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Tag: 2014

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK Space Agency in promoting the UK space industry; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Willetts

    The UK Space Agency (UKSA) was created in April 2011 to lead and foster the growing UK space sector. It does so through funding and delivery of civil space projects and downstream space related activities, developing space policy including advice to Ministers and regulating UK space activities to meet international obligations.

    The UKSA formally tests its performance against such objectives in a number ways and includes amongst these a measure of its effectiveness in promoting the UK space industry. This is primarily through an independent bi-annual “Size and Health” survey of the UK industrial sector which assesses the growth of the UK space economy. The Agency also monitors contracts that flow back to UK industry from Agency-targeted subscriptions to the European Space Agency as well as monitoring where Agency-supported research and development work has positioned UK industry for success in future operational contracts. More recently the Agency has extended its role in actively supporting and promoting UK industrial exports of both satellite and emerging space-related data services.

    All objective measures from these activities point to a growing success story for our space industry. Indeed it is one of our economy’s fastest growing sectors, with an average growth rate of almost 7.5%, and it has ambitions to increase its annual turnover to £40 billion by 2030. The role of the Agency in this development is significant and it has developed close relationships with industry.

    The Size and Health survey due to be published in autumn 2014 is expected to show that the Space Economy has continued to grow between 2011 and 2013.

    Its coordination of a business-driven industrial space policy has provided leadership for the UK industrial community (acknowledged by the UK space Innovation and Growth Strategy published in 2013) and this has been recognised by the Parliamentary Select Committee report into the UKSA which was published in October 2013.

    The Agency serves as an effective platform to raise awareness of the successes of the UK space sector. BIS and Agency officials continue to evaluate its success in promoting that work using Government Communications Service best practice.

    A further key measure of success is the increasing number of overseas space companies choosing to invest in the UK and so growing the UK’s wider space capability and economic development.

  • David Blunkett – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    David Blunkett – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Blunkett on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many members of the Board of the Big Lottery Fund have their main residence north of the city of Birmingham.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    There are currently nine members of the UK Board of the Big Lottery Fund, two of whom have their main residences north of Birmingham. Of the remainder, three live in London and the others are based in other parts of the UK.

    The Big Lottery Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need, across the United Kingdom.

  • Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame M. Morris on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with B&K Universal Ltd, Yorkshire Evergreen or their associates relating to their planning application for a facility at Grimston, Yorkshire for the breeding of dogs and other animals for laboratory use in the last 12 months.

    Mr David Willetts

    UK Trade and Investment and BIS officials provided general planning advice to B&K Universal in the last year at the company’s request. BIS officials met with B&K’s parent company Marshall and signposted other sources of advice and information. Officials were also asked to provide advice on EU Directive 2010/63 and referred this query to the Home Office as the Department with responsibility for implementing the Directive in the UK.

    The use of animals in scientific research remains a vital tool in improving our understanding of how biological systems work both in health and disease and in the development of new medicines and treatments vital for human health and for that of animals. It also underpins the success of the UK’s life science sector which has one of the strongest and most productive industries in the world.

    The UK has a rigorous regulatory system which ensures that animal research and testing is carried out only where no practicable alternative exists, and under controls which keep suffering to the minimum.

    The Government is committed to working to further reduce the use of animals in scientific research and in February 2013 published its delivery plan. This demonstrates our commitment to the “3Rs”: where possible to replace animal use, reduce the number of animals used and to refine the procedures involved so as to find additional ways to minimise suffering. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-to-reduce-the-use-of-animals-in-research-delivery-plan

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  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to ratify the International Labour Organisation amendment C188 on the Work in Fishing Convention, in respect of a minimum age for work on a fishing vessel, minimum medical standards, basic work agreements, occupational health and safety, and social security.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Government supports the principles behind the International Labour Organization Convention on Work in Fishing (No. 188), and is working with the fishing industry to develop proposals for implementation of the Convention, including those aspects listed above.

    The UK will make a final decision on the appropriateness and timing of ratification once the impacts on the industry have been identified and assessed.

  • Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington on 2014-06-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 12 March (WA 375), in relation to the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR), how many work packages have to date involved general aviation.

    Baroness Kramer

    The SESAR Joint Undertaking is the EU public/private partnership which is responsible for managing the SESAR programme. The SESAR Joint Undertaking seeks to involve all affected stakeholders, including General Aviation, in the development of all work packages to ensure the technologies meet their needs.

  • Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much additional funding each local authority will receive to enable it to investigate whether claimants are eligible for refund of under-occupancy penalty payments in 2014-15.

    Esther McVey

    The Department has allocated a total of £18.4 million to local authorities to support the ongoing administrative costs of implementing welfare reform changes in 2014/15. This includes £2.1million for the estimated costs of identifying claimants affected by the unintended exemption, which will be allocated to local authorities in line with the published number of claimants affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy in each local authority. Further details are included in a Housing Benefit circular at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hb-subsidy-circular-s22014-additional-funding-to-meet-the-costs-of-implementing-welfare-reform-changes-in-apr-2014-to-mar-2015

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  • Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2014-06-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by Lord Nash on 9 June (HL Deb, col 167), whether the investigation by the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Education into the handling of the Trojan horse allegations in 2010 will be made public; and what is the timeframe for the report.

    Lord Nash

    The Secretary of State has asked the Permanent Secretary to conduct an internal review into how the Department for Education dealt with warnings in Birmingham since the formation of this Government in 2010, and before. The Permanent Secretary intends to present his findings to the Secretary of State later in the summer.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, on what date he intends to publish the Bioenergy Emissions and Counterfactual calculator.

    Gregory Barker

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change intends to publish the Bioenergy Emissions and Counterfactual calculator during the first half of 2014, as set out during the Commons debate on the Draft Renewables (Amendment) Order 2014, on 20th March 2014 by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy.

  • Jeremy Corbyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jeremy Corbyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Corbyn on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote peace and reconciliation in the African Great Lakes region.

    Mark Simmonds

    Last week, I met with Ministers from the DRC and Rwanda, and with representatives of the UN, and urged all to seize the current opportunity to stabilise eastern DRC.

    When I met President Kabila in February in Kinshasa, I discussed the importance of his government taking clear steps on stability and governance.

  • Steve Baker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve Baker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Baker on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on the deportation of Zimbabwean nationals to Zimbabwe who have no legal right to remain in the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    We prefer people who have no legal basis of stay in the United Kingdom to leave voluntarily and we may offer an assistance package to help them re-integrate into their home country. For those who choose not to do so, and who have the appropriate travel documentation, we will seek to enforce their removal.