Tag: Parliamentary Question

David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-04-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that funding from the public purse for her Department’s work (a) does not reach unintended destinations and (b) is tracked from its source to its intended project.

Mr Nick Hurd

At every stage in the programme cycle DFID assesses and mitigates the risk that aid could be diverted from its intended purpose or project. DFID provided a comprehensive written answer on 29 March 2016 [Hansard ref 31732] which set out in more detail the steps DFID take to ensure that funding from the public purse for her Department’s work (a) does not end up in unintended destinations and (b) is tracked from its source to its intended project. In addition, DFID’s Counter Fraud and Whistleblowing Unit will take all necessary steps to investigate swiftly all allegations of corruption and fraud and pursue sanctions available in each case, including dismissal, prosecution, suspension and cancellation of aid.

01/01/2023

Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37288, if she will publish statistics on how many European Arrest Warrant surrenders to and from each UK law enforcement agency of each type there have been in each region.

James Brokenshire

These statistics are provided by the National Crime Agency on their website at: http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/european-arrest-warrant-statistics However, this does not provide statistics on surrenders by law enforcement and offence – these are recorded separately.

The following figures are therefore based on surrenders to and by relevant police force areas (excluding those law enforcement agencies that sit outside of regional police force areas (i.e., British Transport Police)). This, and the fact that these figures are taken from statistics for the relevant fiscal years, rather than the calendar years, explains the slight variation from the figures previously released.

Police Force Area	Surrenders to the UK Fiscal years 2009/10 to 2015/16
Cleveland	1
Durham	3
Northumbria	6
North East Region	10
Cheshire	6
Cumbria	4
Greater Manchester	46
Lancashire	42
Merseyside	43
North West Region	141
Humberside	9
North Yorkshire	8
South Yorkshire	13
West Yorkshire	47
Yorkshire and Humber Region	77
Derbyshire	9
Leicestershire	17
Lincolnshire	8
Northamptonshire	0
Nottinghamshire	10
East Midlands Region	44
Staffordshire	24
Warwickshire	2
West Mercia	8
West Midlands	25
West Midlands Region	59
Bedfordshire	5
Cambridgeshire	4
Essex	4
Hertfordshire	15
Norfolk	9
Suffolk	10
East of England Region	47
London, City of	22
Metropolitan Police	139
London Region	161
Hampshire	18
Kent	28
Surrey	6
Sussex	28
Thames Valley	18
South East Region	98
Avon & Somerset	22
Devon & Cornwall	15
Dorset	5
Gloucestershire	4
Wiltshire	1
South West Region	47
Dyfed-Powys	1
Gwent	4
North Wales	4
South Wales	13
Wales	22
Northern Ireland	34
Northern Ireland	34
TOTAL	740

Police Force Area	Surrenders from the UK Fiscal years 2009/10 to 2015/16
Cleveland	25
Durham	29
Northumbria	56
North East Region	110
Cheshire	103
Cumbria	18
Greater Manchester	268
Lancashire	122
Merseyside	106
North West Region	617
Humberside	104
North Yorkshire	36
South Yorkshire	136
West Yorkshire	360
Yorkshire and Humber Region	636
Derbyshire	69
Leicestershire	121
Lincolnshire	163
Northamptonshire	125
Nottinghamshire	145
East Midlands Region	623
Staffordshire	70
Warwickshire	42
West Mercia	79
West Midlands	373
West Midlands Region	564
Bedfordshire	129
Cambridgeshire	242
Essex	157
Hertfordshire	85
Norfolk	95
Suffolk	65
East of England Region	773
London, City of	11
Metropolitan Police	1967
London Region	1978
Hampshire	167
Kent	277
Surrey	58
Sussex	172
Thames Valley	273
South East Region	947
Avon & Somerset	128
Devon & Cornwall	85
Dorset	68
Gloucestershire	42
Wiltshire	41
South West Region	364
Dyfed-Powys	32
Gwent	18
North Wales	35
South Wales	55
Wales	140
Northern Ireland	196
Northern Ireland	196
TOTAL	6948

01/01/2023

Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many full-time equivalent staff of his Department (a) have moved and (b) are planned to move into the EU Unit.

Joseph Johnson

The new Department for Exiting the European Union will be made up of staff from various departments across Government. The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are under consideration.

01/01/2023
Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes to the funding of English for speakers of other languages services on the ability of local authorities to provide access to English language classes to resettled Syrian refugees.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Learning English is a key factor in integration and is vital for gaining access to the employment market. Our experience is that most Syrians resettled under the programme are keen to learn English.

