Tag: 2016

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will now consider acknowledging mass atrocity prevention or the prevention of identity-based mass violence to be a matter of national interest and a national priority.

    James Duddridge

    The UK continues to be strongly committed to early and effective international action to prevent mass atrocities. The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 underlined the importance the Government attaches to upholding international humanitarian law and to the prevention of mass atrocities through effective implementation of the UN agreed principle of the Responsibility to Protect.

  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding has been allocated to improve local transport infrastructure in Easington constituency in each of the next five years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Easington constituency in County Durham is in the area covered by the North East Combined Authority and North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The Combined Authority receives annual capital allocations for Highways Maintenance and Integrated Transport and it is for the Combined Authority and Durham County Council to decide how much of this funding is spent in Easington Constituency.

    The North East LEP has been awarded Local Growth Funding for two schemes in the Easington constituency. The proposal to construct a new station at Horden has been allocated £3.3 million and the package of five junction improvements on the A1 and A19, which includes a scheme at the A19/A182 Seaham Murton Interchange, has been allocated £19.0 million.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May 2016 to Question 35753, how many and which companies have not confirmed to Companies House that they no longer have bearer shares; and what action he plans to take against such companies.

    Anna Soubry

    As of 6 May 2016, 63 companies had not informed Companies House that they no longer have bearer shares.

    No action will be taken against these companies at the present time. There is no statutory obligation for any company that has converted bearer shares to registered shares to inform Companies House until it delivers its annual return or confirmation statement.

    I have requested the Registrar of Companies to write to the Hon Member with the list of the company names.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Rwanda concerning reports that women are being imprisoned for having an abortion after being raped.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of concerns that it is difficult for women in Rwanda to secure the required sign-off by a judge and two doctors for an abortion, and that this may be driving victims of rape to seek illegal abortions.

    We have been clear that Rwanda must do more to give citizens the full civil and political rights that they deserve, including through a justice system which takes into account the challenges faced by women and girls and delivers for victims of crime.

    We have also been working jointly with the Government of Rwanda to deliver a robust drive against gender-based violence. I refer my noble Friend to the answer that the noble Baroness Verma gave on 20 June regarding the Department for International Development’s £4.6 million programme to empower women and girls and tackle the drivers of gender-based violence.

  • Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on police safety of the distinction between the offences of assault on a police officer or police community support officer and resisting arrest.

    Brandon Lewis

    I want to be clear that an assault of any kind on a police officer or Police Community Support Officer is wholly unacceptable. The choice of which is the most appropriate offence to charge an offender with is one that the Crown Prosecution Service must take.

    Sentencing guidelines already provide for assault of a police officer to be treated more severely in appropriate cases. The courts need to be able to take into account all the circumstances of each case.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how the PSHE Association guidance on body image is distributed to teachers.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The PSHE Association guidance on body image is available for download from the PSHE Association website. This is a freely available resource that can be accessed by anyone wishing to find out further information on how to address this topic, and what resources are available to do so. Anyone accessing the website, including teachers, can download the document here: https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/news_detail.aspx?ID=1437

    “

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether student unions are in receipt of public funds, and whether all university students are obliged to join unions.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    Individual students’ unions are principally funded through their university/college on either a per capita or a block grant basis, alongside funds raised through their commercial activities.

    The Government does not provide funding to student unions directly, but student unions may receive some public funding indirectly through payments made by their establishment. .

    The Education Act 1994 requires publicly-funded universities to take reasonable steps to ensure that their students’ union observes the right for students to opt out of membership. Students who exercise this right cannot be unfairly disadvantaged with regard to the services at the university. The university must draw up a code of practice setting out how these requirements will be put into effect.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28900, on mental health services, if he will make it his policy to collect that information.

    Alistair Burt

    In January, the Secretary of State for Education and Secretary of State for Health announced the Government’s intention to establish a new regulatory body for social work to drive up standards with an ambition to raise the quality of social work, education, training and practice in both children’s and adult’s social work.

    As part of this work, we are exploring the feasibility of establishing a national register for Approved Mental Health Professionals.

  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March to Question 31122, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the (a) decrease in the number of women and (b) increase in the number of men bringing equal pay tribunal cases against their employers.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The apparent increase in the number of complaints to the Employment Tribunals of equal pay made by men in 2015 was principally due to two large multiple claims issued during the year, involving mainly male claimants. Multiple claims are inherently more variable than single claims and comparisons which include multiple claims can be misleading about the trends in Tribunal caseloads.

    We are undertaking a review of the impact of the introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunals. This will include an assessment of the impact of fees on the volumes of Employment Tribunal claims including in relation to gender and other protected characteristics.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 33551, when he expects the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to report; what information he holds on the number of reported mass arrests, beatings and killing of protesters, journalists and opposition party leaders and members in (a) the Oromia region and (b) Ethiopia in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

    James Duddridge

    The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the handling of demonstrations in Oromia and the reported deaths of a number of protestors, and has repeatedly made representations to the Ethiopian Government over the ongoing situation in Oromia. Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for International Development, raised our concerns with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 21 January, as did I, with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Dr Tedros, at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on 27 January. Our Ambassador did the same in a meeting with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 26 April.

    The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has been appointed to look into the handling of the protests in Oromia, and we await the publication of its report. We will continue to urge the EHRC and the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that their report is credible, transparent and leads to concrete action.