015, UIN reference 218133, and my answer to the noble Lord Avebury on 11 November 2014, Column WA36.

November 2, 2022
Emma Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many times the beds in sheds taskforce has met since its inception; and on what dates.

Brandon Lewis

The Beds in Sheds Taskforce was a specific initiative in 2012 to 2013, to hold a set of summits to bring together councils and central government to ascertain best practice and barriers to be removed to help ensure co-ordinated action against illegal outbuildings.

Summits took place on 27 November 2012, 30 April 2013 and 1 July 2013. It was not an ongoing working group.

In July 2013, £2.6 million was subsequently allocated to nine local authorities to deal with the mainly London-based problem of beds in sheds, with a further £4.1 million of targeted funding to 23 local authorities in December 2013 to tackle rogue landlord behaviour (including beds in sheds).

Thanks to the lessons learnt and best practice adopted from these meetings in 2012 to 2013, we estimate there have been:
- 2,500 streets surveyed
- 30,000 inspections
- 1,100 raids
- 2,800 landlords facing prosecution
- 530 buildings prohibited, and
- 145 sheds demolished.
Following our 2012 publication, we will in due course be publishing refreshed guidance to local authorities on tackling beds in sheds and rogue landlords.

The Immigration Act 2014 contains a raft of measures which puts the law firmly on the side of those who respect it, not those who break it, by:
- stopping migrants using public services to which they are not entitled;
- reducing the pull factors which encourage people to come to the UK for the wrong reasons; and,
- making it easier to remove people who should not be here.
November 2, 2022