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Tag: 2015

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the effect on the UK economy of the 0.3 per cent reduction in eurozone economic growth in quarter 3 2015.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Euro area GDP grew by 0.3% (quarter-on-quarter) in the third quarter of 2015. The UK is one of the most open economies in the world, with significant trade and financial links with other countries. UK export performance is highly dependent on the economic performance of the euro area, the UK’s largest trading partner. The global economic recovery remains uneven and the risks from the world economy, not least from within the euro area, demonstrate the need to continue to fix the economy to ensure the UK can deal with risks from abroad.

  • Jeremy Lefroy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jeremy Lefroy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many curtailment letters were issued by UK Visas and Immigration between 10 January 2015 and 11 December 2015.

    James Brokenshire

    There were 34,100 letters cancelling the visa of an individual who no longer meets their visa requirements served between 10 January and 30 September 2015.

  • Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total expenditure was on the Single Source Regulation Office in each quarter since its formation.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Total expenditure on the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) in financial year (FY) 2014-15 was £2.184 million for setup costs. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) funds the SSRO on an ongoing basis via a Grant in Aid, which is £4.707 million for FY 2015-16. Further details of the expenditure can be found in the published accounts for the SSRO at:

    www.gov.uk/government/publications/ssros-first-annual-report-and-accounts or by contacting the SSRO directly. From 2017, the SSRO will be jointly funded by MOD and industry.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to assess the condition and future requirements for maintenance of the local roads network.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport regularly publishes Official Statistics on the proportion of roads where maintenance should be considered by region in England. The latest available published data are for the financial year 2013/14.

    Road maintenance is a matter for individual local highway authorities, and it is for them to prioritise work according to local need. However, we are providing local highway authorities with record funding of £6 billion for local highways maintenance plus a £250 million pothole action fund as recently announced by the Chancellor on top of this.

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress her Department has made on plans to improve energy efficiency across schools through introducing solar hubs.

    Andrea Leadsom

    In April 2014 the Department published a leaflet encouraging schools to invest in Solar PV, which was followed up with a letter to local authorities in November 2014, and we have also continued to encourage deployment through the financial incentive of the Feed-in Tariff.

    DECC officials are continuing to work with other Government Departments to explore what more can be done to make it easier for schools to invest in renewable energy.

    Their ability to fund such projects through commercial and third party loans is restricted, to ensure value for money and protect public sector finances, but schools have found alternative ways of funding solar projects, for example through crowd funding and other mechanisms.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to ensure that Do Not Resuscitate orders are not assigned in the future to patients solely because they have Down’s syndrome or any other learning disability.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department expects National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts to have in place local policies on resuscitation that are based on expert professional guidance. We have commended, as a basis for local policies, professional guidance, Decisions relating to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (2014), published jointly by the British Medical Association, the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the Royal College of Nursing. The guidance is clear that any resuscitation decision must be free from any discrimination, tailored to the individual circumstances of the patient and fully documented. The use of a Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation decision solely on the basis that a patient has Down’s Syndrome is totally unacceptable.

    A copy of the guidance is attached.

  • Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has received representations from any representatives of the Israeli government to stop funding specified Israeli human rights NGOs.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    As of 20 November 2015, neither the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or our Embassy in Tel Aviv have received any repesentations from the Israeli authorities asking the Government to stop funding specified Israeli human rights non-governmental organisations.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 8 December (HL4152), how many refugees have applied for family reunion in Britain (1) from France, and (2) from other countries, since 1 January 2013; and how much of the funding provided by the UK under the Joint Declaration of 20 August has so far been (1) spent, and (2) committed to be spent.

    Lord Bates

    For the period January 2013 to September 2015, internal management information (not quality assured to National Statistics standards) indicates there were 11 entry clearance visa family reunion applications made from France and 17,292 from other countries.

    Under the Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK has committed to providing €5 million (£3.6 million) per year for two years to help manage the migrant population in Calais by providing support and facilities elsewhere in France, the first of these two payments is currently being processed. This is in addition to €750,000 (£530,000) which has been paid to fund a project to identify and protect vulnerable people in the camps in Calais.

  • Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on ensuring that mental health is removed as an obstacle to entering the workplace.

    Alistair Burt

    Ministers at the Department of Health and Department for Work and Pensions met on 3 June and agreed to greater cross government working between our respective Departments. Following that meeting, the Department of Health and Department for Work and Pensions Work and Health Unit was created to improve the health and employment outcomes of benefit claimants. Next year, the unit will launch a range of voluntary mental health and employment pilots to support working age individuals with or at risk of developing a mental health condition retain and return to employment.

    We know that people come into contact with the welfare system at a time when they may be vulnerable because of unemployment and its associated consequences. The Department for Work and Pensions provides guidance and training for staff to help them identify and support people who may be vulnerable.

  • Lord Mawson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Mawson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the building developments in Stratford, the Olympic Park, and the Lower Lea Valley, what practical steps they are taking to ensure that Eurostar stops at Stratford International in future.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    I recognise the international importance of the HS1 network in allowing high-speed rail services from London to reach Europe, whilst noting that no international services currently serve Stratford International station.

    Eurostar, in which the government recently sold its 40% stake, accesses the HS1 network on an open access basis and is not subject to the terms of a franchise agreement or a contract let by government. Government has no power to direct or specify that Eurostar stops at Stratford International station. A decision made by Eurostar not to serve Stratford International would be as a result of commercial imperatives and priorities, for example, the potential revenue derived from customers using the station or the increased journey time which a further stop would involve. It would not be appropriate for government to interfere with that decision-making process.