Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2015 to Question 12035, what teaching agency G4S contacted; and what level of security clearance that member of staff was required to hold in order to enter the facility concerned.

    Andrew Selous

    The recruitment agency contacted by G4S was Randstad. The member of staff went through full G4S vetting and clearance before being employed on site. All STC staff, both temporary and permanent, must also undergo background checks and be reviewed and approved by the Youth Justice Board prior to appointment.

  • Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-02-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the records of retailers concerning carrier bag charges will be made public after the first reporting period, 5 October 2015 to 6 April 2016, in the light of the fact that members of the public can obtain copies of retailer carrier bag records within 28 days.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Defra is required to publish every retailer record received on an annual basis. All records supplied by retailers will be published on the GOV.UK website by 31 July each year.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the extent of regional disparities in publicly-funded opportunities outside schools for children to learn musical instruments without charge; and if he will make an assessment of the effect of such disparities on the music industry.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government invested £171m between 2012-15 in 123 Music Education Hubs to ensure that children aged 5-18 have the opportunity to sing or learn a musical instrument. A further £75m of funding was made available for 2015/16. We have subsequently introduced a new, fairer funding system which reflects both the total number of pupils and the number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals. This means hubs can target money towards pupils who need it most and local areas are now much more accountable for how they deliver music. Alongside Hubs, the Government has also introduced the In Harmony programme which inspires and transforms the lives of children through community-based orchestral music-making in areas of exceptional deprivation. Both of these programmes offer opportunities for children and young people in the local area to attend after school sessions to learn music.

    In addition, originally set up by DCMS and UK Music and now overseen by UK Music, we have helped to create 14 pilot music rehearsal spaces for young people in a range of urban and rural areas of England experiencing multiple deprivation. The funds were used to provide instruments and equipment, and contributed towards the cost of necessary capital works, such as sound proofing.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken in response to the Resolution of the House of 11 February on conservation of sea bass and the effect of related EU measures on the UK recreational fishing industry.

    George Eustice

    The Government has noted carefully the points of the Resolution of the House, which have informed the ongoing development of UK policy on bass as we continue to work to improve the sustainability of the stock at both national and EU level.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has commissioned or is funding into wireless charging technology for electric vehicles.

    Andrew Jones

    A number of private UK interests are actively undertaking research, including TRL who are a partner in the EU’s 7th Framework Programme £7m ‘FABRIC’ project (Feasibility analysis and development of on-road charging solutions for future electric vehicles). This follows their successful completion of a Highways England commissioned study into the feasibility of implementing dynamic wireless power transfer systems on the UK’s strategic road network (http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/publications/1902/).

    “

  • Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alan Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications to her policies of the findings of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Freedom of Religion or Belief’s report entitled, Fleeing Persecution: Asylum Claims in the UK on Religious Freedom Grounds, published in June 2016; and what plans she has to implement the recommendations of that report.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on their individual merits, including claims based on religious persecution. We grant protection to those who genuinely need it in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

    Published guidance on the interviewing and consideration of asylum claims is regularly reviewed and takes into consideration the views of stakeholders, including religious groups. The current training and support available for asylum caseworkers includes a UNHCR endorsed Foundation Training Programme. This, and follow-on courses, covers all aspects of the asylum interview and decision making process, including the assessment of credibility and country information in religious based claims. Real-life case studies and role-play are used throughout the training programme to reinforce knowledge and understanding of the issues.

    We are currently carefully considering the APPG report and it’s recommendations and will provide a response in due course.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of nuisance calls.

    Matt Hancock

    I refer the honourable member to my response to PQ 44827, answered on 12th September.

  • Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Julian Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Lewis on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the potential benefits which investment in renewable energy generation methods can bring to developing countries; what research has been undertaken on how this might be achieved; what funding is proposed to be made available for this purpose; and if she will make a statement.

    James Wharton

    DFID’s energy work is aligned with the new Global Goals, particularly Goal 7, to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. DFID’s energy work is guided by international studies including, for example, by the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme based at the World Bank. Recent research by the International Renewable Energy Agency indicates that investment in renewable energy increases GDP, improves welfare, creates more jobs and shifts patterns of trade.

    DFID provides significant funding to support renewable energy work, including through the UK Government’s International Climate Finance (ICF) allocation, as well as spend through multilateral funds, such as the Climate Investment Funds and the Green Climate Fund, which have significant renewable energy components.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which regulations her Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations her Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    I refer the hon Member to the answer given by my Rt hon Friend, the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise (Anna Soubry) on 11 November 2015.

  • Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential role for the private sector in increasing birth registration in fagile contexts.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    Accurately recording births, deaths, adoptions, marriages and divorces will be critical in achieving the newly agreed Global Goals. In fragile contexts, registration is essential to enable refugees to obtain humanitarian services and protection under international law.

    Although globally, the births of nearly 230 million children under age five have never been recorded and almost two thirds of deaths are not counted at all, some progress is being made, largely in Latin America and Asia. The increasing use of technology and the private sector have played important enabling roles in building this momentum and will continue to be crucial to further progress.

    DFID supports statistical capacity building and implementation of national statistical plans in a number of countries through global programmes such as the Statistics for Results Facility Catalytic Fund (SRF-CF), implemented in eight countries. In Nigeria, for example, SRF-CF supported eight outreach birth/death registration centres. DFID also provides bilateral support to countries’ national statistical systems.

    At a policy level, DFID supports the Commission for Information and Accountability (COIA) where CRVS is one of ten priority areas. DFID also provides support to the UNHCR, the mandated UN agency to advocate for the protection and promotion of the rights of refugees, which plays a crucial role in assisting refugees in with documentation. To date, DFID has allocated over £44 million to UNHCR’s operations in Jordan and in Lebanon, of which a proportion will go to funding the registration and issuing of birth certificates for refugees.