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Tag: 2014

  • Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department is gathering from local authorities on the number of disabled people who are currently supported to live in their own homes who will move into residential care as a result of changes to the Independent Living Fund; and what support his Department is providing to those people affected.

    Mike Penning

    The potential implications of closing the Independent Living Fund are set out clearly in the Equality Analysis published on 6 March alongside the written Ministerial Statement announcing the closure.

  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has held with his counterpart in the British Virgin Islands on tax evasion and avoidance in that country; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Treasury engages in regular discussions with the British Virgin Islands on tax issues, including avoidance and evasion.

    Following the commitments made at the G8 the British Virgin Islands, along with all of the UK’s Overseas Territories with financial centres and the Crown Dependencies have taken significant steps forward on tax transparency putting them at the forefront of this agenda globally.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Ivan Lewis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the variation in average unit retail price of petrol and diesel in Northern Ireland and in the rest of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

    Michael Fallon

    No formal assessment has been made of the reasons for the variation in average unit retail prices of petrol and diesel in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

    Retail fuel prices are determined by the demand and supply fundamentals in local areas. Prices will reflect the underlying cost of crude oil, the process to refine it and transport it so that it is available for consumption at the pump.

    Variations in prices are determined by changes in supply and demand factors both for crude oil and for individual products.

    On 5 September 2012, the OFT launched a call for information (CFI) to investigate claims that the UK petrol and diesel sectors are not working well. In their January 2013 report they concluded that:

    “Overall, on the basis of the evidence collected, it appears that competition in the UK road fuels sector is working relatively effectively”.

  • Alistair Burt – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Alistair Burt – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Burt on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) Government Ministers, (b) non-governmental organisations and civil society groups and (c) survivors attended the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Simmonds

    I refer my honourable Friend the member for North East Bedfordshire to the statement made by the Foreign Secretary to this House on 16 June 2014 on the outcomes of the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. 79 Ministers and 129 country delegations were accredited for Summit, plus 950 experts from civil society, non-governmental organisations, academia, health practitioners, military and policy. Many more members of the public attended the Fringe. The FCO supported participation of the 300 grass roots and civil society activists from conflict affected countries, many of whom had direct experience of sexual violence in conflict. Other organisations who attended also had survivors as part of their delegations. Together we discussed practical action to tackle impunity for the use of sexual violence as a tactic of conflict and continued the long process of changing global attitudes to these crimes.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) interest rate and (b) repayment plans a clinical commissioning group is allowed to set when providing financial support to a neighbouring clinical commissioning group.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    NHS England has responsibility for clinical commissioning group (CCG) funding.

    We are informed by NHS England that there is no provision for financial support between CCGs, and therefore no regime for repayment and/or interest.

    CCGs are expected to live within the resources allocated to them, but in rare cases where this is not possible, and subject to detailed assurance by NHS England Area Teams, a deficit plan is agreed and centrally funded. CCGs are expected to repay such funding over an agreed timescale in accordance with an approved recovery plan. The same applies if a CCG with a planned surplus records a deficit in year.

    In some cases, neighbouring CCGs have opted to enter into risk sharing or investment pooling arrangements, for example, in the context of shared commissioning arrangements or to facilitate wider health economy transformation programmes. The precise arrangements for such risk sharing are a matter for local determination by the governing bodies concerned, and they would be expected to ensure that these agreements were transparently documented and did not impact adversely on patient services.

  • David Davis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Davis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her speech of 24 June 2014 at the Mansion House, in how many of the 13 threat-to-life cases which had to be dropped by the National Crime Agency because of missing communications data in which a child was assessed to be at risk of imminent harm those children are still at risk.

    James Brokenshire

    Communications data is a vital tool needed by law enforcement agencies to investigate crime, protect the public and ensure national security. These
    agencies’ capability to access this data when it is needed is degrading as a result of rapidly changing technology. The figures quoted in the speech at
    Mansion House on 24 June demonstrate the impact that capability gaps are having on investigations.

    With reference to the 13 incidents involving children, these cases could not be pursued because the data needed to identify them from their activities online was not available. The current status of these children is therefore unknown. Where the Single Point of Contact in a law enforcement agency knows that data is not held by the service provider in question, they will not process a request for the data in the first place (as it would not be an appropriate use of their powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000).

  • Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Preston are in arrears to the Child Support Agency.

    Steve Webb

    Information on the number of people in Preston in arrears could not be provided without exceeding the disproportionate cost limit. This is because we would need to check individual cases as a parent can have more than one case.

    As of March 2014, there were 3,1901 Child Support Agency cases in arrears in the Local Authority of Preston.

    Notes:

    1. Figure rounded to the nearest 10.

  • Lord Eames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Eames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Eames on 2014-06-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how frequently the performance of members of the UK Border Force is reviewed.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    All Border Force staff have a minimum of three performance discussions a year: objective setting, mid-year and end-of-year reviews. Managers are strongly advised that these formal, mandatory meetings are supported by regular informal performance discussions throughout the year.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2014-06-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any change in the treatment of young people arrested in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since the publication of the report of the independent commission headed by Baroness Scotland of Asthal.

    Baroness Warsi

    I refer my noble Lord to the reply I gave on 18 June 2014, Official Report, column WA69.

  • Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Charlie Elphicke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlie Elphicke on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent representations he has received on reform of the Human Rights Act 1998; and if he will make a statement.

    Damian Green

    I have not received any recent representations on the reform of the Human Rights Act 1998. The Coalition Agreement makes it clear that there will be no major changes to the human rights framework before the election.