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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Michael Dugher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Michael Dugher – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the data security of smart meters.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department has worked with industry and security experts, including GCHQ, to design a smart metering system that has robust end-to-end security. The Department’s Data Access and Privacy Framework puts consumers in control of who has access to their data except where energy suppliers and networks have access for regulated purposes, such as to enable accurate monthly billing. All organisations involved in communicating with smart meters are required to comply with a detailed set of security obligations, with each aspect of the system subject to regular, independent security assurance.

    Smart meters will not store data such as a consumer’s name, address or bank details. A key design principle for the system is the maintenance of user privacy. Any transaction of data which could be deemed ‘personal’, including energy consumption data, is encrypted so only the intended recipient can see it.

  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will collect regularly statistics on the (a) number of and (b) reasons for exceptional family reunion cases relating to children where indefinite leave to remain is granted at her discretion outside of the rules.

    James Brokenshire

    The Home Office does not hold the specific information in the format requested. The questions cover a number of different casework operations and the information is not recorded centrally in a way which can be reported on directly.

    To obtain the information would involve examining individual case records and would incur disproportionate cost. We do not currently plan to change the data that is centrally recorded and published on this category of applications.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Burma about restoring the citizenship rights of the Rohingya people.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have long advocated for action to tackle the problems of Rakhine for the benefit of all communities, and to end the mistreatment of the Muslim Rohingya minority. We therefore welcome the establishment of the new Advisory Commission on Rakhine State. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Alok Sharma), issued a statement to this effect on 25 August. On 14 September he also held a telephone conversation with Mr Annan in which he conveyed in person the UK’s strong support for his appointment and mandate. We are clear that this is a Burmese conceived and led initiative, and that is as it should be. The UK is providing funding to support the work of the Kofi Annan Foundation. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) also discussed the Annan Commission on 12 September with State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during her visit to the UK.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting times for therapeutic services through referral pathways was for sexual assault referral centres which do not directly provide therapeutic services for children under 18 in the most recent period for which figures are available.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England has set out care pathways for adult and child Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) services in its `Commissioning Framework for Adult and Paediatric Sexual Assault referral Centre (SARC) Services’, published in August 2015. Pathway services are wide-ranging, including safeguarding, social care, housing, other medical support and therapeutic counselling. The framework is now being rolled out across England and outlines the expected core service.

    Data on waiting times into care pathways or therapeutic services in SARCs or referred to by SARCs, is not collected centrally.

  • John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    John Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much UK aid is being provided in each region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The DRC is the largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Many of the provinces are bigger than other DFID focus countries and there is a huge difference between the mineral-rich plains of Katanga in the south and the tropical rainforests of Equateur in the north, between the conflict-affected east and the megacity of Kinshasa in the west.

    Our current approach to working in provinces was shaped in 2012. At that time we decided to focus on six strategic partnership provinces – North Kivu, South Kivu, Kasai Occidental, Katanga, Equateur and Kinshasa. Of these, our greatest area of focus has been the conflict-affected east of the country, which receives one third of our budget and hosts our only sub-national office in Goma. DFID programme design also takes into account need, geographic and logistical constraints, conflict, political issues, and presence of other donors. Whilst we increasingly focussed on the six provinces, we deliberately preserved some flexibility. Some activities, for example addressing humanitarian crises, do not observe provincial borders.

    The regional picture in the DRC became more complex in September 2015 as the country’s 11 provinces were divided into 26, in a process called decoupage. In response to this radical change in the country’s geography, DFID DRC is reappraising its provincial focus and calculating its contribution in each province. The new approach will be set out in DFID DRC’s refreshed country business plan in May 2016.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on the 20 January (HL4935), (1) what is the timeline for the development of the written policy for future capability requirements, development, integration and use of unmanned systems, (2) what form of consultation is proposed, and (3) whether the written policy proposed will include a position statement on the use of drones by the Her Majesty’s Government (a) in domestic airspace, and (b) for collective and individual self-defence abroad.

    Earl Howe

    Defence policy on use of remotely piloted air systems (RPAS) is currently being drafted. This work is still in an early stage and is currently scoping the policy with the aim of producing a substantive document towards the end of the year. It is our intention to consult widely during its production, both across Government and with our international allies.

    This work will be supported and underpinned by the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre’s (DCDC) revision and update of Joint Doctrine Note 2/11 "The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems" and through its work on the Future Air and Space Operating Concept; both of which are currently being written and will be available before the end of 2016. The DCDC will then commence work on the next edition of Joint Doctrine Publication 0-30 "UK Air and Space Doctrine" which it expects to publish in first quarter 2017.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward proposals to require private landlords to fit carbon monoxide alarms in any property that contains a fuel-burning appliance.

    Brandon Lewis

    Since 1 October 2015, landlords have been required to install carbon monoxide alarms in any room used as living accommodation which contains a solid-fuel burning appliance.

    We regulated for rooms with these appliances as they are responsible for a disproportionate number of carbon monoxide deaths and injuries compared to other combustion appliances.

    The Government therefore has no current plans to regulate further. These regulations are still very new and need time to bed in. A full review will be conducted in October 2017.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether President Anastasiades’ approach to President el-Sisi on the basis of strategic military co-operation, to President Putin on similar issues, and to Israel on oil exploration, while claiming commitment to bilateral negotiations with Turkish Cypriots are a contravention of that procedure.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    It is for the Republic of Cyprus to decide on its external relations. Given the threats facing the Eastern Mediterranean, the need for improved co-operation across the whole region remains crucial. A Cyprus settlement would provide an important boost for regional stability. The UK commends President Anastasides and Mr Akinci for their positive leadership in the Cyprus settlement talks. As the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), made clear during his visits to Cyprus last year, the UK will continue to do whatever we can to support the efforts of both communities, and their leaders, to seize the historic opportunity that exists to reunite Cyprus.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to promote operational and headquarters experience in the UN for career development in the armed forces and police.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Multinational relationships are key to the security of the UK. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) recognises and values the experience that military personnel gain from deployments and postings to multinational operations and Headquarters, including the UN. This has been demonstrated by the increase in the number of UN Staff Officer posts filled by the UK in recent years and the UK’s Strategic Defence and Security Review commitment to double the number of troops deployed to UN Peace Operations.

    Career development in the Armed Forces is based on a range of factors including such multinational deployments and postings. Relevant experience and performance from deployment to UN operations and headquarters would form part of an individual’s career assessment. Requirements for such deployments and postings are initiated and developed centrally by the MoD then apportioned to the Single Services to fill.

    The UK also recognises the benefits of international deployments to the police service. Through the National Police Chiefs’ Council we are encouraging police forces to consider releasing officers to undertake international roles. The newly-established Joint International Policing Hub will consider ways of incorporating international deployments into careers in the police service.

  • William Cash – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    William Cash – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Cash on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what measures she is taking to reassure existing electricity generators that the capacity market is fair and stable.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Capacity Market design will enable competition between new and existing capacity and between different technologies so that all providers of capacity have the right incentives to make efficient decisions about investment in, and operation of, their assets. We work with all stakeholders to review the Capacity Market continuously to ensure it remains a fair competition and have acted to ensure a level playing field which retains the confidence of bidders and investors.The Rules governing the operation of the Capacity Market mechanism are managed by Ofgem to ensure both a fair and stable process.