Tag: 2016

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s definition is of a cyber act of war.

    Penny Mordaunt

    There is no set definition for an act of war, cyber or otherwise.

    An "act of war" and "armed conflict" are not defined within the Geneva Conventions. It is a matter of interpretation as to whether the threshold (within the context of surrounding circumstances) between a skirmish and a state of armed conflict has been crossed. Most cyber activity is criminal in nature. A key requirement to determining if there is an armed conflict taking place would be the deliberate intervention of members of a state’s armed forces.

    In determining if ‘cyber’ activity constitutes an armed attack, the UK view is that cyber-attacks can be considered as armed attacks if their consequences are essentially the same as those of a conventional kinetic attack. For example, theft of intellectual property would generally be considered to be a criminal act. However, if cyber-activity was performed on a scale which had sufficiently serious consequences for a developed economy, many States – including the UK – would likely regard this as an "armed attack".

  • John Redwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Redwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what EU directives related to his Department’s responsibilities are awaiting transposition into UK law.

    Mr Mark Francois

    The following Directives are awaiting transposition by DCLG into UK law:

    • Elements of Directive 2013/55/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013 amending Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications that relate to architects.
    • Directive 2014/52/EU amending Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (“the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive”).
  • Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andy McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what permissions have been sought by (a) NATO, (b) the US and (c) any other country to fly remotely piloted aircraft systems in UK airspace in the last two years.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Secretary of State for Transport has not received any requests for such permissions in the last two years.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his policy to change the rate of fuel duty applied to certain isolated and rural areas in response to changes in oil price.

    Damian Hinds

    The rural fuel duty rebate scheme offers a 5 pence per litre discount on fuel duty for fuel sold in qualifying areas. The rebate does not vary with the price of wholesale oil.

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on benefit and tax credit demand from workers at franchises of former post offices; and what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost of that demand to the public purse.

    George Freeman

    Post Office Limited runs and manages its directly managed Crown post offices. Employees of these offices are employees of Post Office Limited. Changes to the Crown network are the operational responsibility of the Post Office, and HM Government has not undertaken any analysis of the changes to the benefit and tax credit demand from these changes.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-03-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new Cabinet Office guidelines that no government grants may be used to lobby for new regulation or more government funding would preclude academics at publicly funded universities, or charities in receipt of grants for specific work, from giving talks, writing articles or submitting letters to newspapers seeking to influence policy if such activity draws on such publicly funded research.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The new clause will not prevent recipients from performing activities that are part of the intended purpose of the grant. It makes sure that taxpayers’ money is not diverted from their intended purpose and wasted on political campaigning and political lobbying.
    As indicated at the House of Lords Science Technology Committee, BIS and Cabinet Office are looking into how this new clause will apply to academic research.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy consultation document does not contain measureable targets for walking.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The draft Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy contains two objectives for walking.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what response her Department has made to the findings of Ofsted in its report of the inspection of Audenshaw School Academy Trust which took place on 23 and 24 February 2016 that approximately £120,000 of pupil premium funding has not been spent on pupils for whom that funding was intended.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The conditions of grant for the pupil premium make clear that its purpose is to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. School leaders are best placed to decide how to spend the pupil premium in line with this policy and the needs of their pupils. Schools are not prevented from using the pupil premium to fund capital projects or from carrying over funding between years.

    The Department for Education supports schools to make evidence-based decisions through the work of the Education Endowment Foundation, established to identify and promote effective practice in raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Department does not monitor how Academies and maintained schools spend the pupil premium but instead holds them to account for the outcomes of eligible pupils through the publication of data in performance tables and Ofsted inspection.

    Where concerns are raised about the performance of an academy then they are addressed by the Regional School Commissioner with responsibility for that area. The Department also takes seriously any concerns about the financial management of a school. We are aware of the findings of the Ofsted report on Audenshaw School relating to its use of the pupil premium, following an inspection in February 2016. We are also aware that the Hon. Member, Andrew Gwynne, has met the Regional Schools Commissioner for Lancashire and West Yorkshire, Vicky Beer, on a number of occasions to discuss his concerns about Audenshaw School Academy Trust. The Department has carefully reviewed all the information provided on this matter and has identified no grounds to take further action.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what dates the Regional School Commissioners Strategy Forum has met.

    Edward Timpson

    The minutes and agendas of the Regional School Commissioners (RSC) Strategy Forum are for internal use and are not published.

    The RSCs meet monthly for the RSC Strategy Forum. The dates on which these meetings have taken place are as follows:

    RSC Strategy forum dates

    16/09/2014

    14/10/2014

    11/11/2014

    16/12/2014

    06/01/2015

    10/02/2015

    10/03/2015

    02/04/2015

    21/04/2015

    14/05/2015

    23/06/2015

    14/07/2015

    18/08/2015

    09/09/2015

    06/10/2015

    11/11/2015

    09/12/2015

    13/01/2016

    10/02/2016

    09/03/2016

    06/04/2016

    04/05/2016

    08/06/2016

    06/07/2016
  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the finding in the report by the National Audit Office, The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Programme, published in September 2016, that lack of access by resettled Syrians to personal independence payments and carer’s allowance may cause difficulties to some refugees and have a negative impact on their experiences.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The UK is a world leader in supporting vulnerable people fleeing conflicts around the world and, as such, we have established an effective system to accommodate and shelter resettled people.

    Refugees and those who have humanitarian protection status, such as persons resettled under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Programme, are entitled to work and have access to some benefits upon arrival.

    DWP has decided that the application of the Past Presence Test (PPT) should not apply to refugees for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and are currently considering how best to implement that change, including the impact to other benefits which use a similar PPT.