Tag: 2014

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 latest assessment is of the security situation in Egypt following the recent suicide bombing outside Cairo University grounds.

Mr William Hague

Our assessment, as published in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice, is that there is a high threat from terrorism in Egypt, including Cairo. We believe that terrorists continue to plan attacks, which could be indiscriminate and occur without prior warning. Attacks have mainly been aimed at the security forces, their facilities and other government buildings. However, attacks targeting foreigners cannot be ruled out. We continue to keep our travel advice under constant review.

During my meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy on 2 April, I condemned the recent attacks in Cairo and sent condolences to the family of the victim and those who have been injured.

November 1, 2022
Harriet Harman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harriet Harman on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent estimate he has made of the amount of philanthropic giving to arts and heritage organisations in each region and constituent part of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey

In 2011/12, according to Arts & Business, overall philanthropic giving to the cultural sector grew by 7.6% on the previous year to £660.5 million. The breakdown of this total shows £536 million of private investment in culture in London and £125 million in the non-London English regions. Although London is always likely to attract a greater proportion of philanthropic giving, there are many examples of arts organisations successfully encouraging philanthropy and private investment across the country. DCMS has been working closely with Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund and the cultural sector, through the £100 million Catalyst scheme, to help improve fundraising capacity and ensure organisations have the skills required to cultivate philanthropy.

November 1, 2022
David Winnick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

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

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his contribution of 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 877, what the evidential basis was of his statement that the sale of the Royal Mail was in the manifesto of the last Government.

Mr David Cameron

I was referring to the previous government’s policy of seeking to part-privatise the Royal Mail.

November 1, 2022
Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for reviewing the conduct of and representation on Local Liaison Committees for defence nuclear sites.

Mr Philip Dunne

There are no plans for the Ministry of Defence to review the conduct of, nor representation at, Local Liaison Committees relating to Defence nuclear sites. The operation of such committees is a matter for agreement between the individual site operator (the Licensee and/or Authorisee) and the appropriate local authorities.

November 1, 2022
Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to promote innovation within industry; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Willetts

This Government is fully committed to improving the UK’s innovation performance as an essential component of its growth plan. Innovation has long been, and will continue to be, a key driver of UK growth and economic prosperity, accounting for up to 70% of economic growth in the long-term.

The UK’s Industrial Strategy, a new long-term partnership between business and all parts of Government, has identified a range of opportunities to help create growth for the future, from developing new skills and securing critical investment, to commercialising our scientific research and inventions.

Support for technologies is one of five core themes of the Industrial Strategy. The Government has identified "Eight Great Technologies" where the UK’s science strengths and business capabilities combine to give us world-leading potential and announced an additional £600M investment to help support their development from laboratory to marketplace.

We have made the Technology Strategy Board the Government’s prime channel for supporting business-led technology innovation, which delivers a range of interventions in support of innovative businesses, such as the network of Catapult Centres and collaborative research and development competitions.

We have also put in place a range of wider policies to support innovation which include a tax regime that supports innovation, investment and enterprise that enables the UK to be internationally competitive, as the increasingly international nature of innovation means that it is crucial for the UK and its businesses and universities to remain active in the global innovation ecosystem.

We know that other leading innovators and the emerging economies are increasing their investment in science and innovation and that we need to strengthen our own performance in some areas and build on our acknowledged strengths to retain our position as one of the world’s leading innovation countries.

This is why we will be developing a new Science and Innovation Strategy to be published this Autumn. This will set out the future shape and scale of the UK’s science and innovation system and look at how we measure the system’s performance and the key challenges that the UK needs to address to maintain its global leadership position.

November 1, 2022

Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) male and (b) female recruits who completed phase two training at Catterick Infantry Training Centre in each year since 2006 went on to join the trained strength; how many such recruits in those categories were aged under 18 years when they enlisted; how many had undertaken phase one training at Harrogate Army Foundation College; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

On 8 May 2014 my right hon. on Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence (Philip Hammond) announced that a review of the exclusion of women in ground close combat roles, including the Infantry, Royal Armoured Corps and Household Cavalry would begin immediately, and report by the end of this year.

No female recruits currently undergo infantry training and therefore figures shown for the Infantry Training Centre relate to males only.

