The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of goods and services has been procured from (a) companies in the local supply chain and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises by Sellafield Ltd in each of the last six years.
Andrea Leadsom
The department does not hold this information as it is the responsibility of the NDA.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the staff costs are for (a) Crouch End Crown Post Office and (b) Muswell Hill Crown Post Office in 2015-16.
George Freeman
Provision of its Crown branches is the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited.
I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many leave to remain applications have been refused as a result of the good character test in each year for which information is available.
Mike Penning
We are unable to supply the information requested, as Leave to Remain (LTR) applications are not assessed or refused on the basis of ‘the good character test’ . LTR applications are assessed against a range of criteria, including on the basis of the applicants suitability – which may be their character, convictions, associations or other reasons which may mean that their being in the UK is not ‘conducive to the public good’.
The specific refusal reasons entered onto the Home Office IT system during the assessment of a case, consist of a free-form text field, which can only be accessed on a case-by-case basis and therefore a wider Management Information report is not available for this question.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rosser on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Bus Service Operators Grant in tackling isolation and loneliness in rural communities.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Under the Bus Subsidy Operators Grant (BSOG) system, the Government pays out some £250m a year to bus operators and local authorities to support bus services outside London. BSOG plays an especially important role in protecting services in rural areas as it supports an extra 25 million bus journeys a year in those areas, by helping extend the bus network and allowing operators to charge lower fares. Department for Transport analysis indicates that BSOG has helped extend the rural bus network by 13%, equivalent to an additional 38 million kilometres, providing residents with vital links to local services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of staff in her Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.
Nick Gibb
The information requested is published by the Department on a monthly basis and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-monthly-workforce-management-information which also includes non-Departmental Public Bodies and non-Ministerial Departments across the time period in question.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Dowd on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department plans that the recent proposals to allow Probate Registries to collect fees will (a) produce a surplus for the Department’s income and expenditure and (b) subsidise HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
Dr Phillip Lee
We are carefully considering the responses to our earlier consultation on this issue, and will set out further plans in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering on 2016-10-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their forecast timetable for negotiations on the UK’s future relationship with the EU as regards food and farming.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The Prime Minister has made clear we will trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017. It is in everyone’s interests that we take time to establish a UK approach and clear objectives for negotiations. We have been clear that we will not provide a running commentary that might undermine our negotiating position.
We continue to receive views across the range of the Department’s responsibilities following the outcome of the EU Referendum. Defra will be working on our future policies in this area, liaising closely with other key departments on future support for agriculture, animal welfare, and the food and drink industry. The Government will work with industry and the public to develop these new arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the implications are for the provisions of the Public Order Act 1986 of her Department’s Counter-Extremism Strategy, Cm 9148, published in October 2015 and its definition of extremism.
Karen Bradley
The Government definition of extremism is ‘vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and the mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.’ We have been consistent on this since 2011 and have reaffirmed this definition in the Counter-Extremism Strategy.
Vocal or active opposition to our fundamental values, in particular mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs within the Counter-Extremism Strategy definition of extremism is consistent with the incitement provisions within the Public Order Act 1986, in particular Part 3 aimed at those who stir up racial or religious hatred.
We are clear that Government should not restrict anyone’s freedom of speech or right to practise a faith. These are core values. But we shouldn’t allow the extremist voice to go unchallenged, causing harm to our society and promoting hatred and division.
Government has engaged widely on the Counter-Extremism Strategy, and continues to engage with partners – including faith groups and communities on the implementation of the Strategy’s measures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, within what timescale she expects the Common Fisheries Policy objectives to be met.
George Eustice
On the Common Fisheries Policy’s principal objectives with deadlines, the UK is committed to implementing the landing obligation on all quota species by 2019, and to be fishing all stocks at Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2020 at the latest.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many and what proportion of members in Northern Ireland of each trade union opted to pay the political levy; and which of those trade unions’ headquarters are in (a) Great Britain and (b) Northern Ireland.
Nick Boles
The latest Annual Report of the Certification Officer shows that 4,954,606 union members in Great Britain paid the political levy in the period 2013-2014. This represents 70.67% of the total number of individuals who were union members in the same period.[1]
Employment law is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and I am not able to respond to the questions relating to Northern Ireland.
[1] Political Funds of Trade Unions, 2013-2014, Annual Report 2015/2016 of the Certification Officer, page 68-69, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449387/CO_Annual_Report__2014-2015_.pdf
“