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Tag: 2014

  • Mark Lazarowicz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mark Lazarowicz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Lazarowicz on 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to provide training for drivers of heavy goods vehicles to increase awareness of the dangers faced by cyclists.

    Stephen Hammond

    In addition to licence acquisition tests which require drivers to demonstrate knowledge of vulnerable road users, the EU mandated Driver Certificate of Professional Competence requires drivers of heavy goods vehicles to carry out five days of further training in every five year period. Within the confines of the Directive, we would encourage drivers and employers to select the training which best meets their needs, which may be a course on vulnerable road users.

    We welcome initiatives such as ‘Exchanging Places’ events where cyclists and drivers of HGVs and buses get to experience the others’ perspective, and encourage local authorities to consider such activities which can improve road sharing.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2014, Official Report, columns 787-8W, on pupil exclusions: autism, how his Department deals with allegations that schools are disregarding the statutory guidance on exclusion in respect of students with autistic disorders.

    Elizabeth Truss

    As part of their legal duties in relation to exclusion, schools must have regard to the statutory guidance issued by the Department for Education. Parents approaching the Department with concerns about an exclusion are informed about the formal routes of challenge available to them and directed to sources of free and impartial advice. If the Department identifies that a governing body has acted unlawfully or unreasonably in carrying out its legal duties, and it would be expedient to do so, then the Secretary of State could issue a direction. The Department would also pass to Ofsted any relevant evidence that fell within the inspectorate’s remit.

  • Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Morrow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Morrow on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many companies currently providing contracted services to government departments and agencies use zero hours contracts.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The information requested is not held centrally.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by his Department were in each financial year since 2009-10.

    David Mundell

    Other than minor or bespoke purchases, the Scotland Office does not undertake direct procurement or tendering projects. It utilises existing service contracts between suppliers and the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice. Since May 2010, only one contract has been issued directly by the Scotland Office. This was issued to the Royal Mail in 2011/12 for its role in providing candidates’ free mailing in the Scottish Parliament election of 2011, the value of which was just over £6.4 million.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will answer the question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 10 June (HL Deb, col 236), and on 11 June (HL Deb, col 418), about whether asylum in the United Kingdom will be offered to Meriam Ibrahim, who has been imprisoned and given a death sentence in Sudan.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The UK has a proud record of offering sanctuary to those who need it. Each claim for asylum is carefully considered and where we find individuals are in need of our protection, asylum is given. However, to be eligible for international protection, a person must be located outside of their country of origin.

  • Teresa Pearce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Teresa Pearce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2014-03-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what research has been undertaken on the prospects of former Remploy factory workers who were made redundant in (a) 2007-08 and (b) phases 1 and 2 of the 2012-13 factory closures.

    Mike Penning

    The Department is not able to assess the prospects of former Remploy factory workers made redundant as part of the 2008 modernisation plan as this plan agreed by the previous Government did not include tracking processes.

    Before implementing the Sayce recommendations, the Government considered the lessons from implementation of the modernisation plan changes. This is why it introduced the £8 million guaranteed People Help and Support Package (PHSP) providing help for up to 18 months to disabled former Remploy workers and is tracking the support that this is providing. As at 21 March 2014, 1,513 disabled former Remploy workers are choosing to work with our Personal Case Workers to find another job and 716 are in work.

  • Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness King of Bow – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2014-06-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much Discretionary Housing Payment funding made available to local authorities in 2013–14 was unspent and returned to the Department for Work and Pensions at the end of the year.

    Lord Freud

    The information requested is due to be published shortly as part of wider analysis on the use of Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in 2013/14.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Barry Gardiner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish a report on the implementation of the Department’s anaerobic digestion strategy and action plan for 2013-14.

    Dan Rogerson

    We intend to publish a further report on implementation of the Anaerobic Digestion Strategy and Action Plan later this year.

  • Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Diana Johnson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much has been paid out by his Department in statutory entitlements following the collapse of Comet; how many people have been compensated to date; and what estimate he has made of the total cost to the Exchequer of meeting all arising liabilities in this case.

    Jenny Willott

    The Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Services have paid out a total of £18,482,220 in statutory entitlements to 4,838 former employees of Comet Group Plc.

    It is not possible at present to estimate the total cost to the Exchequer of meeting all statutory entitlements. Further payments will depend on the findings of the Employment Tribunal regarding the employees covered by the protective award judgment of the 11th June 2014. Consideration of this matter is scheduled for 17th July 2014. There are also outstanding Tribunal applications in respect of statutory payments other than protective awards which are still to be determined.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s most recent assessment is of the likelihood of President Assad complying with the agreed Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons timetable for the removal and destruction of Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons.

    Mr William Hague

    Good early progress was made toward putting both Syria’s chemical weapons manufacturing facilities and the weapons themselves beyond use. However, the programme has fallen behind schedule and the regime has missed a number of interim deadlines, including the 31 December target for the removal of priority I chemicals, and the 5 February deadline for the removal of priority II material. It is the regime’s responsibility to comply with the timetable set out by the UN-Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

    The UN Secretary General, the OPCW Director General and the coordinator of the OPCW-UN joint mission have assessed that Syria has all the equipment it needs to ensure the expeditious removal of the chemicals concerned. To date, approximately 54 percent of the declared chemical stockpile has been removed from Syria. The regime must significantly accelerate the movement of the chemicals to port to enable their removal if the 30 June deadline for the elimination of the chemicals is to be achieved.