Tag: 2014

  • Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Lavery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will issue a statement cautioning UK businesses against investing in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara.

    Hugh Robertson

    The British Government advises companies considering investing in Western Sahara to obtain independent legal advice. We make companies aware that such investment raises complex and sensitive issues.

    We consider Morocco to be the de facto administering power of Western Sahara. We therefore consistently encourage Morocco to meet its commitments under Chapter XI, Article 73 of the UN Charter by ensuring that it acts to protect and further the interests of the people of the territory. This includes ensuring that the resources of the territory are used for the benefit of the people of the territory.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the advice provided by Jemima Stratford QC to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on drones, if his Department will take steps to investigate activities carried out at US bases owned by his Department which may be unlawful under domestic law.

    Mr Mark Francois

    The Ministry of Defence remains content with the arrangements that are in place to govern the use of UK bases by the United States Visiting Forces (USVF). The Department therefore has no plans to investigate or review the activities undertaken by the USVF.

  • Alok Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alok Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alok Sharma on 2014-03-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of families eligible for tax-free childcare in Reading West constituency.

    Nicky Morgan

    The information requested is not available.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Community Work Placement providers schemes (a) were operating by 28 April 2014, (b) were operating no later than 2 June 2014 and (c) are yet to commence; for what reasons any providers have breached of the 2 June 2014 commencement deadline; at what capacity the scheme is currently running; and when he estimates that the scheme will be fully operational (i) in Brighton and Hove Local Authority Area and (ii) nationally.

    Esther McVey

    Community Work Placements are being introduced in a phased approach from 28 May 2014 to 09 June 2014. Brighton and Hove started on 9 June 2014 and is taking placements as planned.

  • Mr Laurence Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mr Laurence Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Laurence Robertson on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what extra funding his Department plans to provide to smaller schools to help them to provide free school meals for under-sevens; and if he will make a statement.

    David Laws

    On 6 March the Department for Education announced that we will allocate additional funding totalling £22.5 million in the 2014-15 financial year to help small schools (those with a total roll of up to 150 pupils according to the January 2014 Schools Census) with the transitional costs of implementing the universal infant free school meals policy.

    Schools eligible for this funding will receive a minimum of £3,000 to be spent as they choose in support of their implementation of the policy, including for the purpose of improving kitchen or dining equipment.

    Further information is available in the departmental advice document on universal infant free school meals, which can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals

    “

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what analysis has been carried out by the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston into the effects on (a) human beings, (b) other animals and (c) the wider environment of the use of a nuclear warhead in the UK nuclear arsenal.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The effects of the use of a UK nuclear warhead are underpinned by modelling and analysis. The effects are dependent on a wide range of variable factors including: the yield and design of the weapon; the accuracy of the delivery system; the nature and construction of the target; the geographical characteristics of the surrounding terrain; geological conditions in the target area; the height of weapon burst; and the weather conditions at the target.

  • Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nadine Dorries – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nadine Dorries on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what circumstances all members of a group of travellers are detained following the retention of one member of the group at a Border Force checkpoint.

    James Brokenshire

    All members of a group of adult travellers are assessed individually on arrival to ensure that they qualify for admission in line with immigration legislation. If one member of the group is detained for further enquiries but the rest of the group are granted admission then they are free to proceed without the detained person if they so wish.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when electoral registration officers will be able to impose fixed penalty notices for non-registration.

    Greg Clark

    From 10 June 2014, alongside the introduction of individual electoral registration (IER), Electoral Registration Officers in England and Wales will be able to impose civil penalty notices for failure to respond to a notice of requirement to register on the electoral register. In Scotland this will be from 19 September 2014 alongside the introduction of IER in Scotland, following the Scottish referendum.

    In conjunction with the Electoral Commission we intend to collect information on the number of civil penalties issued for failure to respond to an IER invitation through each local authority’s Electoral Management System.

    Local authority staff who are responsible for the delivery of electoral registration have been fully trained on IER processes, including a module on notices of requirement to register and on civil penalties.

  • Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame M. Morris on 2014-03-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current level of (a) use and (b) availability is amongst offshore helicopter passengers in the oil and gas industry of emergency breathing systems that meet Category A of the Civil Aviation Authority’s relevant technical specifications.

    Robert Goodwill

    There are currently no Category ‘A’ emergency breathing systems (EBS) in use by, or available to, passengers on UK offshore helicopter flights. The EBS currently in use in the UK sector of the North Sea does not meet the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) higher Category ‘A’ specification contained in CAA Publication CAP 1034, primarily because it takes too long to deploy. The EBS used in the Norwegian sector also does not meet the Category ‘A’ requirement, primarily as it cannot be deployed underwater.

    EBS that would likely meet Category ‘A’ is commercially available. In particular the passenger short term air supply system (P-STASS) developed for the UK military, which the CAA understands is currently being considered by the industry, has previously been used for civilian operations (e.g. the Marine Incident Response Group).

  • 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 2014-06-04.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 19W, on electoral register, with which civic society organisations the Electoral Commission is proactively seeking partnership for the purpose of increasing electoral registration.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that it is seeking to establish new partnerships and ways of working with a wide range of organisations to help ensure voters are aware of what they need to do under the new system of individual electoral registration.

    In addition to the partnerships it is currently finalising, the Commission will continue seeking to establish new partnerships up to, and beyond, the next UK Parliamentary General Election in 2015 to achieve this. As partnerships are finalised, they will be highlighted on the Commission’s website and we will make members aware of where they can find this information when the first batch of information is published online.