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Tag: 2015

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of the money pledged by the UK at the donor conference for Palestinians in Cairo in October 2014 has reached beneficiaries in the Gaza Strip; and what that money has been spent on.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    In October 2014, the UK pledged £20 million in early recovery assistance at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Cairo. We have fully disbursed our pledge and will exceed it over the coming months, as we disburse residual funds on getting businesses back to work in Gaza.

    DFID’s support has included reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation for those injured in the conflict, clearance of unexploded ordnance, short-term employment schemes, shelter and basic services, support to the private sector, funding for the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM), and direct support and technical assistance to the Palestinian Authority.

  • Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Attorney General, what training the Law Officers’ Departments have provided to staff on the family test; what other steps he has taken to raise awareness of the family test among staff of the Law Officers’ Departments; and if he will make a statement.

    Robert Buckland

    The Government Legal Department provides training to all lawyers within the Government Legal Service, Attorney General’s Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, and hosted a training session on the legal implications of The Family Test in May 2015. While training places were prioritised for lawyers advising the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), all government lawyers were eligible to apply.

    In addition, the training committee within the DWP legal advisers will consider the inclusion of further training on The Family Test in response to any further needs identified.

    The Serious Fraud Office and Crown Prosecution Service are not directly involved in frontline policy development and whilst they are aware of the published DWP guidance on applying the test, no specific training has been deemed necessary at this stage. However, they would of course apply the test should the need arise.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate she has made of the value of stationery that has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from her Department in each of the last five fiscal years; and what the cost was of replacing such stationery.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    There has been no stationery reported lost or stolen in my Department during the period requested.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what responsibilities the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has which relate to the Duchy of Lancaster.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is responsible to the Sovereign for the administration of the estates of the Duchy of Lancaster, in which he is assisted by the Duchy Council. The Chancellor also appoints various Duchy representatives on university councils, school governing bodies and charities in the County Palatine.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reduction was in his Department’s support for bus funding in England in 2014-15.

    Andrew Jones

    The majority of public funding for local bus services is via block grant provided to local authorities in England from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

    In 2014-15 my Department provided funding of around £250 million in Bus Service Operators Grant, of which over £40 million per year is now paid direct to authorities to help support bus services. This figure excludes some £93 million a year previously paid to bus operators for running bus services under franchise to Transport for London (TfL) in London, which is now incorporated into the general grant paid to TfL and the Greater London Authority.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what consumer organisations have been involved in the work of the Open Banking Working Group; and when that group is expected to report.

    Harriett Baldwin

    A list of the Open Banking Working Group (OBWG) participants was published on 23 November, setting out the organisations which are directly involved in designing the detailed framework for the open Application Programming Interface (API) standard in UK banking by the end of the year. The OBWG will publish its final report on 30 December. More detail is available on the Open Data Institute’s website.

    A number of consumer organisations have participated in the development of the framework for the open API standard: the Money Advice Service is a direct member of the OBWG, and Citizens Advice and Which? have participated in discussions about its design.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time is for a disability benefit appeal to reach a tribunal; and what steps he is taking to reduce that average time.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The First-tier Tribunal – Social Security and Child Support, administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ decisions on a range of benefits.

    HMCTS is unable to provide the information requested as it is not held centrally.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which scheduled bus journeys have had subsidies (a) withdrawn and (b) introduced in each (i) county and (ii) unitary council in the North West of England since June 2010.

    Andrew Jones

    My Department does not hold this data, as decisions about the provision of bus services that require subsidy are a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their other spending priorities. Latest figures (2013-14) show that almost £74 million was spent by local authorities in the North West of England doing so.

    The majority of public funding for local bus services is via block grant provided to local authorities in England from the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, my Department also provides around £40m of Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) funding directly to English local authorities to help deliver bus services.

    Moreover, in the recent Spending Review, the Chancellor confirmed that the total spending on BSOG of around £250 million a year will be protected for the Parliament, effectively preserving over 80 million bus passenger journeys – totalling over 50 million miles – in England every year.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to investigate companies which sell improperly trained dogs as special guide dogs for disabled children.

    Nick Boles

    The Department has no plans to investigate companies which sell improperly trained dogs for disabled children. However, where consumers believe a company is giving misleading information or is in breach of legislation regarding sales to consumers, they should contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06 (www.adviceguide.org.uk). The helpline offers a free service advising consumers on their rights and passes on details of complaints to Trading Standards Services where appropriate for further enforcement action.

    “

  • Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his departmental expenditure was on travel for (a) military staff, (b) civilian staff and (c) Ministers in each of the previous five years.

    Mark Lancaster

    This information is not available in the format requested. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) routinely distinguishes between military and civilian travel and subsistence costs only where these are reimbursed to the individual under our pay and claim arrangements.

    Overall departmental expenditure on travel and subsistence has, however, been as follows:

    Financial Year

    Expenditure

    2010-11

    £226 million

    2011-12

    £213 million

    2012-13

    £213 million

    2013-14

    £212 million

    2014-15

    £221 million

    Expenditure by the Defence Ministers on travel and subsistence has been as follows.

    Financial Year

    Expenditure

    2010-11

    £297,126

    2011-12

    £295,922

    2012-13

    £225,300

    2013-14

    £262,184

    2014-15

    £259,849

    Note: This expenditure includes road transport, rail travel, international and domestic flights and the notional costs of travel in RAF aircraft where they have been available.

    Travel by the Defence Ministers and all departmental staff makes a key contribution to achieving Defence objectives. The MOD has sites in many parts of the country, and internationally, and staff need to travel between them. For example, travel enables Ministers and senior leaders to visit troops on operations or to hold discussions with other governments aimed at reducing conflict.

    We have achieved savings of over £60 million a year in non-operational travel since 2009-10 and plan to make further savings of 10% over the rest of this Parliament. These savings will be delivered in a number of ways, including a reduction in travel where the business need can be met by alternative arrangements such as video or audio conferencing.