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Tag: 2014

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on Russia’s actions in Crimea.

    Mr David Lidington

    In addition to ongoing dialogue at official level, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) has discussed it with State Councillor Yang, and the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has raised the situation in Ukraine with President Xi Jinping and State Councillor Yang Jiechi.

  • Michael Fabricant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Michael Fabricant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what works are currently being undertaken in King Charles Street, Westminster; and when the scaffolding and road and pavement equipment related to the works will be removed.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The scaffolding and pavement equipment on King Charles Street are in support of works being undertaken by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons received how many detached duty staff of which grade in each month since December 2013.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the technical fault was with Typhoon aircraft T3 ZJ815 which forced it to land in Lajes Field; whether this fault has been rectified; and whether this aircraft has since returned to the UK.

    Mr Mark Francois

    Typhoon ZJ815 was on a pre-planned stop at Lajes Field on its return journey to the UK from exercise in the USA. A fault with the Inertial Measuring Unit on Typhoon ZJ815 was identified during routine pre departure checks at Lajes Field. The fault was repaired in situ and the aircraft returned to the UK.

  • 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 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time for applicants for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in each region of the UK is between submission of the PIP2 form and the date of the face-to-face PIP assessment from each assessment provider.

    Mike Penning

    I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to the hon Member for Liverpool, West Derby, official report, 5 March, column 850W.

    In order to manage the gap between Personal Independence Payment go-live and the first release of Official Statistics in Spring 2014, we are assessing whether we can release some further information. If the quality assurance of this information shows that it is sufficiently robust and reliable then we will publish it via ad-hoc statistical releases.

  • Emma Lewell-Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Emma Lewell-Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Lewell-Buck on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to ensure that third party providers taking on children’s social care functions under his Department’s proposals adhere to quality standards set out in regulations.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    Delegation of children’s social care functions does not remove a local authority’s duties to meet statutory obligations. It remains a local authority’s responsibility to ensure the quality of services regardless of what arrangements it makes for the discharge of its functions.

    Delegated social care functions are inspected by Ofsted, in the same way as directly delivered local authority social care functions, as part of its local authority inspection framework. In addition, regulations currently govern the fitness of third party providers and require their registration with Ofsted.

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

    Lord Pendry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of British Cycling’s Time to Choose Cycling campaign, what progress has been made in promoting cycling as a safe and viable transport method around the United Kingdom.

    Baroness Kramer

    Cycling is normal and fun and we are committed to making it a safer travel choice so more people can appreciate the benefits of physical activity. Cycling can help tackle congestion, reduce CO2 emissions and improve air quality.

    In August last year the Prime Minister set out his ambition for increasing cycling. This included £94 million for Cycling Ambition Grants which covered eight cities and four National Parks across England. These eight cities all have ambitious targets to increase cycling over the coming years.

    In addition, we have invested £15 million for cycling and walking links in communities and almost £15 million for cycling infrastructure at rail stations – our rail funding has been the major enabler in doubling the amount of cycle-rail facilities at stations since 2009. We also continue to support Bikeability training for children – we provide funding of up to £40 per training place – over a million children have been trained.

    Finally, to help realise the Prime Minister’s ambition for cycling, we are working with stakeholders and Government to produce a Cycling Delivery Plan for publication later this year.

  • Christopher Chope – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Christopher Chope – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether garages, boiler rooms and other non-habitable areas affected by flooding are eligible for the Repair and Renew Grant.

    Dan Rogerson

    The “Repair and Renew” grant is available to establish resilience and resistance measures in properties to minimise the risk of damage caused by flooding. As it stands, the grant only applies to homes and businesses affected by flooding and excludes non-habitable areas.

  • The Duke of Montrose – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Duke of Montrose – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Duke of Montrose on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any countries have outstanding applications for membership of the European Union and which they are; how many countries having applied are pending recognition that they have reached the level of compliance required under Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union; and whether any precedence will be given to applicants based on the date when they are recognised as having reached the compliance criteria.

    Baroness Warsi

    Five countries currently have the status of a ‘candidate’ for membership of the EU. Of these, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey are currently in accession negotiations. Iceland has suspended its accession negotiations. Macedonia is a candidate country but has not yet opened accession negotiations. Negotiations are opened on the basis that countries have achieved a high degree of compliance with the membership criteria, including respect for the values referred to in Article 2 Treaty on EU (TEU).

    Albania has also submitted an application for EU membership. It did this in 2009. The Council is considering Albania’s application in light of assessments prepared by the Commission.

    Each aspiring country’s progress towards the European Union depends on its individual efforts to comply fully with the Copenhagen criteria for accession and broader enlargement conditionality. No precedence is given to applicants based on the date they have been recognised as having reached the criteria for opening accession negotiations.

    The UK continues to be a strong supporter of enlargement based on firm-but-fair conditionality. Countries should proceed strictly on merit, with full adherence to the necessary conditionality before accession.

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what regulatory oversight his Department will apply to 24 hour helplines provided by independent abortion clinics.

    Jane Ellison

    It is a condition of approval from the Secretary of State that independent sector providers have a 24 hour helpline available. The Care Quality Commission is considering the best approach to regulating termination of pregnancy services.