Tag: 2016

  • Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws on 2016-04-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of freedom of expression in Bangladesh, including the threats of criminal defamation against individual journalists and editors, and whether they will raise any specific concerns with the government of Bangladesh.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We believe that a vibrant civil society and free media, able to challenge and hold authority to account, are fundamental to a democratic and economically successful society. We have made clear our concerns about freedom of expression in Bangladesh, most recently in a press statement about the murder of Nazimuddin Samad. In that statement the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), restated our position that the right to freedom of expression and open debate in Bangladesh must be upheld.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding the collection of modern exposure data on occupational carcinogens.

    Justin Tomlinson

    HSE has participated in a European Commission funded pilot project exploring the development of a database to capture data on occupational exposures to hazardous substances in workplaces, see: http://www.hazchematwork.eu/. The pilot is expected to report later this year.

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  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will place in the Library copies of the cost assurance statements prepared by Bright Tribe Multi-Academy Trust and Adventure Learning Academies Trust in relation to the requirement that the trusts were meeting at cost principles for related party transactions.

    Edward Timpson

    The Education Funding Agency is due to publish a report about Bright Tribe Trust. This final report will include the Trust’s progress in implementing recommendations set out by the EFA in December 2015; and will incorporate how assurance is obtained that services are provided at cost. Once this report is published, a copy will be placed in the Library.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what proportion of people given security clearance and passes in 2015 to work for construction, maintenance and refurbishment purposes in the Palace of Westminster were not UK nationals.

    Tom Brake

    In 2015 responsibility for construction, maintenance and refurbishment was held by the Parliamentary Estates Department. The Pass Office database shows that 2,529 CTC (Counter Terrorist Check) clearances were conducted on those working in PED in 2015. Of these, 366 were non-UK nationals. This equates to 14.47% of all those given security clearance for work in the department in 2015.

  • 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 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he visited the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2016, in his official capacity.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) did not attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2016.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when and where they will establish application procedures for the new funds they are providing to assist the education of the children of refugees and displaced people from Iraq and Syria.

    Baroness Verma

    At the Supporting Syria and the Region conference, the UK committed to more than double our total pledge to the Syria crisis to over £2.3 billion. Within this allocation, we committed to double education funding for Lebanon to £40 million per year and increase funding in Jordan to £20 million a year to support the conference goal of getting all refugee children from Syria and vulnerable children in host communities in quality education by the end of the 2016/17 school year. We also committed to increasing access to learning for the 2.1 million children out of school in Syria itself.

    Implementation plans to deliver the Conference goals on education are currently being discussed with partner governments, UN agencies, NGOs and donors. New UK funding will be aligned with these plans, and will be implemented through partners who can deliver increases in access to quality education, quickly, efficiently and at scale. Implementing partners will be identified selected in accordance with normal DFID procedures.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people using the Chorlton Benefit Delivery Centre applied for funeral payments in each month in 2015; how many of those applications were granted; and what the average amount awarded was in each of those months.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Table below gives figures for the number of application and awards for Funeral Expense Payments for the Chorlton Benefit Delivery Centre by month for 2015. (Some individuals may have made more than one application in a month.)

    Month

    Applications Received

    Awards

    Average Award

    Jan

    480

    290

    £1,375

    Feb

    460

    270

    £1,229

    Mar

    360

    270

    £1,323

    Apr

    390

    270

    £1,286

    May

    440

    300

    £1,380

    Jun

    440

    310

    £1,377

    Jul

    360

    240

    £1,382

    Aug

    310

    180

    £1,368

    Sep

    350

    220

    £1,344

    Oct

    340

    200

    £1,369

    Nov

    350

    230

    £1,361

    Dec

    190

    130

    £1,379

    Source: DWP Policy, Budget and Management Information System

    Figures for Applications Received and Awards made are rounded to the nearest 10.

    Average Award amounts are given to the nearest £1. The average award is calculated by dividing gross expenditure by the number of awards (including awards made on review, reconsideration or appeal).

  • 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 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of potential savings to his Department’s budget that will arise from reduction in headcount as a result of the closure of its Sheffield office at St Paul’s Place.

    Joseph Johnson

    We cannot at this time provide an estimate of overall savings to BIS’ budget arising from headcount in the event that a decision to close the HQ office in St Paul’s Place is taken. Since the consultation was launched in February we have started to work through the likely associated costs of different options, recognising that final decisions on headcount have not yet been taken. Our internal work uses the annual costs of running the Sheffield office to illustrate the range of permanent, annual savings under different scenarios for staff replacement. This did not consider the one-off costs of transition including redundancies, which remain subject to decisions following the conclusion of the consultation. As we have previously indicated, our London headcount will decrease by 2020 and we have committed to making overall operating expense savings of £350m, of which this will form a part.

  • Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to support efforts to monitor the funding and transparency of the Education Cannot Wait fund for education in emergencies.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK has played a leading role in the development of Education Cannot Wait, a fund for education in emergencies, announcing a £30 million commitment as a founding donor at its launch at the World Humanitarian Summit on 23rd May.

    The UK will continue to engage closely during Education Cannot Wait’s inception phase to ensure that the final design and results framework are underpinned by a transparent monitoring and evaluation system and robust financial reporting arrangements, to ensure that the UK and other donors have strong oversight of how funds are utilised and results achieved.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) the Norwegian, (b) the Swiss, (c) the Canadian and (d) other models for a new form of economic relationship with the EU.

    Mr Robin Walker

    At every step of our negotiations to leave the European Union we want to secure the best deal for Britain and for the British people. We won’t be following any other nation’s model – the position we build outside the EU will be unique to Britain.