Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord MacKenzie of Culkein – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord MacKenzie of Culkein – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord MacKenzie of Culkein on 2016-02-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessments they have carried out on the future of resilient position, navigation and timing systems and the vulnerability of the global navigation satellite system to intentional and unintentional jamming.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government recognises the strengths and limitations of global navigation satellite systems such as GPS and Galileo, and the importance of the position, navigation and timing services that they provide.

    The issue of the vulnerability of satellite based navigation systems has been addressed in the National Space Security Policy, which notes that the signals received from satellite navigation systems are inherently weak. The policy recognises that a proportionate approach is needed to ensure that space infrastructures are resilient to threats, including for instance the use of alternative or fall-back methods of providing the necessary services in the event of an interruption.

    Responsibility for determining alternative methods will rest largely with owners and operators of space services or with infrastructure owners and operators, with oversight provided by lead Government departments. UK industry has well recognised capability in developing systems that identify and mitigate intentional and unintentional interference to GNSS.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on ad-blocking and platform regulation.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Over recent months DCMS Ministers have met with both Vice President Ansip and Commissioner Oettinger to discuss several issues, including potential platforms regulation. There have also been meetings with a number of MEPs and Member States. DCMS Ministers have not held any recent discussions with the European Commission on ad-blocking.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received on the possible benefits of pre-exposure prophylaxis for preventing HIV exposure.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department has received various representations from Members of Parliament, Peers, stakeholders and some individual members of the public.

  • Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many times his Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

    Guto Bebb

    The Wales Office has not used the services of PwC, Deloitte, Ernst and Young, KPMG or other consulting firms in the last three financial years.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Attorney General, how many people were (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of offences under the Wild Animals (Protection) Act 1996 in 2015; and if he will make a statement.

    Robert Buckland

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of people who have been charged with, and prosecuted for, offences brought by way of the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

    Although it is not possible to identify the number of people charged with particular offences, records are held showing the overall number of offences in which a prosecution commenced in the magistrates’ courts. The table below shows the number of offences, rather than defendants, charged by way of the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 during 2015. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence.

    2015

    Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996

    1

    Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

    “

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his contribution of 9 September 2015, Official Report, column 88WH, when he expects the National Archives to publish those documents on contaminated blood from 1986 to 1995.

    Jane Ellison

    The documents have been transferred to The National Archives. They have advised that the documents will be released by 3 March 2016.

    It should be noted that, as part of his inquiry, Lord Penrose had access to all documents on blood safety from the period in question, held by the Department.

  • Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Helic – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina about the refugee and migrant crisis in the Western Balkans, and what provisions are in place to offer (1) UK, and (2) EU, support to the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the event of an influx of refugees and migrants into that country.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are in contact with all governments of the region on the migration crisis. On 23 September, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), pledged a UK contribution of £308,078 to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)’s Sarajevo office for contingency planning. This was part of a wider pledge of £3.1 million of aid to international agencies to support Western Balkans countries affected by the migration crisis. On 1 November, the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), announced a further £5 million of humanitarian aid to the countries on the Eastern Mediterranean route. We are also contributing substantially through EU assistance programmes in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The EU has provided €8.5 million of migration-related assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some of this has been spent on technical assistance for effectively managing migration and asylum. It has also been spent on supply of equipment and on the construction of a reception facility for migrants. The EU is due to spend a further €2 million to support BiH’s border police.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will have discussions with pub chains on training staff to identify people with suicidal tendencies in order to stop serving such people alcohol.

    Anna Soubry

    The Department for Business Innovation and Skills has no plans to undertake such discussions but as part of the continuing programme of work to support the government’s suicide prevention strategy, Public Health England has published guidance for local authorities to develop local suicide prevention action plans. The guidance suggests that local authorities establish a local suicide prevention group and work with relevant organisations in their area to co-ordinate activities to reduce suicide. Those groups can work with landlords and pub managers.

  • Neil Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Neil Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Carmichael on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the value to the economy in Northern Ireland of membership of the EU single market.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    The Government is fulfilling its manifesto commitment to seek a reformed relationship with Europe and then put the results of that negotiation to the people in a referendum.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the Government Actuaries Department relating to firefighters’ pensions in its report dated 28 August 2015.

    Mike Penning

    The Government has determined that the principles of the Ombudsman’s decision in the Milne v Government Actuary’s Department case should be applied to other affected individuals, including retired firefighters and police officers in England.

    Redress will be paid to affected individuals via their relevant pension scheme, and we will be providing fire and rescue authorities and police forces with necessary grant to cover the cost of these payments.

    Pension administrators will have now completed the majority of calculations and the majority of payments to individuals will be made by April 2016. This does not preclude payments being made earlier in many cases. I trust that authorities will make payments as soon as is practical and understand that some have already done so.