The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Sherbourne of Didsbury on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which countries in the Middle East have never received a formal visit from a member of the Royal Family.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
I can confirm that every country in the Middle East has received a visit from a member of the Royal Family.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Leader of the House, what steps his Office has taken to embed the family test into its policy making.
Chris Grayling
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Matt Hancock) on 16 November 2015, to Question UIN 15373.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wigley on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to discuss with the Office for National Statistics the possibility of including in the 2021 Census a provision for respondents to give details about family relationships, marriages and children, similar to information collected in the 1911 Census.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of his Department’s expected underspend against Departmental Expenditure Limits in 2015-16; what his Department’s forecast is of total Annually Managed Expenditure in 2015-16; and what that forecast was at the time of the (a) Summer Budget 2015 and (b) March Budget 2015.
Alun Cairns
As recommended by the Treasury, Departments are encouraged to maintain a reserve. The Wales Office maintains a reserve of around 5% of its annual Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL), which represents our forecast underspend. This underspend can increase or decrease if planned expenditure is higher or lower than expected. In 2015-16, our DEL is £4.432m which includes the Departmental reserve of £0.222m. Our forecast of Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) is £-0.020m.
The reserve stated above was also our forecast underspend at the time of the summer budget in 2015. The Department does not forecast underspends for the following financial year at the March budget. Each March, the Wales Office focuses on completing the financial transactions and processes of that current financial year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on social mobility of the findings of research by the Resolution Foundation, set out in its report, The Pinch, published in December 2015, on differences in household wealth between generations; and what steps the Government plans to take to address such differences.
Nick Boles
I note the Resolution Foundation’s work published in December 2015.
This Government is focussed on securing economic prosperity, providing the foundations to support opportunity for all.
Through improved education, work chances, a fairer welfare system and a stronger economy we are aiming to help increase the standard of living for everyone in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2015-11-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further consideration they have given to whether amending the Equality Act 2010 to include the word caste” would change or clarify the legal position
Baroness Williams of Trafford
This Government has been giving consideration to the legal position on caste discrimination in light of the Tirkey v Chandhok Employment Appeal Tribunal judgment which suggests there is an existing legal remedy for claims of caste-associated discrimination under the ‘ethnic origins’ element of Section 9 of the Equality Act 2010.
Our consideration of the research report commissioned by the coalition Government, designed to determine the feasibility of conducting a national survey to quantify the extent of caste discrimination in Britain, is part of this process.
We remain mindful of the Open Government Action Plan published by the Coalition Government in 2013, to the extent that this concerns the results of commissioned research.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2015-12-10.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that lorry drivers have the correct status for the purposes of tax payment.
Mr David Gauke
It is the responsibility of engagers to determine the correct status of workers they engage. HM Revenue & Customs have developed an Employment Status Indicator to help engagers: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-status-indicator
There is also further help with the status of lorry drivers: www.hmrc.gov.uk/Manuals/esmmanual/ESM4210.htm
HM Revenue & Customs is aware that false self-employment presents a tax risk and has deployed compliance resources to address that risk.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-11-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the last five years, what proportion of the UK’s aid budget was allocated to research into mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Baroness Verma
DFID has not supported any research into mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases in the last five years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2015-12-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff have been employed in (a) the National Crime Agency’s National Cyber Crime Unit and (b) each of the nine Regional Organised Crime Units for each year from 2010 to date.
Mr John Hayes
Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) provide capability to investigate serious and organised crime across police force boundaries, including but not limited to, cyber crime. At the end of September 2015, there were 1,626 full-time equivalent staff employed by forces in the nine Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs), excluding London.
These figures have only been centrally collected by the police, and shared with the Home Office, since the beginning of this financial year. Details on the number of staff employed in individual ROCUs are operationally sensitive and have therefore not been provided. The most recent figures for the number of National Crime Agency (NCA) officers employed in the National Cyber Crime Unit will be available in the National Crime Agency’s Remuneration Review Body evidence to be published on the NCA’s website shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Clancarty on 2015-11-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have purchased 41–71 Commercial Road, Aldgate, which is currently part of the Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design, from London Metropolitan University; and if so, (1) when; (2) which department purchased that building; (3) what was the asking price; (4) how much they paid; (5) whether the Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design is being instructed to vacate the premises, and if so, when; and (6) how they intend to use the building in future.
Lord Nash
The Department for Education purchased the Commercial Road site in the name of the Department for Communities and Local Government in June 2015. The site has been leased back to London Metropolitan University until August 2016, after which the site will be developed into a school building. The price paid for the site can be obtained from the land registry.