Tag: 2015

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on the level at which the apprenticeship levy should be set; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Hands

    Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm. We had a full public consultation on the implementation of the levy and are considering those representations now. Further details will be announced at the Spending Review.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received from the Libyan Council of Deputies in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We receive regular representations from members of the House of Representatives (also known as Council of Deputies) and other parties in Libya. The UK welcomes the statement of support for a Government of National Accord in Libya signed by the majority of House of Representatives members on November 24, and notes that a majority of General National Congress members in Tripoli also stand firmly in support of a Government of National Accord. Only such a Government can begin the difficult work of establishing effective, legitimate governance, restoring stability, and preserving the unity of the country, as expected by all Libyans. We fully support the UN process led by Special Representative of the Secretary General Martin Kobler as he works to facilitate Libya’s political transition.

  • Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the likely change in the pay gap between workers under and over 25 and those older than 25 over the course of the 2015 Parliament.

    Nick Boles

    The National Minimum Wage rate structure provides different rates according to age and the National Living Wage will apply to those aged 25 and over. The Low Pay Commission will continue to monitor, evaluate and review pay conditions for younger workers when it makes recommendations for future changes to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage.

  • Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that emergency care is prioritised following the implementation of seven day services in the NHS.

    Ben Gummer

    More seven day services in hospital will be achieved through the delivery of four clinical standards that describe the urgent and emergency care patients should expect to receive seven days a week.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will encourage gambling organisations to share information with each other to help identify people with gambling addictions.

    Tracey Crouch

    I welcome the gambling industry’s efforts to identify those customers vulnerable to gambling related harm. I also encourage all gambling operators to make information available to the Responsible Gambling Trust to aid their research into problem gambling.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken at UK border ports to tackle the illegal smuggling of puppies and other animals into the UK.

    George Eustice

    Enforcement of the rules governing the importation of animals is the responsibility of Local Authorities. Effective enforcement relies on close co-operation between a number of different agencies and should be intelligence led. As regards the illegal smuggling of puppies, Local Authorities and other agencies carry out targeted interventions at the border. To help build on this, Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency are considering what steps can be taken to improve enforcement and is being assisted by the Dogs Trust and RSCPA in this work.

    Defra is also working closely with Border Force to agree a framework for co-operation to ensure the effective enforcement of legislation governing the import of animals, including puppies.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to implement the conclusions of Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, Cm 9098, published in July 2015, and simplify and streamline the number of qualifications.

    Nick Boles

    Compared to other countries, technical and professional education in England is still too complex. The government’s ambition is for a system that provides individuals with clear, high-quality routes to employment.

    Following Professor Alison Wolf’s 2011 Review of Vocational Education, the government has already removed thousands of low-quality qualifications, which were not valued by employers, from the school and college performance tables.

    Building on these reforms we will introduce up to 20 specific new professional and technical routes will be created, leading up to employment or degree-level study. This will simplify the system so individuals no longer need to choose from thousands of qualifications.

    To advise on these reforms, the government has appointed an Independent Panel on Technical and Professional Education, headed by Lord Sainsbury, former Minister of Science and Innovation.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the net effect of her Department’s projects on greenhouse gas emissions in each of the next five years.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The principal channel through which the UK Government targets reductions in greenhouse gas emissions overseas is the International Climate Fund (ICF), managed jointly by DFID, DECC and Defra.

    The ICF seeks to prevent emissions by supporting countries to shift to cleaner, low carbon approaches and technology. The expected savings by the end of this financial year are over 6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This is a result of a variety of programmes and interventions across developing countries which seek to exploit the economic benefits of clean energy technologies, avoid locking countries and cities in to high-carbon futures, help poor people to access energy, and reduce the risks of harmful climate change.

    The latest results for greenhouse gas emission reductions, both achieved, expected to be achieved (by April 2016), and expected over the full lifetime of the programmes are as follows:

    Achieved results (results reported by April 2015)

    Expected results by April 2016

    Expected total benefits*

    Reduction in Greenhouse Gas emissions (Tonnes of CO2e)

    2,300,000

    6,600,000

    440,000,000

    *Some ICF programmes will continue to deliver results long after our financial support ends. Expected total benefit figures include long term legacy benefits beyond the lifetime of the programmes, and outside of the 2011 – 2016 Spending Review period.

    The full set of ICF results can be found here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/463954/ICF_Results_Note_Final.pdf

    “

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the effect on productivity of privately-funded research and development in the agricultural sector; and if she will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    Privately-funded Research and Development, insofar as it supports innovation and new technologies, is one of several drivers of productivity growth in agriculture. Defra and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, with oversight from the Agritech Strategy’s Leadership Council,have carried out an assessment of public and private investment to support innovation in the agri-food sector, and its relationship with productivity growth. The outcomes of this exercise will be published by the end of November.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her oral contribution of 26 November 2015, Official Report, column 1535, what estimate has been made of the cost of reconstruction of Syria after the cessation of conflict there; what the timeframe required for reconstruction in that country will be; what countries have confirmed contributions to that reconstruction; and what the value of each such contribution will be.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has been at the forefront of the international response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria. We have committed over £1.1 billion to date, making us the second largest bilateral donor to the international response.

    The World Bank suggests that reconstructing Syria could cost at least $170bn. Most countries take decades to recover from war on this scale. The UK has always punched above its weight in helping deal with the effects of the Syria crisis. We will continue to do so for the reconstruction of Syria. The PM announced last week that we will commit at least £1 billion to Syria’s reconstruction in the longer term.

    We have planned for the endgame since the beginning of this conflict and during the Geneva process. We have learned lessons from previous conflicts. We are now updating our planning to reflect the timeline envisaged in the Vienna process and are asking others to do the same. We anticipate the United Nations to coordinate the international response and will use our position as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to support this.