Tag: 2016

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Burma regarding the alleged torture, denial of consular access, and detention without trial of Rasalingam Niranjan.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Our Embassy in Rangoon has provided consular assistance to Mr Rasalingam Niranjan since 1 December 2014 when it was established that Mr Niranjan had been detained. That same month we raised the late notification of Mr Niranjan’s arrest in a Note Verbale and reminded the then Burmese government of their obligations under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. In May 2015 our Ambassador re-stated our interest in the case, and raised concerns about Mr Niranjan’s health and the progress of his legal cases. A further Note Verbale was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January 2016 re-stating our interest in the case and concern about its progress.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2015 to Question 17278, what progress Public Health England has made on investigating the use of Office for National Statistics data on drug-related deaths to assess the impact of increased naloxone availability; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    In October 2015 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency changed medicines regulations to widen the availability of naloxone. Public Health England provided advice on local implementation.

    Drug poisioning deaths – which include drug misuse deaths – are published annually by the Office for National Statistics. These statistics are for deaths registered in each year.

    Since there are often delays in registering drug-related deaths, it is likely to be some time before we can meaningfully assess what impact the wider availability of naloxone has made on the numbers of drug related deaths.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which flood defence maintenance works were undertaken in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of each of those works.

    Rory Stewart

    The Environment Agency regularly cleans and maintains several debris screens on the upper reaches of the Ormesby Beck, Middle Beck and Marton West Beck in Middlesbrough. Other maintenance works by the Environment Agency consist of works to maintain, or improve, the flow of water in rivers where it reduces flood risk to homes.

    In accordance with data retention rules, the Environment Agency does not hold financial records for more than five years. The table below outlines expenditure since 2011/12.

    2011 – 12

    2012 – 13

    2013 – 14

    2014 -15

    2015 – 16

    £1,370

    £22,990

    £21,730

    £16,920

    £116,220
  • Lord Grocott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Grocott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Grocott on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees, further to the Written Answer by the Chairman of Committees on 28 April (HL7763), what was the total cost for the services provided by Electoral Reform Services (ERS) for the recent hereditary peer by-election following the death of Lord Avebury, and what, in particular, was the cost of ERS supervising and conducting the count on 19 April.

    Lord Laming

    The total cost to the House of Lords for the services provided by Electoral Reform Services (ERS) in respect of the recent Liberal Democrat hereditary peers’ by-election was £300. This includes VAT at 20%.

    As with other by-elections, there was one fee for all services provided. There was no separate fee for the cost of ERS supervising and conducting the count.

    When the need for a by-election arises ERS are engaged to administer and supervise the by-election and provide assurance that it conforms to good electoral practice.

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

    Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Warner on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 9 June (HL354), how long it took to set up the Trusts in Kingston-upon-Thames and Slough; what were the costs of setting up those Trusts; and who bore those costs.

    Lord Nash

    Slough Borough Council was issued with a Statutory Direction in October 2014, which required the Council to cooperate in setting up a Trust. The Trust became operational in October 2015. The Department for Education met the costs of setting up the trust, which came to £3.3m.

    Achieving for Children is a community interest company owned and established by the councils of Kingston-Upon-Thames and Richmond. The Department does not hold information about the total costs of setting up this company but Achieving for Children received grant funding of £500,000 from the Department of Communities and Local Government and £105,605 of professional advice and support from the Cabinet Office Mutuals Support Programme.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of the People’s Republic of China about releasing all human rights lawyers detained since July 2015, ceasing the harassment of lawyers and activists, and upholding the rule of law.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have repeatedly raised our concerns with the Chinese authorities about the detention, arrest and disappearance of Chinese lawyers and human rights defenders. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Mr Sharma), raised their cases most recently with the Chinese Ambassador on 1 August. We urge the Chinese authorities to release the detained lawyers and ensure all detainees have access to legal counsel of their choice.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the capacity of his Department to negotiate future trade deals with multiple countries and trading blocks at the same time; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Hands

    The Department for International Trade has already established a strong and capable trade policy team with significant negotiating experience. The team has more than doubled in size since 23 June and is still growing. We will continue to hire the brightest and best talent from within the UK civil service and from elsewhere in order to deliver the best outcomes for the UK.

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to increase collection charges for the 2012 child maintenance scheme for the (a) parent with care and (b) non-resident parent.

    Priti Patel

    The level of the application charge and collection charges for parents with care and non-resident parents will be included in the statutory 30 month review of charging, which is due to be completed by December 2016. There are no current plans to increase the application fee or collection charges.

  • Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much is paid in benefits to claimants who are citizens of each of the 27 other EU member states, and how many such claimants there are from each of those countries.

    Lord Freud

    Information on benefit receipt by nationality is not available.

    The Department has published statistics on working age benefit recipients claiming within 6 months of National Insurance Number (NINO) registration. This information is known as “Nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP benefit claimants” and is included in the “Statistical Bulletin on National Insurance Number Allocations to Adult Overseas Nationals”.

    The Government is looking at ways to reform the current administrative system under Universal Credit so that it will systematically record nationality and immigration status of migrants who make a claim.

  • Ivan Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ivan Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the level of human trafficking and exploitation in the UK.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government is taking significant steps forward in tackling the abhorrent crime of modern slavery. We passed the Modern Slavery Act in 2015 which gives law enforcement agencies the tools they need to tackle human trafficking and modern slavery, places a duty on large businesses to report on the actions they are taking to prevent modern slavery in their global supply chains and ensures that perpetrators can receive suitably severe sentences of up to life imprisonment.

    We have also enhanced support and protection for those victims of this crime. We have extended the definition for those who are entitled to support under the government-funded victim care contract and we are piloting a new model of the National Referral Mechanism to ensure we have the right processes in place for identifying and supporting victims.