Tag: 2016

Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government on which dates the Community Engagement Forum met following the first meeting in October 2015; what were the main topics discussed at each meeting; and who attended each meeting.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Community Engagement Forum met on 19 November 2015 and focused on education and the role it can play in promoting integration. The following individuals attended:

Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities

Lord Ahmad, Minister for Countering Extremism

Louise Casey, Independent review on isolated communities

Alun Francis, Principal and Chief Executive of Oldham College

Aina Khan, Head of Islamic Department, Duncan Lewis Solicitors

Sajda Mughal OBE, Managing Director at Jan Trust

Mary Ney, Supporting Commissioner, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Syima Aslam, Organiser of Bradford Literary Festival

Farook Yunus, Leader of Kumon Y’all

Sara Khan, Director and Co-founder of Inspire

Shaukat Warraich, Chief Executive, Faith Associates

Anil Bhanot OBE, Managing Trustee and Director of Hindu Council UK

Gillian Merron, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews

William Nye, Secretary General of the General Synod of the Church of England

Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE, Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations

Christine Fischer, Catholic Education Service

Pascale Vassie, Executive Director, National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education

Martin Pratt, Director of Children, Schools and Families, Camden Council

Matthew Coffey, Chief Operating Officer, Ofsted

Phil Champain, Director 3 Faiths Forum

Her Honour Judge Khatun Sapnara, Circuit Judge East London Family Court and Kingston Crown Court

Sue Robb, Head of Early Years, 4Children

The Community Engagement Forum also met on 14 January 2016 and focussed on the contribution of Muslim women in Britain. The following individuals attended:

Rt. Hon. David Cameron, Prime Minister

Rt. Hon. Nicky Morgan MP, Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities

Lord Ahmad, Minister for Countering Extremism

Baroness Williams, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government

Louise Casey, Independent review on isolated communities

Camilla Cavendish, Head of the No. 10 Policy Unit

Max Chambers, Special Adviser, Home Affairs and Justice, No.10

Sajda Mughal OBE, Managing Director at JAN Trust

Syima Aslam, Organiser of Bradford Literary Festival

Sara Khan, Director and co-founder of Inspire

Diana Nammi, Executive Director of Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation

Aysha and Kiran Iqbal Patel, Directors of Odara

Fahma Mohamed, FGM activist and Trustee of Integrate Bristol

Faeeza Vaid, Chair of ‘Sister 2 Sister’ in Birmingham and Executive Director of the Muslim Women’s Network

Henna Rai, Director for the Association of British Muslims

Yasmin Khan, Director of Staying Put and Aspire-I

Hasina Khan, Chair and founder of Saheliyaan Asian Women’s Forum and Councillor on Chorley Council

Nahid Rasool, Director of Shantona Women’s Centre

Farmida Bi, Head of Islamic Finance and a partner at Norton Rose.

Zahra Al-Alawi, Presenter of Woman’s View on Ahlulbayt TV

Farah Mirza, TV Presenter and previous UN representative for Islamic Human Rights Commission

Sarah Joseph OBE, Chief Executive and Editor of emel magazine

01/01/2023
Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether regulations are in place to ensure that (a) town councils, (b) parish councils and (c) local communities can exercise a community right to bid for independent qualified contractors to deliver highways infrastructure works that are funded by Section 106 contributions from developments within their parish as part of any competitive bidding process carried out by the local highways authority.

Brandon Lewis

Provisions are in place under the Community Right to Challenge to enable town and parish councils and voluntary and community organisations to challenge how council services are delivered by submitting a bid (Expression of Interest) to the relevant council.

Expressions of Interest need to be made in respect of an existing service and one that the local authority has responsibility for providing, which councils must consider and can only reject if specific circumstances set out in legislation apply. If a developer is undertaking work as part of an agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, then this would not fall under the scope of the Right to Challenge as it would not be a local authority service.

However, if a highways service was to be delivered by a local authority as a result of a Section 106 contribution then this would be within the scope of the Right, although it is important to note that local authorities are able to reject an Expression of Interest if a service is already the subject of a procurement process or pre-procurement negotiations. If this is the case, the town or parish council or community group would be able to participate in the procurement process.

The Community Right to Bid provides local people and parish councils with the opportunity to nominate a building or land for listing by a local council as an Asset of Community Value (ACV), which, if the owner decides to sell, a moratorium of up to six months is triggered. During the moratorium period, the asset cannot be sold except to a community bidder.

If a highways service was to be delivered by a local authority as a result of a Section 106 contribution then this should be within the scope of the Community Right to Challenge. It is important to note though that local authorities are able to reject an expression of interest if a service is already the subject of a procurement process or if the authority has entered into negotiations with a third party to deliver the service and these are at least in part conducted in writing. Where the services are currently being procured, the organisation in question would be able to participate in the procurement exercise.

01/01/2023
Kevin Hollinrake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Hollinrake on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people resident in the UK hold an EU non-British passport and previously held a non-EU country passport.

