Tag: 2016

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the peace process in Colombia.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We strongly support the ongoing peace talks between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). I reiterated the UK’s support for the peace process when I met President Santos on 12 May, as did the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), during his visit to Colombia in April.

    We have offered advice to the Colombian Government based on our experience in Northern Ireland, which is welcomed by President Santos. The UK supported Colombia in drafting and steering UN Resolution 2261 through the Security Council in January, receiving unanimous support.

    Through Conflict, Security and Stability Fund, we have contributed £4.2 million to a UN post-conflict trust fund. The UN trust fund will increase the Colombian Government’s capacity and resources to fully implement the peace agreement, addressing issues such as food security, the removal of landmines and the strengthening of the judicial system.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent representations he has received on improving how people with rare medical conditions are assessed for personal independence payments; and if he will make a statement.

    Penny Mordaunt

    We are committed to ensuring that the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment process works effectively across the spectrum of disabilities and health conditions, including rare conditions.

    I, along with my officials, meet regularly with disability representative groups, including members of our Implementation Stakeholder Forum which hears views from a wide range of organisations representing and supporting disabled people, including those with rare conditions. We have worked extensively with them to make improvements to guidance, training and audit procedures in order to ensure a quality service for all claimants including those with rare conditions.

  • Julie Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Julie Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage female participation in sport.

    Tracey Crouch

    Sport England’s latest Active People Survey results show that the number of women playing sport and being active in England is fast increasing, with over 7 million females aged 16 years or over playing sport once a week – an increase of 261,200 since March 2015.

    However, we recognise that there are various obstacles which still exist that put women off sport and initiatives such as This Girl Can, a Sport England behaviour change campaign, have helped encourage women and girls to get active. In addition the Government’s strategy for sport and physical activity ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for An Active Nation’ and Sport England’s strategy ‘Towards an Active Nation’ aim to create a more physically active nation, where people of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy the benefits that sport and physical activity can provide. Both also put a strong emphasis on reaching groups that are under-represented in sport and physical activity, including women and girls, and helping them to get active in ways that suit them.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the nurse vacancy rate was on 1 December (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014 and (f) 2015 in (i) London and (ii) each health trust in London.

    Ben Gummer

    The information requested is not centrally collected.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in which prisons the 595 serious assaults on staff took place, set out in the Safety in Custody Summary Statistics, England and Wales, deaths to 12 months ending December 2015, assaults and self-harm to 12 months ending September 2015, published in January 2016.

    Andrew Selous

    Statistics for assaults on staff by prison are published on an annual basis by calendar year in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin annual assaults tables (see table 3.15 at the link below). https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/495430/safety-in-custody-assaults-dec-2014.xls. Figures for 2015 are due for publication in April 2016.

    Statistics for serious assaults on staff by prison are due for release on in April 2016 as part of the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin annual assaults tables. This publication will include breakdowns of serious assaults on staff by prison in each calendar year.

    “

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) date and (b) remit was of his authorisation to use RAF Lakenheath as a base to carry out airstrikes in Libya.

    Michael Fallon

    Authorisation for the United States to use UK bases to launch the airstrike against a Daesh training camp in Libya was given on 18 February 2016. Authorisation would be required for any operations of this nature involving the use of UK bases.

  • Julie Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Julie Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2016 to Question 26010, when he plans to establish a reading room for hon. Members to access Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership documents.

    Anna Soubry

    The reading room for classified documents, including consolidated texts, relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is not yet open. Members of both Houses will be informed of the process and details of how to access the room during April, once these have been finalised.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings and discussions he has had with representaives of the PrescQIPP Programme since May 2015.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department is not aware of any discussions or meetings the Secretary of State for Health has had with representatives of PrescQIPP.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of staff in her Department were (a) payroll and (b) non-payroll staff in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    My Department has not incurred any expenditure on non-payroll staff during this period.

    All staff employed by the Northern Ireland Office during this period were paid through the Department’s payroll.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the Exchequer was of providing free television licences to people over 75 years of age in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16 for qualifying residents in (i) Glasgow South West constituency, (ii) Glasgow City local authority area and (iii) Scotland.

    Richard Harrington

    The summer budget 2015 announced a number of fundamental changes relating to the BBC and free TV licences for those aged 75 and over. DWP will cease to fund free TV licences from 2019/20 and the BBC will absorb the cost of this and take responsibility for the policy which currently sits with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. It is estimated that the provision of free TV licences for 2016/17 will cost £629m and DWP will continue to make a transfer to the BBC during the phasing period, as set out in the table below.

    2018/19

    2019/20

    2020/21

    HMG transfer for free TV licences (£m)

    468

    247

    0

    DWP resources currently assigned to the provision and collation of data relating to the free television licence scheme for people aged 75 and over is 12 staff days per annum. Any plans for the future role of employees and contractors will be determined following detailed discussions between my Department and the BBC nearer the time the BBC take full responsibility for funding and policy.

    In 2014/15 the cost of providing free TV licences to those 75 and over in Scotland was £49m and it is estimated the cost for qualifying residents in Glasgow South West constituency and Glasgow City local authority area was £0.7m and £4m respectively.

    The cost of the free TV licences to those aged 75 and over in Scotland for 2015/16 will be published on 21 September on the DWP website. Breakdowns by Local Authority and Parliamentary Constituency use that Scotland expenditure estimate and are therefore not currently available.

    Savings to the Exchequer resulting from the future transfer of responsibility for funding television licences for people aged 75 or over were set out in the summer budget 2015.