Tag: Bob Blackman

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2015-11-23.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will undertake an analysis of the feasibility of further financial devolution to London.

Greg Hands

The government is strongly committed to devolving powers and responsibilities to the local level. The Chancellor has announced details of the reform to Business Rates nationally whereby Local Government will be able to retain 100% of Business Rates. The government will set out in due course the implications of this reform for London

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on approving the business case for rebuilding the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.

George Freeman

A Full Business Case for the new inpatient ward at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital was submitted to NHS Improvement for review on 6 April 2016 and is due for consideration in June 2016. This remains a priority project for the Department and NHS Improvement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to support charities during this Parliament.

Mr Rob Wilson

In the last five years the number of registered charities has increased by over 2,000, and the sector’s annual income has grown by over £10bn.

Looking ahead, the Government’s priority is supporting a strong, independent, transparent and accountable voluntary sector. Plans will include a focus on outcomes based commissioning, restoring public trust in fundraising and strengthening the Charity Commission to protect charities from abuse through the Charities Bill.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many tests for Vitamin D were carried out by pathology laboratories in England in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2013-14; and what the cost to the NHS was of providing such tests in each of those years.

Jane Ellison

This information is not held centrally. Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning laboratory testing locally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-01-11.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library HM Revenue and Customs’ full workings, including the methodology, modelling and assumptions, which underpinned the figures included in the Tobacco Levy Consultation, published in September 2015, on the tobacco levy yield after behavioural effects.

Damian Hinds

The response to the tobacco levy consolation included the HMRC costing note and the DEFRA review of HMRC’s methodology, alongside consultation responses and the government’s summary. Since the government does not generally publish analysis of polices that do not go ahead, the publishing of these documents goes significantly beyond usual practice. HMRC also publish a methodological paper on tobacco entitled Econometric Analysis of Cigarette Consumption in the UK. This can be found on gov.uk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answers of 27 April 2016 to Questions 34797 and 34798, what assessment he has made of the implications for the UK’s role in Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations of UK funding being used by UN-funded non-governmental organisations to commemorate Palestinian terrorists.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have made no such assessment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will hold discussions with the UN on the alleged misappropriation of reconstruction building materials to Hamas in Gaza.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID has provided £0.7 million to the Materials Monitoring Unit (MMU) which monitors the import, storage, supply and use of construction materials into Gaza under the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) in order to help ensure that materials are used for civilian purposes. The MMU has identified certain cases of resale or misappropriation of materials and taken appropriate remedial action, keeping donors including the UK closely informed. We take seriously allegations of misappropriation of building materials and have regular and regular discussions with the UN to raise these concerns.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-06-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with Tata UK on that company’s sale of carbon credits and its pension fund deficit; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Ministers have held a number of meetings with Tata at which a wide range of issues impacting Tata’s business have been raised. These continue to be explored as part of our wider package of Government support for UK Steel. In addition, on 26 May 2016, the Department for Work and Pensions launched a consultation on the options for the British Steel Pension Scheme. The consultation has now closed and the responses are being considered carefully.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department took steps to respond to the violent protests at an Israel Society event at King’s College London in January 2016.

Mike Penning

I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer I gave to 24779 on 04 February 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Bangladesh on tackling increasing levels of violence against minority Hindu communities in that country.

Alok Sharma

The British Government is extremely concerned by the increase in extremist-related violence against a number of minority groups including Hindus in Bangladesh since September 2015. The former Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) most recently talked to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh about countering extremism in the margins of the G7 meeting in Japan on 27 May. The former Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire) raised this with Foreign Minister Ali on 5 July. The British High Commissioner regularly discusses these issues with Bangladesh government ministers. We welcome Prime Minister Hasina’s “zero tolerance” approach towards terrorism, but this must be implemented in a way that fully respects the international rights standards that Bangladesh has signed up to and which, as a member of both the Commonwealth and the UN Human Rights Council, it has pledged to uphold.