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Tag: Lord Empey

  • Lord Empey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Empey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total number of persons currently employed to deliver electoral services in Northern Ireland.

    Lord Dunlop

    The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is currently considering a range of options for reforming his Office. This includes capitalising on new technology by introducing on-line registration.

    The Chief Electoral Officer will have regard to the continued effective delivery of elections in Northern Ireland and ensuring that his Office remains on a sustainable financial footing. The Northern Ireland Office fully supports him in this approach. I understand that work on some options is at an early stage.

    The Representation of the People Act 1983 makes provision for the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland to delegate returning officer functions to the clerk of a district council.

    Detailed questions on headcount and budget are operational matters for the Chief Electoral Officer who is independent of Government. The Chief Electoral Officer publishes all such information in his annual report which is presented to Parliament and copies are made available in the Library of the House.

    The headline budgets allocated to the Chief Electoral Office are:

    Financial Year

    Operational Funding

    Capital Funding

    2013/14

    £5.452m *

    £100k

    2014/15

    £2.336m

    £56.2k

    2015/16

    £2.296m

    £25k

    * includes £3m for the 2013 canvass

    The Northern Ireland Office has not agreed any budgets with the Chief Electoral Officer for future years pending receipt of the Department’s detailed Spending Review 2015 settlement letter from HM Treasury.

  • Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-04-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in the South Atlantic.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have obtained written clarification from the UN Legal Counsel as to the remit and mandate of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). This confirms that the CLCS has no jurisdiction over the sovereignty of any land territory. That would of course include the Falkland Islands. The UN itself has noted that the CLCS cannot consider claims relating to disputed areas. In this case that would include the Falkland Islands. The British Government remains in no doubt over its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, and has no doubt about the right of the Islanders to determine their own future.

  • Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether applicants suffering from Fibromyalgia are refused benefits because the condition is not recognised as sufficiently serious to cause disability.

    Lord Freud

    The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recognises Fibromyalgia as a real and potentially significantly disabling condition. Where a clinical diagnosis of Fibromyalgia has been made full account will be taken of its functional effects when determining benefit entitlement.

  • Lord Empey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Empey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to amend the Climate Change Act 2008 to alleviate the costs of power for large energy users in the United Kingdom.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The Climate Change Act does not impose specific costs on large energy users in and of itself. Instead, the Act sets up a long term target to reduce emissions across the whole economy. It is for the Government to decide the cost effective way of meeting that target and Government is mindful of the impact of policies on energy intensive users.

    For energy intensive sectors, voluntary Climate Change Agreements (CCAs) allow 90% reduction from the Climate Change Levy (CCL) for electricity in return for signing up to stretching energy efficiency improvement targets agreed with Government. Metallurgical and mineralogical sectors have been exempt from paying the CCL since April 2014. In addition, the Government has paid over £131m in compensation to eligible energy intensive industries, for the indirect impacts of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and Carbon Price Support mechanism on their electricity prices. Further relief measures are currently being considered by the European Commission.

  • Lord Empey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Empey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when and where the Mobile Infrastructure Project will be rolled out in Northern Ireland.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Mobile Infrastructure Project is being rolled out in Northern Ireland up to the end of March 2016.

    There are currently 7 masts in build phase. These are located in:

    • Derry and Strabane District

    • Fermanagh and Omagh (2 sites)

    • Lisburn and Castlereagh

    • Mid Ulster (3 sites)

    Planning permission was received for 4 sites. These sites are located in:

    • Mid Ulster (3 sites)

    • Newry, Mourne and Down

    Planning applications were submitted but decisions awaiting for 5 other sites. These are located in:

    • Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon

    • Derry and Strabane District

    • Fermanagh and Omagh (2 sites)

    • Mid Ulster

  • Lord Empey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Empey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2015-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances value added tax can be applied to school uniforms.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Children’s clothing, including a school uniform, is VAT zero-rated if it is designed for young children and is of a size that would fit the average child aged under 14 years. Larger sizes of clothing are standard rated irrespective of the age of the wearer.

  • Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2014-06-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whom they consider to be the legitimate government of Syria.

    Baroness Warsi

    While we consider the National Coalition the sole legitimate representatives of the Syrian people, it is not at present the government in Syria. The Coalition is working to realise the aspirations of the vast majority of Syrians for a democratic and pluralist future for their country. The Assad regime has lost all legitimacy by responding to the demands of its people for their basic rights and freedoms with escalating, and horrifying, brutality: using chemical weapons, heavy artillery and air power against civilians; unlawfully detaining and torturing its own people, including children; and preventing life-saving humanitarian support from getting to those who need it. The recent Syrian presidential elections were a parody of democracy and served only as a reminder of the continued illegitimacy of the Assad regime.

  • Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so how much, money they have withheld from the Northern Ireland Executive because of its failure to implement welfare reform in Northern Ireland.

    Lord Deighton

    The Chief Secretary to the Treasury notified the Northern Ireland Minister for Finance and Personnel on 31 March that the Northern Ireland Executive’s funding allocations would be reduced by £13m, £87 m and £114 m in 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 respectively.

  • Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect Lady Justice Hallett’s inquiry into the on the runs” administrative scheme to be published.”

    Baroness Randerson

    While Lady Justice Hallett is making good progress on her report, she has informed the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland that it will not be ready for publication until shortly after the 30 June deadline.

  • Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria they use to determine when a member or former member of the armed forces is suffering from post-traumaticstress disorder and is entitled to financial compensation or a pension; and when those criteria were adopted.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) provides compensation for members and former members of the Armed Forces who suffer injury or illness as a result of service from 6 April 2005. Where a discrete mental health disorder is present, a separate award may be payable. The AFCS is tariff based and awards for mental health disorders and does not depend on precise diagnosis but effect on function.

    The legislation requires that mental disorders are diagnosed by a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist at consultant Grade. Each claimed injury or illness (including mental illness) is investigated to determine if it was predominantly caused by service. If so, it will be matched against the descriptors and corresponding awards in the Tariff.

    The AFCS was preceded by the War Pensions Scheme (WPS), which provides no fault compensation to former service personnel and their dependants for injuries and death as a result of service. All decisions are certified by a Medical Adviser and once entitlement has been established, the war pensioner’s degree of disablement due to service is assessed – normally as part of the medical certification process. The method of assessment is on an individual basis by comparison of the disabled person with a person of the same age and sex.

    Members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) 05, with a recognised diagnosis, will be entitled to an ill-health pension or a tax-free pension lump sum or both, providing they have completed two years qualifying service. The ill-health categories are split into three ill-health award levels and these are allocated by reference to the same tariff levels that are used for the AFCS. Trained lay decision-makers consider each case and will decide on the level of the award as per AFCS.

    The AFCS05 was preceded by the AFPS75 which included provision of an occupational entitlement to a Service Invaliding Pension (SIP) calculated on length of reckonable service and the substantive rank held at discharge. Members with at least two years qualifying service have an entitlement to an ill-health award.

    If the condition occurred before 6 April 2005 and is considered under the WPS to have been caused by service in the Armed Forces, and the degree of disability assessed as 20% or more, an additional entitlement under the provisions of the Armed Forces Attributable Benefit Scheme (AFAB) will also be considered. AFAB provides a minimum level of income and provides a top-up to the SIP.