Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Caroline Flint – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Flint – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Flint on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of his Department’s invoices for goods and services supplied by (a) private companies and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are completed on time; and what proportion of the (i) number and (ii) value of contracts between his Department and private companies are held by SMEs.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) aims to pay 80% of its invoices within five working days and payment performance is published on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence/about/procurement#ministry-of-defence-payment-performance. This shows that during the first three quarters of 2015-16, the MOD paid around 97% of its invoices within five days and 99.9% within 30 days. A comprehensive breakdown of the proportion of invoice payments made to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and to private companies is not held.

    Information on MOD contracting with SMEs is also published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-industry-trade-and-contracts-2015. This shows that in 2014-15, the MOD placed around 440 new contracts directly with SMEs, with a collective value of around £320 million.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve defence capacity building.

    Michael Fallon

    We engage in capacity building activities with a wide range of international partners, covering a broad spectrum of topics including Humanitarian and Disaster Relief; Countering Violent Extremism; Peace Support Operations and countering illicit trafficking.

    We committed in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 to increase our capacity building with partners, and have since then expanded our activity in a number of ways.

    For example, we have launched a new three year Counter-IED capacity building programme with Pakistan. We have also joined the US-German Trans-Atlantic Capability Enhancement and Training (TACET) initiative, under which we will deploy Short Term Training Teams to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. In Ukraine, where we have already trained over 2,000 members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, we are aiming to provide additional support to Ukrainian Defence reform including practical interventions in areas such as strategic communication and modernisation of procurement and logistics systems. In Nigeria we continue to expand our resident British Military Advisory and Training Team, and have committed to more than doubling the number of UK military personnel who deploy on short term training tasks to 300 in 2016. We have also significantly increased the support we provide to the Jordanian Army to help them improve border security.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the level of his Department’s budget for estates after completion of the BIS 2020 change programme.

    Joseph Johnson

    Detailed plans are being developed across the BIS estate. An initial estimate is that some £40M savings in office estate could be achieved. This depends on a range of other factors.

  • Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Goudie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Goudie on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to make a multi-year funding commitment to the Education Cannot Wait fund for education in emergencies that represents an increase in real terms funding for education in humanitarian situations.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK has played a leading role in the development of the Education Cannot Wait fund, which is designed to attract multi-year additional funding for education in emergencies and protracted crises. The UK has recently announced a new multi-year commitment of £30 million, over the first two years, to the Education Cannot Wait fund at the World Humanitarian Summit on 23rd May, as a founding donor to this important initiative.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to conclude and publish its consultation on establishing public central registers of beneficial ownership of UK properties owned by foreign companies.

    Margot James

    The Department is currently developing the policy detail to be included within the consultation, which we intend to publish later this year.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to section 6.5 of the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian National Authority, whether the implications of any breach of the commitment on the principle of non-violence was discussed at the annual partnership talks between her Department and that Authority.

    Rory Stewart

    The UK raised the issue of incitement as part of the FCO-led UK-Palestinian strategic talks and in the DFID-Palestinian Authority (PA) annual talks that review the DFID-PA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), sending a clear message of discouraging incitement to violence. The UK’s assessment is that the PA is not in breach of the MoU and the track record of President Abbas and Prime Minister Hamdallah demonstrates their overall commitment to non-violence and a negotiated two-state solution.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-11-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the development of Watchkeeper.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Development costs are not separately identified as they are included within the main Demonstration, Manufacturing and Initial Support contract with Thales UK. The current total financial approval for development and delivery of Watchkeeper to Full Operating Capability is £927 million.

  • Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jo Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Cox on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the extent to which her Department’s policies prioritise the prevention of identity-based mass violence.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The Strategic Defence and Security Review and the UK Aid Strategy set out a consolidated, whole-of-government approach to tackling conflict and building stability overseas. This approach uses diplomatic, development, defence and law enforcement capabilities in an integrated manner. As such, addressing and preventing conflict, instability and state failure is a key priority running through UK aid policies and programmes. This includes the prevention of identity-based mass violence, alongside other forms of violence and instability.

    These priorities are reflected in National Security Council-led strategies for countries and regions at risk of instability, including of large-scale identity based violence. The underlying drivers and enablers of mass atrocities are addressed as part of joint, cross-government conflict analysis and early warning, and through conflict-sensitive development programming. Development programmes also contribute to the prevention of mass violence by supporting wider conflict prevention and peacebuilding activities – for example by supporting community mediation efforts, or reforming security and justice systems.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 10 December 2015 to Questions 18458 and 18543, what assessment he has made of the compatibility with the conditions applicable to grants awarded to Action on Smoking and Health of its the provision of secretariat assistance to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health; if he will review the conditions set out in the award letters for such grants; and if he will investigate any breaches in such conditions.

    Jane Ellison

    The conditions applicable to grants awarded to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) are set out in the grant award letters. The Department has made clear that none of this funding is to be used for lobbying purposes.

    The Section 64 grant must be spent in delivering the agreed project outputs set out in the grant award letter and it does not fund secretariat support for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health.

    ASH’s compliance with the conditions of the grant is assessed at the grant monitoring meetings held between the Deputy Director of tobacco control and representatives from ASH as well as in the final full year grant monitoring and governance reports.

  • Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government is doing to encourage supermarkets to act responsibly when sourcing and purchasing fish products.

    George Eustice

    Such matters fall primarily to the Non-Departmental Public Body Seafish, which is funded by an industry levy. Seafish has developed a ‘Risk Assessment for Sourcing Seafood’ (RASS), an online seafood sourcing tool, to help retailers assess the potential reputational risks of sourcing particular types of seafood. The primary objective is to support commercial seafood buyers by presenting up-to-date information on a comprehensive range of fisheries whose products are in the UK supply-chain, covering four components: stock, management, bycatch, and habitat. This year, RASS will be expanded through the addition of seafood social responsibility factors including crew welfare, human rights and slavery.

    Seafish has also developed, and recently launched at the Houses of Parliament, the Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS). The RFS is a voluntary vessel-based programme certifying high standards of crew welfare and responsible catching practices on fishing vessels. It is the only programme certifying crew welfare and responsible catching practices on vessels, and complements other fishery-based sustainability certifications. Such assurances are being increasingly sought by the UK market.