Tag: Douglas Carswell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff in his Department were in receipt of Continuity of Education Allowance in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; and what the cost to his Department was of providing that allowance for staff based (i) in the UK and (ii) overseas in each such year.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The figures requested are attached and as follows:

	Number of Staff	Cost CEA Home	Cost CEA Overseas	Total
2012/2013	442	£8,736,957	£6,189,104	£14,926,061
2013/2014	378	£6,727,304	£6,435,519	£13,162,823
2014/2015	370	£7,193,211	£5,749,923	£12,943,134

It is a condition of their employment that members of the diplomatic service must be prepared to serve anywhere in the world at any time during their career, sometimes at very short notice. Those with children have a legal obligation as parents to ensure that their children receive a full-time education from the age of five years. Most parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, but in some of the 168 countries where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has UK based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children for health or security reasons. In others, local schools of an acceptable standard are not available. It is longstanding practice that the FCO helps staff by providing financial support for their children’s education in the UK where staff choose this, or are obliged to do so given local conditions in the country to which they are posted.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants from across all Government departments and at what grade have been seconded to the Cabinet Office Referendum Unit.

John Penrose

I refer my right hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice and Howden and the hon. Member for Clacton to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for St Albans on 18 April 2016 to UIN: 32678.

The cost of the secretariat, including the Referendum Unit, will be accounted for in the Department’s annual report and accounts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to ensure that the next East Anglia franchise introduces new rolling stock on routes to Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze.

Claire Perry

The specification for the next franchise requires that bidders provide high quality rolling stock in their bids and 30% of the available quality points from the franchise evaluation (the highest level in any franchise) will be awarded for bidders’ plans for rolling stock improvements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the EU Water Framework Directive on the level of water available in London.

Rory Stewart

The Water Framework Directive aims to protect and improve surface waters and groundwater and promote sustainable water use so that we have a sufficient supply of good quality water for people and the environment. Actions to achieve this are set out in river basin management plans every 6 years.

On the 30^th October, the Environment Agency published proposed updated plans which they submitted to the Secretary of State for approval, including the Thames plan which covers London. The preparation of the proposed plan has involved an assessment of current and future water availability in the Thames river basin.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2015 to Question 13828, what other benefits will be available to Syrian immigrants; and what assessment he has made of the effect the payment of such benefits will have on local authorities (a) in general and (b) with regards to the housing of Syrian migrants under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme.

Priti Patel

Syrians entering the United Kingdom under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme receive an initial 12 month support package, including accommodation, integration support and English language tuition. Local Authorities are actively engaged in this process. Those participating in the scheme will be able to work and will have access to some benefits (depending upon their individual circumstances and the eligibility criteria for those benefits).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2015 to Question 18488, what amount of funding from the Coastal Communities Fund will be allocated to the Jaywick Coastal Community Team from 2017 to 2021.

Mr Marcus Jones

Funding from the Coastal Communities Fund is awarded to projects through a competitive bid-led process rather than being allocated directly to specific places or Coastal Community Teams. To date no successful bids have been received from organisations in Jaywick.

Funds are awarded to projects that best meet the programme’s aims to promote sustainable growth and jobs. Details of the Fund’s next bidding round for projects starting in 2017-18 will be announced in the Spring. The Economic Plan being prepared by Jaywick’s Coastal Community Team will provide an important context for considering bids to the Fund from public, private and voluntary/community sector organisations in its area.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of brownfield land sites in the Essex County Council area have been re-designated as community land trusts in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis

The Department does not hold information centrally on the amount or type of land held by Community Land Trusts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether her Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.

James Brokenshire

At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-17.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to implement the University College London RSCoin proposal.

Harriett Baldwin

Digital currencies, and the distributed ledger technology that underpins them, have the potential to bring innovative services and products to UK customers and firms – particularly in areas like international transfers.

The Chancellor announced in March 2015 that the Government will bring digital currency exchange firms into regulation in the UK to help the legitimate industry flourish, and to create a hostile environment for illicit actors. We will publish proposals on this regulatory regime in due course.

As outlined in Deputy Governor, Ben Broadbent’s recent speech, the Bank of England is also exploring this emerging sector and the implications it could have for monetary and financial stability as part of its broader research agenda.

Separately, academics at University College London’s (UCL) digital currency research centre have also been looking at how the distributed ledger technology that underpins digital currencies could be harnessed by central banks. The Government is encouraged to see this research from one of the UK’s world-leading universities. However, this a theoretical paper by an independent institution, separate from the Bank of England’s work and from Government policy.

It is the Government’s ambition to foster the growth of legitimate digital currency firms as part of the wider FinTech ecosystem here in the UK. As part of this, the Government will consider the wider implications of a growing digital currencies sector for the financial services sector and the economy as a whole. Some parts of Government are also looking at how the benefits of distributed ledger technology can be harnessed to deliver greater innovation. However, the Government and the Bank of England do not currently have any plans to introduce a centrally issued digital currency.

The UK has been rated as having the world’s leading FinTech ecosystem in a recent global benchmarking exercise and attracted c. £524mn in investment in 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made in its programme to increase the use of Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets among children under five years of age and pregnant women in Uganda.

Mr Nick Hurd

Results from the 2014-15 internationally recognised Malaria Indicator Survey indicate that the proportion of children under five in Uganda who slept under treated nets had gone up from 42% in 2009 to 74%; and that the proportion of pregnant women who slept under a treated net had gone up from 47% in 2009 to 75%. The UK has been a significant contributor to bed nets in Uganda. We have funded procurement and distribution of 5 million bed nets and distributed an additional 4.5 million bed nets.