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Tag: 2015

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2015 to Question 9945, who conducted the independent evaluations of 2007 and 2013; against what criteria the evaluations concluded that the curriculum promoted values of democracy, pluralism and peace; and what sources of information other than those independent evaluations her Department used to assess the quality of the curriculum in Khyber, Pakhtunkwa and Punjab.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The independent evaluations were conducted by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the delivery agency of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, as part of their regular reporting to the National Education Development Partners Group (NEDPG) in Pakistan.

    The NEDPG, which consists of both bilateral and multilateral donors, including the UK, UNESCO, UNICEF, The World Bank, the US, Germany and Australia, has prioritised scrutiny of the curriculum in its dialogue with the government of Pakistan. There is an implicit set of internationally agreed professional norms and standards for all aspects of education, set through the UNESCO Annual Global Monitoring Reports against which conclusions can be drawn.

    While GIZ has led evaluation on behalf of the Partners Group, other members carry out reviews of the education sector, including curriculum quality, and these are pooled and used by all. In addition, DFID staff scrutinise the curriculum and its implementation as part of regular monitoring of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa education programmes.

  • 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 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether their timetable for the HS2 Bill to achieve Royal Assent by the end of 2016 remains achievable.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The progress of the Bill is in the hands of Parliament and Royal Assent by December 2016 remains an achievable target.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) homes and (b) businesses that will need to be demolished in Eddisbury constituency to construct phase two of the High Speed 2 line.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Further work is needed on the remainder of the Phase Two route and stations before a final route decision can be taken. The Government intends to make this decision in autumn 2016. At that point the Department will consult on its safeguarding directions which are designed to ensure that land which has been identified for HS2 is protected from conflicting developments. We will then be in a position to provide a robust estimate of the potential impact on homes and businesses along the line of route.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Turnberg on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts they have made to allow endangered refugees in Camp Liberty to come to the UK.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    In 2011 the Government of Iraq signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq which allowed the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to make assessments on applications made by the residents for relocation. The UNHCR assessment process is underway, and a number of residents have now been relocated to third countries.

    The UK has re-admitted four individuals from Camp Ashraf who hold valid UK travel documents. The Home Office exceptionally agreed to consider whether 52 residents of Camp Liberty previously settled in the UK, but who left many years ago, should be readmitted. Seventeen residents approved for resettlement in the UK by the Home Office are now in the UK. The UNHCR has also referred 35 further residents and a decision from the Home Office is pending.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the cases groups with a current liability using the 2012 statutory child maintenance scheme in August 2015 were due to pay via (a) the CMS Calculation and Collection Service and (b) Direct Pay.

    Priti Patel

    As at August 2015, 30% of cases paid via the CMS Calculation and Collection Service and 70% of cases paid via Direct Pay.

    Information on Service Type (Case based) is set out on Page 6 of the Child Maintenance Service 2012 Scheme Experimental Statistics and Page 8 of the tables which can be accessed online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme-aug-2013-to-aug-2015-experimental

    Note:

    Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.

    Accurate information by case group could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    “

  • Baroness Kennedy of Cradley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Kennedy of Cradley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current account deficit in trade.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The current account deficit was 5.1 per cent of GDP in 2014. The trade balance has been broadly stable, while the UK’s net investment income has fallen, as weakness in the euro area has depressed the returns on the UK’s holding of foreign direct investment. Figures for Q2 2015 show that the deficit has narrowed, driven by an improvement in the trade and investment income balances. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts a narrowing of the current account deficit over the forecast period.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his Department’s target is for time taken to respond to letters and emails from hon. Members; what the average time taken by his Department to respond to such letters and emails is; and how many such letters and emails received between 1 January and 30 September 2015 remained unanswered after eight weeks.

    Brandon Lewis

    My Department aims to reply to all correspondence from hon. Members within 15 working days.

    Guidance for Departments on handling correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, Members of the European Parliament and Members of Devolved Administrations is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/441892/Cabinet_Office_Guidance_on_correspondence.pdf”

    Departmental performance on handling correspondence is published annually. The latest publication is available at: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2015-06-03/HCWS11/”

    “

  • Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government plans to take in response to the Sixth Report of the Public Accounts Committee, HM Revenue and Customs performance in 2014-15, HC 393.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) recognise that their customer service has not been good enough, and have taken major steps to improve. This includes recruiting 3,000 new staff into customer service roles, available outside normal office hours when many of their customers choose to call.

    These steps have started to make a difference. This month, HMRC have answered more than 80% of calls, and average queue times are now around 10 minutes.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with (a) Talk Talk and (b) other internet service providers on measures that can be taken to prevent breaches of security relating to customer data.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    My Departmenthas been in contact with TalkTalk from the early stages of this incident, but this remains primarily a matter for the company itself and for law enforcement

    This Governmenttakes issues of customer data protection very seriously, andhas regular discussions with internet service providers and telecommunications companies on the resilience and security of services. I recently wrote to FTSE 350 companies to remind them of the steps the Government expects them to take and the robust procedures businesses need to have in place. I also invited them to take part in the Government’s annual Cyber Governance Health Check to help companies understand and improve their level of cyber security.

  • Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria were attached to the granting of a grant to the Wave Trust to fund the Pioneer Communities Project.

    Greg Hands

    The Government announced at Autumn Statement 2014 funding for the Department for Education for an “Early intervention pilot for 0-2 year olds – to pilot a new approach to ensure that the most effective early intervention actions are taken during a child’s earliest years, to prevent avoidable problems later.”

    This measure was to be delivered by the Department for Education, who worked with a number of stakeholders including Her Majesty’s Treasury, the Wave Trust and the Early Intervention Foundation to identify options to deliver the project.

    As no contract has been signed for this measure, in June 2015 the Department for Education undertook not to proceed with the measure in this financial year.