Tag: 2014

  • Mike Wood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mike Wood – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Wood on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applications are presently deferred or on hold awaiting the outcome of the legal action in respect of the financial requirement that is presently before the courts.

    James Brokenshire

    According to Home Office management information, as at 31 March 2014, 3,134 family visa applications were on hold following the July 2013 High Court judgment in MM & Others.Following the Court of Appeal ruling in favour of the Home Secretary which confirmed the lawfulness of the income threshold policy, as a rational and reasonable means of achieving the legitimate aims of reducing taxpayer burdens and promoting integration, from 28 July, the individuals whose applications were on hold, pending this judgment, will now receive a decision. Decisions will take account of all the information presented. Any application which met all the requirements apart from the minimum income threshold now stands to be refused. The applications which have been subject to the hold will be decided as soon as possible. It is likely to take several weeks to complete this work. Overseas our regions are rebalancing resources to ensure decisions are made as quickly as they reasonably can be, allowing full consideration of the facts of the cases. This is with the aim of resolving all applications within three months in line with service standards for settlement applications.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Rosindell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has spent on the VSO ICS programme in each year since 2010.

    Lynne Featherstone

    DFID spending on the International Citizen Service (ICS) programme since 2010 is as follows:

    2010/11: £1,860,025

    2011/12: £4,849.043

    2012/13: £21,999,068

    2013/14: £19,863,471

    2014/15: £4,262,167 (to date)

    All of the spending in 2010/11, 2011/12 and £2,135,397 in 2012/13 was on the ICS pilot scheme with the remainder being the current contracted programme.

    All of this information is published on the development tracker website http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/

    “

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he received on the decision to give permission to the Russian company Rosoboronexport to exhibit its military technology at the Farnborough International Air show in July 2014.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    It is a commercial matter for Farnborough International Ltd (FIL) to whom they sell exhibition space, however the Prime Minister has not received any representations following their decision to allow Rosoboronexport to exhibit. In light of the continuing suspension of military cooperation with Russia, no representatives from the Russian government were issued with Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) invitations to the event. Russia was also removed from the list of countries eligible to use post-exhibition Open General Export Licenses (OGELs). The organisers also took the decision to ensure that no Russian military hardware was displayed and that there was no Russian military participation in the flying display.

  • Nigel Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nigel Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the net economic effect of High Speed 2 for the North-West.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Investment in HS2 will deliver widespread connectivity improvements, grow markets and increase opportunities to trade.

    The Economic Case for HS2 published in October 2013 estimates that 17% of the transport user benefits of the HS2 Y-Network are generated from trips originating in the North West. This equates to benefits of approximately £342m (PV, 2011 prices) in 2036. Further analysis by KPMG suggests the wider economic effects could be far greater.

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jonathan Edwards – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the expenditure was of the Technology Strategy Board in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Wales in each of the last three years.

    Greg Clark

    Technology Strategy Board expenditure, including its support for Catapult centres, in each of the last three years in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales was as follows:

    Fiscal Year

    England

    Scotland

    NI

    Wales

    FY 11/12

    £210.38m

    £8.64m

    £2.32m

    £3.49m

    FY12/13

    £321.89m

    £17.49m

    £3.16m

    £4.18m

    FY13/14

    £378.46m

    £44.35m

    £7.05m

    £6.45m

    Total

    £910.73m

    £70.48m

    £12.53m

    £14.12m

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many additional Merlin helicopters will be upgraded from Mk1 standard to Mk2; and what the total cost of each upgrade will be.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Royal Navy Merlin Mk1 fleet is being modernised through the Merlin Capability Sustainment Programme. A total of 30 Merlin Mk1 helicopters are being modified to address existing and forecast avionic obsolescence and will then be known as the Merlin Mk2. The approved cost of the Demonstration and Manufacture phases of the programme is £805 million.

  • Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration he has given to exempting motorists from being prosecuted for traffic light offences if they have committed the offence while making way for an emergency vehicle.

    Robert Goodwill

    The law is specific on a driver’s requirement to comply with traffic signs, which include signals, as defined in section 36 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. There is no exemption for members of the public from this, even to give way to emergency vehicles.

    Clear passage should always be given (where possible) to prevent delay to emergency vehicles responding to calls, by taking reasonable action such as pulling into the side of the road. If a driver were to go through a red light to allow an emergency vehicle to pass, in most cases where no danger was caused to other road users and it was done reasonably a police officer would not be expected to enforce this. Should a red-light running camera record a traffic light violation, any claim would be supported by the emergency vehicle also being captured in a similar way. The courts would be likely to listen to mitigating circumstances and again, if done safely and or reasonably it is unlikely there would be any prosecution.

  • Michael Dugher – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Michael Dugher – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Prime Minister, if he will publish the review by the Cabinet Secretary of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism.

    Mr David Cameron

    The Cabinet Secretary will respond to the hon. Member on this matter shortly. I will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-03-17.

    To ask the Attorney General, what the total cost to his Department has been of challenging the decision of the Information Commissioner on the publication of letters from HRH the Prince of Wales.

    Dominic Grieve

    This case raises issues of constitutional significance, including upholding Parliament’s intentions for the Freedom of Information regime and the Government’s ability to protect information in the public interest. Litigation initiated by The Guardian newspaper has taken place over a four year period including hearings in the Upper Tribunal, the High Court, and the Court of Appeal. Eight government departments have had to work together on the Government’s response, at a total cost of £274,481.16 (exc VAT). These costs encompass all costs billed by the Treasury Solicitor, including Counsels’ fees and disbursements. If we are successful in the next stage of legal proceedings the Government would seek to recover a substantial proportion of these costs from the Guardian.

  • David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost of overtime in HM Passport Office has been in each month since January 2013.

    James Brokenshire

    Overtime costs in HM Passport Office in each month since January 2013 are as
    follows:

    January 2013 – £105,137
    February 2013 – £67,582
    March 2013 – £369,397
    April 2013 – £407,202
    May 2013 – £581,587
    June 2013 – £477,902
    July 2013 – £342,479
    August 2013 – £227,851
    September 2013 – £123,480
    October 2013 – £94,474
    November 2013 – £93,127
    December 2013 – £84,145
    January 2014 – £199,146
    February 2014 – £400,812
    March 2014 – £840,588
    April 2014 – £793,559
    May 2014 – £964,742