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Tag: 2015

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to discuss possible solutions to the Pakistan–India tensions on the de facto border, and the resolution of the Kashmir conflict, with Prime Minister Modi during his visit to the UK.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Our longstanding position on Kashmir is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator. We encourage both sides to maintain positive dialogue, but the pace and scope of this is for them to determine.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

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

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions a special adviser in his Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

    Matthew Hancock

    As has been the case under successive Administrations, civil servants, including special advisers, may routinely accompany their Ministers on official visits.

    Information relating to Ministers’ overseas visits are published on my Department’s website, as part of the Government’s wider transparency agenda.

    All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code

  • Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Teverson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Teverson on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of halving the maximum visa refusal rate on the Highly Trusted Sponsor status given to higher education institutions in the UK.

    Lord Bates

    Highly Trusted Sponsor status was replaced with Tier 4 Sponsor status in April 2015.

    The maximum permitted visa refusal rate for Tier 4 sponsors was reduced from 20% to 10% in November 2014 to make sure that the colleges and universities who directly benefit from student migration help prevent abuse, and to ensure that institutions are only offering places to genuine students with an appropriate level of English.

    Since the new rate was introduced, visa applications from students wishing to study at the UK’s world-class universities have continued to rise. Latest figures show that visa applications from university students are now 17 per cent higher than they were in 2010, and visa applications to Russell Group universities are 33 per cent higher than in 2010.

    We will continue to keep the visa refusal rate under review but we have no imminent plans to change the maximum permitted rate.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what management fee was paid to each local authority in Greater Manchester for housing tenants in receipt of housing benefit in temporary accommodation in the last financial year for which information is available.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not available.

  • Lord Bassam of Brighton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Bassam of Brighton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what their estimate is of the cost of Lord Strathclyde’s review of the powers of the House of Lords, and which department will cover those costs.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Stowell of Beeston):

    Lord Strathclyde is being supported in his review by a panel of external experts and a small secretariat of civil servants in the Cabinet Office. The secretariat does not include political advisers. The expert panel comprises Sir Stephen Laws, former First Parliamentary Counsel; Jacqy Sharpe, a former Clerk in the House of Commons and Clerk to the Joint Committee on Conventions; and Sir Michael Pownall, former Clerk of the Parliaments.

    Several reviews have examined the powers of the House of Lords, including the Royal Commission on the reform of the House of Lords (2000) and the Joint Committee on Conventions referenced above (2006).

    The review led by Lord Strathclyde is due to consider how to protect the ability of elected Governments to secure their business in Parliament in the light of the operation of certain conventions. The review will consider in particular how to secure the decisive role of the elected House of Commons in relation to its primacy on financial matters; and secondary legislation.

    Ministers regularly discuss a wide range of issues with the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service.

    Lord Strathclyde will determine the way in which the review is undertaken and the content of his recommendations, including any definitions required. It is not possible to provide an estimate of the cost of the exercise at this stage, but neither Lord Strathclyde nor his panel of experts will be paid a fee. Lord Strathclyde is expected to seek views from a wide range of Parliamentarians, parties and groups in undertaking his review, and has issued a letter to all Parliamentarians inviting their input. He is also seeking views from the Clerk of the Parliaments and the Clerk of the House. Lord Strathclyde will report to the Prime Minister, and the Government will decide how to proceed upon receipt of his recommendations.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2015 to Question 17679, what the maintenance, improvement and development costs of (a) MOD Grantown-on-Spey, (b) MOD Llanrwst, (c) MOD Fairbourne and (d) MOD Crickhowell were in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans (Mark Lancaster) on 2 December to Question number 17679. Some costs for some previous years may be available and Ministry of Defence officials are reviewing them. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date they first discovered that the funding formula for police forces in England and Wales was based on incorrect data.

    Lord Bates

    The Minister of State for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Victims made a statement to the House on Monday 9 November on this issue. Ministers were informed of this issue on Friday 6 November.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 13645, how and by whom each (a) headteacher and (b) school was recommended; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    We selected these headteachers to work with us on this issue because of the high quality of provision of PSHE education in their schools. The group of headteachers and practitioners that we are currently working with includes Carl Ward of Haywood Academy in Stoke on Trent; Cathie Paine of the Reach2 Academy Trust; Jerry Rayner of Rugby Independent School in Warwickshire; Michelle Colledge-Smith of the Outwood Grange Academy Trust; and Vanessa Ogden of Mulberry School in Bethnal Green.

    The group has not been asked to advise the Government on the content of PSHE. Their focus is to produce an action plan and recommendations for improving the quality of PSHE teaching. We want to draw on expertise from a range of headteachers and practitioners and will invite others to join the group as appropriate. The Department regularly speaks to a wide range of stakeholders and will continue to do so regarding PSHE.

  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2015-11-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to help Syrian refugees in the Jungle” camp at Calais who are in need of advice about applying to the UK for asylum.”

    Lord Bates

    A joint communications campaign, involving British officials speaking to migrants in Calais, has been taking place to inform migrants of the reality of life in the UK and of their rights to claim asylum in France. The frequency of these campaigns has been increased in line with the commitment in the UK-France Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of infractions of the Environmental Protection (Restriction of the Use of Lead Shot) (England) Regulations 1999 in the last 15 years.

    Rory Stewart

    The Ministry of Justice has confirmed that no defendants were proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under the Environmental Protection (Restriction of the Use of Lead Shot) (England) Regulations 1999 in England between 2011 and 2014.

    This return relates to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. Up to and including 2010, these regulations were part of a miscellaneous grouping, which could only be separately analysed at disproportionate cost. Data for 2015 is not yet available.

    In the last 12 months Defra has received:

    • the Lead Ammunition Group report,
    • a report submitted by those that resigned from the Lead Ammunition Group, and
    • papers from the Oxford Lead Symposium.

    The Government is considering this information and will respond as soon as possible.