Tag: 2016

  • Baroness Hollins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Hollins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hollins on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many respondents to the first consultation on reforming housing benefit for supported housing in 2011 considered the idea of a localised pot to support the right of disabled people to live independently.

    Lord Freud

    The consultation in 2011 sought views on a wide variety of options, and received a range of viewpoints, reflecting the diversity of the sector. It did not consider whether localised funding would support the right of disabled people to live independently.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants will be informed of the change in their support on the fifth birthday of their youngest child; and if he will make a statement.

    Priti Patel

    For all claimants where a change in circumstance is known (such as children turning 5), their requirements will be fully reviewed with the Work Coach and they will prepare the claimant for this transition in advance.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to consult on any recommendations contained in the Shaw Report on the future of Network Rail due to be published in March.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Nicola Shaw has been asked to produce an independent report into the future shape and financing of Network Rail and her work will look at all the options. Government has no pre-determined view of the right outcome and will not be dogmatic about the future shape of Network Rail as we want the right outcome for passengers and taxpayers. Government looks forward to receiving the final report and will respond in due course.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Disasters Emergency Committee about when it will publish its summary of how money donated by the public to the recovery and rebuilding efforts in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake was spent.

    Baroness Verma

    Funds raised by the British public for the DEC appeal have already reached over £85 million, which includes £5 million in matched funding provided by DFID. UK Government representatives in Nepal’s meet regularly with Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) members to discuss the ongoing earthquake response, recovery and reconstruction efforts.

    The DEC publishes regular updates on the Nepal response on their website and through social media. Information on how funds are being used is also shared directly to donors via email and post. The DEC has also commissioned and published an independent evaluation of the work, which I have attached for ease, of members in Nepal which particularly focuses on the emergency response phase.

    The DEC is planning on producing a ‘one year on’ report which will be published on the anniversary of the earthquake. This will give details of how funds were raised, how they were disbursed to member agencies, how they have been spent and what has been achieved.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Government recorded in his Department’s spending analysis tool that it spent on acquisitions from external suppliers in the last year for which figures are available; and how much and what proportion of central government spending the Government spent with each of the 20 suppliers which received the largest proportion of that spending in that period.

    Matthew Hancock

    In 2014-15 central government (excluding Network Rail) spent a total of £43.8 billion with external suppliers.

    Recorded expenditure with each of the top 20 suppliers is set out in the following table:

    Spend

    % of total

    Bae Systems Plc

    £3.3bn

    7.6%

    Hewlett Packard Ltd

    £1.3bn

    2.9%

    Babcock International Group

    £1.2bn

    2.7%

    Awe Management Limited

    £1.1bn

    2.4%

    Capgemini Uk Plc

    £900m

    2.1%

    Capita Plc

    £700m

    1.6%

    Finmeccanica Spa

    £690m

    1.6%

    Rolls-Royce Plc

    £650m

    1.5%

    Telereal Trillium

    £640m

    1.5%

    BT Group Plc

    £620m

    1.4%

    Airtanker Limited

    £490m

    1.1%

    Atos

    £490m

    1.1%

    The Boeing Company

    £460m

    1.1%

    Qinetiq Limited

    £440m

    1.0%

    Connect Ltd

    £430m

    1.0%

    Serco Limited

    £400m

    0.9%

    Thales Group

    £380m

    0.9%

    Interserve Plc

    £350m

    0.8%

    Airwave Solutions

    £340m

    0.8%

    Carillion Plc

    £330m

    0.7%
  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether revenue risk on the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise will be borne by the franchisee or the public purse in the event of industrial action.

    Claire Perry

    The Govia Thameslink Railway franchise was let on the basis that farebox revenue belongs to the Department, therefore any risk and opportunity in relation to passenger revenue resides with the Department, including in the event of strike action.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-07-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what monitoring the Foreign and Commonwealth Office carries out to assess the progress in implementing the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative in relation to international commitments.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK is delivering on its international commitments through a mix of lobbying, programme delivery and the deployment of its team of experts. Project work is monitored on a quarterly basis and, in consultation with our overseas posts, adjusted where improvements are necessary. We also hold regular working level meetings with both non-governmental organisations and like-minded donors. Both serve to ensure the Government’s commitments remain relevant and deliver real impact where it is most needed. An ambitious campaign launched this year seeks to deepen this collaborative work in tackling the stigma associated with sexual violence, improve evidence gathering, enable more prosecutions and reduce the risks posed to civilians in over 13 focus countries. Updates to Parliament and other interested parties are currently via the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security as well as the annual Human Rights report which give an overview of progress made against international commitments.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to restrict the advertising and promotion of primary option trading and investment to retail investors in the UK by firms based in Cyprus and Malta.

    Lord Young of Cookham

    The government takes this issue very seriously.

    The government will introduce measures to strengthen investor protection when it transposes the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II).

    This will include powers for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to prohibit or restrict the marketing, distribution or sale of financial instruments, including relevant binary options where there are significant investor protection concerns.

    These powers will apply from 3 January 2018.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of (1) the percentage of the buildings in Ramadi that are (a) unharmed by the violence in Iraq, (b) damaged, but still usable, and (c) damaged or destroyed to the extent that they are no longer usable; and (2) the proportion of the housing in Ramadi that is no longer habitable by modern standards.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UN and other agencies have not yet been able to undertake an assessment of damage to buildings and infrastructure in Ramadi as a result of the remaining threat from Daesh and improvised explosive devices inside the city. The most recent analysis by the UN Operational Satellite Applications Programme, published online by the UN Institute for Training and Research, indicates that between July 2014 and 19 December 2015 some 4,696 buildings have been damaged inside the city.

  • The Countess of Mar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The Countess of Mar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Countess of Mar on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many NHS and Public Health England (PHE) medical or microbiology laboratories (1) are, and (2) are not, currently ISO 15189 accredited; and what is the schedule for such accreditation of NHS and PHE laboratories.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department of Health, Public Health England (PHE) or NHS England do not hold information about which laboratories are and are not International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189 accredited. A list of accredited laboratories is held on the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) website and is the definitive list of accredited laboratories to which the Department, PHE and the NHS refer. Accreditation is covered by the Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA) company until recently, and is now part of the UKAS scheme.

    There is no intention to transfer the Lyme disease testing service from the Rare & Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL) to another laboratory. RIPL as a department will move from the Porton site as part of the PHE relocation scheduled to commence in 2018 but no decision on the exact date has been made. RIPL is scheduled to transfer to ISO 15189 in late summer 2016, when the ISO inspection team review the tests offered by the laboratory under ISO 15189. Until that time, the laboratory is operating under CPA in accordance with the transition process laid down by ISO.