Tag: 2016

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to help the Local Government Association prevent children being taught in illegal schools.

    Lord Nash

    We are determined to keep children safe in and out of school and have made it very clear that it is an offence to operate an unregistered independent school. In January 2016, we announced funding for Ofsted to establish a dedicated team of specialist inspectors to investigate such settings and since that time, there has been a significant escalation of Ofsted investigations.

    The Department for Education and Ofsted are working closely with local authorities to identify and tackle illegal schools, and close collaboration has resulted in the closure of many such settings.

  • Lord Stevenson of Balmacara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Stevenson of Balmacara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stevenson of Balmacara on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to take forward the consultation on the legal framework for debt administration proposed by the 2015 Farnish Review of the Money Advice Service, and if so, when.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Government is committed to exploring whether some form of “breathing space” would be a useful and viable addition to the range of formal and informal debt solutions available to consumers and creditors. Officials in HM Treasury and the Insolvency Service have been asked to discuss this issue with stakeholders with a view to identifying possible options and have begun work on this review.

  • Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what dates between May 2015 and January 2016 inclusive, meetings took place in which ministers from HM Treasury discussed the future of Channel 4.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HM Treasury Ministers and officials have both regular discussions with colleagues and meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. It is not government practice to release details of routine officials’ discussions as to do so would be impracticable and potentially prejudice the effective conduct of public policy development. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available on the gov.uk website.

  • Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Campbell of Pittenweem – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role they are considering for the use of off-board systems as part of the UK’s Mine Counter Measures capability.

    Earl Howe

    I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 8 March 2016 to Question number HL6439, in which I noted that the Royal Navy recognises the operational benefits of unmanned off-board systems. The application of such systems to mine countermeasures capability (MCM) will be included in the Royal Navy’s considerations.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on the construction and procurement of HMS Prince of Wales and the accompanying aircraft for both Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The construction, test and commissioning of HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH and HMS PRINCE OF WALES continues in Rosyth. Around 80% of the structure of HMS PRINCE OF WALES has been built, and she will be structurally complete this summer. Aircraft will continue to be purchased incrementally, as part of a coherent build-up of capability, and we remain on track to deliver an Initial Operating Capability in the Carrier Strike role from 2020.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many public engagement events to support the enterprise, business and produce sector in Scotland have been held at Dover House in the last 12 months.

    David Mundell

    A variety of events are held in Dover House, both by Scotland Office Ministers and by third parties, throughout the year.

    The events are aimed at engaging stakeholders on a wide variety of policy issues and aspects of life in Scotland.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-07-06.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of HM Revenue and Customs’ preparedness for handling customer enquiries in advance of the January 2017 self-assessment deadline.

    Mr David Gauke

    January is always a peak time for customer contact and, as in previous years, will be subject to detailed resource planning. This planning is still at an early stage.

  • Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2016-10-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the consultation on transforming the tribunal system Transforming our Justice System is not cross-referenced to the Department for Work and Pensions consultations website, given its relevance to the appeals process for Personal Independence Payment.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    The noble Lady will be aware that the Government is investing £1 billion to modernise our world-leading justice system. That means creating a system that is just, proportionate and accessible.

    The ‘Transforming our Justice System’ consultation is about the administration of justice across all courts and tribunals and not one specific area. My officials are engaging with appropriate stakeholders, including disability groups, on relevant matters.

  • Baroness Redfern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Redfern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Redfern on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase awareness of different cancers and their symptoms through media sources, specifically radio, television, and internet advertising; and to encourage people with possible symptoms or concerns to visit their GP.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Public Health England (PHE) runs Be Clear on Cancer campaigns which are designed to raise the public’s awareness of specific cancer symptoms and encourage people with those symptoms to go to the doctor and diagnose cancer at an earlier stage.

    Be Clear on Cancer campaigns are tested at a local and regional level and are subject to a comprehensive evaluation process, the results of which are assessed thoroughly before a decision is taken on whether to run campaigns nationally throughout England.

    The campaigns run across a range of the media. Television advertising is commonly used as it is shown to be the best way to reach the target audience of people over the age of 50. Radio, press and outdoor advertising are used as supplementary channels, where appropriate for the audience. PHE has recently begun to advertise online, with a particular focus on social media such as Facebook, as audiences are increasingly using these services.

    PHE works closely with the Department and NHS England to ensure that healthcare professionals are also targeted with campaign information to encourage earlier diagnoses and referrals.

    To date, there have been national campaigns on Lung, Bowel, Bladder and Kidney, Oesophago-gastric cancers and Breast Cancer in older women. The next Be Clear on Cancer campaign will be “Blood in Pee” as a symptom of bladder and kidney cancers.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effect on employment levels in the Syrian textile industry of the application of sanctions on Syria; and if he will estimate the number of Syrian textile workers and their families who have left Syria due to the loss of employment arising from application of economic sanctions.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    International sanctions restrict the regime’s ability to wage war against the civilian population and pressure the regime to engage in negotiations with the opposition. The UK fully supports EU sanctions against Syria which are rigorously assessed to ensure restrictive measures are targeted and proportionate. We are mindful of the humanitarian impact of sanctions.

    There are no EU sanctions specifically on the Syrian textile industry and we are not aware of any direct impact of sanctions on employment levels in the textile industry.

    The high number of civilians fleeing Syria is a direct consequence of the regime’s brutal five-year war against the civilian population. The regime has repeatedly employed siege tactics, indiscriminately attacked densely populated areas and targeted civilian infrastructure. Therefore, only by securing a political solution to the Syrian conflict will it be possible to provide stability for Syrian workers and their families, and stop the current levels of people leaving Syria.