UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Parliamentary Question

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Goodlad on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Australia about the proposed changes at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research station at Cape Grim in Tasmania, and what has been the outcome of those discussions.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    There have been no discussions between the British and Australian Governments about the Cape Grim research station, or the future of climate monitoring programmes there, following the recent restructuring plans announced by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which flood defence maintenance works were undertaken in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each year since 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of each of those works.

    Rory Stewart

    The Environment Agency regularly cleans and maintains several debris screens on the upper reaches of the Ormesby Beck, Middle Beck and Marton West Beck in Middlesbrough. Other maintenance works by the Environment Agency consist of works to maintain, or improve, the flow of water in rivers where it reduces flood risk to homes.

    In accordance with data retention rules, the Environment Agency does not hold financial records for more than five years. The table below outlines expenditure since 2011/12.

    2011 – 12

    2012 – 13

    2013 – 14

    2014 -15

    2015 – 16

    £1,370

    £22,990

    £21,730

    £16,920

    £116,220
  • Lord Grocott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Grocott on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees, further to the Written Answer by the Chairman of Committees on 28 April (HL7763), what was the total cost for the services provided by Electoral Reform Services (ERS) for the recent hereditary peer by-election following the death of Lord Avebury, and what, in particular, was the cost of ERS supervising and conducting the count on 19 April.

    Lord Laming

    The total cost to the House of Lords for the services provided by Electoral Reform Services (ERS) in respect of the recent Liberal Democrat hereditary peers’ by-election was £300. This includes VAT at 20%.

    As with other by-elections, there was one fee for all services provided. There was no separate fee for the cost of ERS supervising and conducting the count.

    When the need for a by-election arises ERS are engaged to administer and supervise the by-election and provide assurance that it conforms to good electoral practice.

  • Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Warner on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 9 June (HL354), how long it took to set up the Trusts in Kingston-upon-Thames and Slough; what were the costs of setting up those Trusts; and who bore those costs.

    Lord Nash

    Slough Borough Council was issued with a Statutory Direction in October 2014, which required the Council to cooperate in setting up a Trust. The Trust became operational in October 2015. The Department for Education met the costs of setting up the trust, which came to £3.3m.

    Achieving for Children is a community interest company owned and established by the councils of Kingston-Upon-Thames and Richmond. The Department does not hold information about the total costs of setting up this company but Achieving for Children received grant funding of £500,000 from the Department of Communities and Local Government and £105,605 of professional advice and support from the Cabinet Office Mutuals Support Programme.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    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 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of the People’s Republic of China about releasing all human rights lawyers detained since July 2015, ceasing the harassment of lawyers and activists, and upholding the rule of law.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have repeatedly raised our concerns with the Chinese authorities about the detention, arrest and disappearance of Chinese lawyers and human rights defenders. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Mr Sharma), raised their cases most recently with the Chinese Ambassador on 1 August. We urge the Chinese authorities to release the detained lawyers and ensure all detainees have access to legal counsel of their choice.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the capacity of his Department to negotiate future trade deals with multiple countries and trading blocks at the same time; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Hands

    The Department for International Trade has already established a strong and capable trade policy team with significant negotiating experience. The team has more than doubled in size since 23 June and is still growing. We will continue to hire the brightest and best talent from within the UK civil service and from elsewhere in order to deliver the best outcomes for the UK.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to make the email and telephone inquiry service within UK Visa and Immigration more user-friendly.

    James Brokenshire

    UKVI Contact Centres currently handle approximately 34000 calls and 15000 emails a week from customers both in and outside the UK. We continuously review our processes and use customer feedback to inform any changes made.

    UKVI Contact Centres currently answer over 90% of all calls within an average 1:18 minutes and respond to 100% of emails within the published service standards.

    The latest customer survey returned a high satisfaction rating of 85%.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to monitor the application of the easement of conditionality rules under the Jobseeker’s Allowance (Homeless Claimants) Amendment Regulations 2014 since those Regulations were brought into force.

    Priti Patel

    It is the responsibility of Jobcentre Plus managers to monitor the appropriate application of easements to Jobseeker’s Allowance conditionality. In doing so, they use an assurance framework to assess the quality of work coach interviews and Claimant Commitments to make sure they appropriately reflect individual circumstances.

  • Baroness Uddin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Uddin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Uddin on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government who are their advisers on matters related to Muslim women.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Government Ministers and officials regularly speak with a range of British Muslim women to seek their views on key issues. The Prime Minister hosted a Community Engagement Forum on 14 January with sixteen influential Muslim women, to discuss their role in Britain today and the importance of tackling issues of forced gender segregation, discrimination and isolation. In addition, four of the cross-Government Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group’s ten independent members are themselves Muslim women. The Group discusses a range of issues, for example, hate incidents on public transport which disproportionately affect visibly Muslim women.

    My Department funds a number of projects that work with Muslim women including community based English language courses, women’s empowerment initiatives and the development of leadership and networking skills. As part of this, my officials regularly engage with the project leads, associated charities and participants on relevant issues affecting Muslim women.

    My rt hon Friend the Prime Minister has commissioned Louise Casey to carry out a review on how to boost opportunity and integration in our most isolated and deprived communities. She will report on her findings in due course.

  • Nusrat Ghani – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nusrat Ghani – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nusrat Ghani on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in Wealden constituency are registered as (a) blind and (b) partially sighted.

    Alistair Burt

    Information on the numbers of people with sight impairment is collected by the Health and Social Care Information Centre every three years. Data is not collected at constituency level as part of the Registered Blind and Partially Sighted collection and so a response has been provided covering East Sussex, the council with adult social services responsibility which includes the Wealden constituency. According to the Registered Blind and Partially Sighted People report for England for the year ending 31 March 2014, there were 1,915 people registered as blind and 1,990 people registered as partially sighted within the East Sussex local authority area.