English language tuition is already provided as part of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme (VPRS) and will be available for adults entering the UK under the Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement scheme (VCRS). The recently announced additional £10 million of funding will increase the amount of training available for Syrian refugees resettled in the UK.

We will be working with local authorities to ensure that the funding is taken up in the most effective way, including providing funding for regional English Speakers of other languages (ESOL) co-ordinators to promote best practice, map provision, support authorities to commission services and coordinate volunteers. Many people across the country have also offered their time and support to help refugees improve English and integrate better into their community.

01/01/2023
Lord Wills – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations on public funding to match charitable support for a National Mesothelioma Centre have been received by (1) HM Treasury, (2) the Department of Health, and (3) the Department for International Development.

Lord Prior of Brampton

These Departments have received representations concerning this issue from the noble Lord, Lord Wills of North Swindon and other noble Lords. The Department of Health has received a letter from the British Lung Foundation that mentions this issue.

01/01/2023
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many legally owned .22 calibre semi-automatic rifles have been used in criminal offences in each of the last 10 years in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.

Mike Penning

I can confirm that the information requested on the number of .22 calibre semi-automatic rifles held by certificate holders in England and Wales is available. However, as it takes time to extract this information from our systems, I will write separately with our response and place a copy of the reply in the House Library.

The licensing of firearms in Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Scotland and the Department of Justice for Northern Ireland. Information in respect of firearms in those jurisdictions is not held centrally by the Home Office.

I am unable to provide the information requested on the number of legally owned .22 calibre semi-automatic rifles used in criminal offences as it is not collected centrally.

01/01/2023
Lord Campbell-Savours – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell-Savours on 2016-01-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received evidence of VAT fraud in the London souvenir and gift trade, and if so, what action they have taken to combat it.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) receive a variety of data and intelligence from numerous sources. Everything from bulk data from third parties to information provided by individuals through the Tax and Customs Evasion Hotlines.

Clamping down on those who try to cheat the system through evading taxes and over claiming benefits is a key priority for HMRC, and they are committed to ensuring the tax system operates fairly and efficiently. All the information HMRC receive is risk-assessed and a decision made on the most appropriate course of action.

Data and intelligence received could include information relating to the London souvenir and gift trade. However, there is strict law of confidentiality covering all the work for which HMRC are responsible. The relevant law is Section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue & Customs Act 2005, which strictly limits the circumstances under which they disclose information they hold and any action taken. This prohibits HMRC from giving specific details of any information received regarding any sector.

01/01/2023
Lord Hunt of Chesterton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Chesterton on 2016-02-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to establish targets in the UK to reduce carbon emissions produced by road and rail transport by 2020.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government has already set stretching legally binding carbon budgets, which will see a 50% economy wide reduction in emissions in 2025 compared to 1990 levels, on a path towards an 80% reduction by 2050, and is committed to ensuring the transport sector plays a full part in delivering the emissions reductions needed.

In December 2011, the Government published Carbon Plan: Delivering our low carbon future, setting out in a series of five-year carbon budget periods how we will meet the UK’s legally binding carbon reduction targets.

The Government will set the level of the fifth carbon budget in June this year (for the period 2028 to 2032) and will publish the next Carbon Plan shortly afterwards.

01/01/2023
Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse was of closing down the General Social Care Council.

Alistair Burt

The function for the regulation of social workers in England was transferred from the General Social Care Council (GSCC) to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) on 1 August 2012.

The final set of accounts from the GSCC show that the total cost to the public purse of closing down the Council was £16.5 million. The HCPC also received £1.4 million to support it take on the functions for the regulation of social workers in England. Therefore, the total cost was £17.9 million.

On the assumption that the costs of the GSCC remained broadly similar, the Department estimated that the closure of the GSCC saves £13.5 million each year.

01/01/2023
Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to (a) councils and (b) other large employers of homecare workers on the payment of workers for their travel time.

Alistair Burt

It is for providers to ensure that they are complying with legislation and paying workers for the time they are legally entitled to be paid for.

The Care Act 2014 is clear that local authorities should ensure that care workers are paid at least minimum wage, and are paid for travel time between appointments.

We are working with local authorities and the care sector to improve social care commissioning, including supporting the sector to commission in a way that promotes quality, including meeting legal requirements on staff pay in relation to travel time.

There is clear Government Guidance on the issue of payment for work related travel time. It can be found in full on this website:

http://www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-different-types-work/overview

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01/01/2023