Tag: 2016

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) flights, (b) rail journeys and (c) taxi journeys were taken by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants of his Department during the negotiation process for local authority devolution deals in each of the last three years; and what the total cost was of each of those types of journey.

    Mr Mark Francois

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 April 2016 to Question 34017.

  • Baroness King of Bow – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness King of Bow – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Sir James Munby’s ruling in In re. Z(A Child) (No.2) [2016] EWHC 1191(Fam) that UK law is incompatible with the human rights of single parents who have children born through surrogacy.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Surrogacy is a complex issue, the legislation about which has not been significantly addressed by respective administrations since the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985. The Government recognises the arguments for the need for a review, and we have therefore asked the Law Commission, as part of the consultation on its 13th work programme this summer, to consider including a project on surrogacy

    The Government has accepted the judgment by Sir James Munby from the High Court. We will be looking to update the legislation on Parental Orders, and are now considering how best to do this.

    The Government recognises surrogacy as an important option for some people wishing to start a family and is currently considering how best to clarify the current legal arrangements for intended parents, surrogates and their families. The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service campaign to increase awareness of Parental Orders is ongoing and targeted at health workers, local authority registration staff and surrogacy agencies. It will be evaluated in full upon completion in autumn 2016; in-campaign monitoring indicates its messaging is reaching the target audience.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what further steps he plans to take to ensure that people who require longer tenancies can get them.

    Gavin Barwell

    My Department has developed a Model Tenancy Agreement for use by landlords and tenants in the private rented sector, which encourages longer term tenancies for those who want them. We are working with the sector to actively promote the use of this and to identify any barriers. We have also established a working group focussed on affordability and security in the private rented sector which will look at what more we can do to help people who require longer tenancies to get them.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether non-payment of the television licence for solely accessing the BBC iPlayer will be treated as a criminal or civil offence.

    Matt Hancock

    Section 363 of the Communications Act 2003 provides that a person who installs or uses a television receiver without being authorised by a licence is guilty of a criminal offence. As of 1 September 2016, this includes watching BBC on-demand services such as the iPlayer.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of staff employed in each secure training centre is registered with the Mental Health and Care Professions Council.

    Andrew Selous

    The information is not held centrally. However, certain roles within Secure Training Centres (STC) must be filled by qualified social workers. Qualification requirements for staff in Secure Children’s Homes (SCH) are set by the Department of Education.

    All young people undergo a health and education assessment upon arrival into custody, whilst all staff undergo training in child and adolescent development and safeguarding. STC and SCH providers should ensure that they meet the needs of all detained persons including those with Special Education and Needs (SEN) requirements, and that all staff are suitably qualified to support young people and make referrals to other specialist support where this is appropriate.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to make any changes to freedom of information legislation, in particular on the use of false names when seeking disclosure; and if so, what changes they propose, and when will they be brought forward.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Government established the Freedom of Information Commission to review the Freedom of Information Act and we will give careful consideration to its recommendations. Section 8(1)(b) of the FOI Act already requires applicants to provide their real name.

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require large companies to publish a country-by-country report in their annual financial report.

    Mr David Gauke

    The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. We initiated the international work on country-by-country (CbC) reporting to tax authorities during our G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a template for this as part of the BEPS project.

    The UK was the first to commit to implementing the OECD model with legislation in Finance Act 2015. We signed the OECD agreement to share the CbC reports with other tax authorities in January 2016 and issued our final CbC reporting regulations on 26 February 2016.

    The Government believes that there is scope for greater transparency by pressing the case for public CbC reporting on a multilateral basis. As the Chancellor has said, this is something that the UK will seek to promote internationally.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many visits Ministers of her Department have undertaken to China and Singapore since 2010; on what dates such visits took place; and what the total cost of such visits was.

    Nick Gibb

    Three Ministerial visits with accompanying officials have been undertaken to China and Singapore since 2010:

    • Nick Gibb to China Date: 27 March to 1 April 2016 Total cost: £21,323

    • Elizabeth Truss to China Date: 23-28 February 2014 Total cost: £28,884

    • Michael Gove to China (as part of the Prime Minister’s delegation) and Singapore Date: 6-13 November 2010 Total cost: £3,901

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so when, they intend to instigate an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in politics at all levels.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Everyone in Britain has the right to feel safe and at ease in the place where they live. There is no place for hatred against people because of their race, gender, ethnic origin, faith, sexual orientation, age or disability. This includes anti-Muslim attacks which are unacceptable in Britain.

    The Government is already taking a number of steps to counter Islamaphobia and does not intend to carry out an independent inquiry. We fund Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) to encourage reporting of these crimes and to support victims. We have also set up the first cross Government Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group to raise awareness of Islamaphobic attacks. In addition, the police began to disaggregate hate crime by religion in April 2016. This will help the police to build community trust, target their resources and enable the public to hold them to account.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many businesses do not have access to high speed broadband in each region of England.

    Matt Hancock

    Superfast broadband with speeds of at least 24Mbps is now available to 90 per cent of UK premises and we are on track for this to reach 95 per cent by December 2017.

    We do not hold data at regional level or specifically for businesses. We hold information for all premises at constituency level and this was deposited with the Parliamentary Library in January 2016. You can access the deposited papers database here:

    http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?fd=2016-01-01&td=2016-01-31&search_term=Department+for+Culture%2c+Media+and+Sport&itemId=122028#toggle-56

    The Deposit reference is: DEP2016-0056