Tag: Parliamentary Question

Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to support the curry industry.

Anna Soubry

We have a range of measures to help support all businesses, including the curry industry. The British Business Bank programmes are supporting £2.4 billion of finance to over 40,000 smaller businesses. Included within this is the Start-Up Loans programme, which has provided over 34,000 loans worth over £187 million. We have saved businesses £10 billion of red tape and we have extended small business rate relief.

Employer-led Trailblazers are currently leading the way in the design and delivery of new more rigorous apprenticeship standards to support a range of sectors. Standards relating to several chef roles have already been developed and these are intended to cover specialisms such as Indian cuisine.

01/01/2023

Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2016 to Question 23552, how many times police cells were used to hold prisoners overnight who were aged (a) 15 to 17, (b) 18 to 20 and (c) 21 and over in each month in 2014 and 2015.

Andrew Selous

We will always have enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts and will do so in a way that gives taxpayers the best possible value for money.

There are no plans to re-activate police cells under Operation Safeguard. No police cells have been used under Operation Safeguard since October 2008. This means the number of prisoners held temporarily overnight in police cells has fallen from over 50,000 in 2008.

Tables 1 and 2 show the number of prisoners, by the requested age groups, who were temporarily held overnight in police cells in England and Wales each month in 2014 and 2015. No prisoners aged 15 to 17 were held overnight in police cells in 2014 and 2015.

Table 1: 18 year olds and above during 2014

Date	Total number of prisoners held in police cell	18 to 20 year olds	21 and over
Jan – 14	168	4	164
Feb – 14	372	13	359
Mar – 14	175	7	168
Apr – 14	64	6	58
May – 14	46	2	44
Jun – 14	112	9	103
Jul – 14	274	8	266
Aug – 14	116	9	107
Sept – 14	62	0	62
Oct – 14	96	6	90
Nov – 14	149	9	140
Dec – 14	111	5	106

Table 2: 18 year olds and above during 2015

Date	Total number of prisoners held in police cell	18 to 20 year olds	21 and Over
Jan – 15	89	2	87
Feb – 15	112	1	111
Mar – 15	74	3	71
Apr – 15	107	5	102
May – 15	47	0	47
Jun – 15	113	4	109
Jul – 15	180	7	173
Aug – 15	63	3	60
Sept – 15	137	7	130
Oct – 15	174	4	170
Nov – 15	195	6	189
Dec – 15	151	3	148

01/01/2023

David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many of gigawatts of diesel generating capacity the National Grid has on standby for demand spikes; whether her Department is planning for more diesel generation to be so available; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

National Grid currently has approximately 0.6GW of diesel generation contracted in Short Term Operating Reserve – STOR – the key balancing service used to manage fluctuations in demand.

STOR is procured by National Grid and Government is not involved in this process. However, Government is aware of concerns regarding the growth of diesel generators, and with this in mind Defra will consult later this year on options which will include legislation that would set binding emission limit values on relevant air pollutants from diesel engines.

01/01/2023
Lord Luce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Luce on 2016-04-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria govern the regulation of financial services in Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The regulation of financial services are domestic responsibilities of the governments of the Crown Dependencies and the Overseas Territories. In line with its status Gibraltar complies with applicable EU law. The Crown Dependencies and other British Overseas Territories are encouraged by the UK to meet internationally agreed standards.

01/01/2023
Nigel Mills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Mills on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the relationship between hand hygiene compliance levels across the NHS and rates of E.coli bacteraemia in 2015.

Ben Gummer

Tackling healthcare associated infections is complex and requires a strong patient safety system that integrates cleanliness, infection prevention and control and antibiotic use. Hand hygiene is an important component and we continuously review and enhance national measures, systems and guidance. For example hand hygiene references in The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice for prevention and control of infections and related guidance, were strengthened when it was revised in 2015. It will also form part of forthcoming guidance on reducing Gram negative infections such as E. coli.

Auditing of hand hygiene is a local responsibility and information on hand hygiene compliance is not collected centrally. Therefore, no national assessment has been made of the potential links between hand hygiene compliance levels and the above infections.

01/01/2023
Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy that payments delivered through the Common Agricultural Policy will in future be delivered at the same level by the Government in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice

Defra is currently working on a range of proposals to inform discussions about the shape of a future agricultural policy to replace the CAP and we will be involving stakeholders in those discussions.

01/01/2023
Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Pakistani government on overturning the death sentence of Imdad Ali.

Alok Sharma

I am concerned about Mr Ali’s case and continue to follow developments closely. The UK remains firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. Abolitionist work is high on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) agenda and is part of the day-to-day work of all diplomatic missions to countries that retain the death penalty. The FCO human rights and democracy report 2015 makes clear our views on the death penalty and the resumption of executions in Pakistan.

The former Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Philip Hammond), raised the issue of the death penalty with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2015, and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Tobias Ellwood), wrote subsequently to the Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK expressing deep concern about ongoing executions. Together with our EU partners, we continue to raise our concerns about the death penalty with the Government of Pakistan and urge compliance with its international obligations.

01/01/2023
Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of how many taxi drivers have undergone disability awareness training since the Law Commission’s recommendation on that subject published in its report, Taxi and Private Hire Services, on 23 May 2014.

Andrew Jones

The results of the Department’s taxi survey in 2015 showed that 103 licensing authorities in England and Wales out of 313 responding authorities require taxi drivers to undergo disability awareness training. This compares to 67 licensing authorities in 2009 from 276 responses.

We do not keep statistics on the number of drivers who have undergone disability awareness training since May 2014.

01/01/2023
Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they have given to banks concerning closing bank accounts of those NGOs supporting the Palestinians.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The Government does not advise banks around the closure of bank accounts of NGOs: it is for a bank itself to decide whether or not to offer products or services to certain individuals or groups, and it would not be appropriate for the Government to seek to control the commercial decisions of banks and other financial institutions, nor compel them to make a specific decision about a bank account. Banks take such decisions taken in accordance with their business strategies, risk appetite and legal and regulatory requirements.

01/01/2023
Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to protect UK businesses, the economy and the City from turbulence in Chinese stock markets.

Harriett Baldwin

The Treasury continuously monitors global economic developments, including those in China, and their impact on the UK as part of the normal process of policy development.

The Chancellor has warned that “last year was the worst for global growth since the crash and this year opens with a dangerous cocktail of new threats from around the world.” As one of the most open trading economies in the world with a large financial sector, we have to recognise that the UK is not immune to the continued problems being experienced in the world economy.

We should not let this put us off engaging with China. As the Chancellor said while leading the UK’s Economic and Financial Dialogue with China in September 2015, both countries: “have a shared commitment to laying the foundations for stronger, more productive economies that can weather periods of uncertainty. At the same time, we need to continue to pursue the longer-term reform challenges that both our governments are pursuing.”

The Bank of England’s 2015 stress tests modelled a severe slowdown in commodities and emerging markets. No banks were required to submit revised capital plans following the stress tests. This provides further reassurance that the UK’s banking system is capable of weathering future financial storms both at home and abroad.

01/01/2023