The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-10-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what way the Northern Ireland Parades Commission meets international treaty obligations on human rights.
Lord Dunlop
The duties and functions of the Northern Ireland Parades Commission are set out in the Public Processions (NI) Act 1998. The Act is compliant with international treaty obligations on human rights.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of how much motor insurance premiums reduced after the changes introduced by the Jackson civil litigation reforms and the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; and if he will make a statement.
Dominic Raab
This information is not collected by the Ministry of Justice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the budget (a) allocated from central Government to and (b) awarded by the Small Business Research Initiative for healthcare was in each financial year since its inception.
George Freeman
The Department has run a number of competitions under the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) and has had a budget as follows: fiscal year 2012-13 £2 million; fiscal 2013-14 £5 million; fiscal 2014-15 £2 million and fiscal 2015-16 £6 million. The Department has awarded contracts valued as follows:
2012-13: £1.07 million, the Department also contributed £1 million to other health related SBRI competitions.
2013-14: £5.59 million
2014-15: £10.15 million
It should be noted that SBRI is now firmly embedded within NHS England’s Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare). Hence, the Department has not launched any new competitions since 2013.
SBRI Healthcare was established in 2013 by NHS England. As such, NHS England is responsible for setting this programme’s budget, which it has done as follows: fiscal year 2013-14 £10 million; fiscal 2014-15 £20 million; fiscal 2015-16 £20 million. The budget, once allocated to SBRI Healthcare, is then delegated to the Academic Health Science Networks to manage the implementation of the programme.
NHS England has awarded contracts valued as follows:
2013-14: £13.49 million
2014-15: £22.29 million
2015-16: £15.94 million to-date.
Further assessments are due to take place this month which could result in additional awards of around £1.6 million.
The level of investment in SBRI Healthcare reflects NHS England’s ongoing commitment to promoting innovation in the National Health Service and United Kingdom economic growth.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-02-23.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether a five per cent VAT rate could continue to apply to solar PV and solar thermal within the terms of the EU’s VAT directive and the judgment of the European Court of Justice on that matter.
Mr David Gauke
The Government has recently consulted on this matter, the results of which will be announced shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of deploying ocean-going drones to help catch illegal trawlers in Marine Conservation Zones in place of staffed patrol vessels.
George Eustice
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the ten Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities are responsible for enforcing fisheries legislation in UK waters off England. The MMO is considering carefully the potential for new technology to aid enforcement operations, and will continue to keep such technology under review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the President of Indonesia on the protection of religious minorities in that country.
Mr Hugo Swire
We take freedom of religion or belief seriously. Our Ambassador in Jakarta has raised these issues with the Minister of Religious Affairs, Indonesian civil society, and religious leaders. He urged them to ensure the rights of all individuals to practise their religion or belief freely were fully respected and protected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.
Jane Ellison
Data for 2015-16 will not be available until this year’s Annual Report and Accounts has been published.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps his Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.
Damian Hinds
The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other government departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions and a wide range of other interested parties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the remit is of the Gulf Strategy Unit; when the Unit was established; how many staff the Unit is intended to employ; and what the proposed budget for the Unit is.
Ben Gummer
The Gulf Strategy Integrated Delivery Team was established in 2015.
Its remit is to coordinate the Government’s strategic approach to UK engagement with the Gulf States as set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.
It employs three full-time and one part-time Government employees. One is military and three are civilian.
Administration costs were £70,004 in the 2015-16 financial year and the budget for administration costs in the 2016-17 financial year is £423,000. The 2015-16 figure reflects the fact the unit was established later in the financial year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications in which (a) towns, (b) cities and (c) regions for Tier 2 (General) restricted Certificate of Sponsorship have been rejected on the grounds that the job is in an establishment which provides a take-away service in each of the last five years.
James Brokenshire
The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
For the future, the Government intends that Tier 2 should be restricted to roles where there are genuine skills shortages or which require highly-specialised experts. We asked the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on how to achieve this, but with sufficient flexibility to include high value roles and key public service workers. The MAC has now submitted its advice and the Government is considering the report carefully.