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Tag: 2014

  • Lord Temple-Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Temple-Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Temple-Morris on 2014-06-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the effect of sanctions on Iran on exports from (1) the United Kingdom, and (2) the European Union.

    Baroness Warsi

    A significant set of EU, UN and US sanctions have been imposed on Iran because of its nuclear programme. UK exports to Iran fell to £79 million in 2013, down from £100 million in 2012, and £180 million in 2011. EU exports to Iran have also fallen, totalling €5.4 billion in 2013. This is down from €7.4 billion in 2012, and €10.5 billion in 2011.

  • Stephen Pound – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stephen Pound – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Pound on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many claims for asbestos-related illnesses were made against his Department in each year since 2003.

    Jenny Willott

    The asbestos-related personal injury claims for which the Department is responsible are mainly historical liabilities that were assumed by the Department from various bodies, including former nationalised industries, whose liabilities transferred to the Department (as previously constituted) when those bodies ceased to exist.

    Based on available data, the number of claims for the years in question are listed by category, and are as follows:

    Year

    National

    Dock Labour Board

    British

    Shipbuilders[1]

    British Shipbuilers Chester Street[2]

    British Coal[3]

    Others[4]

    2003

    645

    31

    11

    2004

    854

    37

    103

    2005

    771

    15

    47

    2006

    214

    4

    42

    2007

    119

    8

    42

    1

    2008

    115[5]

    126

    4

    36

    2

    2009

    44

    168

    2

    2

    2010

    45

    133

    7

    3

    2011

    47

    124

    4

    1

    2012

    45

    232

    3

    1

    2013

    37

    160

    4

    2

    2014

    6

    33

    1

    2

    The footnotes below provide further information on these numbers.

    [1]British Shipbuilders was a separate legal entity, with BIS, as formerly constituted, as its sponsor department. British Shipbuilders was wound up in March 2013. Since then responsibility for these claims has passed to BIS.

    [2]BIS is responsible for compensation claims made against former British Shipbuilders’ companies that were sold with their liabilities during privatisation, and which subsequently became insolvent, as did their insurer, Chester Street Insurance Holdings Ltd. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme does not compensate former employees in respect of periods of employment with nationalised industries (such as British Shipbuilders) and the Department (the then DTI) assumed liability for this compensation by way of a Minute to Parliament in 2003.

    [3] BIS does not hold complete figures for asbestos claims for British Coal for calendar years 2003, 2005 and 2006. British Coal liabilities transferred to the Department for Energy & Climate Change (DECC) on its creation in October 2008, so no figures have been included after that date.

    [4]The claims listed in the column headed “Others” are claims for which the Department is responsible as the successor to partner organisations and executive agencies which no longer exist.

    [5]The figure of 115 NDLB claims for 2008 is the complete number for the years 2006 – 2008 as the figures for these years have been aggregated.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Avebury on 2014-06-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek discussions with the government of Bangladesh on that government’s proposed Foreign Donations (Voluntary Activities) Act 2014 and its impact on overseas donors and the non-governmental organisations in Bangladesh in receipt of such donations.

    Baroness Warsi

    The British Government recognises the important role of non-governmental organisations. Together with other donors we plan to discuss the draft Foreign Donations Act with the Government of Bangladesh, and will consult non-governmental organisations that will be affected by the legislation. We welcome the consultations that have taken place between the Government of Bangladesh and non-governmental organisations, and hope these will continue.

  • Michael Thornton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Michael Thornton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Thornton on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make cancer awareness education a statutory requirement in schools.

    Elizabeth Truss

    Cancer awareness is important for all young people. However, I do not believe that there should be a statutory requirement for it to be taught in schools. The Government aims to reduce prescription throughout the education system, and trusts schools to provide what is best for their students. The Department for Education does not collect data on this topic.

    Schools are free to teach cancer awareness when it is relevant to the national curriculum. For example, the science curriculum requires pupils to learn about the effects of drugs on their bodies, and the importance of physical activity and a healthy lifestyle is included in the requirements for physical education. In design and technology, schools may highlight the importance of nutrition and a healthy diet. Schools may include cancer awareness as part of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, using suitable resources from relevant organisations. The PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study as guidance for teachers, and continues to highlight other sources of expertise.

  • Baroness Uddin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Uddin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Uddin on 2014-06-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 11 June (WA 7), how many people in receipt of Independent Living Fund payments have autism as their main condition.

    Lord Freud

    The number of Independent Living Fund users recorded as having autism, Asperger’s syndrome or a learning disability with autism as their main condition is currently 332.

  • John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    John McDonnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John McDonnell on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, how many police officer managers have been deployed at SO17 Palace of Westminster in each of the last 10 years.

    John Thurso

    The average number of police officer managers, defined as Chief Superintendent, Superintendent, Chief Inspector, Inspector and Sergeant, deployed at SO17 Palace of Westminster since the start of the current contract in April 2010 is as follows:

    April 2010 to March 2011: 20
    April 2011 to March 2012: 21
    April 2012 to March 2013: 19
    April 2013 to March 2014: 21

    The numbers vary from month to month so the figures above are rounded averages for the 12 month periods shown. At the start of 2013/14 there were 164 police officers and 356 security officers in SO17.

    These figures are provided by SO17. Data for previous years could only be derived from manual records and are not readily available.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of people over 50 had been out of work for over a year in each year since 1994.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of a magistrates’ court proceeding was in (a) all cases and (b) cases relating to the non-payment of the television licence fee.

    Damian Green

    The majority of criminal cases in the magistrates court are dealt with in a single day. Around two thirds of all cases are dealt with in a single hearing with 90% of television licence evasion cases requiring only one hearing, The Government has said that it will examine whether television licence evasion should be decriminalised.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Catherine McKinnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2014-06-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost was of the report entitled, Evaluating alternative market models for Tax-Free Childcare vouchers, prepared by Economic Insight for his Department; what assessment he made of this report’s findings and recommendations; and whether these recommendations informed the operation and design of his Department’s policy on tax-free childcare.

    Nicky Morgan

    Economic Insight were asked to consider whether there are any reasons why a private sector competitive market for childcare accounts might not function well. It compared it to a closed model in which there is competition to select a limited number of private sector childcare account providers. It concluded that there were no reasons why a competitive market could not function effectively as parents would be able to assess the differences between the offers and choose accordingly.

    On the 23 May the Government published a further consultation on the delivery of childcare accounts within Tax-Free Childcare. The consultation will be open until 27 June and the Government will consider the responses alongside those to the first consultation before it makes its decision on the provision of childcare accounts.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-03-31.

    To ask the Prime Minister, what recent discussions he has had with his Commonwealth counterparts on the resolution passed by the 25th Human Rights Council session on Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka.

    Mr David Cameron

    Ahead of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution vote on Sri Lanka on 27 March, I personally engaged with a wide range of UNHRC member states including those from the Commonwealth, as did the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and other Ministers.

    We will work closely with our international partners to support the implementation of the resolution establishing an international investigation. We believe that progress on accountability, human rights and reconciliation is important in establishing an enduring peace in Sri Lanka. Such progress will ensure Sri Lanka can reach its full potential as a strong and prosperous nation.