Tag: 2016

  • Baroness Kennedy of Cradley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Kennedy of Cradley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2016-09-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the International Aid budget is spent by departments other than the Department for International Development, and which are those departments and how much they are spending.

    Lord Young of Cookham

    The estimated proportion of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to be spent by Departments other than the Department for International Development based on the Spending Review 2015 settlement is 18% in 2016/17. The other departments spending ODA (including allocations from cross-Government funds) are: the Department of Health; the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy; the Foreign & Commonwealth Office; the Department for Energy, Food & Rural Affairs; HM Revenue & Customs; HM Treasury; the Office of National Statistics; the Department for Education; the Department for Work and Pensions; Department for Culture, Media & Sport; the Ministry of Defence; the Department for Transport; and the Home Office.

    Outturn figures are not yet available, but a detailed breakdown of the 2016 ODA spend by department will be published in April 2017.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people who work in the City of London have been prosecuted for a crime relating to financial misconduct since 2008.

    Harriett Baldwin

    We are unable to specifically identify whether alleged offenders prosecuted for committing a crime relating to financial misconduct worked in the City of London or any other geographical area. There are many criminal offences that could be construed as ‘relating to financial misconduct’ which are prosecuted by a number of differing authorities and a detailed answer could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    Since 2009 the Financial Services Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority have prosecuted 59 individuals for offences including insider dealing, breaching the general prohibition and creating false or misleading impressions or statements, seven of whom were acquitted.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many new community cricket grounds have been opened in the last five years.

    David Evennett

    According to Sport England’s Active Places Power database which maps community sports facilities in England, 105 new community cricket pitches have been opened in England in the last five years. This data can be found at: www.activeplacespower.com

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of small business rate relief in each of the last three years.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The net cost to the public purse of Small Business Rate Relief is given in the table below. It is the total relief provided, less the yield from the large business supplement.

    £ million

    2014-15

    2015-16

    2016-17

    Relief Provided

    1,060

    1,070

    1,130

    Yield from Supplement

    540

    630

    650

    Net Cost

    520

    440

    480

    Source: National Non-Domestic Rates. 2015-16 and 2016-17 are forecasts.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to monitor the use of military equipment provided by the UK to Saudi Arabia.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All applications for strategic export control licences for military and dual-use goods are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the Criteria), in a manner consistent with the UK’s international obligations. This assessment takes account of all relevant factors at the time of the application, including how the equipment will be used by the end-user. A licence will not be issued for export of items to any country, including Saudi Arabia, if to do so would be inconsistent with any mandatory provision of the Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of IHL. The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the Criteria.

    The British Government monitors the situation in Yemen closely, including reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The Ministry of Defence continues to monitor incidents of alleged IHL violations, using available information, which in turn informs our overall assessment of Saudi Arabia’s IHL compliance in Yemen. We consider a range of information from government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations. We have provided training and advice to Saudi Arabia to support continued compliance with IHL and minimise civilian casualties.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-05-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether UK citizens will have the rights that currently apply to access public services in the EU in the event of the UK leaving the EU and prior to the completion of exit negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

    Mr David Lidington

    The procedure governing a country’s departure from the EU is set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This provides for a period of two years for the negotiation of exit terms. EU laws would continue to apply to the departing Member State until the Article 50 agreement had entered into force, or for two years if no agreement had been reached and no extension to the two year period had been granted. A request for an extension could only be granted with the unanimous agreement of the remaining Member States.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in how many clinical commissioning group areas specialist services are provided for people diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

    Jane Ellison

    The vast majority of services for people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups. The Department does not hold information about the configuration of local services. However, we understand that there a number of clinics that specialise in the treatment of CFS/ME around the country.

    The ME Association has published a list of these services, available at:

    www.meassociation.org.uk/nhs-specialist-services-throughout-the-uk

    “

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-09-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the TUPE transfer of Concentrix staff at the end of that company’s contract with HM Revenue and Customs.

    Jane Ellison

    The potential transfer of staff transfer under TUPE is governed by statute, as opposed to HM Revenue and Customs’ policy, and there is accordingly appropriate legal provision for this matter contained in the current agreement with Concentrix. With regard to detailing contractual provision and considerations in relation to TUPE as applicable to the contract with Concentrix, there are significant commercial sensitivites at this time which preclude such disclosure.

  • Meg Hillier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Meg Hillier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Meg Hillier on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to enable special circumstances to be taken into account when making the decision to withhold housing benefit from people who are away from their homes for a period of more than four weeks.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The temporary absence rules allow Housing Benefit to continue where under the normal conditions of entitlement it would not do so. They are therefore extensions of entitlement rather than withdrawals of it.

    It is the intention from April 2016, that Housing Benefit claimants who leave Great Britain for longer than 4 weeks will no longer be able to get Housing Benefit while they are away. This aligns the Housing Benefit rules with other benefits including Universal Credit.

    We intend that the period of 4 weeks could be extended in exceptional circumstances (for example, if their reason for being abroad is due to the death of a family member).

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of whether the Project Centurion configuration for the Typhoon will be completed by the end of 2018.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Working closely with Industry and the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA), the Ministry of Defence conducts regular reviews as to the status of Project CENTURION as part of its Typhoon Programme delivery activity to ensure it delivers the planned capability upgrades by the end of 2018.