Tag: 2016

  • 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 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment the Government has made of the feasibility of air drops of food supplies and aid into besieged areas during the current ceasefire in Syria.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The International Syria Support Group meeting in Munich in February set out a clear way ahead for the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid in Syria and for a cessation of hostilities. The UK continues to keep the humanitarian situation in Syria under review and has been playing a full role, as part of the Humanitarian Aid Task Force, supporting the UN and its partners in successfully stepping-up deliveries of food, water and medicine. Road delivery is the preferred method of delivering aid wherever possible since air drops require clear drop zones, safe access for the intended recipients, and need to be co-ordinated with authorities on the ground. While the UK has been seeking to support World Food Programme efforts to air-drop supplies to Deir ez-Zour, our assessment is that these conditions are not being met in Syria.

  • Maria Caulfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Maria Caulfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Caulfield on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times Southern Trains has cancelled a scheduled stop at Plumpton Station in East Sussex in the last 12 months for which information is available.

    Claire Perry

    We do not hold information to this level of detail. Govia Thameslink Railways, that operates Southern Trains, might hold this data.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-05-06.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was raised by the diverted profits tax in 2015-16.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Diverted Profits Tax is designed to counteract contrived arrangements used to avoid tax in the UK, and incentivise businesses to change their behaviour and pay tax on profits from economic activities in the UK. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) recent assessment at Budget 2016 is that overall yield (including Corporation Tax from behavioural change) is expected to be close to that originally scored.

    The OBR noted on page 122 of its “Economic and fiscal outlook” March 2016: “Our forecast assumes that overall yield from the measure will be close to that originally scored, but we now expect that around two-thirds of the yield will come through higher Corporation Tax payments (as firms restructure their tax affairs) rather than via the diverted profits tax itself.” This is available at: http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/March2016EFO.pdf.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they intend to make to the government of Israel asking them to take financial responsibility for the territories they occupy.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have no plans to make any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her article in the Daily Mail, entitled Too much of your money is simply stolen or squandered, published on 13 September 2016, in what areas of her Department’s spending funding is being stolen or wasted.

    Rory Stewart

    DFID has a zero tolerance approach to fraud and has a wide range of robust measures and controls in place to protect UK aid and ensure we maximise value for money. My department works in challenging areas and operates a comprehensive risk management framework which assesses and responds to the risk of fraud at every stage of the project cycle. The Counter Fraud Section responds firmly to any allegation of fraud recovering funds wherever possible. We expect our partners to account for losses from their own funds to minimise the impact on UK taxpayers and the recipients of aid.

  • Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Fiona Mactaggart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she last met the Home Secretary to discuss support for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and trafficked children; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    The Government attaches high priority to ensuring that unaccompanied asylum seeking children and trafficked children who arrive in the UK are safe and well cared for. Responsibility for this rests with local authorities.

    On 15 December 2015, the Minister for Immigration and Ico-hosted a round table with key local authority representatives to discuss how this responsibility can be shared more evenly between local authorities, in order to relieve pressure on children’s services in those areas with a disproportionately high number. We believe that sharing out this responsibility will benefit both the children involved and other children already in the care of those authorities. Ensuring that unaccompanied asylum seeking children are safe and well supported will remain of paramount importance for any new arrangements arising out of these discussions.

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any restrictions on the number of Freedom of Information requests an individual can make.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Freedom of Information Act does not place a specific limit on the number of requests an individual can make. However, a request or series of requests for similar information may be refused where they exceed the cost limit, or are vexatious or repeated requests.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Carolyn Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many surrenders of suspects to and from the UK there have been under the European Arrest Warrant since April 2015.

    James Brokenshire

    Figures for this period are not yet available. They will be released by the National Crime Agency when they have been verified later in the year.

    The following statistics provide a breakdown of surrenders to and from the UK under European Arrest Warrants between 2009 – 2015. These are shown in the form of figures from April to the end of March of each year.

    Surrenders to the UK

    2009-10

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    Total

    Surrenders

    110

    130

    144

    123

    140

    138

    785

    Surrenders from the UK

    2009-10

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    Total

    Surrenders

    772

    1,100

    1,076

    1,057

    1,067

    1,093

    6,165
  • David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    David Davis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost to the public purse is of civil servants seconded to the Cabinet Office Referendum Unit.

    John Penrose

    I refer my right hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice and Howden and the hon. Member for Clacton to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for St Albans on 18 April 2016 to UIN: 32678.

    The cost of the secretariat, including the Referendum Unit, will be accounted for in the Department’s annual report and accounts.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he make representations to the Ethiopian government on establishing an independent inquiry into the reported use of excessive force during protests in the Oromia region in December 2015.

    James Duddridge

    The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the handling of demonstrations in Oromia and the reported deaths of a number of protestors, and has repeatedly made representations to the Ethiopian Government over the ongoing situation in Oromia. Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for International Development, raised our concerns with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 21 January, as did I, with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Dr Tedros, at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on 27 January. Our Ambassador did the same in a meeting with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 26 April.

    The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been appointed to look into the handling of the protests in Oromia, and we await the publication of its report. We will continue to urge the EHRC and the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that their report is credible, transparent and leads to concrete action.