Tag: 2016

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Romanian government about a NATO Black Sea fleet.

    Mr David Lidington

    The UK holds regular discussions with our NATO Allies, including Romania, about security issues across the Euro-Atlantic space, including in the Black Sea region. In July 2015 the Deputy Permanent Representatives Committee in Brussels held a session on the security situation in the Black Sea in which the UK, Romania and a large number of NATO Allies participated.

    In November 2015 HMS Duncan, the Royal Navy’s newest destroyer, visited Romania and provided a visible British and NATO presence in the Black Sea. HMS Duncan also participated in a Passing Exercise with the Romanian navy with the aim of increasing NATO interoperability.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will issue a response to EDM 1011, Fire at Mzuzu University, Malawi.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK recognises the terrible loss for Mzuzu University and academia in Malawi caused by the fire in December 2015 which destroyed the university library and its stock of 45,000 books.

    We commend the Scotland Malawi Partnership for coordinating efforts in Scotland to appeal for donations for the restocking and rebuilding of the library. Officials have met with the Scotland Malawi Partnership and the Mzuzu University Vice Chancellor to discuss possible funding opportunities. It is encouraging that Scottish Universities are again demonstrating Scotland’s unique people to people approach to supporting Malawi at a time when the country is also facing a humanitarian crisis and funding priorities are in strong competition.

  • Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Dawn Butler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will invite Maryam Rajavi to visit Parliament and the UK.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Maryam Rajavi remains excluded from the UK and Her Majesty’s Government has no plans to invite her to visit the UK.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how deprivation factors are taken into account in school funding formulae.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    In current funding arrangements, each local authority devises a local funding formula through which they distribute funding to schools in their locality. The formula must include a deprivation factor, and local authorities have the flexibility to use a pupil-based measure (eligibility for free school meals (FSM)), an area-based measure (the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index, which is known as IDACI) or both in order to identify pupils eligible for this funding.

    We are committed to introducing a national funding formula so that schools’ funding is matched fairly and consistently to need. In our recent consultation on the principles and building blocks of a national funding formula, which closed on 17 April, we proposed to include a deprivation factor which uses a combination of the FSM and IDACI measures to identify eligible pupils. We are now reviewing all responses and will set out the detail of the formula in a second consultation, to be published later this year.

    Further detail on our proposals for a deprivation factor in a national funding formula can be found on page 19 in our consultation document: https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/schools-national-funding-formula/supporting_documents/Schools_NFF_consultation.pdf

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will place in the Library copies of all letters, leaflets and other material from his Department circulated to (a) stakeholders and (b) members of the public on the EU referendum; what the costs of the production and distribution of that material has been since 1 January 2016; and what he estimates the cost of any further production and distribution of such material will be between 6 May 2016 and 23 June 2016.

    David Mundell

    I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer given by my hon Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (John Penrose) UIN 38825.

  • 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 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultation her Department has held on the draft Adults at Risk policy for vulnerable people detained under immigration powers.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Stephen Shaw carried out a comprehensive consultation in preparing his report of his review of the welfare of vulnerable people in immigration detention, and the draft adults at risk policy forms part of the Government’s response to Mr Shaw’s review. The Government saw no reason to duplicate this in developing the adults at risk policy. However, when the draft policy was published on 26 May, the Government wrote to a wide range of relevant non-Governmental organisations and offered them the opportunity to discuss it. Subsequently, Home Office officials have held meetings with a number of interested organisations, and the views of these organisations have been taken into account as the policy has been developed further.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposals to reform the Civil Service Compensation Scheme on the morale of public sector workers.

    Ben Gummer

    The Government consulted on its reforms to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme and considered the responses it received from civil servants and others carefully. It held several meetings with unions during the consultation and then further meetings with unions that agreed to participate. An equalities impact assessment was published on 26 September alongside the Government’s consultation response.

    The Government believes its proposed reforms will provide a firm foundation for the management of the Civil Service and its people for a generation. The new terms compare favourably with exit terms in the wider economy and will align the Civil Service Compensation Scheme with reforms across the public sector. It will support employers in managing their workforce and simplify the exit process while treating employees respectfully and fairly.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-12-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 15 December (HL3615), whether they will place retention instruments 111 to 119 in the Library of the House.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    As set out in the Public Records Act 1958 (as amended), public records selected for permanent preservation are transferred toThe National Archives or an approved place of deposit no later than 20 years after creation, unless an department is authorised to keep them for longer. Such decisions are undertakenwithadvice from the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives.

    The Access to Public Records Manual published by the National Archives sets out the seven broad grounds for retention, which is attached.

    Retention instruments can cover multiple applicationsby departments to retain records and the number of applications covered by Lord Chancellor’s Instruments 111-119 ranges from 37 to 253, which were submitted by between 8 and 15 departments.

    The grounds provided by departments that were given permission to retain records under Instruments 111, 113, 114 and 119 are 1,2,4 and 6. Records under Instruments 112, 115, 117 and 118 were retained on grounds 1, 4 and 6 and records under Instrument 116 were retained on grounds 4 and 6. Each of the Instruments therefore covers documents retained on grounds of national security, as well as other administrative reasons.

    There is a strong public interest in not releasing information which could undermine the safeguarding of national security.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people had gastrointestinal operations in each of the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    The information is not available in the form requested.

    For England, a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary or secondary procedure of gastrointestinal operation from 2010-11 to 2014-15 is below.

    Year

    FAEs

    2010-11

    1,375,343

    2011-12

    1,472,621

    2012-13

    1,567,615

    2013-14

    1,603,365

    2014-15

    1,699,845

    Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre

    Note: An FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value of EU funding was for the Great Western Main Line electrification programme on the most recent date for which figures are available.

    Claire Perry

    I have been informed by Network Rail that as of 26 February 2016, the total value of EU funding that has been awarded for the Great Western Mainline Electrification is € 11,085,000.