Tag: 2016

  • Derek Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Derek Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of the 2012 temporary liberalisation of Sunday trading regulations on its proposals for the devolution of such regulations to local authorities.

    Anna Soubry

    The ONS analysed the impact of the short term Olympic relaxation of the Sunday trading rules and found that it was not possible to make any inference from the data. They found no definite pattern amongst the growth rates of retail sales and noted that other factors, such as the weather and time of year, will have impacted sales.

    In formulating its final proposals, the Government has carefully considered all the evidence submitted during the consultation process.

  • Lord Aberdare – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Aberdare – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they plan to make to enable firms that pay the Apprenticeship Levy on the basis of their UK-wide pay bill to claim funding from the Apprenticeship Levy fund to support apprenticeships in the devolved nations.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The levy will apply to employers across the UK. As skills policy is a devolved area the Devolved Administrations will continue to have complete flexibility over how to support businesses in their Territories through training and apprenticeships. We are committed to doing all we can to make the system work for employers wherever they are in the UK and we are working closely with the Devolved Administrations to achieve that.

    The levy will apply to employers across the UK. As skills policy is a devolved area the Devolved Administrations will receive their fair share of the income from the levy, and have flexibility over how to use it to support businesses in their territories. We are committed to doing all we can to make the system work for employers wherever they are in the UK and we are working closely with the Devolved Administrations to achieve that

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders in category (a) 1, (b) 2, and (c) 3 are being managed by multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) in England and Wales; and how many MAPPA-managed offenders there have been in each year since 2010.

    Andrew Selous

    This information is available in table 1 of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Reports. These can be found at the following links:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-mappa-annual-report-2014-to-2015

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-mappa-annual-report-2013-14

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-mappa-annual-report-2012-13

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-annual-report-2011-12

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mappa-annual-report-20010-11

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-annual-report-2009-10

    “

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of conditions faced by detainees in Maekalawi prison in Ethiopia.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We do not have access to Maekalawi prison and, therefore, are not in a position to make an assessment of the conditions within the prison. However, we are aware of the allegations contained in the Human Rights Watch 2013 report titled “They Want a Confession” and the subsequent response from the Government of Ethiopia to the report. Through our bilateral relationship with Ethiopia we will continue to lobby the government on the treatment of high-profile political prisoners, some of who are detained at Maekalawi prison.

  • Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne Main on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) economic effect and (b) effect on the garment industry in Bangladesh of recent violence in that country.

    Alok Sharma

    Bangladesh’s export market, in particular the ready-made garments sector plays a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s economy. A loss of investor confidence, due to recent violence and attacks against foreign nationals, could adversely harm Bangladesh’s economy and as a consequence its impressive progress towards middle-income status.

    Extremist related violence is an international problem that requires all countries to work closely together to prevent atrocities and tackle the root causes. Along with the international community we are committed to supporting Bangladesh in this global challenge. As the largest grant aid donor to Bangladesh we continue to address some of the root causes such as poverty and economic marginalisation.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on a potential establishment of a no-fly zone over parts of Syria.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    As he made clear during the House of Commons Emergency debate on the situation in Aleppo on 11 October, the Foreign Secretary has every sympathy with the idea of no-fly zones and the motives behind them. The situation in Syria is appalling and we are working with international partners on ways to help alleviate the suffering of the people there, particularly those in besieged areas such as Aleppo. We continue work to identify what more the international community can do. The practicalities of any form of no-fly zone, or safe zone need to be considered very carefully and in close consultation with our partners. History shows these are not simple tasks, especially in intense conflict. In fact, there is a risk that safe zones can themselves become targets. Any party seeking to establish a safe area would need to ensure that it could be kept safe. We would need to understand fully the consequences, including the fact that we should not commit to maintain such a zone unless we were prepared to shoot down planes or helicopters that violated the zone.

    Our priority continues to be the protection of civilians in Syria. We continue to use our voice in the UN and elsewhere to keep the focus on what is happening, to call for the Cessation of Hostilities to be restored, full humanitarian access, to allow the resumption of a political process. Political transition away from Asad is the only long-term solution.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) AWE personnel and (b) contractors are working on legacy decommissioning projects at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    There are 209 contractors and 78 AWE personnel working on decommissioning projects, including demolition, at the Atomic Weapons Establishment

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he consulted the board of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills prior to his decision to withdraw its funding.

    Nick Boles

    The Commissioners of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) were not consulted during the spending review process prior to the decision taken by Whitehall Departments to withdraw funding.

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has subsequently been working closely with the UKCES’s Strategic Management Group of Commissioners to manage the implications of the decision.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reported human rights abuses by Kenyan security forces in response to terror attacks in the north-eastern region of Kenya.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We take human rights very seriously and strongly oppose human rights abuses in all circumstances. We continue to believe that a human rights compliant approach is the most effective way to secure long-term peace and stability. Where allegations of abuses have been made, we urge the Kenyan government to fully investigate any credible allegations of non compliance and hold those responsible to account.

    The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), signed a bilateral Security Compact with the Kenyan government in September 2015 aimed at enhancing our security cooperation. The Compact provides assurances on Kenya’s commitment to adhere to its international human rights obligations. The Conflict, Security and Stability Fund is working to build capacity to ensure security forces in the region are better governed, more accountable and more effective, and to build community resilience to respond to security challenges through work with civil society.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the international aid budget has been spent on India in the last five years.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The table below provides details of total UK bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to India as a percentage of total UK ODA.

    Year

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    Percent of Bilateral ODA to Total ODA

    6%

    5%

    3%

    3%

    2%

    2%