Tag: 2016

Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government took before 23 June 2016 to prepare for a potential vote to leave the EU in the referendum.

Matthew Hancock

As the Governor of the Bank of England and the Chancellor have confirmed UK authorities took action ahead of the referendum to mitigate risks to financial stability and market functioning in the event of a vote to leave. The Government’s clear position was that the UK should remain a member of the European Union and the civil service worked in support of that in the run up to the referendum.

01/01/2023
Chris Elmore – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Elmore on 2016-09-08.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times he has visited South Wales in an official capacity since his appointment; and what future plans he has to visit South Wales.

Simon Kirby

The Chancellor will visit constituencies all across the UK in due course. All his visits are recorded in the transparency data published on gov.uk.

01/01/2023
Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-01-15.

To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the average salary is for employees of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Mr Charles Walker

The average basic salary for IPSA employees in £36,625 and the median figure is £29,652, as at December 2015. IPSA publishes details of salary bands paid to its employees on its website.

01/01/2023
Alison McGovern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will take steps to reduce sales of highly caffeinated drinks to children.

Jane Ellison

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised us that the safety of caffeine has been reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority, which specified a level of caffeine for children and adolescents which does not raise safety concerns. For a 10-year-old child this is equivalent to the amount of caffeine in one 250 ml can of high caffeine drink.

The FSA does not collect data on the sale of high caffeine drinks and has no plans to restrict the sale of these drinks to children. However, the FSA advises that children and other people who are sensitive to caffeine should consume caffeine only in moderation. High caffeine drinks must be labelled with an advisory statement that they are not recommended for children.

01/01/2023
Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will take steps to protect and improve the security of women human rights defenders in Honduras to take account of the implications of the recent murder of Berta Cáceres.

Mr Hugo Swire

I am deeply concerned by the murder on 3 March of Honduran human rights and environmental activist Berta Cáceres. As one of the most prominent activists in Honduras, Berta Cáceres worked tirelessly over many years to promote the rights of indigenous communities. Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. the Baroness of Anelay of St John’s, condemned the murder in the clearest terms on 4 March and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. These points, and a wider call for a commitment to human rights and those who defend them, were also set out in an EU statement which the UK has strongly supported. The Honduran authorities are now taking forward an investigation into what happened. We welcome their swift action to initiate an investigation.

Cáceres’ death – and the injuries sustained by Gustavo Castro Soto, a human rights defender who was also a victim in the attack – are clear evidence of the risks activists face in Honduras every day. We continue to call on the Honduran Government to take steps to improve the security situation, and we discuss our human rights concerns with them regularly – as I did during a visit to the UK by a Honduran parliamentary delegation in September 2015. Our Ambassador to Honduras regularly discusses human rights issues with the Honduran authorities. We seek to improve the situation on the ground through a range of Embassy-sponsored projects, for example with Oxfam and the Tribunal for Women against Femicide. We also maintain a close dialogue with non-government organisations and others with an interest in Honduras.

01/01/2023

Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much has been received by (a) her Department, (b) police forces, (c) the CPS and (d) HM Courts and Tribunal Service under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since 2010.

Mr John Hayes

The table below shows the total receipts for each department from all powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act in the financial year 1 April 2014-31 March 2015. The table includes data for England and Wales. The data for the Police also includes cash forfeiture receipts for the Police Service of Northern Ireland, but not confiscation receipts (under the devolution settlement, all confiscation receipts are retained by Northern Ireland, and the Home Office holds no data).

Total value of receipts in each year (in millions)	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Home Office	£77.94m	£81.54m	£76.07m	£79.52m	£84.71m
Police	£28.43m	£29.48m	£24.45m	£29.81m	£25.62m
Crown Prosecution Service	£11.02m	£15.13m	£17.01m	£18.43m	£17.99m
Ministry of Justice/HM Courts & Tribunal Service	£11.84m	£11.73m	£12.78m	£13.52m	£15.54m
All other agencies	£26.65m	£25.19m	£21.83m	£17.75m	£25.56m
Grand Total	£155.88m	£163.07m	£152.14m	£159.03m	£169.42m

01/01/2023

Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of introducing cell-free DNA testing on the NHS on the number of women choosing to terminate their pregnancies.

Jane Ellison

There is a long established Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (NHS FASP) that prospective parents can choose whether to participate in.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has recommended that non-invasive prenatal testing for Down’s syndrome should be introduced as an additional test into the NHS FASP as part of an evaluation. Ministers are currently considering this important recommendation from the UK NSC which would give pregnant women and their partners more accurate information and should reduce the number of women having to undergo unnecessary invasive testing which carries a risk of miscarriage.

The UK NSC recommendation does not change the offer to prospective parents of participating in the programme, nor the options and choices available when testing identifies a fetus with Down’s, Edwards’ or Patau’s syndrome.

Existing guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists already makes it clear that women and their partners should receive appropriate information and support from a properly trained multidisciplinary team, who must adopt a supportive and non-judgemental approach regardless of whether the decision is to terminate or continue the pregnancy. This should include referral to other professional experts (including palliative care) and referral for counselling when this can help, as part of a co-ordinated package of care.

01/01/2023
John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, under which legislative provisions he took his decision on Ipswich Council’s planning application for the development of the Ravenswood affordable housing scheme.

Brandon Lewis

The Secretary of State called in this application for his own determination under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. His decision letter, which can be found on the Department’s website, stated that in deciding the application, the Secretary of State has had regard to section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 which requires that proposals be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

A copy of the decision letter is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/called-in-decision-areas-u-v-and-w-ravenswood-nacton-road-ipswich-suffolk-ref-3004099-13-june-2016

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01/01/2023
Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her policy is on the future funding of BBC Gaelic language broadcasting.

Matt Hancock

During the BBC Charter Review public consultation we have listened to views across a range of issues in relation to the BBC, including Gaelic language broadcasting.

There is a successful partnership between the BBC and MG Alba for the delivery of Gaelic language broadcasting. The White Paper, published in May 2016, sets out the Government’s intention to require maintain a commitment to minority language broadcasting through the new Charter.

The level of funding dedicated to BBC ALBA and the number of hours of in-house Gaelic language programming broadcast are matters for the BBC Board to consider when fulfilling this requirement under the new Charter.

01/01/2023
Lord Mawson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mawson on 2016-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the wireless internet signal on the train network, in particular between London and Sheffield.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Availability of mobile broadband services on trains can be an issue, partly due to physical barriers to radio signals reaching the railway track, include railway cuttings and tunnels and due to signal weakening, called attenuation, caused by train carriage walls and windows.

In June 2015, the Government launched a Call for Evidence to support delivery of improved coverage, with the intention to build on the work that has already happened across industry. On-train Wi-Fi addresses some of the issues, however we recognise that there is more to do that will require enhancements to trackside infrastructure. That’s why we are working with the rail and telecommunications industries to reach a shared understanding of the technical and commercial challenges, and seek out potential solutions for the rail network, including the London to Sheffield line.

01/01/2023