Tag: 2014

  • Meg Hillier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Meg Hillier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Meg Hillier on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his oral contribution of 20 October 2015, Official Report, column 813, what discussions he has had with ministers in the Turkish government on ensuring that freedom of the press is upheld in that country as it relates to citizens of any country.

    Mr David Lidington

    Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials regularly encourage Turkey to continue to work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, including the principles of freedom of expression and freedom of the press. I discussed these issues, in the context of Turkey’s accession to the EU, when I last met my Turkish counterpart in August this year.

  • Lord Paddick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Paddick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Paddick on 2015-10-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the emergency services in Scotland about ensuring that the new communications network being procured under the emergency services mobile communications programme meets the coverage requirements of rural and island communities.

    Lord Bates

    The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme has had on-going discussions and workshops with the emergency services, including those in Scotland, about all aspects of the new network including coverage requirements in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

  • Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2015-10-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the practice of insurers automatically signing up customers to annual renewals without the explicit consent of those policy holders.

    Harriett Baldwin

    I refer my hon. Member to the answer given on the 26 October 2015 to Question UIN 12727.

  • Gavin Shuker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gavin Shuker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of (a) the value of the Senior Pacific Police Leadership Program; and (b) the effect of the level of investment in the program by his Department.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The aim of the Senior Pacific Police Leadership Programme (SPPL), which ran in 2013, was to improve leadership skills, promote ethical policing practices and reinforce the rights of women in the Pacific. The programme was run in partnership with Australia and New Zealand and was well received by the students and their respective governments.

    Twenty-one senior police officers from 15 Pacific Island Countries took part – and it was designed to complement larger scale assistance being provided by our allies in the region.

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spent £23,000 on the SPPL programme. We believe that the SPPL programme has had a positive impact, and helped improve police leadership in the countries which participated. Feedback from our partners in those countries, and from our New Zealand partners who hosted the programme, suggests that the SPPL programme provided a quality of training that would not otherwise be available in the region.

  • David Amess – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Amess – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to respond to the letter sent to his Department by Jeena International on 27 May 2014 on the misrepresentation of its organisation in a Parliamentary debate on abortion; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    A reply to the letter of 27 May has now been sent to Jeena International.

  • Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Stephen Doughty – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners recorded as taking car driving lessons or tests in 2013 (a) absconded and (b) attempted to abscond during such lessons or tests.

    Jeremy Wright

    My officials are currently working to provide the information requested but it has not proved possible to produce it in the time allowed. I will write to you in due course.

  • Hugh Bayley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Hugh Bayley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugh Bayley on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people wait more than (a) three, (b) six, (c) nine and (d) 12 months to receive a tribunal appeal decision following an employment and support allowance decision; and what steps the Government is doing to speed up that process.

    Mike Penning

    The information requested is not readily available.

    As a consequence of the recent significant drop in appeals the Tribunal service expects its clearance times to significantly decrease.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of China regarding the Basic Law and democratic elections in Hong Kong.

    Baroness Warsi

    We maintain a good dialogue both with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Chinese authorities, with whom we discuss Hong Kong regularly at senior levels. We did so most recently during the UK-China Summit in June, when the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and Premier Li discussed prospects for universal suffrage in 2017, alongside a variety of other issues. During his visit to Beijing in May, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), met with Wang Guangya, Director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office to discuss the transition to universal suffrage, as well as Hong Kong’s continuing prosperity.

    The Six Monthly Reports to Parliament demonstrate our commitment to closely monitor Hong Kong’s development. The latest Six Monthly Report is due to be published in mid-July.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the cost to industry of his Department’s requirement for Level 2 Building Information Modelling.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Building Information Modelling Level 2 operates alongside well-established industry standards such as ISO27001. Departments may specify additional security requirements as appropriate.

    Industry has responded positively to the introduction of Building Information Modelling Level 2, which represents the construction sector response to the Government’s “Digital by Default” initiative.

    BIM does not mandate the use of any specific software or hardware and supports innovation through its use of open standards. For SMEs BIM levels the playing field, allowing them to make their products immediately accessible to a global market, using freely-available tools.

    BIM represents an opportunity for UK industry to increase efficiency, its know-how and exports, thereby continuing its significant global presence in construction design and delivery.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has contributed funds to assist local authorities in the payment of external contractors to deliver childcare services excluding fostering and adoption.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    Through its Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme, the Government is supporting local authorities to take new approaches to maximise the capacity and skills brought to bear in improving services for the most vulnerable children. Part of that work involves giving local authorities greater freedom to test new delivery models and harness external ideas and expertise by allowing them to delegate children’s social care functions to external providers.

    In November 2013 we gave all local authorities the power to operate in this manner. So far five providers have registered with Ofsted as performing these functions on behalf of local authorities.

    Local authorities also make widespread use of contractors in the provision of children’s services such as residential care and foster care.

    The Government does not collect data on local authority spend on external contracts.