Tag: 2016

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he has taken to tackle anti-Semitism in English universities.

    Joseph Johnson

    There is no place in our society, including higher education, for anti-Semitism or any other form of bigotry, hatred and racism. We expect universities to act swiftly to investigate and address any anti-Semitic incidents reported to them. Responsibilities for ensuring students do not face harassment, abuse or violence rests with individual institutions, as a clear part of their duties under the 2010 Equality Act.

    At the request of the Government, Universities UK have set up a taskforce to consider what more can be done to address harassment on campus, including on the basis of religion and belief. The taskforce has had meetings with or received evidence from a wide range of organisations which include the Union of Jewish Students, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Community Security Trust.

    The taskforce is expected to report its findings in the autumn but has already identified the need for an improved data collection of incidents by institutions, to ensure universities are recording incidents effectively; the importance of complaints procedures that protect the identity of students who may be fearful of coming forward; and the need for better training for staff to respond to instances of harassment.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the status is of the monthly log of flights which passed through Diego Garcia between January 2002 and January 2009; and whether those logs are available to be published.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The monthly logs between January 2002 and January 2009 along with all other historic flight records held by the FCO, were released to the ISC in December 2015.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, approximately how many (a) British and (b) non-British nationals are employed cleaning the Westminster estate of his Department.

    David Mundell

    The Scotland Office participates in a Ministry of Justice Framework Contract for the cleaning of its premises in the Westminster estate. The Scotland Office does not hold information as to the nationality of the staff employed through this contract.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs brought into the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme have been (a) seized and (b) put through quarantine in each year since 2012.

    George Eustice

    The Pet Travel Scheme covers pet dogs, cats and ferrets. There are separate rules for the commercial importation of these animals; for example for sale or rehoming.

    Any dog, cat or ferret identified as being non-compliant with either Pet Travel Scheme or commercial rules to enter the UK will be placed into quarantine. We hold data on illegally landed animals for the three previous years and do not record the species involved or whether the quarantined animals were a pet travel or commercial movement.

    The numbers of dogs, cats and ferrets quarantined were 461 in 2013, 498 in 2014 and 609 in 2015.

  • Christina Rees – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Christina Rees – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reasons the Government took the decision to close the Manufacturing Advisory Service.

    Anna Soubry

    As part of the Spending Review settlement, we decided to wind down the national delivery of the Business Growth Service (BGS) including the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS).

    The BGS used substantial taxpayer resources, £85 million a year, which was distributed through a network of contractors and subcontractors. When it did eventually reach businesses, businesses would have to provide half the cost of advice themselves, despite the substantial taxpayer funding being provided.

    The Spending Review protected our economic security by taking the difficult decisions to live within our means and bring down our debt. The most important way we can help manufacturers is to continue to secure a strong, growing economy.

    Where we do use taxpayers money, we have targeted it where it will help businesses the most.

    We have extended the doubling of Small Business Rate Relief by another year, meaning 405,000 small businesses will pay no rates at all while another 200,000 small businesses will pay reduced rates. Next year we’ll be extending the Employment Allowance from £2,000 to £3,000, meaning thousands of small businesses will pay no jobs tax.

    We’re providing further funding to Growth Hubs to help businesses at the local level and away from Whitehall.

    We continue supporting our world leading research-led and advanced manufacturing sectors such as life sciences, defence, aerospace, automotive and chemicals to grow, export, and attract and retain inward investment. We are supporting industry with an extra £1 billion in aerospace and automotive R&D and investing £6.9 billion in the UK’s research infrastructure.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with (i) arms manufacturers, (ii) tobacco manufacturers and (iii) representatives of the Israeli embassy since the period covered in the Cabinet Office’s most recent ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings data release.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Departments publish details of Ministers meetings’ with external organisations routinely on Gov.uk.

    Details of meetings held during the period October – December 2015 will be published in due course.

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Supreme Court’s judgment in UBS AG & Anor v Revenue and Customs [2016] UKSC 13 (9 March 2016), what steps his Department has taken against Deloitte for designing and marketing the tax avoidance scheme rejected by the court.

    Mr David Gauke

    It is not possible for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to provide details of any action taken in connection with these organisations.

    In the March 2015 Budget, the Government challenged the accountancy and tax professional bodies to improve how they deal with their members who promote tax avoidance schemes.

    The professional bodies have responded positively to this challenge and are working with HMRC to agree a new standard to which their members will need to adhere.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people in the UK who are affected by post-polio syndrome; what steps are being taken to fund (a) treatment of and (b) research into that condition; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    It is estimated that there are around 120,000 people living in the United Kingdom who survived polio when they were younger. Although some of these have or will develop post-polio syndrome (PPS), it is not known exactly how many polio survivors are affected and estimates vary.

    Commissioning of services for PPS is a local matter. People with PPS can usually be managed through routine access to primary or second care provided via a general practitioner (GP) or consultant. Treatment will depend on the severity of a patient’s condition, but care may involve: pain relieving medication; physiotherapy; dietary and exercise advice; and counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy.

    Although not currently funding any research into PPS, the National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including PPS. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of all advertising of the Government’s position on the EU referendum on social media to date.

    John Penrose

    The Government published details of the cost of the producing, distributing and publicising its EU Referendum leaflet and associated website on 6th April 2016

    The total cost was £9.3 million, with the breakdown of these costs as follows:
    • production – £458,500
    • print and delivery to over 27 million homes across the UK in 2 waves – £5,947,436
    • digital promotion and website – £2,894,064

  • Emma Lewell-Buck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Emma Lewell-Buck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Lewell-Buck on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people over the age of 65 are using medication for depression; and if he will estimate how many such people cite loneliness as a contributory factor to their depression.

    Nicola Blackwood

    Information about the number of people over the age of 65 using medication for depression is not collected. Conditions for which medicines are prescribed are not recorded.

    Loneliness is a complex problem and affects people in different ways. It is not possible to estimate how many people cite loneliness as a contributory factor to their depression.