Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • James Cleverly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    James Cleverly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cleverly on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps his Department has taken to detect and prevent electoral fraud at polling stations.

    Chris Skidmore

    The Electoral Commission provides guidance on preventing and reporting electoral fraud sets out the role of Local Electoral Registration Officers, Returning Officers, the police and political parties in detecting and preventing fraud. This guidance can be found online.

    Moreover, the security of registration has been improved by the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration. This service checks the details provided by the applicant, including their National Insurance number, against government data before passing the application to the relevant local electoral administration team.

    For applications with no National Insurance number and other applications not verified through the digital service, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will seek further information regarding identity. For all registration applications, online or otherwise, the ERO is also responsible for ensuring that other eligibility requirements, such as the nationality of the applicant, are satisfactorily met.

    Finally, the Government considers the integrity of the electoral system of the utmost importance and has recently welcomed the report published by Sir Eric Pickles into electoral fraud.

    The Government will closely consider the recommendations laid out in that report and issue its response shortly.

  • Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the closure of Redcar coke ovens and blast furnace on the local economy.

    Anna Soubry

    The closure of SSI in Redcar will undoubtedly have a significant impact on individuals, the supply chain and local economy more broadly. That is why we have announced a support package, worth up to £80 million, to support the future of the Tees Valley economy and we are working closely with a local Task Force, chaired by Amanda Skelton, to deliver this support.

    In total we have agreed over £40 million of support aimed at skills and jobs creation:

    • £3m has been made available to four Further Education colleges in the region to support re-training activity, as well as a further £2.65m skills funding to plug any gaps in skills provision not available via the Further Education Offer;
    • £1.7m to ensure that the fifty apprentices who were with SSI can continue their apprenticeships with alternative employers;
    • A £16.5m Jobs and Skills Fund to help local firms employ former SSI workers or their spouses in full-time or part-time jobs for a minimum of three years;
    • £16m support for firms in the SSI supply chain and wider Tees Valley impacted by the Redcar steelworks closure, to safeguard jobs, provide the stimulus to create new posts and provide expert assistance to help them expand their business
    • £750,000 to fund advice and grants to start up a new business.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-12-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria she plans to include in the national funding formula for schools; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The government is committed to delivering our manifesto pledge to make school funding fairer. It was announced at the Spending Review that we intend to introduce a National Funding Formula for schools, high needs and early years in 2017. We will set out our detailed plans for a National Funding Formula, including the criteria to be included in the formula for schools, in the New Year and will consult on our proposals extensively.

  • Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 19906, for what reasons the Government is considering the report of Lady Justice Macur prior to its publication.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The report needs to be considered by law enforcement agencies and the government before it can be published. This includes considering whether redactions need to be made. Lady Justice Macur has recommended that certain material should be considered for redaction.

    The work is proceeding at pace with a view to publication as soon as possible.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of work capability assessments conducted in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Priti Patel

    The cost of work capability assessments in the last five years were:

    April 2010 – March 2011 – £112.8m

    April 2011 – March 2012 – £112.4m

    April 2012 – March 2013 – £114.3m

    April 2013 – March 2014 – £57.3m

    April 2014 – March 2015 – £82m

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-02-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Freedom of Information Act 2000 allows publicly funded bodies that are individually bound by that Act to form what is described as a private institution that is claimed to be exempt from that Act, and if so, in which clause or clauses.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    Public authorities subject to the Act are listed in Schedule 1, and companies wholly owned by the public sector are automatically covered through section 6.

  • Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in discussions with the European Commission about whether it would be in accordance with the EU Consumer Rights Directive for both primary and secondary market ticket sellers to be required to provide a unique reference number to ensure event organisers can track ticket sales.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Her Majesty’s Government is satisfied that it has a clear understanding of the constraints on legislation imposed by the Consumer Rights Directive and has not to date sought discussions with the European Commission on this matter.

  • Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will set a target for apprenticeship completion rates by the end of this Parliament.

    Nick Boles

    Apprenticeship completions are monitored closely by the Skills Funding Agency. There are minimum levels of performance for individual providers.

    We have already taken action to increase the quality of apprenticeships; including introducing a minimum duration and ensuring that all apprenticeships are real jobs. We are continuing to go further by giving employers the opportunity to design rigorous new apprenticeships with end point assessments and by establishing the Institute for Apprenticeships.

    We will continue to focus on quality as much as on quantity, but do not intend to set a separate target for apprenticeship completion rates.

  • Lord Tebbit – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Tebbit – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2016-06-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Sovereign is subject to legislation originating in the EU.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    In relation to UK law civil and criminal proceedings cannot be taken against the Sovereign as a person under UK law.

    Under EU law, EU Heads of State enjoy a special status, in accordance with generally accepted principles of international law.

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what powers he intends to devolve to city regions; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Percy

    It is for a city region or any other place to put forward proposals for any powers that it wishes to be devolved to it, together with its proposals for the necessary strong governance arrangements to support these.

    The Government has already agreed devolution deals with nine areas which provide for the devolution of wide ranging powers and budgets on planning, transport and skills and the election of mayors in 2017.