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Tag: 2014

  • Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Seabeck on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled.

    Elizabeth Truss

    Two parliamentary questions tabled to the Department for Education, PQs 198493 (tabled on 13/5/2014) and 198434 (tabled on 12/5/2014), did not receive substantive answers by the time of prorogation. The questions had reply on dates during prorogation, and therefore could not be answered due to the House’s rules regarding notice periods.

    As a courtesy, both Members have been sent copies of the answers that they would have received had the Department been permitted to give the answers in the usual way.

  • David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

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

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will put arrangements in place to enable telephone callers to the Tax Credit Office in Preston to raise queries with an official rather than through the automatic telephone system.

    Mr David Gauke

    The introduction of HMRC’s Intelligent Telephony Automation (ITA) system has enabled HMRC to significantly reduce call handling and call waiting times and increase satisfaction.

    The speech recognition technology system reacts to what the caller says instead of selecting an option by pushing a button on their phone. ITA allows customers to say what they want to discuss when they telephone HMRC. For the majority of customers, this means their queries are answered by tailored informational messages, without the need to speak to an adviser. If a customer still wants to speak to someone, ITA ensures the adviser is already aware of the customer’s reason for calling, offering a more effective customer service.

    This enables HMRC to offer a more efficient and tailored customer service and where necessary, give the customer extra support.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the marine aggregate industry.

    Lord De Mauley

    The UK Marine Policy Statement (MPS) is the framework for preparing Marine Plans and taking decisions affecting the marine environment. The MPS sets out the policy objectives for key activities taking place in the marine environment. This includes an assessment of marine aggregate resources, potential impacts from extraction activities and issues for consideration by decision-makers. Within English waters marine aggregate extraction activities are regulated by the Marine Management Organisation.

    Government, regulators, The Crown Estate and the British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA) have collaborated on an extensive programme of research (over £25 million in ten years) into understanding and minimising the environmental impacts of aggregates dredging. Following the completion of that programme BMAPA and The Crown Estate recently commissioned and published Aggregate Dredging and the Marine Environment – an overview of recent research and current industry practice. The report is available on The Crown Estate website at www.thecrownestate.co.uk

    The marine aggregate industry has and continues to engage constructively with Government and regulators in developing marine plans and licensing policy and Marine Conservation Zones.

    “

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Rosindell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made on the effect of changes in the size of the regular Army on the UK’s ability to fulfil NATO obligations.

    Mr Mark Francois

    We remain fully confident the UK is able to fulfil its obligations to NATO as we implement our Future Force 2020 plans. As explained to NATO Allies during recent NATO defence planning discussions, the UK has a realistic and achievable plan to meet our target of a sensible whole force balance and the UK already has an enviable reputation in NATO for addressing the defence planning targets the Alliance gives us.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 213W, on apprenticeships, if he will make it his policy to collect information centrally on how many individuals who started an apprenticeship in the 2012-13 academic year were existing employees or new employees.

    Matthew Hancock

    Information will be collected via the Individualised Learner Record for the 2013/14 academic year onwards on the length of time a learner has been with their employer prior to starting their apprenticeship.

  • 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, pursuant to the Government’s response to the Government’s Environmental Audit Committee’s Report HC 1195 published on 26 March 2014, what the forecasted costs and savings are under each cost heading for planning authorities of implementing the biodiversity offsetting proposals over a five year period.

    Dan Rogerson

    The consultation paper “Biodiversity Offsetting in England”, published on 5 September 2013, set out a number of options for taking forward offsetting in England. The accompanying Impact Assessment (Defra 1126) set out the available financial information. However, the costs and benefits to each sector would vary according to the system of offsetting which was adopted. In keeping with the Environmental Audit Committee’s recommendations, the Government will not take any policy decisions on offsetting until the assessment of the six pilots is available.

  • Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lucy Powell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2014-06-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that childcare providers receive payments from National Savings and Investments on time.

    Nicky Morgan

    On the 23 May the Government published a further consultation on the delivery of childcare accounts within Tax-Free Childcare. The consultation will be open until 27 June and the Government will consider the responses alongside those to the first consultation before it makes its decision on the provision of childcare accounts.

  • Margaret Curran – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Margaret Curran – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Curran on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the First Minister of Scotland has received from (a) the British embassy in Washington and (b) consular offices in the US ahead of his upcoming visit to that country.

    Mr David Lidington

    The British Embassy in Washington, and the New York Consulate, have provided support for the visit this week of the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, to the US. The Consul General in New York hosted a lunch at his residence on 7 April, in association with Scottish Development International (SDI), for the First Minister and 17 Scottish companies from the First Minister’s accompanying trade mission, to which key business figures were invited. The British Embassy in Washington worked with the New York Consulate to organise port courtesies for the First Minister, upon arrival in New York ,to allow the Scottish Affairs Office (based in the British Embassy Washington) to greet the First Minister at the airport and expedite customs and immigration procedures.

  • Karl McCartney – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Karl McCartney – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of local authority funding for the staffing of libraries.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Public libraries are funded and run by local authorities and it is for each local authority to determine at a local level how much they spend on libraries and how to manage and deliver the service, including decisions about expenditure on staffing.

  • Chris Williamson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Chris Williamson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Williamson on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many officials of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency are responsible for (a) driver and (b) operator compliance in the bus industry.

    Stephen Hammond

    It is not possible to determine the number of roles within the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) that are responsible for (a) driver and (b) operator compliance in the bus industry, as it forms only a part of a number of roles within the Agency. However, for the financial year of 2014/15, DVSA is budgeted to provide over 38 man-years of resource on the enforcement of the bus industry, for deployment of tasks such as roadworthiness checks, visits to licensed operators and bus operator account management.