The below Parliamentary question was asked by Eilidh Whiteford on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide details of the contracts that his Department has with the technology company SCC.
Caroline Nokes
The Department does not hold any direct contracts with the technology company SCC. It has however tendered services from SCC via the Crown Commercial Service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when the Government plans to publish its report outlining the international and domestic approach to implementation of the UN Sustainable Goals.
Rory Stewart
The drafting of the Government’s report outlining the UK’s approach to implementing the Global Goals for Sustainable Development is a cross-government effort. The report will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-01-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the implications for his polices of the conclusions of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, entitled Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2015, published in November 2015 that (a) the number of people working part-time who wish to work full-time is higher than in 2009 and (b) 600,000 people on temporary contracts want permanent contracts, compared to 400,000 people before the recession.
Nick Boles
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report “Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2015” is one of a number of reports and surveys undertaken on the UK labour Market and Government considers them in the round with regard to Government policy. This report makes use of the Office for National Statistics data and Labour Force Survey which Government uses as a source of information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Naseby on 2016-01-28.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each year in which a grant was provided to the group Action on Smoking and Health, how much (1) was spent against the original grant, (2) constituted underspend, and (3) was returned to the Department of Health.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The conditions applicable to grants awarded to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) are set out in the grant award letters. The Department has made clear that none of this funding is to be used for lobbying purposes.
The Section 64 grant must be spent in delivering the the agreed project outputs set out in the grant award letter and it does not fund secretariat support for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health.
ASH’s compliance with the conditions of the grant is assessed at the grant monitoring meetings held between the Deputy Director of tobacco control and representatives from ASH as well as in the final full year grant monitoring and governance reports.
The Department is required to retain information relating to Section 64 grants for six years. The full amount of the grant was spent for each year that a grant was provided to ASH in the past six years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in her Department.
Andrea Leadsom
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my rt. hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General on Monday 29 February 2016 to Question 27946:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-03-22.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2016 to Question 22693, what information she holds on the number of teachers who have accessed the PSHE Association guidance on body image.
Caroline Dinenage
The PSHE Association resource on Body Image was accessed 4396 times in the first six months after launch. In addition to direct access through the PSHE Association website, the Association has over 100 local authority representatives on their mailing lists. Those who have accessed the resource will be able to share documents with all teachers and schools in their area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the government of Turkey the early release of Abdullah Öcalan, in the light of his long solitary imprisonment, so as to assist the resumption of peace negotiations.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have no plans to discuss this particular case with the Government of Turkey. Abdullah Öcalan is the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a terrorist organisation proscribed in the UK that has killed over 350 people in violent attacks since July 2015. We have supported the peace process initiated by the Turkish government and hope the process can be restarted soon.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many premises in Bolton South East constituency do not have access to superfast broadband.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Honourable member will be pleased to hear that 98% of premises in her constituency will have access to superfast broadband by Spring 2017.
Current estimates suggest that almost 95% of premises in the Bolton South East constituency are subject to commercial rollout, and based on DCMS modelled estimates and current delivery plans, a further 3% of premises will have access to superfast broadband by Spring 2017, thanks to the Government’s rollout. Early gainshare funding that BT will return in response to the high levels of take-up being achieved, could help extend coverage further. It is estimated only 784 premises will be without superfast broadband by spring 2017.
In addition, the Government’s intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation will give people the legal right to request a broadband connection, no matter where they live.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2016 to Question 29005, if Ministers of his Department have concluded whether further steps are required to improve clarity and transparency on employment status for employers and individuals.
Margot James
These issues are still being considered by the recently established Cross-Government Working Group on Employment Status.
The group consists of officials who work on employment status policy from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), HM Treasury, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Office of Tax Simplification. The group is chaired by the head of employment status at HMRC.
Further information on the group and its work can be found on the Government website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/cross-government-working-group-on-employment-status
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how his Department monitors the obligations it places on its subcontractors to pay bills within 30 days.
Harriett Baldwin
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to implementing a prompt payment policy throughout the supply chain. We place a contractual obligation on our prime contractors to pay their subcontractors within 30 days.
As with all contractual issues, in relation to direct contracts between the MOD and its suppliers, we would investigate any breaches to contract conditions on a case-by-case basis. While there is currently no established method of monitoring prompt payment outside of our direct contracts, we are working to update MOD contractual conditions to strengthen the prompt payment obligation throughout the supply chain.