Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many serving personnel will return from Germany as part of the planned rebasing in each year to 2020.

    Mike Penning

    The number of serving personnel that will return from Germany as part of the planned rebasing in each year to 2020 is shown below.

    Year

    Number of service personnel

    2016

    1,270

    2017

    120

    2018

    0

    2019

    4,000

    2020

    20 (drawdown)

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for police forces across (a) regions and (b) the UK having variations in their respective plans of action for dealing with traveller camps in (i) public parks and recreation sites and (ii) other publicly-owned land.

    Brandon Lewis

    Dealing with unauthorised traveller sites requires a multi-agency response, involving local authorities and supported by the police.

    The police have powers under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to remove travellers from a site. The decision on whether to use these powers is an operational matter for the police who must consider their duties under the Equalities Act and Human Rights Act in each case.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle the (a) recent increase in illegal transport of weapons from Haiti to the Turks and Caicos Islands and (b) the increase in gun crime in those islands.

    James Duddridge

    Through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund, the UK is spending £5.5 million in 2015/2016 to help the Caribbean region in its efforts to reduce serious and organised crime and build more secure borders. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Law Enforcement Adviser in Miami oversees the use of programme funds to provide competency and capability training to Turks and Caicos Islands law enforcement officers to improve the maritime interdiction of illegal firearms, migrants and drugs. Furthermore, the Governor and Premier of Turks and Caicos Islands have agreed to the formation of a National Security Council. At its inaugural meeting on 21 October, it agreed to draft a National Security Strategy to address current and long term security issues facing Turks and Caicos Islands including gun crime. Meanwhile, UK Ministers approved a Supplementary Budget estimate of $0.75m submitted by the Turks and Caicos Islands government to carry out an external review of recent murders in the country and to purchase essential crime investigation equipment.

  • Fiona Mactaggart – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Fiona Mactaggart – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish her Department’s report on tied visas for domestic servants.

    James Brokenshire

    James Ewins’s report on visas for overseas domestic workers has been submitted to the Home Office and will be published shortly.

  • Lord Whitty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Whitty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Whitty on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the effect of the reduction of the budget of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on activity and staffing in relation to air quality.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    Budgets for 2016/17 to 2020/21 have not yet been finalised. Defra’s internal business planning process is still underway, and it would not, therefore, be appropriate at this time to comment on how particular policy areas may be affected.

  • Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many army (a) personnel and (b) dependents (i) are based and (ii) will be based in Wiltshire in 2020.

    Mark Lancaster

    The number of Army personnel based in Army units located within Wiltshire as at 1 October 2015 is 13,010. The Army estimates that 9,900 entitled family members are currently associated with Army personnel based in Wiltshire.

    The current planning assumption for the number of Army personnel based in Army units located within Wiltshire in 2020 is 17,700. It is estimated that 14,300 entitled family members will be associated with these Army personnel.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take to ensure that the NHS Supply Chain wound dressing generics project takes account of evidence comparing the cost of managing unhealed and healed wounds, and of the total cost of wound care in the NHS currently as compared with previous estimates.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The review of wound dressings by a dedicated working group resulted in the development of a number of clinical specifications for wound care products.

    In order to progress this work, from April 2016 a new NHS Clinical Evaluation Team will be put in place. The Clinical Evaluation Team will assess wound care products through a comprehensive evaluation process, which will have extensive engagement with NHS clinical staff. Included in the process will be tissue viability and infection control nurses, clinical procurement specialists, doctors, nurses and midwives along with medicine management practitioners from community trusts.

    The project’s remit is to review clinical products to identify those that enable high quality patient care whilst delivering the best outcomes for the NHS. The secondary consideration will be to identify products that could be procured more effectively through combined NHS buying power, to deliver greater overall value for money.

    The Clinical Evaluation Team is made up of practising clinicians.

    The project will therefore undertake assessments of the total costs and benefits of any recommendations to the overall NHS.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department were in receipt of Continuity of Education Allowance in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; and what the cost to his Department was of providing that allowance for staff based (i) in the UK and (ii) overseas in each such year.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The requested information is provided in the following table and I have added the figures for 2009-10 for comparison.

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

    FY 2009-10

    FY 2012-13

    FY 2013-14

    FY 2014-15

    UK Claimants

    5,020

    4,160

    3,600

    3,230

    Overseas Claimants

    1,000

    790

    700

    650

    Total Claimants

    6,020

    4,950

    4,300

    3,880

    UK Cost (£ million)

    93.2

    82.2

    74.3

    69.4

    Overseas Cost (£ million)

    18.1

    16.4

    15.0

    15.1

    Total Cost (£ million)

    111.3

    98.7

    89.3

    84.5

    Note: all numbers are rounded

    Continuity of Education Allowance was reviewed as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 since when improvements in governance have achieved a reduction of costs by around £30 million per annum along with an associated reduction in claimants. Work continues to further reduce the cost of the allowance.

  • Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering on 2016-05-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of basic farm payments claimed during 2015 had been paid as of 30 April.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    As at 2 May, the first working day following 30 April, 98% of Basic Payment Scheme claimants had received a payment.

  • Lord Rennard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Rennard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rennard on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress HM Revenue and Customs has made in investigating in the UK tobacco companies that over-supply low tobacco-tax foreign countries, and what action has resulted from those investigations.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The UK introduced stringent rules in 2006 requiring all UK Tobacco Manufacturers (TMs) to control their supply chains. These rules required them to take steps to avoid supplying cigarettes and/or HRT (hand rolling tobacco) to persons who are likely to smuggle them into the UK or resupply them to other persons who are likely to do the same.

    Tobacco manufacturers can face penalties of up to £5m for failing to comply with the rules. HMRC action, in monitoring TM’s compliance, is reflected in a reduction in supplies of UK brand cigarettes to high risk markets of 20% since 2010. At the same time, supplies to those markets of UK brand Hand Rolling Tobacco (HRT) has reduced by 36%.

    Despite this success HMRC is not complacent. They continue to closely monitor the illicit market in the UK, which today is made up of a mix of unregulated brands, non UK brands, and counterfeit as well as genuine UK brands, to ensure the legislation is working. HMRC also robustly challenge TM’s supply chain policies and procedures to ensure their continued compliance with the rules.

    HMRC cannot comment on the progress of individual investigations but it is a matter of public record that one manufacturer has been subject to a supply chain penalty. This penalty is currently under to appeal.