Tag: 2016

  • The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of freedom of religion or belief in Iraq and in Iraqi Kurdistan.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government is firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion and belief in Iraq and condemns strongly all persecution on the grounds of faith or creed.

    The situation for religious communities including Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and others in Iraq remains deeply concerning. Daesh has committed atrocities against religious groups and persecuted individuals and communities on the basis of their religion or beliefs.

    Freedom of religion and belief is protected in the Iraqi constitution and we welcome the commitments made by the Government of Iraq to protect all Iraqis and address human rights abuses and violations.

    We continue to engage with religious leaders both in the UK and in Iraq to discuss the situation of religious communities. We also encourage influential religious leaders in Iraq to speak out publicly and condemn sectarian violence. We are working to build consensus around the importance of freedom of religion and belief, as well as its promotion and protection. This includes funding a project to prevent intolerance and violence towards religious communities by inspiring key leaders in Iraqi society to publicly defend and support the right of all Iraqis to freedom of religion and belief.

  • Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will bring forward legislative proposals on redundancy to specify that the word establishment applies to a whole business rather than an individual working environment.

    Nick Boles

    It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-06-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what government funding local litter awareness groups can apply for.

    Rory Stewart

    Central Government does not make any funding directly available to local litter awareness groups. It is up to local councils to determine how to use the central Government funding they receive for local services: this can include making some funding available to local volunteer groups to carry out litter-picking and raise awareness of litter as a local issue.

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to maintain air pollution targets set out in the ambient air quality directive following UK withdrawal from the EU.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    Air quality has improved significantly in recent decades; we are working at local, national and international levels and will continue to do more.

    The UK has a long commitment to improving the environment even before the EU – the Clean Air Act was introduced in 1956 – and our strong commitment to environmental issues will continue after the UK leaves the EU.

    We are now preparing to negotiate our exit. Defra will continue to ensure the right policies are in place for a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone.

    Defra will be working with the Department for Exiting the EU on the UK’s withdrawal and future relationship with the EU, liaising closely with other key Departments on future support for farmers, the food and drink industry and the environment. The Government will work with industry and the public to develop these new arrangements.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 5.2.13 of the Review of the National Referral Mechanism for victims of human trafficking, published in November 2014, on country-by-country differences in acceptance rates not suggesting a nationality bias, whether her Department conducted statistical tests to inform that conclusion.

    Sarah Newton

    The paragraph in question was informed by the data shown in Figure 6 of the National Referral Mechanism Review. The review can be found here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/467434/Review_of_the_National_Referral_Mechanism_for_victims_of_human_trafficking.pdf

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding his Department provides for local authorities to discharge their responsibilities for vulnerable adult transport.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    It is for local authorities to allocate funding to individual services from their overall budget.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on public safety of placing the regulation of (a) drones and (b) unmanned aerial vehicles within the purview of the Civil Aviation Authority.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the independent statutory authority responsible for regulating civil aircraft, including RPAS and small drones. However, the Department recognises that there are types of offenses relating to drones that are not aviation specific or pose an aviation risk and are more social, so the degree to which the CAA should be involved is currently under review.

    We are currently developing a Memorandum of Understanding between the DfT, the CAA, the Home Office and Police to better establish where responsibility lies for enforcing breaches of drone related regulations

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many Legionnaires’ disease incidents have been reported in each prison since May 2010.

    Ben Gummer

    Due to small numbers involved and risk of deductive disclosure, the number of cases of Legionella pneumonia in people in prisons in England cannot be provided.

  • Baroness Kramer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Kramer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kramer on 2016-03-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) poster boards, (2) bus advertisements, (3) television advertisements, (4) magazine or print advertisements, and (5) other forms of advertising, they are using to promote the Married Couple’s Allowance; and what is the cost of each form of advertising.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    As of March 24 2016, 585,487 couples had successfully applied for Marriage Allowance, including apporoximately 181,00 who applied in March.

    The campaign ran until 31 March and final figures are not yet available.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to reduce the obstacles to first-time house-buyers due to their outstanding student loans.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government is committed to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible. The Government has announced a series of measures which will help people become homeowners, including plans to deliver 200,000 Starter Homes, 135,000 Shared Ownership homes and the Help to Buy: ISA, through which the Government tops up mortgage deposit savings for first time buyers by up to £3,000. The Government has also announced the creation of the Lifetime ISA, which will help young people save flexibly towards a first home and retirement at the same time.

    The Council for Mortgage Lenders advise that a student loan is very unlikely to materially impact on an individual’s ability to get a mortgage.

    This is because it is only repayable when a borrower’s income is over £21,000.