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Tag: 2014

  • Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Huppert on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effects on the Middle East Peace Process of the new unity Palestinian government.

    Mr William Hague

    I welcome the formation of the new interim technocratic government for the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Reuniting Gaza and the West Bank under a government committed to the Quartet Principles is a necessary condition for resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict. We now look to this government to demonstrate commitment through its actions as well words.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Pathologists on the effects on human and animal safety of reductions in the number of national pathology laboratories from 14 to 7; and if he will publish the impact assessment produced by his Department on such a plan.

    George Eustice

    Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) and Defra have met with the Royal College of Pathologists, to discuss the new Surveillance model, on four separate occasions between September 2012 and the introduction of changes to the Surveillance model on 1 April 2014.

    A formal impact assessment was not required for this work because it does not involve a change in regulation. Submission into the scanning surveillance system is a voluntary activity that has no regulatory aspect. However the ‘Changes to the delivery of Veterinary Scanning Surveillance in England and Wales, December 2013′ document published on the AHVLA website does consider the impact of the changes, recognises that there are negative impacts (e.g. some farms will be further from an AHVLA Post Mortem facility) but concludes that these are outweighed by the benefit of having stronger national centres of excellence and a better coordinated network of support from private practices.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    Jenny Willott

    I refer the hon. Member to the answergiven by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Francis Maude) on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 433W.

  • Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Murphy on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions her Department has had with non-governmental agencies in South Sudan on levels of food provision.

    Lynne Featherstone

    The UK is extremely concerned about the deteriorating food security in South Sudan, and the urgent need to increase the provision of food supplies and livelihoods support to vulnerable populations. The eruption of conflict on 15 December 2013 has sharply exacerbated an already fragile food security situation: 3.2 million people are now at immediate risk of food insecurity and up to 7.2 million are estimated to be at some risk.

    DFID South Sudan is in regular contact with critical non-government agencies operating in the country, both UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), as well as with key non-government organisations, to understand and inform the humanitarian response and to monitor needs and the quality of the humanitarian operation. DFID South Sudan staff have visited displaced communities in Unity and Jonglei States in recent weeks to meet affected people, and international agencies delivering assistance, in order to better understand food security needs.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    The table shows the proportion of staff within the Department for Culture, media and Sport who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years and declared themselves as white British.

    Year

    Percentage of DCMS headcount who have been dismissed

    Proportion of staff dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings who declared themselves as white British

    Proportion of staff subject to disciplinary proceedings who declared their nationality as British but ethnicity is undeclared

    1 April 2009 – 31 March 2010

    0%

    –

    –

    1 April 2010 – 31 March 2011

    0%

    –

    –

    1 April 2011 – 31 March 2012

    0.2%

    100%

    0%

    1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013

    0%

    –

    –

    1 April 2013 – 31 March 2014

    0%

    –

    –

    The figures as they relate to the period from September 2012 include the Government Equalities Office, which joined the Department in that month as part of a machinery of Government move. Before September 2012, the Government Equalities Office was part of the Home Office and the information requested for this period is not available.

  • Helen Goodman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Helen Goodman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the budget is for each (a) private and (b) public prison.

    Jeremy Wright

    Allocated budgets for individual prisons for financial year 2014-15 are in the process of being finalised and are not yet available.

    Budget allocations will be made on the basis of need and according to Departmental priorities.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what targets his Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

    Gregory Barker

    The Department currently works towards meeting the diversity representation targets set by the Cabinet Office for Senior Civil Servants. Our current rates against those targets are:

    • Females in SCS – 34% (Target 39%)
    • Females at PB2 or above – 21% (Target 34%)
    • Disability – 3% (Target 5%)
    • Ethnicity – 1% (Target 5%)

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the scale of (a) detected and (b) undetected insurance fraud in the last year for which figures are available.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government is committed to turning the tide on fraudulent personal injury claims. To this end, it is considering what specific reforms might be appropriate, including whether the Law Commission should be asked to consider this issue. We will make our conclusions known in due course.

    No figures are available on the number of exaggerated or fabricated personal injury claims struck out by the courts. Figures for 2011 published by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) indicate that whiplash claims cost customers more than £2 billion a year and add £90 to the average motor insurance premium.

    The ABI describe 7% of all motor claims in 2011 – worth £441m – as fraudulent. In addition, they estimate that a further £1 billion of motor insurance fraud went undetected in 2011.

    As announced last year, we are working with stakeholders in the industry to tighten the medical evidence process so that only evidence from accredited experts can be considered, and the costs for those reports can be fixed. This will mean people can no longer profit from exaggerated or fraudulent compensation claims but victims with genuine cases can still get the help they deserve. We are introducing these reforms later in the year. We are also working to secure better data on motor accident cases, including the number of fraudulent cases.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The Department as part of its commercial contracts already includes discrimination and human rights provisions in its standard terms and conditions of contract and by submitting a tender or quotation to the Department, a supplier agrees to these terms.

    The Department is currently enhancing its approach to addressing equality issues in the procurement process.

    All organisations applying to the Department’s competed grant schemes are asked to confirm that they have an Equal Opportunities Policy Statement in place. Only applicants with a policy in place or in the process of being produced would meet the eligibility criteria for grant funding.

    The standard terms and conditions for grant awards contain a clause covering equality. All organisations that are awarded grants confirm that they agree to the terms and conditions prior to the release of the grant payment.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the minimum service levels are in the Work Programme.

    Esther McVey

    The minimum service delivery standards for Work Programme providers can be found through the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/minimum-service-delivery-standards-for-work-programme-providers

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