Mr Rob Wilson

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

01/01/2023
David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-07-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many bilateral trade agreements the UK has with countries outside the EU.

Anna Soubry

Since the EU has sole competence on trade policy, the UK has no bilateral trade agreements in force with countries outside the EU.

01/01/2023
Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-10-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contingency plans are in place for the young asylum seekers in Calais when the camp there closes.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

Although the decision to clear the camp in Calais is a matter for the French Government, the UK and France remain committed to working together protecting our shared border in Calais and addressing the humanitarian challenges in the camps.

The Home Secretary reaffirmed this when she met her French counterpart in August. Since the beginning of this year, over 130 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Europe have been accepted for transfer to the UK under the family reunion provisions of the Dublin Regulation, of whom over 80 are from France. We continue to support the French Government to provide alternative accommodation for those in Calais, including thousands of new places in reception centres across France to accommodate migrants and unaccompanied children. The French Government continues to urge anyone who does not want to live in the makeshift camps in Calais to engage with the French authorities who will provide accommodation and support.

01/01/2023
Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what procedures they apply to ensuring that all parties to the Belfast Agreement 1998 honour the terms of that agreement, and what action they can take if they assess that other parties to that agreement are not complying with it.

Lord Dunlop

The UK Government meets regularly with the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government, both at ministerial and official level, to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern, including matters relating to the implementation of the Belfast Agreement and subsequent Agreements.

01/01/2023
Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2016-02-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they have offered the British Olympic Association regarding the potential health threat posed by the Zika virus to members of Team GB preparing in Brazil and competing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

We are in regular contact with the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association and our advice to them is in line with the Government’s travel advice. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has updated its travel advice to affected countries, referring people to the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) or to their medical professionals, if they have concerns. NaTHNaC has published specific advice for women who are pregnant to seek advice from a health professional before travel, and to consider avoiding travel to areas where Zika outbreaks are ongoing. Government continues to monitor the situation closely.

01/01/2023
Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the total financial commitment by the UK to Gaza since fighting ceased in 2014.

Baroness Verma

The UK provided more than £17 million in immediate humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Gaza conflict in the summer of 2014. In October 2014, the UK pledged a further £20 million in early recovery assistance at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Cairo. The UK has disbursed this pledge in its entirety. Since then the UK has provided more than £25 million of additional support to Gaza for a range of activities, including basic service delivery and support to the private sector.

01/01/2023
Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many single source contracts his Department placed in 2015; and how many such contracts were classed as (a) new contracts and (b) amendments to existing contracts.

Mr Philip Dunne

Each year the Ministry of Defence (MOD) publishes an analysis of all new contracts which sets out whether they were placed competitively or non-competitively. This analysis appears in the Department’s Statistical Bulletin Trade, Industry and Contracts and the most recent period for which data is available can be found through the link below. Table six in the excel tables and page 11 of the pdf refer to the relevant information.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-industry-trade-and-contracts-2015

Figures for amendments to existing contracts are not held centrally and, due to the large number of such cases, an analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

All single source procurement contracts which met the criteria set out in Part two of the Defence Reform Act 2014 (DRA) are subject to the new single source procurement framework, apart from a very small number which have been specifically exempted from the framework by the Secretary of State for Defence, using the powers granted to him under section 14(7) of the DRA. The Department does not release details of these exemptions in order to avoid influencing future decisions.

Contracts which were signed prior to the new single source procurement framework coming into force can become subject to the regulations on amendment by agreement between the MOD and the contractor. To maximise the benefits from the regulations, the MOD intends to seek such agreement where appropriate, except where there are well founded commercial or practical reasons not to. However, the Department does not hold a central record of the number of contracts which have, on amendment, not been converted to Qualifying Defence Contracts, and the data could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Contracts which fall under the Regulations are only referred to the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) when there is a disagreement between the supplier and the contracting authority which cannot be resolved through negotiation between these two parties. The subjects that can be referred to the SSRO are set out in the DRA, and include whether or not costs are allowable, attributable to the contract and reasonable. Should a referral be made by either the MOD or the supplier, the consent of the other party is not required. One such referral was made in 2015, by the MOD.

The MOD is currently pursuing the recruitment of a Chair for the SSRO. The SSRO has an Interim Chairman in post and the Department plans to advertise this substantive position shortly.

01/01/2023
Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

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

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

Mike Penning

The Ministry of Justice does not set a budget for food served in its offices. Catering services are provided by private companies under contract to the Ministry of Justice and provided to staff without subsidy. Spending on food is determined by the contractor based on sales receipts from Ministry of Justice staff.

The Ministry of Justice has worked with its current suppliers to align existing contracts with the requirements of the balanced scorecard.

Details of the proportion of food produced for the Ministry of Justice that was sourced from British producers is not recorded centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 35065 on 29 April 2016 which provides relevant details about food procured for prisons.

01/01/2023