UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2016

  • Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-07-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports have, since 2006, (1) commented on the state of the UK economy; (2) commented on the state of the UK economy and have been shown to be erroneous; and (3) made comments on the state of the UK economy that the IMF have had to revise or retract due to the inaccuracy of the forecast.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The information requested in relation to the evaluation of comments and forecasts about the UK could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, the Independent Evaluation Office of the IMF produce a report evaluating the forecasts of the organisation and the most recent one was published in 2014.

    The UK economy is assessed by the IMF on an annual basis as part of the Article IV process. The IMF also produce quarterly forecasts for the UK economy in their World Economic Outlook (WEO) reports and WEO Updates.

    Article IV reports and World Economic Outlooks and Updates are readily available on the IMF website and include recent revisions to forecasts.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to promote and enable partners to share parental leave.

    Margot James

    Shared Parental Leave and Pay came into effect in December 2014 for the parents of children due or placed for adoption from 5 April 2015. The Coalition Government ran a multi-channel campaign comprising of PR, digital and advertising activity aimed at parents and their employers leading up to the scheme coming into effect. The scheme received national press coverage at the time of introduction and subsequently, and was also promoted through a number of stakeholder focussed events, targeted at parents, employers and HR professionals.

    Information and advice on shared parental leave is available on GOV.UK and through Acas.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what communications his Department has had with the National Archives on the release of Cabinet papers for the 1986-1988 period.

    Matthew Hancock

    Cabinet papers for the period 1986-1989 1988 have already been transferred to the National Archives. Transparency is at the heart of this Government’s agenda and we are publishing unprecedented amounts of information.

    “

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Attorney General, if he will estimate the costs attributed to the Department for Education by the former Treasury Solicitor’s Department in each year since 2010.

    Robert Buckland

    The Treasury Solicitor’s Department was renamed the Government Legal Department (GLD) on 1 April 2015. It is primarily funded through the fees it charges for its legal services. It provides Litigation, Employment, Commercial and Advisory legal services to the Department for Education (DfE). The fees charged to DfE for this work, including the cost of disbursements, are as follows:

    Financial year

    Fees (excluding VAT) £

    2010-11

    4,208,845

    2011-12

    4,499,546

    2012-13

    4,805,840

    2013-14

    4,409,976

    2014-15

    4,098,629

    Providing information on the costs attributed to cases relating to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 would incur disproportionate cost as it would involve a manual exercise to identify those historical cases that relate to FOI.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-02-24.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Swedish government over their decision to end the production of coins containing nickel; whether he plans to further investigate the health risks posed to those who suffer from nickel allergy of the decision to switch to steel nickel-plated 5p and 10p coins in 2012; and if he will make a statement.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Nickel has been used in UK coinage for over 60 years and nickel-plated coins introduced in the UK in 2012 were already in use in Canada, New Zealand and other countries around the world.

    Independent tests have concluded that there is no increased risk to people from handling the nickel-plated steel five pence and ten pence coins compared to coins made of cupronickel alloy.

  • Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions of criminal gangs in the food sector have been initiated by the National Food Crime Unit since it was established.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) is initially focusing on establishing the scale and nature of food crime in the United Kingdom at a strategic level through developing intelligence sharing relationships across the law enforcement community and with the food industry. This will also enable the Unit to instigate investigative interventions by law enforcement partners and local authorities to identify and disrupt specific instances of food crime. The NFCU’s budget is directed towards fulfilling this primary intelligence function.

    Intelligence analysts within the Unit have just completed the first ever Food Crime Annual Strategic Assessment (FCASA), which will be published soon. The FCASA sets out the Unit’s developing understanding of food crime in the UK and will drive its work to ensure resources are focused where the threat to consumers and other interests is the greatest.

    At the end of this year, the Food Standards Agency will review progress on food crime, in line with Professor Elliott’s recommendations following the horsemeat incident. This review will inform decision-making about the Unit’s future form and function.

  • Craig Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Craig Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Williams on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department plans to provide on types of e-cigarette advertising which will be permitted following the introduction of restrictions under the EU Tobacco Product Directive on 20 May 2016.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government recognises that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) help smokers quit and the evidence indicates that they are considerably less harmful to health than cigarettes. At the same time, it is essential that we do not encourage smoking and that we continue to protect children from the dangers of nicotine. For this reason, the Department welcomes the new rules set out in the revised Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) which will apply in the United Kingdom from 20 May 2016.

    The Government has taken a minimal approach to transposition of the TPD provisions on e-cigarette advertising into UK law, taking into account existing European case law. The Directive requires a prohibition of e-cigarette advertising in certain media such as TV and newspapers and online, but not for example on billboards. The provisions are compatible with the right to an individual’s freedom of speech and do not prevent individuals’ independent reviews on social media or internet forums. These provisions are enacted by The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016/507 and changes to the Office of Communications Broadcast Codes.

    The Department will work in close partnership with the Advertising Standards Authority and Trading Standards, including on the need for further guidance for businesses, especially in the first year of implementation to build compliance with the new requirements.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016, on BIS consultation, HCWS30, what assessment he has made of the effect of the decision to centralise policy functions in London on (a) the morale of staff working on higher education reform in the Department’s Sheffield office and (b) his Department’s ability to retain higher education policy officials.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is committed to providing extensive support to those affected, following the decision to proceed with the proposal to create a combined BIS Headquarters and policy function in London. This includes the provision of outplacement support, and working with employers to maximise redeployment opportunities. BIS continues to work with affected staff to ensure there is support available to meet needs.

    Although 72% of higher education officials are based in London, we recognise there is important expertise based in Sheffield. Civil Service resourcing is a matter for the Permanent Secretary and Department Board, who are ensuring that our teams can continue to delivering on the Government’s priorities during this difficult change.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of using institutional visa refusal rates as a indicator of institutional compliance with Tier 4 visa regulations.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Home Office launched a Tier 4 visa pilot involving the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Bath and Imperial College London on 25 July. The pilot has been introduced to test the benefits of a differentiated approach within the education sector on the basis of compliance with immigration sponsorship requirements.

    The pilot is deliberately narrow in scope, with the institutions selected on the basis of their consistently low level of visa refusals. Visa refusal rates are part of the Basic Compliance Assessment, which requires all Tier 4 sponsors to meet three core requirements based on measures of visa refusals, enrolment and completion of studies.

    The limited nature of the pilot is intended to ensure that the outcomes can be adequately monitored, whilst minimising the risk of unintended consequences, before considering rolling-out the scheme more widely.

    The four selected institutions were consulted regarding its implementation. Should the pilot be successful and rolled out more widely, the Home Office will consult key stakeholders about its expansion.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households in the UK have their electricity supplies controlled by dynamically teleswitched meters.

    Jesse Norman

    The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold estimates on the number of households in the UK who have their electricity supplies controlled by dynamically teleswitched meters.

    In Ofgem’s response to CMA Notice of Remedies published in August 2015, it was estimated that there were 160,000 households across Great Britain with dynamically teleswitched meters in operation at the end of 2014:

    https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/561e1fbaed915d39bc000013/Ofgem__revised_with_additional_material_.pdf

    “