Tag: 2016

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the ad hoc Ministerial committee established after the terrorist attacks in Tunisia in 2015 plans to publish its conclusions and recommendations on (a) the support provided by the Government to British nationals or residents affected by those attacks and (b) its recommended support for victims or witnesses of future incidents.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    As Chair of the Ad Hoc Ministerial Committee to Coordinate Support for People Affected by the Terrorist Attacks in Tunisia, I have updated the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), MPs and victims regularly about the Committee’s work. There was no commitment to report publicly. The Committee recommended that the lessons it had learned from supporting those affected by the Tunisia attacks benefitted any future victims of terrorism. HMG will ensure that it builds on the work of the Committee in future arrangements.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the BBC on an extension of the current BBC Charter period by order of the Queen in Council.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I and my officials continue to have an ongoing dialogue with the BBC regarding the content and process of the BBC Charter Review.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what investment his Department has made in video-conferencing facilities in each of the last five years.

    Joseph Johnson

    My Department has a total of 45 extant video conferencing facilities in place in 12 of its locations in England, Scotland and Wales. The investment costs of those facilities are as detailed below:

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015

    Total for 5 years

    Investment costs

    £599,144

    £213,752

    £82,887

    £85,821

    £981,604

  • Lord Aberdare – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Aberdare – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Aberdare on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, after the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, incentive payments will continue to be made available for (1) small firms offering apprenticeships, (2) apprenticeships offered to 16–18 year olds, and (3) successfully completed apprenticeships.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    In English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 vision we set out our plans for introducing a simple and transparent funding model alongside the introduction of the apprenticeship levy. We want this to continue to encourage employers to take on 16-18 year old apprenticeships, as well as encourage take up of the higher quality training offered by apprenticeship standards. Further information on new arrangements will be made available by the summer.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many investigations into crimes categorised as violent crimes and sexual offences were assigned an outcome of investigation complete – no suspect identified in (a) each year since 2010 and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available.

    Mike Penning

    In April 2014, the Government reformed crime outcome data to give greater transparency to the public about the investigation and prosecution of crime.

    The requested outcomes data have been provided for the first available year (12 months to March 2015) and the most recent rolling year (12 months to September 2015) in the accompanying table. These have been given as proportions of recorded crimes recorded during the period rather than numbers as some forces were unable to supply data based on the new outcomes framework at the start of the period. The table also includes the proportion of crimes under active investigation awaiting an outcome from each period for further context.

    More recent figures for the year to December 2015 will be published on Thursday April 21, 2016.

  • Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the prevalence of torture in Ethiopia.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We continue to be concerned about allegations of torture in Ethiopia made by organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International in relation to people detained under the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation. Those include members of the opposition groups, journalists, peaceful protestors, and others seeking to express their rights to freedom of assembly or expression. We continually monitor and assess a range of human rights issues in Ethiopia, including allegations of torture. We continue to make representations to the Government of Ethiopia on individual cases as well as more broadly through our Human Rights Dialogue. We also support the continued human rights discussions between international partners and the Government of Ethiopia.

  • Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to ensure that people recently displaced by violence in South Sudan receive humanitarian protection.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are working with humanitarian partners, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (who both receive Department for International Development funding) to assess the situation and mobilise responses where possible, including the provision of water, food and health services for internally displaced persons. However, at present, continued insecurity is a significant barrier to humanitarian operations in some areas. We are pressing for action at the UN Security Council to ensure that United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan has the equipment and unrestricted access it needs to fulfil its mandated task of providing a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for UK foreign policy of the President of the European Commission’s State of the Union Address of 14 September 2016.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    ​The UK will continue to share foreign and security interests and common challenges with EU Member States and other partners. We will continue to be an influential international actor, remaining a leading member of NATO, the G7 and G20, and a permanent member of the UN Security Council. We do not assess President Juncker’s speech as fundamentally altering this.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the costs are of the Mk4A Trident warhead modification programme for each year of the Nuclear Warhead Capability Sustainment Programme.

    Michael Fallon

    The overall cost to the UK of procuring the Mk4A component was an element of the estimated future costs of the Atomic Weapons Establishment as set out in chapter five of the White Paper ‘The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent’ (Cmd 6994), published in December 2006.

    Further details on the costs of the Mk4A programme are being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

  • 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 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received form the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on his decision to withdraw funding from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.

    Nick Boles

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has been in regular contact with the Devolved Administrations both at Ministerial and official level since the spending review decision by Whitehall Departments to withdraw funding from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES).

    A meeting of senior officials took place on 20th January and Ministers met on 4th February. These meetings discussed common issues within the UK’s devolved skills systems, including the implications of the decision on UKCES funding. At working level, officials in all Governments involved the work of UKCES are meeting regularly to discuss and agree the necessary transition arrangements that will be required as a result of the withdrawal of funding.