Tag: Parliamentary Question

Lord Tyler – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tyler on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Chairman of Committees what have been the (1) security, and (2) other, costs to the House administration in preparing for and conducting the State Opening of Parliament in each of the last five years.

Lord Laming

State Opening is the major ceremonial event of the parliamentary calendar and the Estate is significantly reconfigured for hosting it. Its traditions date back as far as the sixteenth century and it is the only regular occasion when the three constituent parts of Parliament meet: the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The event is broadcast to the nation by the main UK TV channels and also to many international networks with high viewing figures across the globe.

The security costs to the House administration in preparing for and conducting the State Opening of Parliament in each of the last five years are set out in the table below. These figures are additional to the fixed cost base for police officers and staff, tasked daily with protecting the Parliamentary Estate. They are indicative, due to the complex nature of police officer and staff allocation for a large scale operation.

Year

Amount (£)

2012

c.15,000

2013

17,234

2014

10,300

2015

15,814

2016

c.15,000

Estimates of other costs are set out in the table below. These include supply and fit of additional structures, preparations of the interior, additional lighting, move and reinstallation of the vehicle security barrier, construction costs of reconfiguring the Lords chamber and Royal Gallery, building media facilities within the Palace of Westminster, storage of equipment throughout the year, and other domestic and administrative costs.

The costs for 2016 are based on estimates only at this stage, because not all invoices have yet been received from relevant suppliers. Some costs are annual rather than tied to a particular State Opening of Parliament; these annual costs have been attributed to the next State Opening.

Since 2015, a proportion of overtime has been captured specifically in relation to the State Opening of Parliament. This accounts for the apparent steep increase in overall ‘other’ costs for that and the subsequent year, but it should be noted that these costs always existed, but were assigned to separate budgets.

Year

Amount (£)

2012

251,341

2013

261,504

2014

280,707

2015

325,937

2016

c.326,000

The House of Lords pays a proportion of these costs, many of which are costs from services shared with the House of Commons. This information does not represent the full cost of State Opening, as costs will also have been incurred by other bodies, which may include Westminster City Council, the Metropolitan Police and the Royal Household.

01/01/2023
Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment NICE has made of the need for clinical guidelines on hidradenitis suppurativa.

Nicola Blackwood

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that it has not made any assessment of the need to develop a clinical guideline on the care of people with hidradenitis suppurativa, nor has it been asked to develop a clinical guideline on this condition.

NICE published technology appraisal guidance on adalimumab (Humira) for treating moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (TA392) on 22 June 2016, which recommends its use. Commissioners now have three months in which to put in place funding arrangements.

01/01/2023
Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of the staff employed by his Department are non-UK nationals.

David Mowat

Nationality is not a mandatory field in the Department’s Business Management System where the details of staff are registered. This means that a fraction of the workforce are ‘undeclared’ with respect to nationality.

All the figures given in the table below are as of 6 October 2016. These figures do not include contractors, temporary agency workers or the staff of service companies.

Nationality

Headcount in category

Proportion of workforce in category

British

1,572

82%

Non-UK

104

2%

Undeclared

247

13%

Total employed

1,923

100%

01/01/2023
Matthew Pennycook – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the amount in the Levy Control Framework increased when the Carbon Price Floor was frozen in the 2014 Budget.

Andrea Leadsom

The Levy Control Framework cap was not adjusted in response to the freezing the Carbon Price Floor in 2014 Budget. The Carbon Price Floor is a policy led by HM Treasury. In the 2014 Budget, the Carbon Price Support, the mechanism by which the carbon price floor is delivered, was capped at £18/tCO2 until 2019/20. DECC analysis on projected levy expenditure under the Levy Control Framework to 2020/21 reflects these rates.

01/01/2023
Jonathan Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans that smart ticketing will cover the entirety of the North or be separated between city regions.

Andrew Jones

We are working towards a world class transport network that is supported by a ticketing system that makes it simple and easy to travel across the North by bus, tram, metro and rail. In the recent spending review, the Government committed up to £150 million of new funding to help make this vision a reality. By Budget 2016, Transport for the North will set out an implementation plan for the delivery of smart and integrated ticketing across local transport and rail services in the North over this parliament and beyond.

01/01/2023
Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received on the ethics of fixed odds betting terminals; and if he will make a statement.

David Evennett

On 21 January the Government published its evaluation of the £50 regulations introduced in April 2015. You can find it here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/493714/Evaluation_of_Gaming_Machine__Circumstances_of_Use___Amendment__Regulations_2015.pdf

The evaluation indicates that a large proportion of players of FOBTs may now be making a more conscious choice to control their playing behaviour and their stake level. We will now consider the findings of the evaluation before deciding if there is a need for further action.

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01/01/2023
Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that funds, financial assets or economic resources are not being made available by UK nationals, UK-owned businesses, including tour companies, or other entities within UK territory, to sanctioned North Korean entities, or to that country’s nuclear and ballistic missiles programme.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

UN sanctions measures on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) include the requirement of all member states to freeze funds, other financial assets and economic resources on their territories, which are owned or controlled by individuals and entities designated by the UN Sanctions Committee or Security Council as being engaged in or supporting DPRK’s nuclear or ballistic missile programmes. The EU has legislated to give effect to UN sanctions. In the case of the DPRK it has gone beyond them by designating additional individuals and entities at the EU level. It is a criminal offence within the UK to make available funds or economic resources to a listed individual or entity under UN or EU DPRK sanctions measures.

01/01/2023
Mrs Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne Main on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many nationals of other EU member states have given birth in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Rob Wilson

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

01/01/2023
Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what fee his Department agreed with Learndirect in connection with its negotiated exit from the Drive and Vehicle Standards Agency contract for provision of the UK Driving Theory Test.

Andrew Jones

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and learndirect Ltd have concluded an exit from the contract for the provision of the UK Driving Theory Test, which was due to transfer to learndirect Ltd in September 2016.

The supplementary agreement to that exit is subject to commercial confidentiality. The agreement with Pearson Vue, the current provider of the theory test, to extend their contract is expected to lead to overall net benefits of more than £8million over four years to the theory test service and its customers.

01/01/2023

David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of coal burnt in UK coal-fired power stations in each of the last three years was mined in the UK.

Andrea Leadsom

This can be estimated by subtracting the amount of steam coal imports (mainly used by coal-fired power stations) by the total amount of coal used in electricity generation. Please see the table below:

	Imports of steam coal (thousand tonnes)	Coal used in generation (thousand tonnes)	*UK produced coal used for generation (thousand tonnes)**	Proportion of UK produced coal used for generation %
2013	42,995	50,041	7,046	14.0%
2014	35,294	38,400	3,106	8.0%
2015 (provisional)	20,631	29,342	8,711	29.6%

* This includes stocks from earlier years.

Source:

Energy Trends tables 2.1 and 2.4, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solid-fuels-and-derived-gases-section-2-energy-trends.

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01/01/2023

Year	Amount (£)
2012	c.15,000
2013	17,234
2014	10,300
2015	15,814
2016	c.15,000

Nationality	Headcount in category	Proportion of workforce in category
British	1,572	82%
Non-UK	104	2%
Undeclared	247	13%
Total employed	1,923	100%