Tag: 2014

  • Ms Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ms Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Diane Abbott on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report by the Refugee Council, When Maternity Doesn’t Matter, what steps her Department has taken to reform the dispersal policy of the former UK Border Agency.

    James Brokenshire

    The report covers procedures for accommodating pregnant asylum seekers who are destitute. The Home Office has been consulting about changes to these procedures and is considering some detailed suggestions by the Refugee Council and Maternity Action. Once that is completed we will move towards finalising and publishing revised guidance on the procedures.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Adam Afriyie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the return on public investment in the UK Space Agency; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Willetts

    The return on investment delivered by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) is subject to biennial assessment as part of the Agency survey of the size and health of the space industry. Results of the 2014 survey are due to be published in the autumn of 2014, though I hope to be in a position to announce headline figures such as turnover and employment numbers at the Farnborough Airshow in July 2014.

    The European Space Agency (ESA) is the primary route for Government R&D space investment. Several economic analyses of investment impact have been undertaken, drawn together in BIS Economics Paper No3 . The Agency’s biennial survey of the size and health of the UK space industry has shown growth from £3.4Bn turnover in 1999/2000 to £9.5Bn in 2011, reflecting the results of sustained investment as well as the growth of the market.

    UKSA investment through the European Space Agency (ESA) in the last five years is as follows:

    2009/10: £242.8m

    2010/11: £231.1m

    2011/12: £232.0m

    2012/13: £207.6m

    2013/14: £267.5m

    In addition, national expenditure averaging £20M a year has been invested within the UK to build and operate scientific instruments carried on ESA spacecraft. The funding to ESA has been used to contribute to missions and technology in the fields of space science and exploration, Earth observation for science and applications, telecommunications and broadband delivery, access to microgravity facilities for life and physical sciences, space weather, navigation technologies, human spaceflight and weather monitoring. As well as resulting expenditure in the UK due to the juste retour principle, wider benefits have accrued in economic growth; new scientific knowledge and improved delivery of public services.

  • Mr Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Mr Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Gregory Campbell on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many people on remand or on bail in connection with terrorism-related charges are recipients of letters as part of the On the Run scheme.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    Responsibility for the arrest and charging of an individual rests with the police and the prosecuting authorities. The Judiciary holds responsibility for remand and bail conditions.

    On 11 March, Lady Justice Hackett was appointed to undertake an independent inquiry to provide a full public account of the operation and extent of the administrative scheme for dealing with so called “on-the-runs” that was established by the previous Government. This will include a factual check of all letters issued. I expect the report to be provided to me by the end of May 2014 for the purpose of its full publication.

  • Meg Hillier – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Meg Hillier – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Meg Hillier on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) new passport applications and (b) passport renewal applications have been received by HM Passport Office since the beginning of the current financial year; and what proportion of such applications were completed and dispatched within (i) three and (ii) four weeks.

    James Brokenshire

    During April and May 2014, Her Majesty’s Passport Office received:

    (a) 319,639 new passport applications.
    (b) 1,044,840 passport renewal applications.

    Her Majesty’s Passport Office does not hold passport application processing
    data in the format requested, although we can advise that 96.1% of straightforward
    applications were processed within 3 weeks and 96.9% of non straightforward
    passport applications were processed within the 6-week target.

  • Zac Goldsmith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Zac Goldsmith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many representations he has received relating to concerns over Grant Thornton’s handling of insolvency or bankruptcy cases since 2010.

    Jenny Willott

    Prior to the introduction of the Insolvency Service’s Complaints Gateway in June 2013 no central record was maintained of numbers of complaints made against individual firms.

    Since June 2013 there have been 794 complaints received via the Complaints Gateway, of which 70 related to recorded complaints about insolvency practitioners from Grant Thornton in respect to formal insolvency procedures.

  • Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts on 2014-06-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 5 February (WA 238), whether they are now in a position to implement a revision to the personal injury discount rate.

    Lord Faulks

    The Government’s review of the personal injury discount rate is still continuing and the position remains as stated in my Written Answer to my Noble Friend of 25 February 2014 (WA238).

  • Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria will be used by his Department to determine how much funding each local authority will receive to investigate those eligible to receive a refund of under-occupancy payments.

    Esther McVey

    An estimate of the overall costs has been made based on discussions with individual local authorities and local authority representative organisations. The allocation of funding has been based on the total number of claimants who currently have their spare room subsidy removed. The estimate reflects the work likely to be undertaken by local authorities, including the inspection of claim records to identify those potentially affected, collect further information, and make a decision

  • Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2014-06-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to recover records of royal pardons granted between 1987 and 1997.

    Baroness Randerson

    The review of Departmental record keeping ordered by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is ongoing.

    Northern Ireland Office officials continue to seek information on use of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (RPM) for the years 1987 to 1997. This includes contact with other Government Departments where relevant material might be held.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-04-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of deterioration in normal operation on the efficiency assumptions for the new combined heat and power classifications.

    Gregory Barker

    In 2013 the Government reviewed the minimum performance standards for renewable Combined Heat and Power (CHP) set in our Quality Assurance programme. In response to the consultation responses on the proposed revisions we reviewed available data on renewable CHP performance, including deterioration. As a result of this review performance assumptions for new engines/turbines were relaxed in finalising the requirements based on evidence. In respect of deterioration in normal operation the Government reviewed CHP Quality Assurance data on the operational efficiency of eight renewable CHP schemes, each with 2-13 years operational data. Of these, three showed increasing efficiency over time and five showed no discernible increase or decrease over time.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of staff within the Law Officers’ Departments who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

    Oliver Heald

    I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to her by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 16th June (Official Report, Col 433W).