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Tag: 2014

  • Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

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

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 29W, on gold: prices, and the academic draft report of February 2014, by Professor Rosa Abrantes, Adviser to the EU and International Organisation of Securities Commission on Financial Benchmarks, entitled Gold Price Fix, and her reports of systemic manipulation of the twice daily gold fix over several years, if he will make an assessment of the effect of (a) US regulatory authorities’ interventions in the gold market and (b) such interventions on gold market-related securities in ISAs.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government monitors all aspects of the gold market. Although no specific assessment of US regulatory interventions has been made, the Government is committed to taking action, whenever necessary, to ensure the efficient functioning of these essential markets. In order to raise standards of conduct in the financial system the Government has launched a joint review by the Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority into the way wholesale financial markets operate, including commodity markets.

  • 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, how many foreign visits the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities has made arising from her departmental roles; 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

    “

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what deadline has been set by his Department for former oil refineries being converted to bulk storage and distribution terminals to make the necessary upgrades to meet post-Buncefield standards; and how rigorously such standards are being enforced by the Environment Agency.

    Mike Penning

    The COMAH Competent Authority (CA), comprising HSE and the environment agencies, is responsible for ensuring that oil refineries and fuel storage and distribution terminals meet new safety and environmental standards introduced in 2009 following the Buncefield fire and explosion. The standards were developed jointly by industry and the CA and published by the Process Safety Leadership Group (PSLG).

    Refineries were required to produce risk-based action plans to implement the PSLG safety standards at their existing fuel storage facilities. HSE led the assessment of these plans during 2011 and has been inspecting sites to ensure the planned improvements are made. The timings of upgrades to containment standards at refineries’ existing fuel storage facilities is based on risk and will vary for each site. Agreed improvements are embedded in environment inspection plans for each site and followed up to ensure measures are implemented on time.

    The CA is working with refineries undergoing conversion to fuel storage and distribution terminals to ensure the PSLG standards are applied in full to their new facilities.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of his Department’s consumption in kWh of (a) gas and (b) electricity in each month since June 2010; and what the cost of such consumption has been in each such month.

    Dan Rogerson

    The cost and consumption of electricity and gas purchased by Core Defra, for the period June 2010 to May 2014, is set out in the tables. This data is taken from monthly energy invoices for this period.

    Core Defra has rationalised its estate during the period covered by this report and has consolidated into fewer buildings. This is reflected in the downward trend in cost and consumption.

    All energy covered by this report was procured through Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Energy Frameworks.

    Notes:

    The data provided in this report may not be consistent with data published elsewhere because it includes consumption and costs which are normally allocated to third party occupants of Defra’s Buildings.

  • Nick de Bois – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nick de Bois – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2014, Official Report, column 241W, on billing, what the value was of all outstanding legacy creditors on 1 June 2014.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    As at 1 June 2014, the value of outstanding legacy creditors was £3,237,153.15.

    Following the abolition of primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities (SHAs) on 31 March 2013, legacy PCT and SHA finance teams remained in place until 31 August 2013 to process creditor payments relating to pre 1 April 2013. Creditor payments outstanding at 31 August 2013 were transferred to successor organisations, including the Department. The above amount remains outstanding because of due diligence taking place on creditor payments in order to mitigate the risk of making fraudulent or duplicate payments.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of her Department’s consumption in kWh of (a) gas and (b) electricity in each month since June 2010; and what the cost of such consumption has been in each such month.

    Karen Bradley

    Electricity and gas cost and consumption data for each month since June 2010,
    for those buildings (excluding sponsored ALBs) where the Department is directly
    invoiced for energy, is provided in the following table. Data for financial
    year 2014/15 is not yet available.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average cost was of each (a) prison place and (b) prisoner in each prison in England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Department routinely publishes average costs per prisoner and prison place, based on actual net resource expenditure for each private and public sector prison and in summary form for the whole of the prison estate in England and Wales on an annual basis after the end of each financial year. This includes a breakdown of these costs by prison category and individual prison within each category, and separately by prisoner gender.

    The most recently published figures are for financial year 2012-13 which give an average annual Overall cost per place of £36,808 and average annual Overall cost per prisoner of £34,766. An average annual cost per male prisoner of £34,306 and £44,746 per female prisoner, based on Overall resource costs, is also published.

    The information for financial year 2012-13 is available in the Cost per Place and Prisoner and Supplementary Information files on the Department’s website at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-201213

    Figures for 2013-14 will be published alongside the Management Information Addendums to the NOMS Annual Report and Accounts in October 2014.

