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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • 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 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department or Ofcom has made an assessment of the cost drivers behind BT’s recent 50 per cent increase in charges for non-payment by direct debit.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    BT’s charges to business customers for payments made other than by direct debit increased on 1 October 2015. It a commercial decision for providers such as BT to determine these charges, however, telecoms providers are regulated and monitored by Ofcom, who review customer satification on a rolling basis. Since January 2014, small business customers (with ten employees or fewer) affected by a mid-contract price increase may be able to leave their contract without penalty under Ofcom rules. Further information about this is on Ofcom’s website (http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/ofcom-for-business-consumers/business-contracts).

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  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House of Lords

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House of Lords

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Leader of the House, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 9 February (HL5480), what discussion she has had with the Northern Ireland Office about answering parliamentary written questions in full.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    As Leader of the House, I regularly stress to departments the importance of giving full and timely answers to Questions for Written Answer. The content of each answer is a matter for the Minister concerned, and each Minister is responsible to the House for the answers they provide. That direct accountability is important: that is why Ministers in this House must provide personally signed answers to members.

    The Ministerial Code says that “It is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament”. It also makes clear that “Ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public, refusing to provide information only when disclosure would not be in the public interest”. In addition, there is a longstanding rule of this House that all answers should be complete and comprehensible. I shall continue to make this guidance clear to all Ministers.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will now consider acknowledging mass atrocity prevention or the prevention of identity-based mass violence to be a matter of national interest and a national priority.

    James Duddridge

    The UK continues to be strongly committed to early and effective international action to prevent mass atrocities. The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 underlined the importance the Government attaches to upholding international humanitarian law and to the prevention of mass atrocities through effective implementation of the UN agreed principle of the Responsibility to Protect.

  • Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Rob Marris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the potential effect of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 on costs to the NHS in the year ending May 2017.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department assesses the impact of all proposed measures before making legislation using standard government methodology. These assessments are set out in Impact Assessments which are scrutinised by the Regulatory Policy Committee before publication alongside the Statutory Instrument.

    An assessment of the impact of the provisions introduced by the Tobacco Products Directive will be published alongside the implementing Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 in spring this year. Expected health benefits from improved smoking quit rates have been estimated at around £13 billion.

  • Andrea Jenkyns – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrea Jenkyns – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrea Jenkyns on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received from (a) local authorities and (b) other bodies on the pressures on school places due to immigration from (i) EU and (ii) non-EU countries.

    Edward Timpson

    It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-06-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consult widely on how the UK’s contributions to EU programmes for disaster relief, aid and development might be used in the future.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK’s aid strategy sets out how we will tackle extreme poverty and in doing so protect our own national security and interests. We will continue to ensure that our 0.7% ODA commitment is used to deliver our development objectives to maximum effect whilst achieving value for money for the taxpayer.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-09-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which local authorities have agreed to accept Syrian refugees.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    More than 170 local authorities have provided firm offers of places and many more have pledged to resettle refugees under this scheme. We continue to work with them all in order to meet our commitment. Progress on resettlement is reported in quarterly immigration statistics, including the local authorities participating in the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and how many refugees have been resettled in each area.

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she plans to (a) launch a public consultation on her Strategy to Maximise Economic Recovery of North Sea oil and gas reserves, and (b) lay the final version of that strategy before Parliament.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Our oil and gas industry is incredibly important. It supports around 375,000 jobs, provides secure energy for our homes and businesses and generates billions of pounds for our economy every year, at home and through exports. The industry is an essential part of the Government’s plans to provide a secure, reliable energy source to UK homes for decades to come and we are committed to backing it.

    We are working hard to implement the recommendations of the Wood Review – most importantly setting up the Oil and Gas Authority and, even with the challenges presented by lower oil prices, the North Sea still provides opportunities and remains fully open for business.

    The consultation will be launched shortly. The Strategy will be laid before Parliament after the consultation has closed and Government has considered the responses it receives.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how UK citizens living in the UK can apply for a visa for relatives living in Yemen.

    James Brokenshire

    UK citizens can submit visa applications on behalf of relatives living overseas via the following website – www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/home/welcome.

    The applicant would then need to travel to their nearest Visa Application Centre (VAC) to verify the information provided and progress their application to the next stage.

    There are no VACs in Yemen; guidance for applying for a UK visa from Yemen can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/yemen-apply-for-a-uk-visa/apply-for-a-uk-visa-in-yemen

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how the PSHE Association guidance on body image is distributed to teachers.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The PSHE Association guidance on body image is available for download from the PSHE Association website. This is a freely available resource that can be accessed by anyone wishing to find out further information on how to address this topic, and what resources are available to do so. Anyone accessing the website, including teachers, can download the document here: https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/news_detail.aspx?ID=1437

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