UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2014

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, with reference to the Answer of 1 April 2014, Official Report, columns 555-6W, on electoral register, Northern Ireland, what actions resulted from his discussions with the Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office concerning the schools programme for electoral registration.

    Greg Clark

    The Government has made the Rock Enrol learning resource freely available on the Gov.UK and Times Education Supplement website amongst others.

    Additionally, the recent introduction of online registration in England and Wales will make it more convenient for young people to register to vote.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14, published on 23 June 2014, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on the evaluation of proposals for funded radioactive waste and decommissioning plans presented to him by private nuclear operators of the recent increase in the cost of dealing with legacy radioactive waste and decommissioning announced in that report.

    Michael Fallon

    Recent changes in the estimated costs of dealing with legacy radioactive waste and decommissioning announced in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2013/14 are due in their entirety to the decommissioning programme at Sellafield. These costs should not be used as a guide to costs of decommissioning modern nuclear reactor sites. The vast majority of the liability at Sellafield is a result of the Cold War military programme on that site, dating back to the 1940s, and the very early days of the civil nuclear industry, dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. These historic facilities were built extremely rapidly to very different quality and safety standards compared with nuclear plants constructed today and without plans for how they would be ultimately decommissioned, These facilities present a unique decommissioning challenge requiring a complex suite of engineering projects in order to first gain access to their waste inventory before retrieving and then treating this material ready for long-term disposal. The activity required to decommission these facilities at Sellafield bears no relation to the work required to decommission modern nuclear facilities. Operators of nuclear power stations being constructed under the Government’s new build programme are required to publish plans detailing how these facilities will be decommissioned and the operators themselves are liable for the costs associated with this decommissioning work.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to issue further guidance on ecological focus areas; and if he will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Owen Paterson, made a Statement to the House on 10 June covering a range of Common Agricultural Policy Reform implementation decisions. A number of subsequent decisions have to be made in relation to the greening Ecological Focus Area requirements, and we plan to issue further guidance to claimants within the next two months.

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on sanctions against Israel; and what assessment he has made of the compliance of that policy with international law and relevant UN resolutions.

    Hugh Robertson

    We have been clear that we oppose sanctions and boycotts on Israel, and do not believe such steps would promote progress towards a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We are satisfied that this position is consistent with our international obligations.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department first submitted the Universal Credit Strategic Outline Business Case to HM Treasury.

    Esther McVey

    The initial Universal Credit Strategic Outline Business Case was shared with HM Treasury in March 2011. Further iterations have been shared since, as is usual practice, and an updated draft of the overall Strategic Outline Business Case, covering the full life-time of the Programme up to 2023/24, was sent to HM Treasury in December 2013.

    The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has approved the UC Strategic Outline Business Case plans for the remainder of this Parliament (2014-15) as per the ministerial announcement (5 December 2013, Official Report, column 65WS)—link to WMS:

    http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131205/wmstext/131205m0001.htm#column_65ws

    “

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to reduce the number of grades in the Civil Service.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Arrangements for setting grades below the Senior Civil Service (SCS) are delegated to departments and not held centrally. For the SCS, grading arrangements are determined centrally by the Cabinet Office. There are four main grades in the SCS.

    To deliver a flatter structure in the Civil Service, departments are, as set out in the Civil Service Reform Plan, reviewing their structures as part of ongoing change programmes and departmental improvement plans.

  • Hugh Bayley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Hugh Bayley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugh Bayley on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of people aged (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18 years living in (i) York and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber were in (A) full-time education and (B) full-time education, employment or training in 2008-09 and in each year since.

    Matthew Hancock

    Estimates of the proportion of 16- and 17-year-olds participating in education and work-based learning are published in the “Participation in education, training and employment, age 16 to 18” statistical first release (SFR). This provides estimates at local authority level for full-time education, and the wider measure of education and work-based learning, but information on employment is not available at local level. The local estimates are only available for academic age 16- and 17-year-olds.

    The SFR is published online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/participation-in-education-training-and-employment-age-16-to-18

    “

  • Hugh Bayley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Hugh Bayley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugh Bayley on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much his Department has spent on the Warm Front scheme in York local authority area in each year since the inception of that scheme.

    Gregory Barker

    The last year of the Warm Front Scheme was 2012-13. There has been no further change in the Warm Front figures for York local authority area since my answer to you on 9th July 2013.

  • Anas Sarwar – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Anas Sarwar – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anas Sarwar on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on funding for medical research of Scottish independence.

    Mr David Willetts

    My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has made no assessment of the effect of funding for medical research in a separate Scotland.

    The Scotland Analysis: Science and Research report published in November 2013 examined the current UK framework for funding, infrastructure, coordination and collaboration. It demonstrated that Scottish research has thrived within this system – for example regularly receiving a higher percentage of Research Council funding when compared to UK population share.

    The same holds true for research charities. In 2011 Scotland received 13% of all investment made by members of the Association of Medical Research Charities.

    The evidence shows that being part of the UK complements and strengthens Scotland’s world-class research base.

    The UK Government’s position is clear: if Scotland left the UK, the current framework for research could not continue. The best way for research to continue to flourish in Scotland is together as part of the UK.

  • John Glen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    John Glen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects NHS England’s review of specialised services commissioning to conclude; who is leading the review; what (a) NHS England employees and (b) other interested parties are participating in the review; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    Since April 2013, NHS England has been responsible for the commissioning of services that have been identified as specialised. NHS England’s role is to ensure that the National Health Service delivers better outcomes for patients requiring these specialised services in a consistent manner across the country.

    NHS England is committed to commissioning and planning a healthcare system that seeks to reduce health inequalities. In line with the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases, NHS England promotes equity of access to allow everyone with a rare disease to follow a clear, well defined care pathway, in order to achieve high quality services for every individual through integrated personal care plans. The aim is to ensure no one gets left behind just because they have a rare disease.

    NHS England has advised that the review of specialised services commissioning was initiated at the start of May and will run for an initial period of three months. Dr Paul Watson, Regional Director for the Midlands and East Region, is leading the specialised commissioning taskforce. National discussions took place at the end of April and the taskforce was established in April 2014 in order to make some immediate improvements to the way in which NHS England commissions specialised services, and to put commissioning arrangements on a stronger footing for the longer-term. This taskforce comprises of seven distinct work streams, which will focus on financial control in 2014-15, and planning for the 2015-16 commissioning round. The seven work streams each have a distinct portfolio of work, some of which is short-term, and some of which includes looking to the future and the development of a sustainable and effective model of specialised commissioning.

    Around 50 additional individuals, from different disciplines, have been drawn from across NHS England, coming together to support intensive, focussed attention in a number of these work streams.

    There are aspects of the work which will require engagement with clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). In consultation with the Commissioning Assembly, a specific working group has been established to enable the joint discussions with CCGs to take place. The first meeting of this group was on 4 July.

    NHS England advise that there are currently no plans to consult on the outcome of the work of the taskforce.