Tag: 2014

  • Simon Reevell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Simon Reevell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Reevell on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence there is of contamination of the bacterial pathogen, Melissoccocus plutonius, from countries within the EU.

    Dan Rogerson

    Melissococcus plutonius is the causative agent of European foulbrood. In 2012 the Dutch reported the results of a survey that used sensitive detection methodologies to suggest a 35 percent apiary prevalence of Melissococcus plutonius across the Netherlands.

    But a 2012-13 pan-European epidemiological study on honey bee colony losses found a low prevalence of European foulbrood across 15 Member States:

    http://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/live_animals/bees/docs/bee-report_en.pdf.

    “

  • Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many magistrates sat more than 70 half days in the last year.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The latest records for the number of magistrates that sat for more than 70 half days are for 2012/13. 759 magistrates sat for more than 70 half days in that year. It may also assist if I explain that 244 of those magistrates sat on panels, such as youth, family and fine enforcement.

  • James Duddridge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    James Duddridge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Duddridge on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timescale is for his Department to (a) survey East Beach in Shoeburyness for unexploded ordnance and (b) carry out remedial works.

    Anna Soubry

    East Beach is managed by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council under a licence agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The decision to close the beach was made by the Council and it will be for them to determine when to re-open it. As such, no estimates have been made by the MOD about the economic effect of the Council’s decision to the local economy.

    A MOD survey of East Beach will assist in the formulation of a risk management plan that will focus mitigation work on those areas of the beach at greatest risk. It is too early to say what mitigation work will be required, when it will be carried out, and how long it will take to complete.

  • Lord Smith of Finsbury – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Smith of Finsbury – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Smith of Finsbury on 2014-05-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 6 May (WA 443) on the treatment of newspaper products, what plans they have in relation to a zero rate of VAT on books provided in digital format.

    Lord Deighton

    The Government has no plans to change the VAT treatment of books provided in digital format. Legal advice obtained by the Government indicates there is no scope to do so under EU law.

  • FALSE – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    FALSE – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on 2014-05-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the nature of the urgent consideration” they are giving to improve the attainment outcomes of Gypsy

    Lord Nash

    The draft Child Poverty Strategy document references measures currently under consideration to improve the attendance of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) pupils. Attendance levels for many of these pupils are unacceptably low. In 2012/13, the overall absence rate for Gypsy / Roma pupils (15.3%) was around three times the national rate for all pupils (5.3%) and for Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils, was around four times the national rate (21.4%). Poor attendance at school is a real barrier to improving attainment for this group of pupils and there is an urgent need for improvement. GRT families, stakeholder groups, schools and local authorities – working in partnership – have an important role to play in fostering the highest expectations when it comes to attendance so that all GRT children can benefit from their full educational entitlement.

    The Government is investing £2.5 billion in the pupil premium this year to improve the attainment of pupils from low-income families and so improve their future life chances. Most GRT pupils are benefiting from the pupil premium on the basis of their economic circumstances. In 2013, three quarters of Traveller of Irish Heritage and 60% of Gypsy / Roma pupils attracted pupil premium funding. There are no plans to change the pupil premium funding criteria.

    The summer term meeting of the Department for Education’s reference group on GRT will provide an opportunity for further discussion on improving the attainment of GRT pupils.

  • – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2014-05-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations that are making directly and multilaterally to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in respect of the February 2014 speech by Christine Lagarde suggesting that rising inequality and economic exclusion can have pernicious effects” and that policy must take account of the inclusiveness of growth

    Lord Deighton

    At its April 2014 meeting, the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) of the IMF, attended by the Chancellor, agreed that rising inequality and high unemployment be addressed by removing structural impediments to inclusive growth.

    It is not Government practice to comment on the detail of IMF Staff Discussion Papers. IMF Staff regularly produce such papers, and the analysis and views therein are those of staff and not necessarily the IMF or its Executive Board.

  • Lord Jopling – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Jopling – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jopling on 2014-05-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 6 May (WA 366), whether they will now answer the question which was put.

    Baroness Kramer

    Each month the Department for Transport’s Executive Committee receives a summary of the forecast expenditure against budget as part of a Management Information Pack and a commentary in which any significant forecast variances to individual budgets are described and explained. Information at the detailed level is reviewed by each budget holder and Finance Business Partner to ensure that the Department for Transport remains within its control totals and each budget holder remains within their budget. Where forecasts indicate a possible breach of Treasury control totals, this is reported to the Executive Committee every month until the issue is resolved. There were two potential forecast overspends which were at risk of breaching control totals. These issues were highlighted to the Executive Committee three times in 2013-14 until the issues were resolved.

    The Department for Transport does not have a prescribed percentage for any forecast overspend to be tabled at the Board or Executive Committee.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what steps the Government is taking to raise the number of people registered to vote.

    Greg Clark

    The Government is introducing online registration as of 10th June in England and Wales which will make it more convenient to register to vote.

    In addition, five national organisations and every Electoral Registration Officer in Great Britain are sharing £4.2 million funding aimed at maximising the rate of voter registration, as part of the transition to Individual Electoral Registration. These organisations have received funding to find new ways of reaching a range of under registered groups such as young people and encouraging them to register to vote.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been admitted to hospital with a (a) primary and (b) secondary diagnosis of viral hepatitis in each year since 1997-98.

    Jane Ellison

    The Health and Social Care Information Centre collects data on the number of hospital admission episodes for hepatitis C. This does not reflect the actual number of people admitted to hospital, because the same person may have had more than one admission episode within the same time period. The data held by the Health and Social Care Information Centre are as follows:

    Year

    Primary diagnosis

    Secondary diagnosis

    1997-98

    4,045

    4,738

    1998-99

    4,204

    5,963

    1999-2000

    4,509

    6,783

    2000-01

    4,683

    7,405

    2001-02

    4,992

    8,371

    2002-03

    5,883

    9,746

    2003-04

    6,538

    11,221

    2004-05

    6,180

    12,551

    2005-06

    5,878

    15,414

    2006-07

    6,273

    16,661

    2007-08

    6,205

    18,386

    2008-09

    6,222

    20,799

    2009-10

    6,204

    23,256

    2010-11

    5,549

    26,703

    2011-12

    4,466

    27,518

    2012-13

    4,766

    30,351
  • 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 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will make it his policy to collate information on the (a) amount spent by local authorities on electoral registration, (b) number of staff employed by local authorities on electoral registration and (c) local authorities with the (i) highest and (ii) lowest levels of electoral registration.

    Greg Clark

    Following the transition to the Individual Electoral Registration. The Electoral Commission aims to establish a model which can provide detailed information on financial spend by Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers, and the activities the expenditure relates to, including the impact on performance.

    The Office of National Statistics already holds information on those local authorities with the highest and lowest levels of registration.