Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Robin Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Robin Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robin Walker on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Prime Minister, what criteria the Government uses to decide whether to carry out targeted strikes against individuals in Syria.

    Mr David Cameron

    Following the House of Commons vote on 2 December 2015, the UK joined a global coalition taking military action to tackle the threat posed by Daesh in Syria, as well as Iraq. The action in which the UK is participating includes targeted strikes against members of Daesh in Syria and Iraq, as well as targeting Daesh’s infrastructure, deployed forces and sources of revenue. The Coalition’s ongoing action, including the role of the UK, is lawful in Syria under Article 51 of the UN Charter, and in Iraq with the consent of the Iraqi Government. Coalition action has the support of the international community as reflected in UN Security Council resolution 2249(2015), and the support of the House of Commons.

    My comments to the then right hon. Member for Neath (Mr Hain) on 26 September 2014, Official Report, column 1265, and the Oral Statement I gave on 7 September 2015, Official Report, column 26, about taking lawful action in response to an identified, direct and imminent threat to the UK would still apply, of course, to individuals in Syria and Iraq who are not members of Daesh. The Government reserves the right to take lawful action to address an identified, direct and imminent threat to the UK and report to Parliament after it has done so.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what guarantees she has received that UK development aid for Ethiopia is not used for military or security purposes or the so-called villagisation dispersal programme; and what safeguards are in place to ensure that UK aid to Ethiopia is used only for agreed development purposes.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    All DFID aid in Ethiopia is administered through specific programmes, each with a strong set of controls, high standard monitoring and strong DFID oversight. Aid in Ethiopia is distributed through a number of channels. Where a programme is administered using government systems a standard fiduciary risk assessment evaluating the national public financial management system is mandatory. As with all aid spending, strong checks and balances and regular monitoring ensure that aid is used for the purposes intended.

    UK aid in Ethiopia has contributed to the remarkable developmental gains the country has made over the past decade. The UK has helped reduce poverty and child mortality in Ethiopia by a quarter and put four more million children in primary school.

  • Gordon Henderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Gordon Henderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Henderson on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to allow all British citizens who live abroad but pay income tax in the UK to vote in UK elections regardless of the length of time they have been resident abroad.

    Chris Skidmore

    As set out in our manifesto, the Government will bring forward legislation to remove the outdated 15 year time limit on overseas voting rights.

    The Government’s proposals will make no change to the extent to which taxation is the basis for enfranchisement in the UK.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been deported to (a) India, (b) Pakistan, (c) China, (d) Nigeria, (e) Uganda and (f) Iran in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The term ‘deportations’ refers to a legal definition of a specific set of returns. Deportations are a specific subset of returns which are enforced either following a criminal conviction or when it is judged that a person’s removal from the UK is conducive to the public good. The deportation order prohibits the person returning to the UK until such time as it may be revoked.

    Published information on those deported is not separately available. As such, the question has been interpreted as referring to enforced returns. In an enforced return, it has been established that a person has breached UK immigration laws and / or has no valid leave to remain in the UK. They have declined to leave voluntarily and the Home Office enforces their departure from the UK.

    Statistics on persons returned from the UK is published in the Home Office’s Immigration Statistics. The latest edition, Immigration Statistics: April to June 2016 is available from GOV.UK on the statistics web pages at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she plans to take to raise awareness of the prejudice against transgender people.

    Caroline Dinenage

    M​any transgender people face discrimination in the workplace, as well as in their day-to-day lives. That is why I will publish guidance for employers and service providers on 26 November 2015, to improve knowledge and understanding.

    I want to continue to raise awareness of the issues and discrimination facing many transgender and non-binary people.

    On Transgender Day of Remembrance, 20 November 2015, my department became the first to fly the transgender flag, remembering all those who have lost their lives and faced discrimination.

  • Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which trades union groups have received (a) funding and (b) other support from her Department in each of the last five years.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    DFID has funded the following trade union groups in the last five years:

    • Ethical Trading Initiative (an alliance of almost 87 companies, trade unions and NGOs) in 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15.
    • Unison in the years 2012/13 and 2013/14.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what timetable has been set for the repayment of the reallocation of Big Lottery funding which was diverted to the Olympics in 2012.

    David Evennett

    As agreed when the Olympic loan was signed off, repayments to the National Lottery Distribution Fund will come from land development and sales in the Olympic Park, and are expected to start in the early 2020s.

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to reduce domestic rent prices in London.

    Greg Hands

    The Government believes that the key to improving affordability in domestic rents is to increase the supply of homes. That is why the Government has taken measures to attract billions of pounds of investment to build homes specifically for private rent. This includes a £3.5 billion debt guarantee scheme to support the delivery of new homes purpose built for private rent.

    At the Spending Review the Government set out its Five Point Plan for increasing housing supply. This includes plans to deliver 400,000 affordable home starts by 2020/21, including 10,000 Rent to Buy homes; a £2billion fund to provide infrastructure on large housing sites; a £1billion fund to provide loans to SME builders; further reforms to the planning system and the release of public sector land for 160,000 homes.

  • Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposed changes to the National Planning Framework for London on the (a) availability and (b) affordability of housing in London.

    Brandon Lewis

    The proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework reaffirm this Government’s commitment to increasing the supply of housing in sustainable locations. Consultation on our proposed changes closed on 22 February and we are currently analysing the responses.

    We have doubled the housing budget to help deliver our ambition of one million new homes and are committed to spending £8 billion to deliver over 400,000 affordable housing starts by 2021. Negotiations over the financial settlement to deliver affordable housing within London are continuing.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Grocott on 2016-04-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 7 March (HL6442), whether they support the application to join the EU of (1) Turkey, (2) Macedonia, (3) Montenegro, (4) Albania, and (5) Serbia.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We support all five countries’ aspiration to join the EU as an important means to drive reform. Turkey’s accession process remains the most effective mechanism to support continuing reform in Turkey. In the Western Balkans, the prospect of EU membership is helping to build stability and promote cooperation on issues that matter to the UK, including organised crime and illegal migration. The strict conditionality of the enlargement process means that it takes many years for a country to complete accession negotiations, undertake reforms and achieve the progress needed to meet EU membership criteria. Any decision to enlarge the EU requires the unanimous agreement of the governments of all existing Member States and ratification in accordance with each country’s constitutional arrangements. In the case of the UK, under the European Union Act 2011 ratification cannot take place without an Act of Parliament to approve the new accession. We can therefore ensure that our requirements are respected in any future EU enlargement. The UK will insist that controls on free movement cannot be lifted until accession countries’ economies have converged much more closely with existing Member States.