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Tag: 2016

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether regulations are in place to ensure that (a) town councils, (b) parish councils and (c) local communities can exercise a community right to bid for independent qualified contractors to deliver highways infrastructure works that are funded by Section 106 contributions from developments within their parish as part of any competitive bidding process carried out by the local highways authority.

    Brandon Lewis

    Provisions are in place under the Community Right to Challenge to enable town and parish councils and voluntary and community organisations to challenge how council services are delivered by submitting a bid (Expression of Interest) to the relevant council.

    Expressions of Interest need to be made in respect of an existing service and one that the local authority has responsibility for providing, which councils must consider and can only reject if specific circumstances set out in legislation apply. If a developer is undertaking work as part of an agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, then this would not fall under the scope of the Right to Challenge as it would not be a local authority service.

    However, if a highways service was to be delivered by a local authority as a result of a Section 106 contribution then this would be within the scope of the Right, although it is important to note that local authorities are able to reject an Expression of Interest if a service is already the subject of a procurement process or pre-procurement negotiations. If this is the case, the town or parish council or community group would be able to participate in the procurement process.

    The Community Right to Bid provides local people and parish councils with the opportunity to nominate a building or land for listing by a local council as an Asset of Community Value (ACV), which, if the owner decides to sell, a moratorium of up to six months is triggered. During the moratorium period, the asset cannot be sold except to a community bidder.

    If a highways service was to be delivered by a local authority as a result of a Section 106 contribution then this should be within the scope of the Community Right to Challenge. It is important to note though that local authorities are able to reject an expression of interest if a service is already the subject of a procurement process or if the authority has entered into negotiations with a third party to deliver the service and these are at least in part conducted in writing. Where the services are currently being procured, the organisation in question would be able to participate in the procurement exercise.

  • Kevin Hollinrake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Kevin Hollinrake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Hollinrake on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people resident in the UK hold an EU non-British passport and previously held a non-EU country passport.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many bilateral trade agreements the UK has with countries outside the EU.

    Anna Soubry

    Since the EU has sole competence on trade policy, the UK has no bilateral trade agreements in force with countries outside the EU.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contingency plans are in place for the young asylum seekers in Calais when the camp there closes.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Although the decision to clear the camp in Calais is a matter for the French Government, the UK and France remain committed to working together protecting our shared border in Calais and addressing the humanitarian challenges in the camps.

    The Home Secretary reaffirmed this when she met her French counterpart in August. Since the beginning of this year, over 130 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Europe have been accepted for transfer to the UK under the family reunion provisions of the Dublin Regulation, of whom over 80 are from France. We continue to support the French Government to provide alternative accommodation for those in Calais, including thousands of new places in reception centres across France to accommodate migrants and unaccompanied children. The French Government continues to urge anyone who does not want to live in the makeshift camps in Calais to engage with the French authorities who will provide accommodation and support.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what procedures they apply to ensuring that all parties to the Belfast Agreement 1998 honour the terms of that agreement, and what action they can take if they assess that other parties to that agreement are not complying with it.

    Lord Dunlop

    The UK Government meets regularly with the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government, both at ministerial and official level, to discuss issues of mutual interest and concern, including matters relating to the implementation of the Belfast Agreement and subsequent Agreements.

  • Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they have offered the British Olympic Association regarding the potential health threat posed by the Zika virus to members of Team GB preparing in Brazil and competing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    We are in regular contact with the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association and our advice to them is in line with the Government’s travel advice. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has updated its travel advice to affected countries, referring people to the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) or to their medical professionals, if they have concerns. NaTHNaC has published specific advice for women who are pregnant to seek advice from a health professional before travel, and to consider avoiding travel to areas where Zika outbreaks are ongoing. Government continues to monitor the situation closely.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the total financial commitment by the UK to Gaza since fighting ceased in 2014.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK provided more than £17 million in immediate humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Gaza conflict in the summer of 2014. In October 2014, the UK pledged a further £20 million in early recovery assistance at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Cairo. The UK has disbursed this pledge in its entirety. Since then the UK has provided more than £25 million of additional support to Gaza for a range of activities, including basic service delivery and support to the private sector.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many single source contracts his Department placed in 2015; and how many such contracts were classed as (a) new contracts and (b) amendments to existing contracts.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Each year the Ministry of Defence (MOD) publishes an analysis of all new contracts which sets out whether they were placed competitively or non-competitively. This analysis appears in the Department’s Statistical Bulletin Trade, Industry and Contracts and the most recent period for which data is available can be found through the link below. Table six in the excel tables and page 11 of the pdf refer to the relevant information.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-industry-trade-and-contracts-2015

    Figures for amendments to existing contracts are not held centrally and, due to the large number of such cases, an analysis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    All single source procurement contracts which met the criteria set out in Part two of the Defence Reform Act 2014 (DRA) are subject to the new single source procurement framework, apart from a very small number which have been specifically exempted from the framework by the Secretary of State for Defence, using the powers granted to him under section 14(7) of the DRA. The Department does not release details of these exemptions in order to avoid influencing future decisions.

    Contracts which were signed prior to the new single source procurement framework coming into force can become subject to the regulations on amendment by agreement between the MOD and the contractor. To maximise the benefits from the regulations, the MOD intends to seek such agreement where appropriate, except where there are well founded commercial or practical reasons not to. However, the Department does not hold a central record of the number of contracts which have, on amendment, not been converted to Qualifying Defence Contracts, and the data could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    Contracts which fall under the Regulations are only referred to the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) when there is a disagreement between the supplier and the contracting authority which cannot be resolved through negotiation between these two parties. The subjects that can be referred to the SSRO are set out in the DRA, and include whether or not costs are allowable, attributable to the contract and reasonable. Should a referral be made by either the MOD or the supplier, the consent of the other party is not required. One such referral was made in 2015, by the MOD.

    The MOD is currently pursuing the recruitment of a Chair for the SSRO. The SSRO has an Interim Chairman in post and the Department plans to advertise this substantive position shortly.

  • Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department’s offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

    Mike Penning

    The Ministry of Justice does not set a budget for food served in its offices. Catering services are provided by private companies under contract to the Ministry of Justice and provided to staff without subsidy. Spending on food is determined by the contractor based on sales receipts from Ministry of Justice staff.

    The Ministry of Justice has worked with its current suppliers to align existing contracts with the requirements of the balanced scorecard.

    Details of the proportion of food produced for the Ministry of Justice that was sourced from British producers is not recorded centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 35065 on 29 April 2016 which provides relevant details about food procured for prisons.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-07-06.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 39321, on Civil Service recruitment, what assessment he has made of the effect of the geographical focus on London of fast stream recruitment on his Department’s plans to diversify the civil service.

    Matthew Hancock

    Research undertaken within the Civil Service (by the Bridge Group in 2015/16) and externally (e.g. by Trendence in 2015) shows that lower socio-economic applicants are potentially more likely to be less mobile and less willing to move to London.

    A dedicated new assessment centre will open in Newcastle in Autumn 2016. From Autumn 2017 we intend to regionalise further, introducing ‘pop up’ centres in support of our fixed assessment locations.

    Beyond the assessment process, we also require all centrally managed Fast Streamers to undertake a regional place.