Tag: 2015

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Save the Children Nowhere safe for Yemen’s children: The deadly impact of explosive weapons in Yemen.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are very concerned by reports of any civilian casualties as a result of the ongoing fighting in Yemen. A political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and protect Yemen’s children, their families and communities. The UK is actively supporting the UN’s efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire and a return to the political transition in Yemen. The UK is providing £75 million to address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which includes funding to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children, and the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) to provide specific support to children on protection, malnutrition, health, water and sanitation.

  • Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-11-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government with which countries the UK is currently negotiating prisoner transfer agreements.

    Lord Faulks

    Revealing negotiations regarding prisoner transfer agreements can be counterproductive given their sensitivity. My Ministerial colleagues and I are actively engaging with a number of countries and remain determined to secure compulsory agreements wherever possible. Currently the UK has over 100 prisoner transfer agreements with other countries and territories.

  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which devolution from central government to the North of England should be based on devolving decision-making and administration to (1) local authorities, (2) the areas covered by Local Economic Partnerships, (3) city regions, (4) the three traditional regions of the North West, the North East and Yorkshire, with or without Humberside, and (5) the North of England as a whole.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    This Government is committed to devolving significant powers away from Whitehall, and we have already agreed devolution deals with five great Northern areas. We have been very clear that it is for places to define their own aspirations for devolution. We encourage all relevant local partners, including local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships, to engage in discussions to ensure consensus is reached on the most suitable geography to pursue devolution.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will hold discussions with the devolved administrations on establishing best practice in reducing re-offending rates throughout the UK.

    Andrew Selous

    Reoffending had been too high for too long. Under the last government, we reformed the way offenders are managed in the community, so all offenders get support when they leave prison. We want to build on this to address what can be done whilst offenders are in prison, with a new emphasis on rehabilitation and redemption. Working with the voluntary, public and private sectors, we are helping offenders turn away from crime.

    Research and evidence of best practice is shared widely across the United Kingdom and we engage the Devolved Administrations on a wide range of offender issues. We will ensure that these discussions include examining the most effective measures for reducing reoffending.

  • Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Randerson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many officials within the Department for Transport are currently working on the HS2 project.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The High Speed Rail headcount for permanent full time equivalents (FTEs) in post as of the end of November 2015 in the Department is 129.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on responding to correspondence from hon. Members by email rather than by letter.

    Justin Tomlinson

    We have received representations from a small number of hon. Members and where appropriate the Department obliges with email replies. Where there is sensitive personal information in a reply, it will be posted for security reasons.

    The cost differential between sending postal replies and email replies is minimal.

    The exact information requested on the method of dispatch is not available other than at a disproportionate cost.

  • Baroness Royall of Blaisdon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Royall of Blaisdon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Turkey about the use of curfews, martial law, and the deployment of the military in mainly Kurdish towns, including Cizre and Silvan.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We welcome the visit on 15-16 October of Turkey’s national human rights body to Cizre and Sirnak to conduct analysis and research on the recent events there.

    We continue to monitor the human rights situation in Turkey closely and raise concerns regularly with the Turkish authorities.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-11-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what evidential basis there is for there being a link between enabling students from low and middle income backgrounds to attend university and improving UK productivity set out in his report, Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation, published in July 2015.

    Greg Hands

    The link between productivity as measured by wage returns and higher education is well established. Academic evidence shows that a woman can expect on average to earn £252,000 more over their lifetime after studying at university, net of taxes and loan repayments. For a man the equivalent figure is £168,000. This government believes that people from all backgrounds should be able to benefit from a university education. UCAS data suggests that those from disadvantaged areas are 38% more likely to apply to university now than they were in 2009.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the co-operation between highway authorities and statutory service providers who need to dig up the highway and footway to maintain, repair and replace their services.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the co-operation between highway authorities and statutory undertakers.

    However, section 59 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 places a duty on local highway authorities to co-ordinate works on the highway and section 60 provides a mirror duty on statutory undertakers to co-operate with them in that role.

    Additionally the Traffic Management Act 2004 introduced the Network Management Duty which requires local authorities to manage their networks with a view to making the most effective use of them. The 2004 Act also introduced permit schemes, which enable highway authorities to have a more proactive role in the management of their road networks.

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her objectives are for the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The World Humanitarian Summit will provide a major opportunity to set out an ambitious vision for humanitarian and development action to guide our work until 2030.

    The Secretary of State for International Development has four priorities for the Summit:

    • Strengthen the protection of civilians in a crisis and improve compliance with International Humanitarian Law;
    • Deliver a step change in how the humanitarian community approaches resilience to natural disasters, moving from managing crises to managing risk and ensuring Governments and communities have the capacity to do this themselves;
    • Address the growing gap between need and available resources through smarter financing that delivers better outcomes at lower cost and is more accountable to people in need;
    • Focus on women and girls throughout the summit to ensure existing commitments are translated into action.