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Tag: 2014

  • Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on reaching a settlement with Raytheon Systems Ltd on the e-Borders programme; and when the arbitration progress is scheduled to be completed.

    Karen Bradley

    The Home Office would like the dispute with Raytheon to be concluded as swiftly
    as possible. It is not unusual that an international arbitration of this
    complexity should take a considerable time to resolve. The Home Office has
    done everything possible to progress the Arbitration as quickly as possible.
    The evidential hearings concluded in April 2013.

  • John Denham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    John Denham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Denham on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s policy in funding overseas organisations that restict their employment to members of particular faiths.

    Lynne Featherstone

    DFID works to ensure that organisations supported do not discriminate. All DFID funding is subject to pre funding Due Diligence, which includes an analysis of the robustness of the organisation’s operational and commercial systems, processes and procedures, including compliance with relevant policies, legislation and regulations on discrimination.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the ratio of prison officers to inmates in prison in England and Wales was, by prison establishment, in each of the last five years.

    Andrew Selous

    Staffing levels are being reviewed prison by prison as part of a ‘benchmarking approach’. Benchmarking has been agreed with the unions and the NAO has commented that the wider strategy for the prison estate is the most coherent and comprehensive for many years. It delivers efficiencies while ensuring that public sector prisons operate safely, decently and securely. Benchmarking optimises the skills of staff by introducing new ways of working and puts all prison officers in prisoner facing roles.

    The information requested has been placed in the library and extends the table provided to the honourable member for Tooting on 4 Mar 2014, Official Report, 805W. The tables include both public and private sector establishments. Figures are not however comparable across public and private sector establishments. There is no comparison within Private Sector Prisons for Prison Officer Specialists. Functions carried out by badged officers vary, particularly across private prisons, relating to whether functions are civilianised, contracted out, or performed by badged officers.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what estimate the Electoral Commission has made of the number of local authorities who conducted a dry run in data matching and did not repeat this to the Electoral Commission.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that it has not made any estimate of the number of electoral registration officers (EROs) who did not undertake local data matching trials following the dry run of confirmation in 2013. 139 EROs reported results to the Commission but there are likely to have been other EROs who carried out some activities but did not report it to the Commission.

    The Commission further informs me that it did ask EROs, on a separate survey, whether local data matching would be important during the live run of confirmation and 91% said that it would.

    The Commission therefore expects more EROs to conduct local data matching for the live run of confirmation than reported on results following the dry run.

    The Commission, working with Cabinet Office, will be collecting data from all EROs after the live run of the confirmation process which will demonstrate levels of usage of local data in practice. This data will be published on the Commission’s website.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2014, Official Report, column 536W, on shipping: exhaust emissions, what discussions his officials have had with the European Commission on securing EU finance to assist shipowners and ports to comply with the new sulphur regulation limits.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Department has not had discussions with the trade unions specifically on the implementation of the sulphur rules. However, the trade unions have had the opportunity to contribute their views during the eight-week public consultation on the draft UK Regulations and the associated Impact Assessment which commenced on 29 April 2014.

    The maturity and efficacy of ship-board exhaust gas cleaning system technology was one of the key subjects under consideration when I chaired the ‘round table’ meetings of industry stakeholders in October 2012 and March 2013 to which I referred in my Answer of 17 June 2014. At those meetings, first-hand information was forthcoming from both the shipping industry and the exhaust gas cleaning system technology industry.

    The Department has engaged the European Commission about the potential impacts of the new regulations and the scope for financial support from EU sources, including finance from the European Investment Bank. The Commission has reaffirmed the possibility of support for the maritime sector through the new Connecting Europe Facility or the Trans-European Network (TEN-T) programme.

    The Department is investigating impacts on prices as part of its assessment of the impact of the draft UK Regulations.

    The Department will conduct the review at an appropriate time and not later than the timetable specified in the Regulations themselves, in accordance with normal Government practice and consistent with the principles of better regulation. It would be premature to make a commitment now concerning the precise timing of the review.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, columns 345-6W, on employment and support allowance, how many claimants in the WRAG with a prognosis of two years or more who made (a) a new claim – initial assessment and (b) a new claim – repeat assessment were judged that return to work was unlikely in the longer term.

    Mike Penning

    The figures requested are the same as those referred to in the Answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, columns 345-6W, on employment and support allowance. A prognosis of two years or more is defined as unlikely in the longer term.

    The prognoses available to the healthcare professional are:

    – 3 months

    – 6 months

    – 12 months

    – 18 months

    – Within 2 years

    – In the longer term

  • Andrew Griffiths – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andrew Griffiths – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Griffiths on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the (a) total value of public service contracts that have been awarded to voluntary sector organisations in each year since 2008-09 and (b) proportion of overall public expenditure which was spent on public service contracts with voluntary sector organisations in the last year for which figures are available.

    Mr Francis Maude

    Since January 2011 Government departments have published information on the contracts they award on Contracts Finder: www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/

    Central government departments publish their expenditure with Voluntary and Community Sector organisations as part of their Quarterly Data Summaries (QDS): http://www.gist.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/oscar/

    “

  • Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many women under the age of 25 were diagnosed with cervical cancer in (a) the borough of Barnsley and (b) the UK in 2013 and 2014.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Gerald Howarth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gerald Howarth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Howarth on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy that VAT should be applied to sixth form colleges in the same terms as mainstream schools with sixth forms.

    Mr David Laws

    Ministers have said publicly (since December 2013) that they are sympathetic to sixth form colleges’ requests for assistance towards their VAT costs, but that it is not affordable to provide this in financial years 2014-15 or 2015-16.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the political situation in Bangladesh.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The Government is deeply concerned about the escalating violence and disruption in Bangladesh, which affects the daily lives of its citizens. All political parties must urge restraint, an end to violence and respect for the rule of law. We have called on Bangladesh’s political parties to work together through dialogue to find a long-term solution that breaks the cycle of violence and disruption.

    The British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, along with other EU Ambassadors, met Bangladesh Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali on 14 January to express collective concerns at the ongoing violence in Bangladesh, in particular the shooting of former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Reaz Rahman and an attack on a bus in Rangpur which killed four people, including a child. They asked that the Bangladesh government investigate these crimes promptly and in accordance with the law. Our High Commissioner echoed these concerns in his statement on 14 January. I also raised these issues with the Bangladesh Minster for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs in our meeting on Tuesday 20 January.