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Tag: 2014

  • Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Diane Abbott – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2014-05-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that school lunches in academies and free schools meet the nutritional standards of those in the state sector; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Laws

    The revised school food standards will apply to single mainstream academies and free schools opening from July 2014, other mainstream academies and free schools opening from autumn 2014 and non-mainstream academies opening later in 2014. Academies set up prior to 2010 already have to comply.

    During their review of school food, the authors of the School Food Plan approached several academy chains, including the Harris Federation, the Oasis Community Learning Multi-Academy Trust, and the School Partnership Trust. All agreed in principle to comply with the standards and the Leon Foundation are encouraging as many academies and free schools as possible to sign up formally to the new standards.

    99% of those academies which responded to a survey by the School Food Trust in 2012 said they were committed to following the new food standards.

  • Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Israeli government on extending to UK citizens of Palestinian origin visiting Israel similar concessions to those Israel has offered to the US administration in exchange for Israel’s entry to the US visa waiver scheme.

    Hugh Robertson

    We have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the change has been in the number of passports which were (a) issued and (b) reported (i) lost and (ii) stolen between 2008 and 2013, by issuing passport office.

    James Brokenshire

    Passport applications are distributed across Her Majesty’s Passport Office
    estate based on capacity and resources in each office. Data for 2008 to 2013
    is shown in the following table.

    [INSERT TABLE 1]

    (a) figures prior to 2013 do not include UK passports issued by FCO. 2013 was the transistion year. Full repatriation of this activity completed in early 2014.

    Lost and Stolen data is collated at national level only and not available
    separated by issuing office. The following table provides a breakdown of how
    many passports have been reported (i) lost, and (ii) stolen between 2008 and
    2013.

    [INSERT TABLE 2]

    The category "other" is used by Her Majesty’s Passport Office predominantly
    when a passport is declared damaged or destroyed.

  • William Bain – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    William Bain – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Bain on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what meetings or telephone calls have taken place between Ministers and officials in his Department with (a) the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, (b) BlackRock, (c) Capital Research, (d) Fidelity Worldwide, (e) GIC, (f) Henderson, (g) JP Morgan, (h) Kuwait Investment Office, (i) Lansdowne Partners, (j) Lazard Asset Management, (k) Och Ziff, Schroders, (l) Soros, (m) Standard Life, (n) Third Point and (o) Threadneedle in relation to the flotation of the Royal Mail since May 2010; and what was discussed in such meetings.

    Michael Fallon

    Neither Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills nor officials have discussed the Royal Mail flotation with any of these investors.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people classified as disabled left work as a result of their disability; and how many such people entered new work in each of the last four years.

    Mike Penning

    The information requested is not available. We do not hold information on the reason for an individual leaving employment, therefore we are unable to ascertain how many disabled people left employment as a result of their disability.

  • Dr Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Dr Matthew Offord – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Matthew Offord on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of whether to become a signatory to the UNESCO Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage and the International Law of the Sea.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 March 2014, Official Report, column 463W, to the Hon. Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy) regarding the UNESCO Convention on Underwater Cultural Heritage. The UK is already a State Party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

  • Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Pete Wishart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pete Wishart on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, at what gestation stage each pregnant women in Scotland granted section 4 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 received the decision to grant that support.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is not routinely collected and could only be provided
    by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate
    cost.

  • Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Alison Seabeck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Seabeck on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the current contract for the post of Chief of Defence Materiel ends; and if he will make it his policy that the post of Chief Executive of Defence Equipment and Support be no longer merged with this post at that time.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The post of Chief Defence Materiel has been merged with that of Chief Executive of Defence Equipment and Support and therefore no longer exists as a separate post. A competition will be held for the Chief Executive of Defence Equipment and Support in late 2014 in time for the current incumbent’s contract end date on 3 January 2015

  • Bill Esterson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Bill Esterson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answers of 29 April 2014, Official Report, columns 559-60W and column 560W, on schools: inspections, for what reason local authorities are inspected separately from schools maintained by local authorities but academies are not inspected separately from the head offices of academy chains.

    Mr David Laws

    Ofsted can inspect local authorities to see whether they are fulfilling a number of statutory duties. Academy head offices do not have the same statutory duties. However, Ofsted already inspects academy chains through batched inspections. It has recently undertaken focused inspections of academies within E-ACT multi-academy trust, and has previously inspected a group of academies within the AET chain.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much Public Health England has spent on consultancy workers in 2013-14.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England (PHE) has incurred no expenditure with professional consultancy firms of the nature described in the Cabinet Office definition of Consultancy.

    However, PHE sought approval under the Department’s Professional Services approvals route for £8.1million of contingent labour where the daily rate of the individuals concerned was more than £220 per day. This involves approval by the Chief Executive of PHE, by the Department’s Procurement and by the Department’s Financial Approvals Panel.