Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Baroness Masham of Ilton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Masham of Ilton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the replenishment target of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is met at the Pledging Conference in Montreal on 16 September.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    My Right Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, announced an investment of £1.1billion in the Global Fund, including a commitment to double private sector contributions for tackling malaria, up to a maximum of £200million, and £90 million tied to successful delivery against a performance agreement.

    The UK’s investment will fund 40 million bednets to tackle malaria; provide enough lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy for 1.3 million people with HIV; and support the treatment of 800,000 people with tuberculosis.

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much capital spending per head of population was spent on transport projects in (a) Warrington and (b) Cheshire in each of the past five years.

    Andrew Jones

    Data on spend per head of population on transport projects is not available at the level of either Warrington or Cheshire.

    However, the three local authorities in Cheshire have benefitted from significant transport investment over last five years (2010-11 to 2014-15), for example, £ 35.6 million of Integrated Transport Block funding (Warrington £8.6 million) and £91.1 million for Highways Maintenance (Warrington £17 million). In addition, £12.7 million from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund supported programmes in each local authority area (Warrington £4.6 million), with Warrington also part of the £3.2 million Mid Mersey LSTF project. £9.88 million has been provided from the Local Pinch Point Fund and Cheshire East has received £15.6 million for the Crewe Green Link Road, due for completion shortly.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of continuing violence by paramilitaries in Colombia on the progress of peace talks in that country.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The government of Colombia has made significant progress on peace process negotiations with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). I am pleased that an agreement has been reached this week between the parties on the long-standing issue of Transitional Justice and reparations for victims. Both sides have committed to sign a final agreement by the end of March 2016 and the UK remains committed to supporting this deadline.

    I am concerned about the continued negative influence of organised criminal gangs and resulting violence in Colombia. I am pleased to see that the Colombian Minister of Defence has announced that tackling organised crime is a top priority for 2016. The UK, through the work of the National Crime Agency and others, continues to support the government of Colombia on this issue.

    Much of the government of Colombia’s success on tackling organised crime and related violence will depend on the progress of peace negotiations in Havana, which provide an opportunity to bring about real change for all Colombians.

  • Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top on 2016-01-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the Affordable Homes Programme they expect to be spent on bringing empty homes back into use.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The Homes and Community Agency made available £110.6 million to bring empty homes back into use over two rounds of funding:

    • Round 1 (2012-13) £69,820,695; and
    • Round 2 (2014-15) £40,790,126.

    The Homes and Community Agency’s Affordable Homes Programme will continue to provide funding to bring empty homes back into use. The Affordable Homes Programme is a competitive scheme and the amount of funding allocated to empty homes will depend on the quality of the bids received.

  • Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to notify groups and organisations who may be affected by the potential closure of the Collective Passport Service.

    James Brokenshire

    The future use of the Collective Passport is under review in the light of changing demand for the product and the security of the document. We are engaging with staff and other stakeholders and expect to make an announcement shortly.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Valerie Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to establish equality in pension provision for surviving spouses of police officers across the different countries of the UK.

    Mike Penning

    As policing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and Scotland, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Scottish Government are responsible for the design and funding of police pensions in those parts of the United Kingdom.

    On 18 January 2016, the Police Pensions Regulations 1987 and the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006 were amended to allow widows, widowers and civil partners of police officers in England and Wales who have died on duty and who qualified for a survivor pension after 1 April 2015 to continue to receive their survivors’ benefits for life. There are currently no plans to change this policy in England and Wales.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the fact that donations to the Jewish National Fund are tax deductible, and that one of its primary activities has been the creation of forests over disputed Palestinian land, what action they are taking to rescind the charitable status of organisations that are for the benefit of one group at the expense of another.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Jewish National Fund is not a charity. The Jewish National Fund Charitable Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales having exclusively charitable purposes. Under s34 of the Charities Act 2011, the Commission must remove a charity from the register if it no longer considers the organisation to be a charity or if it has ceased to exist or does not operate. None of these criteria apply to this charity. Any concern regarding the charitable status of an organisation is a matter for the Commission.

    Taxation is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs who do not comment on individual cases.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted on the health benefits and risks of male circumcision.

    George Freeman

    The Department has not conducted or commissioned any specific research on the health effects of male circumcision.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will take steps to ensure that the House of Commons Commission’s purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

    Tom Brake

    The House of Commons procurement policies operate within the parameters set out by the UK Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

    The House has a Sustainable Purchasing Policy which, amongst other things, requires contracts that are particularly suitable for SMEs to be highlighted as so being, contracts to be divided into lots and processes to be as simple and proportionate as possible to encourage SMEs to participate in our competitions. Further, the policy requires contracts that are suitable for Social Enterprises to be identified at an early stage and that market engaged to ensure their participation.

    More generally, the House supports British industry and agriculture by:

    • Purchasing our goods and services in a way that maximises the ability of SMEs, Social Enterprises and organisations with less bargaining power to win our contracts;
    • Conducting open and competitive tender processes that are accessible to all British suppliers whether small, medium or large;
    • Advertising our contracts on the UK Government procurement website Contracts Finder and the House’s own electronic procurement portal to ensure that there is maximum visibility of our contractual opportunities;
    • Writing specifications of requirements that take into account domestic social, economic and environmental requirements.
  • Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bruce of Bennachie on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total value of their support to disabled people in developing countries.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK’s global leadership and commitment to disability inclusive development has been increasing. Through the Sustainable Development Goals, the promise to Leave No One Behind, and DFID’s Disability Framework, we have committed to promoting disability-inclusive international development through a twin-track approach. This means that, guided by our Framework, we aim to mainstream disability in all of our policies and programmes as well as supporting programmes that target disability specifically.

    We do not currently track spend on disability inclusion, but a review of progress in December last year told us that we are doing more to support people with disabilities than ever before. Key disability-specific programming includes funding to important partners such as ADD International and the Disability Rights Fund, and Bridging the Gap – a research project to identify gaps between disability policy formulation and implementation. But people with disabilities also directly benefit from spending across our geographic and thematic portfolios. To make it increasingly possible to determine if programmes are reaching and successfully serving people with disabilities globally, the international development system must get better at disaggregating data by disability status. In response, DFID has produced guidance to inform programmes and policies.