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Tag: 2016

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on recent discussions on the peace process in Syria between Russia and the US.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    ​The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), discusses Syria regularly with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Both the Foreign Secretary and US Secretary of State Kerry attended International Syria Support Group meetings on 20 and 23 September in New York. The Foreign Secretary and Secretary Kerry met again, along with their French, German, Italian and EEAS counterparts, to discuss Syria in Boston on 24 September. The conflict in Syria was discussed at the UN Security Council on 17, 21 and 25 September.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2015 to Question 8811, what projections his Department have made of the potential increase in green investments in the UK in the next 10 years as a result of the privatisation of the Green Investment Bank.

    Anna Soubry

    We are working on the basis that UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) plans to invest at a rate of around £800m per year over the period to 2020 in a range of green projects.

    We believe that moving GIB into private ownership is the best way to ensure the company has the funding it needs to achieve this annual investment rate. This is because private ownership will give GIB access to much more capital from a much wider range of sources than if it remained in Government hands where it would have to compete for funding against all other Government spending needs.

    Moving GIB into the private sector will also mean GIB will no longer be subject to state aid controls, giving it scope to invest in a wider range of green sectors and types of project than if it were to remain state funded.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many trailblazer apprenticeship starts there have been in the (a) automotive and (b) aerospace industries to date.

    Nick Boles

    Apprenticeship starts by standard name are published in a supplementary table to a Statistical First Release:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/493778/apprenticeships-starts-by-sase-framework.xls

    This table shows starts for apprenticeship frameworks and new apprenticeship standards.

    “

  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-03-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the amount currently owed to HM Revenue and Customs in tax credit overpayments and (b) the potential effect of the reduction in the income rise disregard on the amount so owed in each of the next three years.

    Damian Hinds

    The amount of tax credit debt owed to HMRC as at 31 March 2015, the latest available figure, is published in HMRC’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2014-15. The Annual Report and Accounts for 2015-16 are due to be published in June this year.

    The impact on new debt from the reduction in the disregard is not available.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department plans to provide for humanitarian assistance in the Central African Republic in the 2016-17 financial year.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Central African Republic (CAR) has faced a severe and protracted crisis since 2012. 900,000 people (20% of the population) are still internally displaced or refugees in neighbouring countries. Needs remain high.

    The UK has provided £58m since 2013 to give CAR populations and CAR refugees access to essential humanitarian assistance, including livelihoods support. DFID is currently undertaking aid reviews, which will set out business plans for Africa humanitarian support.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the InterCity East Coast franchisee expects to introduce free WiFi for standard class passengers on trains on routes under that franchise.

    Claire Perry

    Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) currently provide free wifi to Standard Class passengers for at least the first 15 minutes of use. They also provide free wifi to Standard Anytime ticket holders who have purchased their tickets through corporate sales channels. By end of October 2016, VTEC will provide free wifi to all customers who book through the Franchise Operator’s website. VTEC are currently in negotiations with suppliers to provide free wifi by end of 2016 at all VTEC managed stations.

  • 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 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to announce the budget for the new Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority; and whether that budget will be expanded in comparison to that of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to reflect the wider remit and powers of the new body.

    Karen Bradley

    The 2016-17 budget for the Gangmasters Licensing Authority has been published on page 80 of the Main Supply Estimates 2016-17, which is available to the public. The GLA will receive increased funding to reflect its changing and broader functions and we remain committed to resourcing the GLA to ensure it can deliver on its purpose of protecting vulnerable and exploited workers.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to promote breast cancer awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2016.

    David Mowat

    Public Health England will support Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2016 with social media activity. The Be Clear on Cancer Breast Cancer materials are freely available online via the Campaign Resource Centre at:

    https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/resources/

    A campaign on heart and lung diseases including cancer is currently ongoing and will conclude on 15 October.

    “

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-14.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many existing tax credit claimants had their payments stopped in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs do not hold the requested data.

  • Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the percentage of child refugees to the UK from Syria and elsewhere who are from Muslim families, and whether the families of such refugees will be able to follow them in due course.

    Lord Bates

    The Home Office does not record the religion of those granted refugee status or humanitarian protection for statistical purposes.

    There is no provision in the Immigration Rules for children granted refugee status or humanitarian protection in the UK to sponsor family members to join them. The policy is designed to avoid creating incentives for children to be encouraged, or even forced, to leave their country and risk hazardous journeys to the UK, which would play right into the hands of people smugglers and traffickers.

    Where a family reunion application fails under the Immigration Rules, there is provision in the policy to consider whether there are exceptional circumstances or compassionate reasons to justify granting a visa outside the Rules in individual cases.