Tag: 2016

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to how many unaccompanied child refugees her Department has granted permission to join family in the UK; and what the countries of origin were of such children.

    James Brokenshire

    We support the principle of family unity and have several routes for families to be reunited safely. We do not hold collective figures on how many unaccompanied child refugees have been granted permission to join family in the UK; and what the countries of origin were of such children.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which five Type 23 frigates will be replaced by the new light frigate, and what are the planned out-of-service dates for each.

    Earl Howe

    The General Purpose Frigate programme is at a very early stage and the timetable for its entry into service has yet to be determined.

    On current planning assumptions the out of service dates for the Type 23 frigates are:

    Ship

    Out of Service Date

    HMS Argyll

    2023

    HMS Lancaster

    2024

    HMS Iron Duke

    2025

    HMS Monmouth

    2026

    HMS Montrose

    2027

    HMS Westminster

    2028

    HMS Northumberland

    2029

    HMS Richmond

    2030

    HMS Somerset

    2031

    HMS Sutherland

    2032

    HMS Kent

    2033

    HMS Portland

    2034

    HMS St Albans

    2035
  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-10-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to reduce homophobic hate crimes since January 2016.

    Sarah Newton

    The Home Office was part of the steering group of an Equalities and Human Rights Commission project to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crime, which ended earlier this year.

    As a result, we have committed to work with organisations such as the anti-violence charity Galop to develop resources that specifically meet the needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) communities. We are also sharing existing good practice, including across the LGBT Hate Crime Network which was established by the project and is made up of over 30 groups across the country.

    The cross-Government Hate Crime Action Plan, developed following consultation with a number of LGBT groups, contains actions designed to tackle hate crime against LGB&T people. This includes an assessment of the levels of homophobic bullying in schools, renewed CPS legal guidance on homophobic, biphobic and transphobic crime and funding for community groups who are working to tackle hate crime, including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crime.

  • Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the amount of private sector investment in research and development in each of the last three years; and what assessment he has made of trends in the level of such investment.

    Joseph Johnson

    The amount of UK R&D expenditure performed by the business sector is set out in the table below1. Expenditure in this sector increased by £1.1 billion in cash terms, to £19.9 billion in 2014 compared with 2013.

    Support for business through the R&D Tax Credit scheme has continued to grow, from 9,250 companies claiming £1.0 billion on £10 billion of expenditure in 2009/10 compared with nearly 18,200 companies claiming £1.75 billion on £14.3 billion of expenditure in 2013/14.

    £ million

    2012

    2013

    2014

    UK Expenditure for R&D performed by Business Enterprise sector – current prices

    17,409

    18,799

    19,935

    1 Figures are taken from the ONS publication on Business Enterprise Research and Development, 2014.The business sector figures exclude the private non-profit sector.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department’s financial contribution was to the Christchurch beach recycling scheme; and what assessment has been made of the cost-effectiveness of the works carried out under that scheme.

    Rory Stewart

    The Christchurch Beach Recycling Scheme took place in 2015 and cost a total of £640,000. The EA contributed £585,000 under the repair and recovery programme allocation of funding as urgent works. The remainder of costs was met by Christchurch Borough Council. The project was assessed by the Environment Agency’s Large Project Review Group, which considered the Scheme’s viability, including cost benefit analysis.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which local authorities do not require Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for taxis and private hire vehicles; and what representations his Department has made to those local authorities to encourage the use of DBS checks for taxis and private hire vehicles.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport does not hold details of the checks that individual local licensing authorities undertake on taxi and private hire vehicle drivers.

    All taxi and private hire vehicle drivers can be subject to an enhanced criminal record check, which includes a check of the children’s and adults barred lists, through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). In the Department’s Best Practice Guidance for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing and through engagement with licensing authorities, we strongly encourage licensing authorities to carry out an enhanced DBS check on all applicants.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what the annual catering bill is for the House of Commons.

    Tom Brake

    Income from sales by catering services for the financial year 2014/15 was £9.4 million against costs of £11.8 million, which represents a net total cost for the annual catering bill for the House of Commons of £2.4 million. Figures for 2015/16 will be published in July 2016.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to help small businesses benefit from cloud computing technology.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government supports many initiatives that promote small business adoption and use of ICT, including cloud computing.

    For example, we are providing £12 million over the current spending period to Tech City UK, Tech North and other clusters where small tech businesses benefit from a number of initiatives including the Future Fifty programme offering targeted support to start-up companies. Business can also access support to do more online through Local Enterprise Partnerships and growth hubs. These services work in tandem with an extensive range of private sector-led initiatives to help small businesses improve their digital capability.

    In addition, the Government’s Digital Marketplace has made it easier for SMEs to offer cloud products and services to the public sector by simplifying and speeding up the application process.

  • Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ronnie Cowan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ronnie Cowan on 2016-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what research his Department has undertaken on the potential merits of implementing a universal basic income.

    Priti Patel

    My department has not undertaken any research on this topic.

  • Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2016-09-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (HL783), whether they have now considered the judge’s remarks made during Taiwo v Olaigbe and another [2016] UKSC 31; if so, what is their assessment of them; and if not, when they plan to do so.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Government has provided strong protections for overseas domestic workers, including giving them the right to change employers during the six-month period for which they are admitted. There are no current plans to amend the Modern Slavery Act, but we keep the measures in the Act under review.