Tag: 2016

  • Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will seek assurances from Volkswagen that software and technical fixes made in response to problems with emissions testing will not change engine output, fuel consumption and performance data.

    Andrew Jones

    The UK’s Vehicle Certification Agency issued the type approval for some Volkswagen Group vehicles. For these the agency is working with the manufacturer to review and approve the proposed fixes. They are carrying out tests to ensure that after the fix is applied the vehicles meet all the legal requirements including emissions, and that other vehicle characteristics are unchanged, including power output, fuel consumption and engine noise.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will take steps to incorporate animal welfare into the national curriculum for primary school children in England.

    Nick Gibb

    The National Curriculum, taught from September 2014, focuses on the essential knowledge so that teachers can design a wider school curriculum that best meets the needs of their pupils.

    The programmes of study for science include the opportunity to teach children about different animals, their needs for survival and their environment. Beyond the prescribed curriculum, schools have the freedom to teach subjects or topics, such as animal welfare, to ensure that children receive a rounded education.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when he expects negotiations between the UK and EU on the UK leaving the EU to begin; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Robin Walker

    We need a UK approach and clear objectives for negotiations. It’s in everyone’s interests that we establish that before we trigger Article 50. The process for leaving the EU and determining our future relationship will clearly not be brief or straightforward, so we need to take time to think through our objectives and approach. We want to get the best deal for Britain, not the quickest one.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to support EU students at UK universities after 2020 if the UK has left the EU.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Government announced on 11 October 2016 that EU students applying for a place at an English university or further education institution in the 2017/2018 academic year will continue to be eligible for student loans and grants – and will be for the duration of their course.

    The decision will mean that students applying to study from 2017 to 2018 will not only be eligible for the same funding and support as they are now, but that their eligibility will continue throughout their course, even if the UK exits the European Union during that period.

    The Government statement on student support for EU students can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/funding-support-for-eu-students

    “

  • Lord Burnett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Burnett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Burnett on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many complaints have been raised, and disciplinary proceedings brought, in each of the last 10 years involving the interaction between men and women serving in the army.

    Earl Howe

    This information is not held in the format requested.

  • Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Nigel Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted of terrorism offences who were wrongfully released from English prisons were recalled in 2013.

    Andrew Selous

    Of those in prison on 1 January 2013 convicted under Terrorism Act (TACT) legislation or those who were convicted during the course of 2013 under such legislation, one prisoner was released in error. He was recaptured and brought back into custody.

    NOMs formally investigates every release in error and the majority of prisoners released are quickly returned to custody to continue serving their sentence. Releases in error remain relatively rare occurrences. Less than one in 1000 releases is made in error.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the implications for her policies on harm caused by alcohol are of the finding in the Balance report, The second hand harm of alcohol in the North East, published on 17 February 2016, on the proportion of people in the North East who have suffered harm at least once due to the drinking of others in the last 12 months.

    Karen Bradley

    The Balance report ‘The second hand harm of alcohol in the North East’ highlights a range of harms caused by other people’s drinking. The Government acknowledges that the costs of alcohol-related harm are too high. Alcohol-related harm is estimated to cost society over £21 billion per year, including £11 billion costs of alcohol-related crime, £3.5 billion costs to the NHS and £7.3 billion costs in lost productivity based on 2009-10 data. The Government will soon be publishing a Modern Crime Prevention Strategy which will set out new action to reduce alcohol-fuelled crime and violence.

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect to renal services of discontinuing support for regional improvement programmes for kidney care in strategic clinical networks in Yorkshire and the Humber.

    Jane Ellison

    As this is a matter for NHS England, no assessment has been made.

  • Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the amount of local government procurement that has been spent on small and medium-sized businesses in each of the last five years.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government is committed to ensuring there is a simple and consistent approach to procurement across the public sector so that small businesses can gain better and more access to public sector contracts – either directly or as sub-contractors.

    The Government produced guidance as part of the reforms included in the Public Contract Regulations 2015 which aim to make public contracts more accessible to businesses and in particular to small and medium enterprises. The reforms included the abolition of pre-qualification questionnaire for low value tenders; simplification of the pre-qualification questionnaire for high value tenders; advertising all local authority contracts of £25,000 or over (or the authority’s standing order limit if higher) on Contracts Finder; and paying down the supplier chain in 30 days.

    The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 requires all local authorities to publish details of contracts exceeding £5,000 including information on whether or not the supplier is a small or medium sized enterprise and/or a voluntary or community sector organisation.

    However, the Department has made no assessment of the amount or proportion of local government procurement spend going to small and medium sized businesses.

  • Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the annual budget is for food produced for her Department’s offices; and what proportion of food produced for her Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not have an annual food budget. Catering services are provided via a DEFRA contract which is operated on a nil subsidy basis.

    Annual spend is determined by the contractor and is informed by private sales to members of staff.

    Forty-eight percent of food and drink provided through this contract is sourced from UK producers (based on figures for Jan-Mar 2016). This proportion reflects that a large volume of food and drink sold to staff includes non-indigenous products such as rice, pasta, tea, coffee and bananas, and that as this period falls in the Winter season there are out of UK seasonal products procured from the wider EU.

    One hundred percent of beef, chicken, lamb, pork, free range eggs, milk and yoghurt is sourced from the UK.