Tag: 2016

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether it is planned that tribunal hearings convened under the Investor State Dispute Settlements (ISDS) under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will sit in public; and what Government policy is on public sittings for ISDS tribunals.

    Anna Soubry

    The negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) are ongoing and the question of investment protection provisions in the agreement is still under consideration. The European Commission has however published its proposal for investment protections in TTIP. This builds on the reforms already introduced in the EU-Canada and EU-Singapore trade and investment agreements, including that arbitral tribunal hearings will typically be open to the public.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) seafarer welfare and (b) compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention Regulation 4.1 on medical care onboard ship and ashore of the proposal in Question 35 of the Department of Health consultation on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    UK regulations implementing Regulation 4.1. of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) make the shipowner responsible for meeting the cost of medical care for seafarers working on their ships, in order to ensure that such care is provided at no cost to the seafarer. Since the Department of Health’s proposal does not affect seafarers’ access to medical care at the point of need, no seafarers should be affected by the proposal, and there should be no impact on the welfare of seafarers. I am satisfied that the proposal in Question 35 of the Department of Health consultation is not contrary to the requirements of the Convention.

  • Oliver Heald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Oliver Heald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people were homeless but did not qualify for priority access to social housing in each of the last three years.

    Brandon Lewis

    The information requested is not held centrally.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-06-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the remit of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to cover Ombudsman Services provided by the Ombudsman Services Company.

    Matthew Hancock

    I refer the hon Member to my Written Ministerial Statement of 1 March 2016 [Hansard reference HCWS566]. There are no current plans to extend the scope of the FOI Act.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 28 June 2016 to Question 40553, whether (a) local Health and Wellbeing Boards, (b) Clinical Commissioning Groups, (c) NHS Trusts, (d) hon. Members and (e) members of the public will be consulted ahead of the implementation of Sustainability and Transformation Plans.

    David Mowat

    Clinical commissioning groups and National Health Service trusts have come together with local authorities to decide how to improve health and care services in their local area. This is a unique exercise in collaboration, with local doctors, hospitals and councils working together to decide the way forward in consultation with local communities.

    We expect all local leaders to be regularly talking to members of the public and stakeholders, including hon. Members. It is vital that people are able to shape the future of their local services. No changes to the services people currently receive will be made without local engagement and, where required, consultation. There are longstanding assurance processes in place to make sure this happens. The national health and care bodies are about to publish engagement guidance for local areas developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions the Government has had with the European Investment Bank on continued investment in the UK following the UK leaving the EU; and how many loans were issued by the European Investment Bank to projects in each region of the UK in the 2015-16 fiscal year.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the UK Governor of the European Investment Bank and continues to fulfil his governance duties. The Chancellor continues to meet his European counterparts on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues.

    The EIB publish all loans made to UK borrowers as well as details on future projects yet to be financed. In 2015 the EIB lent over €7.77bn to UK projects. The link below provides full details on EIB lending to the UK.

    http://www.eib.org/projects/regions/european-union/united-kingdom/index.htm

  • Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will hold discussions with the UN on the alleged misappropriation of reconstruction building materials to Hamas in Gaza.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID has provided £0.7 million to the Materials Monitoring Unit (MMU) which monitors the import, storage, supply and use of construction materials into Gaza under the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) in order to help ensure that materials are used for civilian purposes. The MMU has identified certain cases of resale or misappropriation of materials and taken appropriate remedial action, keeping donors including the UK closely informed. We take seriously allegations of misappropriation of building materials and have regular and regular discussions with the UN to raise these concerns.

  • Baroness Valentine – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Valentine – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Valentine on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 December 2015 (HL Deb, col 1885) on aviation capacity, what additional work is now being undertaken on (1) air quality, (2) noise, (3) carbon emissions, (4) surface access to airports, (5) managing the wider impacts of airports on local communities, and (6) the funding and financing of new runways; and when this work will be complete.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    We are testing the Airports Commission’s work on air quality further against the Government’s new air quality plan, as recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee. This is additional work to test compliance, and build confidence that expansion can take place within legal limits. The further work on air quality is only one element of a wider package of further work.

    We are dealing with concerns about noise to get the best outcome for residents, and doing more work on carbon to address concerns on sustainability, particularly during construction. We want to make sure that communities get the best possible mitigation deal.

    In addition, we are doing due diligence on the plans for surface access to the airports by talking to both the promoters and the key delivery bodies.

    We are also carrying out extra assurance to assess the runways’ potential both locally and nationally so it can deliver more jobs, more growth and more apprenticeships.

    On funding and financing, the Airports Commission has provided an extensive examination of the costs, financing, and commercial viability of airport expansion. The Airports Commission and the scheme promoters have made it clear that new runway capacity will be privately delivered and financed.

    We anticipate that all this further work will conclude over the summer.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will hold discussions with individual sector skills councils on the proportion of the three million new apprenticeships that need to be at level 3 and level 4.

    Nick Boles

    Apprenticeships are jobs, so employers themselves decide what occupations and levels they employ apprentices in.

    Employer-led Trailblazers are designing apprenticeship standards at a range of levels to meet the skill needs of their industries.

    We will continue to encourage the growth of apprenticeships at all levels to meet our commitment to 3 million new starts in England by 2020, including Level 3, Level 4 and Degree Apprenticeships.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the National Living Wage on the level of child poverty in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire.

    Nick Boles

    The Government has made no such assessment.

    The Government is committed to working to eliminate child poverty and improving life chances for children. This includes making work pay, in which the National Living Wage has an important part to play, and also through our wider reforms to support parents to move into work, increase their earnings, and keep more of what they earn.

    The National Living Wage will benefit over 1 million low paid workers this year and 2.9 million directly by 2020. The introduction of the National Living Wage will mean that a full-time worker aged 25 or over previously on the National Minimum Wage will see their annual earnings increase by £910.