Tag: 2016

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects the Local Government Boundary Review will next consider the (a) ward and (b) councillor arrangements in the metropolitan districts within Greater Manchester.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Whilst this is a matter for the independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England, I understand that the Commission plan to begin a review of Manchester City Council in the summer to address high electoral variances across wards in the city.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he consulted (a) the National Security Council, (b) the Attorney General, (c) the Foreign Secretary and (d) other Cabinet colleagues on the decision to authorise the US to use RAF Lakenheath to launch airstrikes in Libya; and whether any of those bodies or people were required to give approval for that authorisation.

    Michael Fallon

    I am responsible for authorising the use of UK bases for operations of this nature. There is a long standing convention that whether the Attorney General has or has not advised on a matter it is not disclosed.

  • Baroness Featherstone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Featherstone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Featherstone on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the 10 year rule that is given as the reason that Lord Owen’s and Lord Jenkin of Roding’s ministerial papers in regard to contaminated blood were destroyed.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    We do not recognise that a ten year rule has been established for the destruction of records created by ministers. The Department works to the guidance published by The National Archives on the appraisal and selection of official records which are retained and transferred for permanent preservation.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent estimate she has made of the cost to the National Grid of the London Power Tunnels project; and how much of that cost is related to (a) civil engineering, (b) electrical engineering and (c) equipment.

    Andrea Leadsom

    National Grid has said that the overall cost of the project is around £1bn and while it is always difficult to breakdown costs simply into different engineering elements, they have estimated the following:

    Tunnels and associated mechanical and electrical work 50%

    High voltage cable procurement, installation and testing 15%

    Substation works (including civil ground works at these locations) 26%

    Land and required permissions 9%

    Ofgem is responsible for regulating National Grid, to ensure that the work they do represents value for money for consumers.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many slavery and trafficking prevention orders on sentencing have been (a) applied for and (b) made under section 14 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

    Karen Bradley

    16 Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders (STPOs) have been made on sentencing in the Crown Court under section 14 of the Modern Slavery Act. Data on the number of STPOs applied for on sentencing is not collated centrally. No STPOs have been applied for or made in the Magistrates’ Court.

    No slavery and trafficking prevention orders have been applied for or made on application under section 15 of the Modern Slavery Act in the Magistrates’ Court.

    Nine Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders have been applied for on application to the Magistrates’ Court, of which three have been made. Of the remaining six, two were refused, one was withdrawn and three cases were adjourned.

    This data has been run specifically to answer this question and is not verified to the same standard as Official Statistics.

  • Lord Jopling – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House of Lords

    Lord Jopling – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House of Lords

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jopling on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Leader of the House what explanation she has received from the Ministry of Justice concerning its failure to answer by 9 September a Question for Written Answer that was asked on 20 July (HL1379).

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park):

    I regularly stress to departments the importance of giving timely answers to Questions for Written Answer. My office immediately approach departments who have not responded to questions after 10 working days, and remain in contact with them until the questions are answered. This process has been followed in both of the cases to which the noble Lord refers.

    In the case of the Ministry of Justice question, I am informed that the delay related the process of transferring it to the right department for response. After discussion it was transferred to the Cabinet Office, who will provide a substantive answer by close of play this week. As regards the Department for Education questions, I am informed that the delay related to gathering complex data spanning a long period and the need to obtain clearance from across government. Both of the questions concerned have now been answered.

    Regarding timely replies more generally, I have recently written to the three departments with the greatest proportion of late responses in the last session and I regularly set out the House’s expectations as they apply to QWAs to my frontbench team. Notwithstanding the cases referenced above, I am pleased to say that the proportion of on-time responses from the Ministry of Justice rose from 74% of questions in 2014-15 to 87% in 2015-16; while the Department for Education answered well over 90% of questions on time in both sessions.

  • Craig Mackinlay – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Craig Mackinlay – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Mackinlay on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of vehicles transporting livestock through UK ports were inspected by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency in each of the last three years; and in what proportion of such inspections animal ear tags were physically inspected.

    George Eustice

    The information requested is not available. The Animal and Plant Health Agency does not hold comprehensive data on the proportion of livestock vehicles transported through GB ports that were subject to inspection.

    However, in the specific case of exports of livestock for slaughter from GB, 100% of livestock vehicles and 100% of ear tags were physically inspected by APHA at the point of loading on every occasion in each of the last 3 years.

  • Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Strategic Defence and Security Review on the global reach of the Royal Navy.

    Penny Mordaunt

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 27 January 2016 to Question 23411.

    http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=23411

  • Ivan Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ivan Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to tackle underperformance in schools in Greater Manchester.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government is committed to educational excellence everywhere. The Education and Adoption Bill includes powers designed to help raise standards in Greater Manchester, ensuring that all failing maintained schools become academies with strong sponsors and coasting schools will be challenged to improve. The Regional Schools Commissioner has already prioritised Greater Manchester for the Northern Fund and brought a new, high-performing sponsor into the area. Where standards are unacceptably low in academies, she has held sponsors and academy trusts to account and has used the Secretary of State’s powers to issue Pre-Termination Warning Notices (PTWNs) to trusts that have failed to drive forward the necessary improvements at pace.

    The department publishes all PTWNs at:

    www.gov.uk/government/collections/letters-to-academies-about-poor-performance#termination-notices

    “

  • Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the importance of play as a key element of policy on parenting and life chances, and what consequential action they are taking.

    Lord Nash

    The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning.

    Play is integral in the early years and is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework which states: “Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others.”

    The Government’s forthcoming Life Chances Strategy will set out a comprehensive plan to fight disadvantage and extend opportunity. Within this, we are considering how we can support early years and parenting to give children the best start in life.