Tag: 2016

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 16 December 2015 (HL4139), what assessment they have made of whether the police have sufficient officers to undertake enforcement action to deal with moving traffic offences outside London.

    Lord Bates

    The Government has not made any assessment of this nature. It is a matter for chief officers, working with their Police and Crime Commissioners to decide the size and makeup of their workforce, taking into account local priorities.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-02-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants in his Department have had with (i) James Murdoch and (ii) representatives from Sky UK Limited in each year since 2012.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Details of Ministers’ and Senior Civil Servants’ meetings with external organisations, including senior media figures, are published routinely and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications on Gov.uk.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU on the UK farming industry.

    George Eustice

    Defra has not made any assessment of the potential effect of a UK withdrawal from the EU on the UK farming industry.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to fit airborne collision avoidance systems to Lynx helicopters.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I can confirm that Traffic Advisory Systems are currently being installed in all Lynx Mk 9A aircraft. This is due to be completed across the entire fleet by the end of September 2016. Royal Navy Lynx Mk 8 aircraft are not being modified as they are due to leave service by 31 March 2017.

  • Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department plans to respond formally to (a) the recommendations relating to corporate dishonesty and regulatory failure and (b) other recommendations in the report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Scottish Power Cashback Mis-selling, published on 20 April 2016.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government notes the APPG’s report on Scottish Power and the PowerPlan Cashback Promise.

    Two investigations have already been undertaken into the ‘cashback companies’ and Scottish Power. The first in 2002 was by the Office of Fair Trading, which made recommendations concerning the rules for customers to claim cashback and which the companies implemented. The second, in 2004, was by the Department of Trade and Industry under s447 of the Companies Act 1985. This investigation is confidential, and the findings are prevented by law from publication.

    However it was concluded that there were no grounds for taking further action either against the companies, Scottish Power or the directors involved. This was reviewed again in 2014 when reports were received from the liquidators of the companies, but the position did not change. I can confirm that no new s447 investigation will be taking place.

    The Government has no power to determine liability in this case and has no legal standing to intervene in what is a commercial claim by the liquidator of a limited company against Scottish Power. The liquidation of the companies involved in the scheme is still under way, and the creditors of those companies will receive reports from the liquidators if they are to be paid further dividends.

  • Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent report he has received on seizing Saudi weapons from Syrian rebel forces.

    Michael Fallon

    None.

  • Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the Government’s welfare reforms on deprivation in (a) Glasgow East constituency, (b) the city of Glasgow and (c) Scotland.

    Damian Hinds

    The Government set out our assessment of the impact of the welfare policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Act on 20 July 2015, with similar assessments for previous changes.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-10-24.

    To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

    Robert Buckland

    The number of sentences considered by my office has increased by over 108% since 2010 from 342 to 713 requests in 2015.

    Of those, 136 were referred by my office to the Court of Appeal as potentially unduly lenient, with the Court agreeing to increase the original sentence for 102 offenders.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-01-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to eliminate food insecurity in developing countries.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK believes that poverty is the main cause of hunger, as most people are hungry or undernourished because they cannot afford to buy sufficient nutritious food. Much of the solution to hunger will therefore depend on inclusive economic growth, in particular in the agriculture sector. We have just published our new Conceptual Framework on Agriculture which sets out our priorities to accelerate impact on economic development, poverty reduction, and sustainable food systems and nutrition.

    Alongside this policy work, the UK has committed to a number of results that will deliver on the Global Goals, particularly on ending hunger. First, our nutrition manifesto commitment will improve by 2020 the nutrition of 50 million people who would otherwise go hungry. Second, with other Nutrition for Growth (N4G) signatories, we will prevent 20 million children becoming stunted. Lastly, in 2015, alongside other G7 countries, we will help address hunger and malnutrition among 500 million people by 2030 as part of the G7 Broad Food Security and Nutrition Development Approach agreed in Elmau.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the state aid approval in relation to BDUK requires BT to provide Wholesale Open Access to other communication providers for ducts and poles built with BDUK funding which are (i) over one km in length and cost more than £50,000 to build and (ii) less than one km in length and cost less than £50,000 to build.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The UK 2012 state aid Decision applied different wholesale access conditions to new and existing infrastructure. On new infrastructure over one km in length and costing more than £50,000 to build, BT must provide access for any purpose, while on existing infrastructure and on new infrastructure less than one km in length or costing less than £50,000 to build, the primary use must be retail services (with business services only permitted where it supports the primary objective.) Both cases exceed what is required by Ofcom under regulation.