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Tag: 2015

  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department provides on (a) the average cost of a funeral and (b) potential sources of financial support for a funeral to families of the recently deceased who are in receipt of state benefits.

    Steve Webb

    My department does not hold information on the average cost of a funeral. However the average funeral expenses payment for 2013/14 was £1,347.

    My department provides financial support towards a funeral to those on certain state benefits via Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payments and Budgeting Loans.

  • David Lammy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    David Lammy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people with limited or discretionary leave to remain have had applications for students loans or grants rejected in each year since 2008.

    Greg Clark

    The Student Loans Company does not hold information on the number of student loan and grant applicants with limited or discretionary leave to remain that have had their application rejected for the years requested.

  • Stephen Hammond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stephen Hammond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hammond on 2015-02-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of how much consumers of spirits paid in duty, tax and VAT in the latest period for which figures are avaiable.

    Priti Patel

    Receipts from duties on spirits that are released for consumption in the UK are published in our monthly alcohol bulletin:

    https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx

    Information on VAT paid by consumers on spirits is not available. HM Revenue & Customs do not collect data on VAT receipts by individual goods or services.

    “

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the BBC about the funding of the BBC and its regional programming.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I have not held any recent discussions with the BBC regarding future funding.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to its managers on how many days training should be made available to staff.

    Mr Nick Gibb

    In line with the Capabilities Plan as part of the Civil Service Reform, the Department for Education recommends that all staff undertake at least five days of training and development every year. This could include formal training courses but may also be made up of other professional development opportunities, for example job shadowing and on the job training. This is not a maximum or minimum target, but a benchmark of expectations. This guidance is available to all managers and staff through the Department’s intranet pages.

  • Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Caroline Flint – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2015 to Question 220911, how much the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority expects to award Nuclear Management Partners in efficiency fees in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

    Matthew Hancock

    As owners of Sellafield Ltd, under the terms of the Parent Body Organisation (PBO) contract, Nuclear Management Partners is paid dividends funded by the fees earned by Sellafield Limited. The estimated fee payable to Sellafield Limited for 2014-15 is commercially sensitive and will not be disclosed until after it has been determined following the end of the financial year. For financial year 2015-16 the amount of fee pool available is still subject to discussion between Sellafield Limited and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

  • Jeremy Corbyn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jeremy Corbyn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Corbyn on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the government of Democratic Republic of Congo on the arrest and incommunicado detention of 12 activists after protests in January 2015 against revision of the electoral law.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    During the recent period of unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) officials at our Embassy in Kinshasa were in regular contact with the DRC authorities, and urged all parties to exercise calm and restraint. Officials also highlighted the importance of allowing those who wished to protest peacefully against the proposed electoral reform bill to be allowed to do so. This was echoed in an Foreign and Commonwealth Office statement https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fco-expresses-concern-over-violence-in-drc issued on 19 January.

    On 25 January a revised electoral law was passed, and on 26 January an FCO statement https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-welcomes-new-electoral-law-and-cessation-of-violence-in-drc welcomed the revised electoral law, which sought to address some of the protestors’ concerns. We are pleased that calls for an end to violence were heeded but are concerned that – according to UN reports – as many as 300 people remain in detention following the demonstrations, including some who have not had access to a lawyer. Of those currently being held, the UN estimates that at least 11 are believed to be in ‘incommunicado’ detention, including Christopher Ngoyi.

    Officials continue to raise the ongoing detention of protestors at the highest level. On 11 February, EU Head of Mission in Kinshasa issued a joint statement expressing concern at arrests and arbitrary detention of political activists by the security services. Those imprisoned for peacefully exercising their right to free speech must be released without delay.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of knee replacement operations that were carried out by West Midlands NHS trusts in the most recent year for which figures are available.

    Jane Ellison

    The sum of Finished Consultant Episodes (FCEs) with a main or secondary procedure of; (a) IVF cycle procedures, (b) cataract surgery procedures, (c) hip replacement operations, (d) knee replacement operations, (e) varicose vein surgery procedures and (f) breast reduction operations carried out by West Midlands NHS Trusts in 2013-14 is shown in the attached table.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what rules apply to the entry into the UK of diplomatic personnel from countries identified by the Government on countries of concern in relation to human rights violations and corruption.

    James Brokenshire

    Diplomats posted to an Embassy or High Commission in the UK or who are in transit through the UK to their diplomatic posting are exempt from immigration control. This means that any checks are limited to verifying the person’s nationality and identity, that they are exempt from immigration control and they are the rightful holder of the document presented.

    People holding diplomatic passports coming to the UK for any other reason are assessed against the Immigration Rules. In certain cases individuals are subject to international travel bans, imposed by the EU or UN. These are imposed for a number of factors and human rights violations and corruption could be a factor in this decision.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the UN World Food Programme in Syria in ensuring that food parcels reach their intended recipients.

    Justine Greening

    DFID has applied a rigorous process of due diligence to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) as we do with all our partners in Syria and DFID staff in the region are in regular contact with WFP staff.