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Tag: 2014

  • Harriet Harman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Harriet Harman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harriet Harman on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last discussed with his Nigerian counterpart the recent abduction of schoolgirls in that country; and when he next intends to raise this issue.

    Mark Simmonds

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) spoke to Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs on 18 April about the case. The Foreign Secretary expressed the UK’s sympathies about this outrageous crime and offered UK assistance to Nigerian efforts to recover the girls.

    Officials at our High Commission in Abuja have met their Nigerian security and military counterparts regularly since the abductions and have repeated the Foreign Secretary’s offer of assistance.

  • Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Fiona O’Donnell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona O’Donnell on 2014-04-30.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he will next meet representatives of energy-intensive industries to discuss the EU Commission’s draft Environmental and Energy State Aid Guidelines.

    Nicky Morgan

    Treasury ministers meet with a range of stakeholders on an ongoing basis, including energy intensive industries. For instance the Chancellor recently visited Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant. The Chancellor has written to representatives of energy-intensive industries about the Environmental and Energy State Aid Guidelines and instructed officials to meet with them to discuss this issue.

  • Mike Weatherley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Mike Weatherley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Weatherley on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will take steps to ensure that revenue created by shops in publicly-funded museums and galleries will be safeguarded following the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government is keen to support the revenue-generating activities of publicly-funded museums and galleries wherever possible. For most artistic works, copyright owners already need to provide permission before publicly-funded museums and galleries are able to make copies. The change in law will mean that permission from copyright holders will need to be sought for all artistic works.

  • 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 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make accessibility and coverage of disability a core element of all her Department’s funded programmes and monitor this across all currently funded programmes.

    Justine Greening

    DFID carries out country-level poverty analysis and social impact appraisal of all UK supported development programmes to ensure the benefits of development and poverty reduction are inclusive.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of black-backed gulls.

    George Eustice

    Defra is not taking action to reduce the number of lesser or great black-backed gulls. Like all wild birds, gulls are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Under this Act it is an offence to kill or injure any wild bird; to take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built; and take or destroy an egg of any wild bird.

    However, Natural England has issued general licences for gulls which allow users to kill or take lesser black-backed gulls, to take, damage or destroy their nests or take or destroy their eggs, for a range of purposes. These include protection against damage to livestock or crops, or where the gulls are posing a risk to public health and safety. General licences need not be applied for by users, as long as they meet the conditions of the licence.

  • Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what arrangements he plans to put in place to ensure that monitoring data collected on the second year of the pilot badger culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset is made available for independent scientific evaluation and analysis; and if he will make it his policy to receive and consider the conclusions of that analysis prior to deciding whether the culls should be extended to other areas subsequently.

    George Eustice

    The outcome of the monitoring of the second year of culling will be made publically available when the culls have concluded and the analyses completed. This information will be taken into account in making decisions on rolling out culling in further areas.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Gloria De Piero – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2014, Official Report, columns 578-9W, on equality, how many companies responded to the recent survey of companies participating in the Think Act, Report initiative; and what information her Department holds on which companies participating in that initiative (a) have conducted a gender pay audit in the last two years and (b) publish detailed gender pay gap information for each grade.

    Jenny Willott

    The survey of Think, Act, Report participating companies was conducted in October 2013. There were 39 responses, roughly a third of the companies then supporting the initiative.

    The survey was anonymous, so the Department does not hold information on which of the companies have conducted gender pay audits. However, we are aware there are at least 16 such companies.

    At least two companies, Friends Life and Genesis Housing, publish detailed gender pay gap information broken down by every grade. The Government is using the initiative to encourage companies to publish pay information, and for many of them signing-up to Think, Act, Report is their first step on that journey.

  • Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much he has allocated to each local authority with responsibility for education to expand kitchens in order to provide free school meals for children under seven.

    Mr David Laws

    Capital allocations to local authorities to support the introduction of universal infant free school meals were announced on 18 December 2013. A table showing the allocation to each local authority is available at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations-for-basic-need-and-infant-free-school-meals

    “

  • Steve Baker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Steve Baker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Baker on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Attorney General, what discussions he has had with the Crown Prosecution Service about the pre-signing of abortion forms.

    Mr Dominic Grieve

    I have had no recent specific discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) about the pre-signing of abortion forms. I am aware, though, that the CPS has had discussions with the Department of Health on this and I await the outcome of these.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the case for abolishing prescription charges in England.

    Norman Lamb

    The Department does not intend to abolish prescription charges in England, which raise in the region of £450 million each year. This is valuable income, which helps the National Health Service to maintain services for patients.

    An extensive system of exemption arrangements are in place which mean that around 90% of all prescription items are already dispensed free of charge.

    Prescription Prepayment Certificates (PPCs) are also available for those who have to pay NHS prescription charges and need multiple prescriptions. The cost of the annual and three-month certificates have been frozen for the fifth and third years running, at £104 and £29.10 respectively, and will also remain frozen next year. There is no limit to the number of items that can be obtained through a PPC. The annual certificate benefits anyone needing more than 12 items a year, and the three month certificate anyone needing more than three items in that three month period.