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Tag: 2015

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the need for road and rail links between Rafah, Hebron, Jerusalem, Nablus and Janin to serve Palestine.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    While the British Government has not raised this specific issue with the Government of Israel, our Embassy in Tel Aviv consistently urge relaxation of the Israeli movement and access restrictions across the Occupied Palestinian Territories and raise the need to improve conditions on the ground for Palestinians. Most recently, on 19 October, our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised these concerns with Israeli Cabinet Secretary, Avichai Mandleblit.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to make shared housing ownership schemes more accessible for buyers in (a) central London and (b) other areas with fast-rising house prices; and if he will make a statement.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Government is committed to helping hard working people across the country to own their own home. We believe that shared ownership has an important role to play to help those who aspire to home ownership but may be otherwise unable to afford it, especially in London and other high value areas. We know there is an appetite among providers and developers to deliver more shared ownership. We are currently considering a range of ways in which shared ownership can be made more accessible to first time buyers and increase its attractiveness to lenders and investors.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the expected personnel (a) inflow and (b) outflow in each (i) rank and (ii) branch specialisation and arm in the Royal Navy over the next 10 years.

    Mark Lancaster

    The information requested for the Naval Service is provided in the tables attached.

    Notes:

    No estimates are provided for ranks greater than Commodore as they are not modelled.

    Inflow tables represent Gains to Trained Strength figures.

    Outflow tables represent flows from the Naval Service to civil life.

    All totals are rounded in accordance with the Defence Statistics rounding policy; therefore totals may not equal the sum of their parts. All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10 with numbers ending in 5 rounded to the multiple of 20 to avoid bias. Numbers that would be rounded to 0 are represented by ‘~’.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much was paid in (a) year end and (b) in-year bonuses to officials of his Department in each of the last three years.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Since 2010-11, in line with wider Government policy, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has restricted Performance Related Pay (PRP) awards for senior civil servants within the FCO to the top 25% of performers. Since April 2015 the FCO has restricted PRP awards for UK based staff across all grades to the top 25% of performers.

    In providing the below figures, we have interpreted ‘last three years’ to be the last three financial years. Amounts paid to officials working for the FCO, FCO Services and to those on interchange on FCO terms and conditions have been included within the figures provided.

    The following amounts in (a) year end and (b) in-year bonuses were paid to FCO officials in each of the last three financial years, we also note the numbers of staff who received the bonuses during each of the financial years:

    FY14-15 a) £6,274,254.70; 4160 officers received a year PRP
    b) £575,894.46 ; 1714 officers received an in-year PRP

    FY13-14 a) £6,654,783.10; 4271 officers received a year end PRP
    b) £566,880.52; 1642 officers received an in-year PRP

    FY12-13 a) £6,658,384.20; 4076 officers received a year end PRP
    b) £757,403.98; 2492 officers received an in-year PRP

    Non-consolidated PRP is only paid to reward excellence, for example to recognise and incentivise those responsible for delivering high quality public services and savings to the taxpayer.

  • Mark Tami – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Tami – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that funding is available for treatments for multiple myeloma after the removal of treatments for that condition from the Cancer Drugs Fund.

    George Freeman

    NHS England has advised that a draft treatment pathway for patients with multiple myeloma is currently in the process of being finalised. This has been the subject of public consultation and is being revised to take into account the comments received and the potential impact of treatments removed from the Cancer Drugs Fund.

    The treatment pathway is likely to be published early in 2016.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of times a removal direction was issued for people applying to remain in the UK while they were awaiting a court hearing in each of the last five years.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    However, more generally, under section 78 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, a person may not be removed from, or required to leave, the United Kingdom whilst an in-country appeal is pending, although this does not prevent the giving of a direction for the person’s removal, the making of a deportation order, or the taking of any other interim or preparatory action.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Civil Aviation Authority is exercising its duty to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft at RAF Northolt; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    All commercial air transport operators are required to satisfy themselves that the aerodromes they use are adequate. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulates compliance with this requirement through its oversight of such operators.

    The CAA is reviewing certain aspects of the safety of operations at RAF Northolt. This review will conclude shortly and, if necessary, appropriate action could be taken in respect of civil operations.

    The CAA and the Ministry of Defence are also working on a memorandum of understanding which will allow the CAA to discharge its functions in respect of military aerodromes open to civil use. In particular, this will ensure that operators continue to have access to all necessary information to make an assessment of adequacy of a military aerodrome for the proposed flight.

    My officials have discussed RAF Northolt with the CAA on a number of occasions. I am satisfied that the CAA is taking appropriate steps to discharge its functions in respect of the safety of commercial air transport operations at the aerodrome.

  • Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville on 2015-10-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they have undertaken or commissioned on the take-up of the extension of the right to buy to housing association tenants in all parliamentary constituencies and housing authority areas in England.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer I gave her on 28 October, PQ HL2737

  • Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Greaves – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-10-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether companies carrying out hydraulic fracturing operations in the United Kingdom must provide full details of the chemicals that they use including all the ingredients of proprietary products, and whether this information will be made available to the public.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    Operators are required to disclose fully the composition of fracturing fluid additives as part of their application for environmental permits. The Environment Agency (EA) assesses the hazards presented by fracturing fluid additives or drilling muds on a case-by-case basis and will not permit the use of chemicals hazardous to groundwater where they may enter groundwater and cause pollution. The EA has the power to restrict or prohibit the use of any substances where they would pose an environmental risk.

    Information on chemical substances and their maximum concentrations is included within the environmental permit. The permit is placed on the public register.

  • Lord Patten – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Patten – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-10-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the remarks by the Syrian Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart on the BBC Radio Four programme Sunday that European countries taking in Syrian refugees are harming Syria.

    Lord Bates

    The Government has been leading the way for a comprehensive and sustainable response to the conflict in Syria. The Government believes that the best way to help the majority of the many displaced Syrians across the globe is through practical and political action within affected regions. That is why the Government has prioritised humanitarian assistance in crisis regions and supports regional protection programmes which will improve the conditions for refugees seeking protection in their region of origin until they are able to return to their homes.

    The Government recognises, however, that not all displaced Syrians can be supported effectively in the region and that is why we have committed to granting protection to 20,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees under our Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme over the course of this Parliament.

    The Government shares Archbishop Jean-Clement’s view that we must actively seek an end to the conflict as it is the best way to ensure that the UK’s help has the greatest impact for Syrian refugees, as opposed to larger scale relocation or resettlement.