Tag: Parliamentary Question

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Polak on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations have they made to the Palestinian Authority following the seizure by Israeli customs of 4,000 incitement dolls, allegedly designed to encourage stone throwing, destined for the West Bank.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have not raised this specific issue with the Palestinian Authority. Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, urging them to use their influence to de-escalate the tensions. We continue to support the reinstatement of the Tripartite Committee as the appropriate channel to deal with allegations of incitement from either side.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2016 to Question 24211, what account she takes of the recreational benefit of maintaining school playing fields when considering a school disposal request.

    Edward Timpson

    The Education Funding Agency and the Independent School Playing Fields Panel who advise on playing field disposals will look at a range of factors before advising the Secretary of State on disposals, including any reduction in access to playing fields for the school, other local schools and the local community.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what annual rent his Department paid at (a) 1 Victoria Street, London and (b) St Paul’s Place, Sheffield in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Joseph Johnson

    We have committed to making changes to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) by 2020 that will result in a more flexible Department, reduced headcount and far fewer delivery bodies.

    Our business needs to be designed in a way that works for this smaller workforce and more streamlined structures.

    To support this direction of travel, we are moving towards seven or so centres by 2020, supported by a regional footprint for those whose work needs to be at a local level.

    We want each of these centres to focus on a key business activity so that we can bring the relevant expertise together.

    We are proposing that one of these centres will be a combined BIS headquarters and policy centre in London, close to our Ministers.

    The average cost of floor space at each of the Department’s offices is:

    a) £483.64 per sqm at St Paul’s Place

    b) £686.20 per sqm at 1 Victoria Street

    The annual rent paid by BIS over the last 5 years is:

    Year

    (a) 1 Victoria Street

    (b) St Paul’s Place

    2015-16

    £11,004,000

    £209,304

    2014-15

    £11,004,000

    £209,304

    2013-14

    £11,004,000

    £209,304

    2012-13

    £11,004,000

    £209,304

    2011-12

    £11,004,000

    £209,304

    By the end of this reform programme in 2020, we will have fewer employees in London and BIS as a whole, and aim to save £350million in operating expenditure overall. The vast majority of employees within the BIS Group will continue to be based outside London.

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people from other EU member states were in receipt of housing benefit in each of the last 10 years; and what the total cost to the public purse was of those people claiming that benefit in each of those years.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many overseas convictions of UK nationals have been recorded on the Police National Computer in the last year for which information is available.

    James Brokenshire

    The ACRO Criminal Records Office recorded on to the Police National Computer (PNC) conviction notifications of UK nationals convicted (or conviction updated) in the EU and outside the EU for the years specified, as follows:

    EU

    FY13/14 -number of notifications added to PNC – 5,797

    FY 14/15 -number of notifications added to PNC – 8,334

    FY 15/16 -number of notifications added to PNC – 5,873

    Non-EU

    FY13/14 –number of notifications added to PNC – 175

    FY 14/15 -number of notifications added to PNC – 341

    FY 15/16 -number of notifications added to PNC – 593

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate the Government has made of the cost to the public purse to date of the adaptation of the Voyager aircraft for the transport of senior ministers.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    To date the Departmental spend to convert one Voyager aircraft’s cabin into an enhanced configuration is £8.9 million out of a total estimated cost of £9.6 million.

    The aircraft’s primary role will continue to be aircraft refuelling.

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how her Department plans to continue to work with European partners in the areas of her portfolio that were covered by the Schengen Agreement after the UK leaves the EU.

    Sir Oliver Heald

    As the Prime Minister has said, it would not be right for the Government to give a running commentary on negotiations with the EU.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent official closing in Turkey of more than 20 media outlets; and whether they will make representations to the government of Turkey about those closures.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    In the aftermath of the coup attempt we have emphasised the need for Turkey to respect human rights, including press freedom, and the rule of law. It is vital that the Turkish Government’s response to the coup attempt be demonstrably lawful and measured, and undertaken in line with Turkey’s international obligations. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Sir Alan Duncan) reiterated these messages to senior Turkish interlocutors, including President Erdogan, during his visit to Turkey on 19 October. We will continue to engage with the Turkish Government at all levels on these issues, and to monitor the situation closely.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the reasons why only 37 per cent of the millennium development goals in the UK’s 28 priority countries have been marked as met or will be met in her Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2014-15.

    Grant Shapps

    The majority of DFID’s priority countries are fragile or conflict-affected. These states have historically been under supported by the international development community. DFID increased its focus and spend in fragile states in 2010 and it was right to do so.

    Progress against the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is driven by the collective action of developing countries and all development partners. DFID’s development programmes are designed to contribute towards these goals.

    DFID’s ongoing Bilateral Aid Review will assess and review progress towards the MDGs as part of our strategic planning processes to inform future programming.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what weight will be given to the security situation in Syria at such a time as Syrian refugees who have entered the UK due to the present crisis in that country become eligible for indefinite leave to remain of UK citizenship.

    Richard Harrington

    Syrians who are resettled under the Syrian Resettlement Scheme will be able to apply for indefinite leave to remain and UK citizenship at the expiration of their five year humanitarian protection visa. Each application will be assessed on a case by case basis in line with our guidance which considers the ongoing need for protection, including the security situation in Syria at the date of decision, as well as the individual’s behaviour.