Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Transport for London’s press release of 20 January 2016, TfL sets out plans to modernise and enhance London’s private hire industry, what representations he has received from the Mayor of London on the introduction of legislation that would enable TfL to restrict overall numbers of private hire drivers and vehicles.

    Andrew Jones

    We receive representations on a range of issues from the Mayor of London.

    The Government supports choice for consumers, and wants to see both taxis and private hire vehicles prosper in London and elsewhere. The Government is prepared to continue discussing various options with the Mayor but does not believe legislation allowing him to cap the number of private hire vehicles is warranted.

  • Lady Hermon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lady Hermon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lady Hermon on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 25652, what media outlets will be used to carry advertising as part of the national campaign for apprenticeships.

    Nick Boles

    The national campaign for apprenticeships will target a range of audiences including young people, employers and parents.

    Advertising will be through a number of different media channels including television, out of home advertising (e.g. posters), radio, digital and social media.

  • Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Court of Appeal’s decision on domestic violence evidential requirements for legal aid, what interim steps his Department plans to make to allow victims of domestic violence with evidence of financial abuse access to legal aid.

    Andrew Selous

    We are pleased the court confirmed that the Lord Chancellor did have the power to set domestic violence evidence requirements. We are carefully considering the judgment as we decide how best to respond to the court’s concerns and will make a further announcement in due course.

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many challenges to the new Service Family Accommodation gradings have been received by the Cost Assurance and Analysis Service since 1 February 2016; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    Between 1 February 2016 and 17 April 2016 a total of 1,675 challenges to the Combined Accommodation Assessment System (CAAS) were received by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation – 24 of these resulted in changes to CAAS bandings.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been paid from the public purse to community rehabilitation companies under the payments-by-results arrangement.

    Andrew Selous

    Cohorts were established from 1 October 2015 and there will be a 26 month delay before the first Payment by Results payment to allow for robust measurement, cases to clear courts, and analysis of the data. We have therefore not made any payments through Payment by Results to Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs).

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what financial checks clinical commissioning groups are required to make on companies which tender contracts for patient transport services in the NHS.

    David Mowat

    It is for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to satisfy themselves of the financial viability of any provider of patient transport, or of any other service, to which it intends to award a contract.

    It is for CCGs to determine how best to meet their statutory functions and duties and their standing financial instructions.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

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

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of staff on the payroll of his Department who work in Westminster are (a) British nationals and (b) nationals of another country.

    Ben Gummer

    All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.

    More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had about access to all areas of East Ukraine for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission.

    Mr David Lidington

    For the Minsk peace process to succeed, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitors must be given full and unhindered access to east Ukraine. I discussed implementation of the Minsk Agreements in detail with Prime Minister Yatseniuk, Foreign Minister Klimkin and OSCE Special Representative Martin Sadjik when I visited Ukraine between 6-8 October. I also raise access for OSCE monitors regularly with the Russian Ambassador to the UK, most recently in June 2015. We also continue to raise it as a point of priority when discussing Ukraine with bilateral partners and in multilateral fora including the EU, OSCE and the UN.

  • Baroness Gardner of Parkes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Gardner of Parkes – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Gardner of Parkes on 2015-11-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the issues involved in maintaining or improving leasehold properties under the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, in particular in central London, where a right to manage exists.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The maintenance and repair of a block of flats containing leasehold properties is normally the responsibility of the landlord and will be set out under the terms of the lease. This responsibility can pass to a Right to Manage Company where leaseholders have exercised and acquired that right, allowing them to exercise direct control over how their block is maintained.

    Landlords, or those who have acquired the Right to Manage, have a contractual obligation under the terms of the leases to carry out necessary works to the properties that they are responsible for maintaining. Where works are suggested by a majority of leaseholders that are not essential to the repair or maintenance of the property, we would expect landlords to engage with their leaseholders to discuss the feasibility of the suggested works, but there are no plans to legislate to obligate landlords to carry out such work.

    There are also no plans to legislate to provide a limited time within which non-resident leaseholders who fail to respond to a proposal for qualifying works, are deemed to have agreed to the proposed works. The statutory consultation process (known as section 20) gives leaseholders the ability to have a greater say on proposed works to their property by making observations. It does not require leaseholders to make observations, but any observations that are made must be made within a specified time limit. The landlord (or Right to Manage Company) is therefore in the knowledge that subject to observations made, they are able to proceed with necessary works.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the governments of (a) Japan, (b) Norway and (c) Iceland on whaling.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    This Government continues to raise its opposition to whaling with Japan, Norway and Iceland at every appropriate opportunity, including through correspondence and during bilateral meetings, making clear the strength of opposition to whaling in the UK. In 2014 our Ambassador to Norway called on Norway’s Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission on 4 September. The UK joined a demarche against Iceland on 15 September 2014 and, during his visit to Iceland in October 2015, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) raised whaling with Prime Minister Gunnlaugsson. On 7 December 2015, the UK, together with 32 other countries, delivered a demarche to Japan in response to the Japanese government’s decision to recommence research (special permit) whaling in the Southern Ocean.