The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Kendall on 2016-01-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many people of each gender work in his Department.
Stephen Crabb
There are currently 23 women and 23 men working at the Wales Office.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 22835, in what months the biometric passport chip reading facilities were deactivated in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.
James Brokenshire
For the period for which figures are available, biometric chip reading facilities were deactivated 7 times in 2013 and these occurred during the months of February, March, May & June. In 2014 chip reading facilities were deactivated 3 times and these occurred during the months of September, October and December. In 2015, chip reading facilities were deactivated 3 times and occurred during the months of February, April, and June.
These figures should be considered against the background of the overall volume of transactions which are currently running at over 100 million per year and each of the instances has been thoroughly investigated and we are satisfied that there has been no risk to the border as a result.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in her Department.
Karen Bradley
The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Libraries of the House and on-line at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468340/CODE_OF_CONDUCT_FOR_SPECIAL_ADVISERS_-_15_OCTOBER_2015_FINAL.pdf
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-03-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether a ban on travelling to the UK still applies to US citizen Mr Robert Spencer.
Mr John Hayes
The Government does not routinely comment on individual immigration cases. As certain information on this particular case has been publicly disclosed, however, I can confirm that on 25 June 2013 the Home Secretary personally directed that Robert Spencer should be excluded from the UK on the grounds that his presence here would not be conducive to the public good.
The Home Secretary considered that Mr Spencer brought himself within scope of the unacceptable behaviours policy by making statements that may foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alasdair McDonnell on 2016-04-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the governments of (a) Egypt, (b) Saudi Arabia and (c) United Arab Emirates on the removal of restrictions on press freedom in these countries and the Middle East.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We regularly raise our concerns over press freedoms with the Egyptian authorities both in London and in Cairo. The Prime Minister raised the detention of journalists including the trial of the Al Jazeera journalists with President Sisi during his visit to the UK in November 2015. I raised press freedoms and freedom of expression with the Egyptian Ambassador earlier this month.
We also regularly make our views on freedom of expression known to the Saudi Arabian Government. We continue to underline to the UAE that people must be allowed to freely discuss and debate issues and exercise the right to freedom of thought. We believe that reforms, including meeting citizens’ aspirations for greater participation, will be the guarantor of longer-term stability in the region.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to answer Question 37057, tabled on 18 May 2016.
Andrew Selous
I refer the right honourable member to the answer given to PQ 37057 on 08 June 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of protocols on touching disability benefit assessment centre attendees on the accessibility of these sites to those who struggle to stand unaided.
Penny Mordaunt
If a physical assessment of the musculoskeletal system is required, it is largely non-touch and based on observing ‘active movements’ – i.e. movements carried out under the direction of, but without the physical intervention of, the Healthcare Professional.
The impact on a claimant undergoing this type of assessment should therefore be negligible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is considering (a) radial gap electrical propulsion motors and (b) permanent magnet motors for the propulsion systems for the successor-class SSBNs.
Harriett Baldwin
I am withholding information on the type of motors for the propulsion systems being considered for the Successor submarine programme for the purpose of safeguarding national security.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-29.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to increase participation in all-employee tax-advantaged share plans; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Gauke
The tax-advantaged Save As You Earn (SAYE) and Share Incentive Plan (SIP) limits were significantly increased from April 2014. The increases the Government have made are reasonable, given the average monthly SAYE savings and the value of awards currently made to employees under SIP, and they represent the best use of resources. The Government will continue to keep the SAYE and SIP limits under review.
In addition to increasing the SAYE and SIP limits, the rules of the schemes were substantially reviewed and simplified following the recommendations made by the Office of Tax Simplification in March 2012. Last year, the requirement that these schemes must be approved by HM Revenue and Customs to qualify for favourable tax treatment was replaced by self-certification. Coupled with other changes to simplify some technical aspects of the rules, this will make these schemes more attractive to businesses and employees.
No data is collected and no estimates are made of the income levels of the participants in SAYE schemes.
Permitting private equity backed companies to offer all-employee tax advantaged schemes would be likely to involve significant changes to the rules of the schemes, and there would be a number of other factors to consider carefully, including the increased cost and complexity of any extension.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many requests under section 42 of the Data Protection Act have been made in respect of (a) Google Commerce Limited, (b) Google Inc., (c) Google Payment Limited and (d) Google UK Limited.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Information relating to the number of requests under section 42 of the Data Protection Act that have been made in respect of (a) Google Commerce Limited, (b) Google Inc, (c) Google Payment Limited and (d) Google UK Limited is outlined below:
|
Year |
Google Inc |
Google UK Ltd |
Google Payment Limited |
|
2012/2013 |
4 |
16 |
0 |
|
2013/2014 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
|
2014/2015 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
2015/2016 |
1 |
0 |
0 |