Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Russia on Russian military drills in the North Sea in October 2016.

    Mike Penning

    The Department has held no formal discussions with the Government of the Russian Federation with regard to Russian military drills in the North Sea in October. All NATO Allies have a collective responsibility to monitor the path and activity of non-NATO ships and aircraft passing through NATO areas of responsibility. The UK fully upholds its commitments in this regard and will act accordingly. Russia is aware of these arrangements. We expect Russian activity to occur in international waters and airspace, and in accordance with international rules.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish details of his Department’s expenditure over £25,000 from September 2014 to date.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Cabinet Office fully committed to transparency, and I am taking steps to publish the Department’s outstanding spend data, including details of any spend of £25,000 and above, as soon as possible.

  • Liam Fox – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Liam Fox – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2015-12-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether food security is part of the Government’s agricultural planning; and what assessment her Department has made of the amount of farmland required to guarantee food supplies in a time of crisis.

    George Eustice

    The Government sees the contribution of UK agriculture as vital to our food security. A detailed analysis of the global and domestic factors affecting UK food security, the UK Food Security Assessment, was published in 2010 and refreshed in 2012. Its main conclusion was that UK food security depends on a combination of a strong domestic food production base and access to a wide variety of world markets. The assessment also analysed the impact of extreme scenarios and concluded that if necessary the UK could feed itself from domestic resources.

    The Government is working on a 25 Year Plan for Food and Farming which will set out ways our domestic food production base can be further strengthened, building on the Great British brand.

  • David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many recorded attacks there were against prison officers in each of the last five years.

    Andrew Selous

    We do not tolerate violence of any kind in prison and any assault is treated extremely seriously. Any prisoner who commits an act of violence can expect to have action taken against them.

    Statistics for assaults on staff are published in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin.

    The information requested may be found in the ‘Summary tables June 2006 to June 2015’ at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-bulletin-june-2015

    “

  • The Lord Bishop of Durham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Bishop of Durham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Durham on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to engage the African Union and the East African Community in efforts to stabilise the situation in Burundi.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    In the margins of the African Union (AU) Summit, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), met with the Chair of the AU Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the AU’s Peace and Security Commissioner Smail Chergui and a number of African Foreign Ministers. We are exploring what more we can do to support the AU’s leadership, and have intensified our efforts at the UN and with our EU partners to halt the violence.

    The UK strongly supports the East African Community-led dialogue and sees it as crucial in finding a solution to stabilising the situation. The parties met for the first time on 28 December and the second round of talks is scheduled for 16 February. Alongside our international partners we continue to press them to engage.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-02-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bridges of Headley on 25 February (HL6102 and HL6103), whether the Cabinet Office’s new rules on grant funding mean that (1) Citizen’s Advice, (2) the Territorial Army Rifles Association, (3) the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies, (4) English Heritage, (5) Imperial College, and (6) the Marine Management Organisations, can no longer make representations to them, Parliament or the European Commission, on legislation or policy.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The clause ensures that taxpayers’ funds are not diverted away from their intended purpose and wasted on political lobbying. The clause does not stop any grant recipients from campaigning using other sources of funding.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of non-EU citizens who face being deported after 6 April because they earn less than £35,000.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    No migrant workers will be deported from April 2016 as a result of the £35,000 settlement threshold.

    The threshold only applies to those who entered Tier 2 (General), the skilled work route, from 6 April 2011. Tier 2 workers sponsored in shortage or PhD-level occupations are exempt. Skilled workers may remain in Tier 2 (General) for up to six years in total, after which they are expected to meet the settlement criteria or leave. For those who entered in April 2011, the six year maximum period of stay will expire in April 2017.

    Those who are paid below the threshold may apply to switch into any other routes for which they are eligible. Those workers who cannot extend their stay will be expected to leave the UK voluntarily when their visa expires. The Home Office published a full impact assessment on the changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. This is available on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-04-28.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2016 to Question 33455, how many people are employed to investigate tax evasion in HM Revenue and Customs’ (a) affluent unit and (b) high net worth unit.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Custom’s 26,000 (full-time equivalent employees) strong enforcement and compliance workforce of risk and intelligence analysts, compliance officers and fraud investigators tackle the full range of compliance risks ranging from hidden economy to the wealthy.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether a dedicated hotline for postgraduate loan applicants will be established by the Student Loans Company.

    Joseph Johnson

    There is a dedicated enquiry line for applicants for the new master’s loan for postgraduate study. The number is 0300 100 0031 and the line is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much was spent by his Department on private school fees for children whose parents are stationed (a) in the UK and (b) overseas in the last financial year.

    Mark Lancaster

    Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) was reviewed as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010. Since then, our reforms have reduced costs by around £30 million per annum along with an associated reduction in claimants. Work continues to further reduce the cost of the allowance, whilst ensuring funding goes to those who really need it, with the latest governance changes taking effect on 1 September 2016.

    The requested information is provided in the following table.

    Continuity of Education Allowance, Number of Claimants and Cost (UK and Overseas) by Financial Year (FY)

    FY 2015-16

    UK Claimants

    3,040

    Overseas Claimants

    630

    Total Claimants

    3,670

    UK Cost (£ million)

    67

    Overseas Cost (£ million)

    13.8

    Total Cost (£ million)

    80.8

    Note: all numbers are rounded