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Tag: 2015

  • David Burrowes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Burrowes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support the establishment of a full, international, independent investigation by the UN into claims of genocide against the Rohingya in Burma.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK deplores the treatment of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, who are subject to persecution and denied the most basic rights. We welcome the work of the highly effective UN Special Rapporteur on Burma, who has shone a spotlight on violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine. She has not characterised the treatment of the Rohingya as genocide, and neither did the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in his 4 November statement on Burma’s elections. However, any judgement on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for international judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. A UN investigation would require high level international support for which, we assess, there is little prospect of agreement at this stage. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, irrespective of whether or not they fit the definition of specific international crimes. I and other British Government Ministers take every appropriate opportunity, both publicly and in private, to press the Burmese authorities to take urgent steps to address the situation of the Rohingya. I did this with senior Burmese Ministers during my visit to Burma in July, when I travelled to Rakhine State for the second time. Most recently, I raised the issue with the Burmese Foreign Minister, Wunna Maung Lwin, in September in New York. After the 8 November elections, the UK will continue our efforts to address the serious ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine State.

  • Lord Beecham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Beecham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 1 December (HL3877), whether they plan to compile data relevant to the assessment of whether Work Capability Assessment tests are connected to the incidence of suicide or mental health problems in disability benefit claimants, and to make that data publicly available; and if not, why not.

    Lord Freud

    The Department does not hold the relevant information required and we have no plans to collect such information.

  • George Kerevan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    George Kerevan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Kerevan on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress he has made on and what the timescale is for implementation of a Horserace Betting Right as a replacement for the Horserace Betting Levy.

    Tracey Crouch

    Work is continuing on the detailed policy design of the Horserace Betting Right.

  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the scientific evidence regarding the incidence of cancer in those living near nuclear reactors and large spikes in radioactive gaseous emissions during the refuelling of those reactors.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) are reviewing the scientific evidence of certain cancer incidences around specific nuclear sites based on the recommendations from the 4th and 11th COMARE reports. This report will review all recent evidence that has been published since the previous reports, as judged relevant by COMARE. COMARE is a Departmental expert advisory committee that provides independent advice to government on the health effects of natural and man-made radiation.

  • Natalie McGarry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Natalie McGarry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he he has made of the proportion of Government expenditure on pension credit which falls within the carer addition element of that credit in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency in the 2015-16 financial year.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Forecasts of expenditure as a result of the carer addition element of Pension Credit for 2015/16 are not available. However, estimates of the outturn expenditure (as a result of the carer addition element of Pension Credit) in 2014/15 are shown in the table below.

    Tables show expenditure for Great Britain, not the UK, as expenditure in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive.

    Pension Credit expenditure as a result of the carer addition, 2014/15

    £, million

    …as a percentage of total pension credit expenditure in that area

    Great Britain

    £364.7

    5.5%

    Scotland

    £39.6

    6.7%

    Glasgow (City)

    £6.4

    5.9%

    Glasgow East (constituency)

    £1.8

    9.4%

  • Lord Rana – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Rana – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rana on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action the new Commonwealth counter-extremism unit will take to tackle extremism.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are committed to tackling extremism and radicalisation. A number of Commonwealth countries face significant challenges. The Commonwealth Secretariat has done some work in this area but additional capacity is required to coordinate the sharing of expertise and support efforts to counter the causes of radicalisation. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), announced UK funding of £5m over 5 years to establish a Counter-Extremism and Counter Radicalisation Unit in the Commonwealth Secretariat. Setting up a new unit recognises that Commonwealth countries must work together to counter extremist ideologies and build their counter extremism capabilities. The unit will:

    •Provide technical assistance to governments developing counter-extremism strategies.

    •Mobilise Commonwealth civil society networks to counter radicalisation through targeted counter-narratives and strategic communication training.

    •Enable Commonwealth members to meet their international counter extremism obligations. There is a demand from Commonwealth countries for support in implementing international counter extremism obligations (e.g. in relation to UNSCR 2178.).

    We will work closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth members and key stakeholders to ensure that UK funding supports the work of countries across the Commonwealth to tackle the threat of extremism.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has to apply the freeze of the student loan repayment threshold on which his Department has recently consulted to the repayment of 24+ Advanced Learner Loans.

    Nick Boles

    As set out in the consultation, because both higher education student loans and 24+ Advanced Learning Loans share a repayment threshold, the change will equally affect both groups of learners.

    The Spending Review announced that the Government has decided to implement a repayment threshold freeze for all borrowers with post-2012 (‘Plan 2’) loans. The repayment threshold will be £21,000 at April 2016, and it will not be uplifted until at least April 2021, when the threshold will be reviewed. This threshold remains higher in real terms than that of the loans taken out before 2012.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent election in Argentina and its implications for British-Argentinian relations.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We made no secret of our desire for a more constructive bilateral relationship with whomever succeeded former President Kirchner. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has spoken to President Macri to congratulate him on his election win and both leaders – whilst acknowledging our differences – agreed that this was an opportunity to build on the historic ties and shared interests of our people and develop existing trade and investment links.

  • Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Ben Howlett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Government support for the tourism sector in Wales.

    Alun Cairns

    In July, the Government published its 5-point plan to ensure the benefits of tourism extend beyond London and across the UK. The Welsh economy continues to benefit from a thriving tourist industry, with recent figures showing the amount spent by overseas visitors increased by £34 million over the last year.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has conducted of the adequacy of the level of financial support offered to small businesses that have been in operation for two years or less; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government recognises that new businesses can encounter difficulties in obtaining the finance they need to start-up or grow. However I am encouraged that net lending to smaller businesses has been recovering strongly since the end of 2014. The Bank of England has reported that credit conditions for SMEs seeking finance are improving and the SME Finance Monitor shows that 80% of SME loan and overdraft applications were successful in the 18 months to 2015 Q3, up from 68% in Q4 2013.

    Latest figures show that net SME lending from banks participating in the Funding for Lending Scheme grew by £675m in the third quarter and the Bank of England recently announced that allowances earned by banks for increasing their net lending under the scheme will be available to draw down for a further two years. The government also continues to fund start-up loans, with more than 33,000 loans worth over £180 million issued so far and a target to deliver 75,000 loans by the end of the parliament.

    I am also encouraged by our growing alternative finance sector, with the UK the leading fin tech centre of Europe.

    A recent report from the Legatum Institute rated the UK as the best country in the EU in which to start a business and the government will continue to back our small businesses to start and grow.