The information requested is shown in the table. Completion of phase 2 training is the point at which recruits are deemed to have joined the trained strength:

Year	Phase 2 Completions (Male)	Under 18 on entry (Male)	Army Foundation College Starts (Male)
2006-07	2,300	950	230
2007-08	2,210	890	260
2008-09	2,610	860	270
2009-10	3,370	980	310
2010-11	1,920	540	300
2011-12	2,790	620	390
2012-13	2,760	740	520
2013-14	2,450	560	320

Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in ‘5′ are rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

November 1, 2022

Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2014-04-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding allocated under the Regional Growth Fund in each (a) holding and (b) region has not yet been drawn down by winning bidders.

Michael Fallon

Regional breakdown of RGF allocations for each bidding round (Rounds 1-4) including the amount drawn down and remaining to be drawn down are provided in the attached tables. This data is as at 2 April. The RGF not drawn down for Rounds 1 to 4 totals £1,238 million. Of this, currently, £1,152 million is budgeted to be drawn down in 2014/15 and later years. Payments schedules are agreed with companies and payments are made when they need them.

Round 1

Region	RGF Allocation (£m)	RGF Drawdown (£m)	RGF not drawn down (£m)
North West	21	19	2
Yorkshire & Humber	47	39	8
North East	34	34	0
West Midlands	89	22	67
East Midlands	2	2	0
East of England	16	10	6
South East & London	0	0	0
South West	4	4	0
National	175	175	0
TOTAL	388	305	83

Round 2

Region	RGF Allocation (£m)	RGF Drawdown (£m)	RGF not drawn down (£m)
North West	189	123	66
Yorkshire & Humber	68	45	23
North East	64	56	8
West Midlands	91	87	4
East Midlands	80	49	31
East of England	35	20	15
South East & London	60	45	15
South West	71	69	2
National	90	80	10
TOTAL	748	574	174

Round 3

Region	RGF Allocation (£m)	RGF Drawdown (£m)	RGF not drawn down (£m)
North West	113	43	70
Yorkshire & Humber	63	28	35
North East	113	44	69
West Midlands	158	24	134
East Midlands	57	14	43
East of England	25	8	17
South East & London	48	18	30
South West	82	8	74
National	177	75	102
TOTAL	836	262	574

Round 4

Region	RGF Allocation (£m)	RGF Drawdown (£m)	RGF not drawn down (£m)
North West	96	5	91
Yorkshire & Humber	30	2	28
North East	33	1	32
West Midlands	65	1	64
East Midlands	41	1	40
East of England	15	3	12
South East & London	25	2	23
South West	14	0	14
National	115	12	103
TOTAL	434	27	407

November 1, 2022

Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-06-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 12 September 2013, Official Report, column 798W, on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, whether changes to the Reaper Agreement pertaining to the UK Reaper Force Squadron have been finalised; and whether this Agreement will remain in force following the cessation of NATO International Security Force missions in Afghanistan.

Mr Mark Francois

The Memorandum of Understanding is still undergoing the review process. However, it will cover both the ISAF mission and any future wider NATO missions.

November 1, 2022
Chi Onwurah – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2014-04-03.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the digital inclusion implications of requiring online accounts for new childcare proposals announced in Budget 2014.

Nicky Morgan

Tax-Free Childcare will be hosted on the Government Digital Service (GDS) Gov.uk website alongside other Government digital services. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have overall responsibility for the implementation of these services, in partnership with National Savings and Investments (NS&I) who will operate the accounts.

The GDS are leading the Government’s work to link digital inclusion into policy programmes and digital services. HMRC have directly consulted with GDS who have been involved in the design of the process and the creation of the solution for Tax-Free Childcare.

The Government will continue to talk with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders to ensure that Tax-Free Childcare is as simple and secure as possible for parents to access and use.

November 1, 2022
Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-06-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the event of Jean-Claude Juncker being appointed President of the European Commission, they plan to review their policy concerning continuing membership of the European Union.

Baroness Warsi

This Government is clear that membership of a reformed EU is in the UK’s interest. The EU must reform to become more competitive, flexible and democratically accountable, and work fairly for those in and outside the Eurozone.

November 1, 2022