    Continuing to reduce prison unit costs is one of the key targets for the Department. Between 2009/10 and 2012/13 prison unit costs (based on Overall prison costs) have reduced in real terms by 16% per place and 13% per prisoner.

    “

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what support her Department has given to secure the establishment of US immigration, customs and agricultural pre-clearance at Belfast International Airport.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    My Department has been working with the Northern Ireland Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to understand the issues surrounding US immigration, customs, and agricultural pre-clearance at Belfast International Airport.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

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

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many times an electoral registration officer (ERO) has to fail Standard Three before the Electoral Commission will refer the ERO to the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office for the purpose of improving the performance of the ERO.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Commission informs me that it has reported on ERO performance against Standard 3 for each year since 2008.

    To support EROs in preparing for and delivering the transition to individual electoral registration (IER) the Commission has developed a new performance standards framework, which it will use to monitor the performance of EROs against throughout the transition to individual electoral registration. The Commission will continue to carefully monitor and work closely with EROs and will consider a range of options to ensure EROs are carrying out their duties in full.

    Discussions between the Electoral Commission and the Cabinet Office take place regularly on a range of subjects.

    The Commission made clear in its June report that it would use its statutory powers to make a recommendation to the Secretary of State to require specific EROs to do door-to-door canvassing if this didn’t happen during the introduction of IER, which began on 10 June in England and Wales.

    No specific date for conclusion has been set as it will depend on the circumstances in each area, but the Commission will continue to keep this under active review. Should the Commission make a recommendation for such a direction, it will write to the relevant honourable members and local council leaders. We will also write to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee and ask for this correspondence to be placed in the House Library.

  • Eilidh Whiteford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Eilidh Whiteford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which official welfare-related engagements (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have attended in Scotland since May 2010.

    Esther McVey

    All visits to Scotland by this Department’s Ministers are welfare related engagements. The following gives details of those visits

    Secretary of State

    The Rt.Hon. Iain Duncan Smith

    · September 2010 – delivered a speech and attended meetings in Edinburgh

    · February 2011 – attended a meeting in Glasgow and conducted site visits in Motherwell

    · April 2011 – conducted site visits in Edinburgh

    · May 2011 – delivered a speech and conducted a site visit in Irvine

    · September 2011 – delivered a speech in Edinburgh

    · September 2011 – conducted a site visit in Leith and meetings in Edinburgh

    · March 2012 – conducted a site visit and attended meetings in Edinburgh

    · March 2012 – delivered a speech and conducted site visits in Dundee

    · September 2012 – conducted site visits and delivered a speech in Glasgow

    · March 2013 – delivered a speech and attended meetings in Edinburgh

    Minister for Employment

    The Rt.Hon Chris Grayling

    · April 2011 – conducted a site visit and attended meetings in Edinburgh

    · Jan 2012 – conducted site visits in Clydebank and Cumbernauld and attended meetings in Edinburgh

    Mark Hoban MP

    · March 2013 – conducted a site visit and attended meetings in Glasgow

    Minister for Welfare Reform

    Lord Freud

    · November 2010 – delivered a speech and attended meetings in Edinburgh

    · July 2012 – delivered a speech and attended meetings in Edinburgh

    · November 2012 – attended meetings in Edinburgh

    · March 2013 – delivered a speech in St Andrews

    · June 2013 – delivered a speech and attended meetings in Glasgow and Edinburgh

    · November 2013 – conducted a site visit to Inverness

    Minister for Disabled People

    The Rt.Hon Maria Miller

    · September 2011 – attended meetings in Fife

    · March 2012 – attended meetings in Edinburgh

    The Rt.Hon Esther McVey

    · October 2012 – conducted site visits in Edinburgh

    · February 2013 – conducted site visits in Dundee

    The Rt.Hon Mike Penning

    · March 2014 – hosted an event in Glasgow

    Minister for Pensions

    Steve Webb MP

    · Sept 2010 – attended a conference in Gleneagles

    · March 2011 – delivered key note speech in Edinburgh; and provider visit

    · September 2011 – attended a conference in Gleneagles

    · April 2012 – conducted a site visit in Dundee and attended a meeting in Edinburgh, meeting Deputy First Minister

    · September 2012 – attended a conference in Gleneagles

    · September 2013 – attended a conference in Gleneagles

    · March 2014 – delivered key note speech in Edinburgh; provider visit; roundtable event