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Tag: 2014

  • Ian Austin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Austin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to help its employees who use on-site nurseries to find alternative childcare when these close from September 2014.

    Mike Penning

    The following steps have been taken to support DWP employees affected by the on site nursery closures:

    – At least six months notice of the closures given to users of the nurseries, in order to give them sufficient time to find a suitable alternative place. All contract expiry dates coincide with the beginning of the new school year to minimise disruption for parents and children as much as possible.

    – Employees have been provided with information regarding the DWP salary sacrifice scheme, where employees can give up part of their salary in return for childcare vouchers. This allows for savings through tax relief and gives parents support in order to make their own choices for childcare.

    – Information, on other nurseries in their local areas, has been provided to parents

    – DWP has awarded one day’s paid special leave to give parents paid time off work to find an alternative place.

  • Gavin Shuker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Gavin Shuker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has spent on aid to the desert region of Thar in Sindh Province, Pakistan in each year since 2010.

    Justine Greening

    It is not possible to disaggregate costs specifically for the Thar region without incurring disproportionate cost, but DFID supports a number of national programmes and international agencies which work across Sindh Province.

  • John Denham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    John Denham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Denham on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of former BAE staff at the Portsmouth shipyard who have been recruited by overseas ship-builders.

    Michael Fallon

    The local taskforce is working to secure positive outcomes for all staff leaving BAE in Portsmouth. It is too early to draw conclusions.

    We recognise the importance of manufacturing and engineering skills to the economy: these will be vital to building the Solent area’s strengths in marine and maritime. BIS is working closely with industry, Job Centre Plus, and Portsmouth Council to support those employees impacted by BAE’s decision to close its shipyard in Portsmouth.

    The Southampton & Portsmouth City Deal announced a £1 million DWP Rapid Response Service that will support those recently made redundant. Government and local industry will invest £3m in a Marine and Maritime Employer Ownership for skills Programme, responding to the immediate skills needs in small and medium sized enterprises in the advanced manufacturing sector.

    Additionally the existing UK wide Talent Retention Solution is available to help match skilled workers to engineering jobs in the UK and is currently advertising 693vacancies in the south of England on its website[1].

    [1] Active TRS vacancies listed on 18 June 2014.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to update the current Air Navigation Order to define and categorise unmanned aircraft systems.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The safe operation of civil Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in the UK is governed by the requirements of the Air Navigation Order 2009 (ANO). RPA with an operating mass of more than 20kg are subject to regulation as though they are manned aircraft.

    RPA with an operating mass of 20kg or less are referred to as ‘small unmanned aircraft’. Small unmanned aircraft are exempt from the majority of the regulations that normally apply to manned aircraft, however their use is specifically covered by two articles within the ANO, which legislate for the ‘general’ flying aspects and the flight of those equipped for surveillance. As well as these specific articles however, a more general article which prevents a person ‘causing or permitting an aircraft to endanger the safety of any person or property’ also remains applicable. There are no current plans to further categorise RPA.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the last assessment was carried out of the perceived community background of HM Revenue and Customs staff recruited in Northern Ireland in the last 10 years.

    Mr David Gauke

    HMRC assesses annually the community background information relating to its Northern Ireland staff. This is done as part of the annual reporting arrangements to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and helps inform HMRC’s Equality Analysis work and Northern Ireland Equality Scheme.

  • Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Katy Clark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many requests for reconsideration of a jobseeker’s allowance decision have been subject to a decision made since 28 October 2013.

    Mike Penning

    While mandatory reconsideration data is being collected, it is not sufficiently robust and reliable to make available.

    The Department is looking into what can be published. The data will need to be validated in order to ensure that it satisfies the relevant standards.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that the legal owner of a property is identified when a planning application is submitted relating to that property.

    Nick Boles

    I am not aware of representations about landlords who own multiple properties disguising their ownership of a property when submitting a planning application.

    It is already a requirement that planning applications must be accompanied by a certificate which applicants must complete that provides certain details about the ownership of the application site. An application is not valid, and therefore cannot be determined by the local planning authority, unless the relevant certificate has been completed.

  • Nic Dakin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nic Dakin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of paying a second attachment fee for each person who is transferred from Newcastle College to new providers of the Work Programme.

    Esther McVey

    The information is not available as it is too early in the procurement process.

  • Bill Wiggin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Bill Wiggin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether any masts proposed as part of the Mobile Infrastructure Project other than that at Fownhope have been withdrawn after a reassessment of notspot data.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    DCMS officials and Arqiva, delivery partner for the Mobile Infrastructure Project, are incorporating changes in the notspot data into the project’s planning. Once this planning is finalised any changes will be communicated to planning authorities

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-04-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of North Korea’s launch of two mid-range missiles, its statement that it would not rule out a new form of nuclear test for bolstering up its nuclear deterrence” and China’s decision to support the United Nations Security Council’s condemnation of those developments.”

    Baroness Warsi

    We are extremely concerned that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has fired two medium range missiles into the Sea of Japan, in a further clear breach of UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) 1718, 1874, 2087 and 2094. We are also concerned by the DPRK’s statement implying that they are considering further missile or nuclear tests.

    We urge the DPRK to comply with all of its obligations under relevant UNSCRs and to refrain from any further provocations that would only further destabilise the peninsula.

    We welcome China’s support in in the UN Security Council condemning North Korean provocations, and we encourage all countries to call on the DPRK to abide by its international obligations.