Tag: Diana Johnson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many large-scale business cases submitted by his Department to the Infrastructure and Projects Authority were accepted in the 2015-16 financial year in each region; and what the value of (a) public and (b) private sector funding committed was for each of those projects in each such region.

Mr John Hayes

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) provides expertise, practical help and independent assurance of major projects, working with all partners in infrastructure and major projects (government departments, project teams, HMT, Cabinet Office, and the private sector). The remit of the IPA does not include providing formal approval and as such departments do not submit business cases to the IPA for approval.

The IPA publish an annual comprehensive forward-looking assessment of the current and planned investment in UK economic infrastructure across both the public and private sectors (The National Infrastructure Pipeline). This document contains financial information of the level of public and private infrastructure investment broken down by region currently in development and planned to 2021 and beyond. The Spring 2016 update can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-infrastructure-pipeline-2016.

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has (a) had discussions with and (b) made referrals to the International Criminal Court on investigating possible (i) acts of genocide, (ii) war crimes and (iii) crimes against humanity in Syria and Iraq by radicalised UK citizens.

Alok Sharma

As the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson MP), said to the UN Security Council on 21 September, we are working with our partners in the international community to do everything we can to support the gathering of evidence which could be used by courts to bring Daesh to justice. On 19 September, the Foreign Secretary launched at the UN General Assembly an international campaign to bring Daesh to justice. As a state party to the International Criminal Court (ICC) Rome Statute and strong supporter of the ICC, the UK has regular discussions with the court on a range of issues. Any decision to refer to the ICC must be made on the basis of what will be the most effective means to bring perpetrators of atrocities and those who have assisted them to justice. In her press statement of 8 April 2015, the ICC Prosecutor set out some of the complicated issues involved in the ICC investigating Daesh, including foreign fighters who are nationals of from ICC states parties. When efforts were made to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC in 2014, it was vetoed by Russia and China.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to implement the recommendations of the Review of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for victims of human trafficking, published in November 2014, on (a) requiring providers of housing of people going through the NRM to an audit process, (b) ensuring closer working between her Department, housing providers and local councils and (c) gathering data on the outcomes of people going through the NRM for two years after a conclusive grounds decision.

Sarah Newton

We are committed to doing all we can to identify and support UK-based victims of modern slavery. Following a review of the NRM, and in consultation with law enforcement and NGOs, we are piloting ways of improving the efficacy and efficiency of existing arrangements in two regions. The pilot will be evaluated and the findings will inform any reforms that we decide to roll out. Putting the NRM on a statutory footing would require secondary legislation and we will consider whether there is a need do so at the end of the pilot.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding from the public purse his Department has allocated to the garden bridge project; and how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department have been working on that project.

Andrew Jones

In 2014, the Department committed £30 million of funding towards the Garden Bridge as a way of kick-starting the project and to act as a catalyst to stimulate private sector investment. Various conditions were attached to the Department’s funding, and around £7.5 million will be clawed back should the bridge not be built. No Department for Transport staff work full-time on the project.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how much funding his Department has been allocated for each fiscal year of the current Spending Review period.

Mr Robin Walker

Detailed work is underway to establish the budget required to fulfil the department’s set-up and responsibilities, including staffing budget, over the period of the Spending Review. The budget will be presented to the House of Commons and approved as part of the supplementary estimates in the new year, as is standard practice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether UK projects earmarked for EU funding in 2019-20 under the EU’s 2014-2020 budget cycle will continue to receive such funds should the UK formally leave the EU in 2019.

Mr David Gauke

The Treasury has provided a guarantee for multi-year funds that may carry over after exit where they meet UK priorities and value for money criteria.

The Treasury has also guaranteed all direct, competitively bid projects between UK organisations and the European Commission signed before we leave the EU, and the current level of direct payments to farmers until 2020.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is her policy to negotiate to participate in the (a) Common Agricultural Policy and (b) Common Fisheries Policy after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice

Exit from the EU presents us with a unique opportunity to review the way we manage our farming and fisheries sectors and design a set of policies tailored to the needs of the UK. These sectors are immensely valuable and supporting them will form an important part of our exit from the EU. The Secretary of State, and her ministerial team and cross-Whitehall colleagues, are therefore working with industry, rural and coastal communities, and the wider public to shape our plans for farming and fisheries outside the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many verified images are currently on the National Hash Set Database; and how many police forces have direct access to that database.

Karen Bradley

The Child Abuse Image Database (CAID) was launched in December 2014 and supersedes the interim National Hash Set Database. All of the hashes relating to Indecent Images of Children from the interim National Hash Set Database managed by Cheshire Constabulary were added to CAID along with hash sets held by other UK law enforcement agencies.

CAID contains over four million images. All these images appearing on CAID have an indicative categorisation based on police force grading or ‘votes’. Of these images, at present, fewer than 600,000 have been categorised as having a “trusted grade”. This “trusted grade” is achieved once the image has received three independent, undisputed votes by police forces encountering them. These are therefore the images which have been most reliably assessed as being Indecent Images of Children.

The focus this year has been to ensure that all police forces and the National Crime Agency are connected to CAID by the end of this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 2.88 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, whether the additional funding for cycling infrastructure will raise UK cycling spending to the equivalent of £10 per capita.

Mr Robert Goodwill

In his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced more than £300m was being made available for cycling. The Government will set out its investment plans in the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, to be published summer 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which trades union groups have received (a) funding and (b) other support from her Department in each of the last five years.

Mr Nick Hurd

DFID has funded the following trade union groups in the last five years:

• Ethical Trading Initiative (an alliance of almost 87 companies, trade unions and NGOs) in 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15.
• Unison in the years 2012/13 and 2013/14.