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Tag: 2014

  • Lord Tyler – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Tyler – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to enable Pensioner Bonds to be taken out by an eligible pensioner in the name of a grandchild.

    Lord Deighton

    There are no plans to enable eligible pensioners to take out the bonds in the name of a grandchild. These new market-leading savings bonds and are designed to help support those who rely on their savings in retirement. Low interest rates have played an important part in stimulating the recovery. But there are those – especially pensioners – who rely on a reasonable rate of interest on their savings.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the infrastructure of the East Coast Main Line has sufficient capacity to enable the Virgin/Stagecoach consortium to deliver both faster and more frequent trains under the InterCity East Coast franchise.

    Baroness Kramer

    The enhanced infrastructure, provided by Government’s Rail Investment Strategy for Control Period 5 (2014-2019) and as part of the Intercity Express Programme (IEP), and new trains, provided by IEP, will allow Virgin Trains East Coast to deliver improvements to the East Coast train service. In addition to this any decision on the allocation of further capacity made available by these enhancements will be taken by the Office of Rail Regulation.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 16 December 2014 (WA 291), how many F35B aircraft will be in the squadron available at Initial Operating Capability for use on HMS Queen Elizabeth.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    The front line squadron at Initial Operating Capability in 2020 will be equipped with a minimum of nine F-35B aircraft, which could be supplemented from other assets from across the fleet if required.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219706, what estimate he has made of the number of people who went into debt in order to pay for a funeral in the last period for which figures are available.

    Steve Webb

    My department does not collect this information.

  • Ann Clwyd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ann Clwyd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) other assistance his Department is providing to the Bahraini government for (i) security sector and prison reform, (ii) judicial independence and rule of law and (iii) good governance and related matters.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will have provided in the region of £1.2 million worth of support to Bahrain’s reform programme this financial year. Our reform assistance is focused on strengthening human rights and the rule of law. As part of this we have funded work with the Ministry of the Interior’s Ombudsman’s Office on several priority areas. This includes sharing UK best practice on complaints procedures, investigation reports and the role of prison inspection, as well as youth justice and court administration. We have also provided capacity building support to key institutions.
  • Geoffrey Cox – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Geoffrey Cox – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take account of the shortage of vets in Devon and Cornwall when considering enforcement of fines for a failure to submit bovine TB tests in time.

    George Eustice

    We have made it clear to cattle keepers that they should contact their local APHA office if they think they will not be able to complete TB testing within the period of the testing window, which they are notified of in advance. In certain circumstances a new testing deadline can be agreed, with no financial penalty applied. Such circumstances would include where the keeper has clear evidence that they had done their best to meet the testing deadline. Any farmer who believes that he has been unfairly sanctioned for a breach of cross compliance rules can submit an appeal to the RPA.

  • Hywel Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Hywel Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he received from the general public and others in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) England before deciding to put the Union flag on driving licences, in favour of that change.

    Claire Perry

    No representations from the general public were received prior to the decision to include the Union flag on driving licences. Collective Government agreement was secured.

  • David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is offering to the Nigerian government in response to the recent killings by Boko Haram in Nigeria.

    Mr David Lidington

    The UK has taken an active role in leading international support to Nigeria in its fight against Boko Haram. We are providing a substantial package of UK military, intelligence and development support, which includes training and advice to Nigerian units deploying against Boko Haram, intelligence support and support to the Nigerians in bringing increased development and prosperity to the North East. We are also working closely with our international partners to support the large numbers of people displaced by the conflict in the North East.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nigel Dodds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many community grant applications have been received from HQ 38 (Irish) Brigade in Northern Ireland; how many such applications were successful; and how much was disbursed in respect of those applications in each year since the inception of that scheme.

    Anna Soubry

    The first community grant application from HQ 38 (Irish) Brigade was submitted in January 2015. There have been no previous applications submitted because there have been no Community Covenants signed in Northern Ireland.

    Despite this, good progress has been made on Covenant issues during 2014 with nearly all of the measures in the Covenant now extending to Northern Ireland. HQ 38 (Irish) Brigade provides a focus for taking Covenant issues forward in the region. The Armed Forces Covenant annual report, laid before the House on 16 December 2014, highlights this progress. I am planning to visit Northern Ireland soon, and I will take the opportunity to see for myself the progress that has been made and its effect on the Armed Forces Community in the Province.

    We will continue to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that the needs of the Armed Forces community are met.

  • George Hollingbery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    George Hollingbery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Hollingbery on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 219112, how the review of domestic management measures for bass will engage with other government departments, stakeholders and other interested parties from outside her Department.

    George Eustice

    The current review of the domestic management measures for bass should be completed within the next few weeks. Aligned with work at European level to reverse the steep decline in bass stocks, the high-level review will focus principally on the need for any change to our current domestic management measures, such as the catch limits on commercial fishing for bass, minimum landing size for bass and protection of bass nursery areas. Where it is identified that action is required, this work will be further developed and, where national legislation may be required, will follow the usual legislative process. We will seek the views of key stakeholders on the way forward. Any proposed national legislation will be subject to public consultation involving stakeholders, other government departments and interested parties. The relevant documentation to support the new legislation will be made publically available, where not already published.