Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-04-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34917, if he will provide a breakdown of the £25 billion total receipts from asset sales in financial year 2015-16 by (a) individual asset, (b) the amount raised by each asset and (c) the buyer of that asset.

    Mr David Gauke

    The following table provides a breakdown of major asset sales in 2015-16 excluding Lloyds:

    Asset

    Amount raised (£bn)

    Buyer

    Royal Mail

    1.3

    Sale of shares

    UKAR

    13.0

    Cerberus Capital Management LP

    Lloyds Banking Group

    7.4*

    Sale of shares

    RBS

    2.1

    Sale of shares

    King Cross JV

    0.4

    AustralianSuper

    Eurostar

    0.8

    Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and Hermes Infrastructure

    *Figure reflects 2015-16 sales through the ongoing Lloyds trading plan as at most recent announcement date (4th December 2015).

  • Flick Drummond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Flick Drummond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to extend the operational life of the Type 23 frigate.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    There are currently no plans to extend further the out of service dates for the Type 23 Frigates.

  • Paul Farrelly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paul Farrelly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Farrelly on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff working for the Health and Care Transformation Boards in (a) Staffordshire and (b) other constituent parts of the UK receive a higher salary than the Prime Minister.

    David Mowat

    We are unsure what is meant by Health and Care Transformation Boards. However in regards to Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs):

    STP footprints are not statutory bodies, but collective discussion forums which aim to bring together health and care leaders to support the delivery of improved health and care based on the needs of local populations. They do not replace existing local bodies, or change local accountabilities. Each footprint has been asked to determine governance arrangements for agreeing and implementing their STP. Individuals who are leading the development of STPs within each footprint, which include National Health Service provider Chief Executives, Clinical Commissioning Group Accountable Officers, local authority senior leaders, are responsible for convening and chairing system-wide meetings, facilitating the open and honest conversations that will be necessary to secure sign up to a shared vision and plan. In the overwhelming majority of cases this is a voluntary, non-statutory role and they are not being paid over and above the remuneration they receive for their existing role. Their salary details will be available in the individual annual reports of the organisations by whom they are substantively employed.

  • Christina Rees – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Christina Rees – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reasons are for the proposal to reduce the number of benefit appeal cases in which (a) an appellant can appear in person and (b) the panel includes a member with direct experience of the relevant benefit; and what cost savings are expected to arise from that change.

    Sir Oliver Heald

    The Government is investing close to £1 billion to reform and digitise our courts and tribunals to deliver swifter and more certain justice.

    Technology will be at the forefront of our reforms but specific support will be provided to ensure tribunals remain accessible to all and physical hearings will continue to be used to resolve many cases.

    The impact assessment published alongside the Transforming our Justice System consultation paper sets out our estimate of potential savings from tribunal panel composition reform based on possible future scenarios.

    The panel composition reforms will ensure that the most appropriate panel is always selected to hear a case. As now, relevant expertise will always be available where needed, regardless of how a case is resolved. The Senior President of Tribunals will continue to determine when panel members are used.

  • Kirsty Blackman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Kirsty Blackman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsty Blackman on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his Answer of 4 November 2015 to Question 14206, for what reason his Department’s quarterly report of transparency information from October to December 2014 was not ready for publication until 15 October 2015.

    David Mundell

    The Government publishes an unprecedented range of Transparency data. This is a significant task across all Departments, and Information is published as quickly as is possible.

  • Lord Tebbit – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Tebbit – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2015-12-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether and how the government of President Assad in Syria threatens the national interest of the UK.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has said, Assad has been one of Daesh’s most effective recruiting sergeants. His regime’s brutal suppression of the Syrian people, including through the use of chemical weapons, has created the chaos and instability in which Daesh has been able to thrive. Defeating Daesh will require action on a number of fronts including, ultimately, a political transition to a new Syrian government which is able to protect the Syrian people and with whom the international community can partner against Daesh.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 3.22 of English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the planned 17,000 NHS apprenticeship starts which will be taken up by apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities.

    Nick Boles

    The NHS has committed to creating 100,000 apprenticeships by 2020, offering opportunities to thousands of people who wish to pursue a career in the health sector. This is part of a wider, cross-government commitment to reaching three million apprenticeship starts in England across all sectors in 2020.

    Apprenticeships are full time jobs with training. We do not interfere in employers’ recruitment decisions or set specific quotas for the number of apprenticeships to be taken up by people with special educational needs or disabilities. All employers must fulfil their duties as set out in the Equality Act 2010 for apprentices as they would for other employees. We believe that the overwhelming majority of young people with special educational needs or disabilities are capable of sustainable, paid employment with the right preparation and support. For many, apprenticeships are the best route into paid employment. To support this, people aged 16 and over can apply for Access to Work funding for adjustments to the workplace. In addition, reasonable adjustments are available for any qualifications within apprenticeships to ensure the apprentice has every opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to respond to the report by 4Children Britain’s Families Thriving or Striving?, and in particular the surveyed views of young people aged 16–24 that they wanted more political education in schools.

    Lord Nash

    The new national curriculum includes an improved programme of study for citizenship education at key stages 3 and 4. The programme of study is designed to prepare pupils to play a full and active part in society and fosters political awareness. In citizenship lessons, pupils learn about democracy, government, and how laws are made and upheld. These lessons should equip pupils to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, to debate, and to make reasoned arguments.

    In partnership with youth organisations, the Cabinet Office has published a collection of democratic engagement learning resources developed in partnership with organisations such as UK Youth and Scottish Youth Parliament. They are designed to enable different groups, including young people and students, to discuss the importance of democratic participation and registering to vote. These learning resources, such as Rock Enrol!, are available to download for free and can be used in schools to encourage young people to participate in democracy and register to vote.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-02-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 22 February (HL5864), whether the term UK troops includes members of 13 Squadron, based at RAF Waddington, and of 39 Squadron, based at Creech Air Force Base in the US.

    Earl Howe

    This Government has demonstrated its commitment to the war powers convention by its willingness to hold Parliamentary debates in relation to air strikes in Iraq and Syria in 2013, 2014 and 2015. However, we have no intention of defining the precise circumstances, including the identity of specific military units, capabilities or types of operation, under which we might be obliged to act first and to notify Parliament afterwards, in order to avoid presenting our adversaries with opportunities to exploit that definition against the UK or our interests.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Freedom of Information Request release of 1 October 2014, reference BIS/FOI/2014/20352, what the data on referrals is for each financial year between 2009-10 and 2015-16.

    Nick Boles

    The Pay and Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) was replaced by the Acas helpline from 1st April 2015, meaning that the same data referred to in the FOI referenced above is not available for 2015/16. The table below shows the data on referrals from the PWRH to relevant enforcement authorities for the 2009/10 financial year.

    2009/10*

    HMRC

    3000

    EAS

    820

    HSE

    290

    DEFRA

    440

    GLA

    100

    *The Pay and Work Rights Helpline opened in May 2009

    Notes

    1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10

    2. Calls can be referred to more than one agency so the sum does not amount to the total number of calls referred for the period

    3. Calls referred to agencies includes complaints, complex queries and calls where intelligence was passed to other agencies