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Tag: 2015

  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the UK’s capacity to provide further resettlement opportunities to Syrian refugees whose individual medical or humanitarian needs cannot be met in refugee camps in Syria’s neighbouring countries.

    James Brokenshire

    With millions of people in need in Syria and the region, the Government believes that substantial humanitarian aid and actively seeking to end the conflict are the most effective ways for the UK to help the largest number of displaced people, rather than larger scale resettlement. We have now pledged £800 million in response to the crisis, and UK funding is providing vital support to hundreds of thousands of people across the region.

    However, we recognise that there are some very vulnerable displaced Syrians who cannot be supported effectively in the region. We therefore launched the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme to complement our aid by providing protection in the UK to some of those at greatest risk. The scheme is based on need rather than fulfilling a quota, but we have said we expect it to help several hundred people over three years, and we remain firmly on track to achieve that. Groups of Syrians are arriving in the UK on a regular basis under the scheme, including people in severe need of medical care, survivors of torture and violence and women and children at risk.

    The Government liaises regularly with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regarding the operation of the VPR scheme. We continue to work closely with the UNHCR to identify some of the most vulnerable people displaced by the conflict and bring them to the UK.

  • Jack Dromey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jack Dromey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted of causing death by dangerous driving have not been subject to automatic release in the last three years.

    Mike Penning

    The majority of people sentenced to immediate custody for the offence of causing death by dangerous driving are subject to the standard determinate sentence release provisions, with automatic release at the half-way point in accordance with the requirements of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Some offenders serving this type of sentence may be eligible to be considered for release on home detention curfew (HDC) before their automatic release date, but those convicted of causing death by dangerous driving are presumed unsuitable for HDC and can only be considered in exceptional circumstances.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what total amount his Department has spent on consultant fees relating to the Intercity Express Programme to date.

    Claire Perry

    From 2005 to October 2009, £21m was spent. Since then further spend has been incurred taking the total as at February 2015 to £46m.

  • Zac Goldsmith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Zac Goldsmith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what arrangements are in place in his Department to manage potential conflicts of interest of civil servants in relation to their previous employment.

    Claire Perry

    There are a number of arrangements in place; including the Civil Service Code, which refers to an individual’s integrity in putting the obligations of public service above their own personal interests and forms part of the contractual relationship between a Civil Servant and their employer.

    Contracts of employment issued to a new member of staff also refer to the subject of Conduct and conflict of interest:

    ‘As a Civil Servant you are required to conduct yourself in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Code, a copy of which is available within the Staff Handbook. It is essential that you are, and are seen to be, honest and impartial in the discharge of your duties. You must not allow your judgement or integrity to be compromised in fact or by reasonable implication. The detailed requirements governing the avoidance of conflicts of interest, the receipt of gifts and hospitality and the standards of conduct expected of you are set out in the Staff Handbook.’

    Any Civil Servant who does not adhere to the Civil Service code is liable to disciplinary action including the possibility of dismissal.

    In addition, applicants are required to declare previous employment on job applications, so recruiting line managers will be aware of potential conflicts of interest. If a role requires security clearance, then an additional independent check is conducted as part of the security checking process.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Gloria De Piero – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2015-02-20.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of people were earning the minimum wage in each ethnic group in each of the last five years; and what proportion of people earning the minimum wage were in each ethnic group in each of the last five years.

    Mr Rob Wilson

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

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department’s training budget was in each of the last three financial years.

    Mr Francis Maude

    We want to ensure that the Civil Service is ready to meet the challenges of the twenty first century.

    Through our programme of Civil Service Reform the Government is working to address long-standing weaknesses in four key skills areas: commercial, programme and project delivery, digital delivery, and leading and managing change across the Civil Service.

    Civil Servants are encouraged to take at least five days learning a year but the key point is to ensure that civil servants have the particular skills they need to do their jobs well. The Functional Heads, most of whom report to the Chief Executive of the Civil Service, will set the learning curricula for their functions.

    Most learning is now provided by Civil Service Learning.

    Complete central records are not held on the number of days training, training budgets or training expenditure.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average number of days training of full-time equivalent staff employed in his Department was in each of the last three financial years.

    Kris Hopkins

    DCLG does not centrally collate details of the number of days training undertaken. To collate this information would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Nick Harvey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nick Harvey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Harvey on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when construction work on Box A of Project Pegasus at the Atomic Weapons Establishment started.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Pegasus is the replacement Highly Enriched Uranium component manufacturing and storage facility, and forms part of the Government’s programme of investment in the Atomic Weapons Establishment sites.

    Preparatory work on Box A started in May 2013 and construction work began in August 2013.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment his Department has made of the resources needed by local authorities to enforce a minimum energy efficiency standard for the private rented sector.

    Amber Rudd

    Section 8.1.3 of the policy’s final stage impact assessment contains information regarding the Department’s assessment of resources required by local authorities.

  • George Hollingbery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    George Hollingbery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Hollingbery on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) time taken and (b) cost of dredging operations undertaken by the Environment Agency was in the (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14 financial years in each operational area; and what the expected benefits of such operations were.

    Dan Rogerson

    Dredging is not identified as a separate category within the Environment Agency’s budget allocations or work recording systems, as it is often carried out at the same time as other channel activities. It is included within the broader category of ‘conveyance’ on which the Environment Agency spent around £45 million and £32 million in total in 2012/13 and 2013/14 respectively. The Environment Agency carries out conveyance work, including dredging, where it cost effectively reduces flood risk to people and property. The Environment Agency estimate that, on average, conveyance work provides about £7 of reduced flood damages for every pound spent. Dredging can provide other benefits, such as land drainage and navigation.

    The funding spent on conveyance in each operational Environment Agency area was:

    2012/13

    2013/14

    Environment Agency Area

    Total Allocated (£M)

    Total Allocated (£M)

    Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire

    1.03

    0.56

    Cumbria and Lancashire

    3.77

    1.75

    Derbyshire Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire

    2.31

    2.27

    Devon and Cornwall

    2.77

    1.31

    Essex Norfolk and Suffolk

    3.96

    1.07

    Greater Manchester Merseyside and Cheshire

    4.41

    4.47

    Hertfordshire and North London

    4.48

    3.40

    Kent and South London

    3.95

    3.12

    Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire

    3.26

    2.86

    Northumberland Durham and Tees

    1.11

    1.73

    Shropshire Herefordshire Worcestershire and Gloucestershire

    1.07

    1.39

    Solent and South Downs

    2.01

    2.10

    Staffordshire Warwickshire and West Midlands

    1.27

    1.42

    Wessex

    2.01

    1.38

    West Thames

    4.12

    1.60

    Yorkshire

    3.43

    1.82

    Grand Total

    44.95

    32.27

    We do not hold information on the time it took for each of the dredging operations to be undertaken.