Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what mechanisms are included in the proposed EU-Turkey refugee agreement to monitor the use of funds sent to Turkey under the terms of that agreement.

    Mr David Lidington

    At the March European Council on 17-18 March the EU agreed to speed up disbursement of the €3bn Refugee Facility for Turkey and to mobilise an additional €3bn of EU support once the initial €3bn is used in full. The UK has secured strong Member State oversight as part of the governance arrangements for the Refugee Facility for Turkey and will be an active member of the EU Steering Committee for the Facility. This will deliver development assistance through existing EU instruments to meet the objectives articulated in the EU Turkey Joint Action Plan. The use of these funds will be monitored through existing governance and fiduciary controls.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether, in the event of the takeover of the London Stock Exchange by Deutsche Börse, LCH and Eurex will have a regulator in common, and if so, whether that regulator will be the Financial Conduct Authority.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    I refer the noble Lord to the investor relations section of the London Stock Exchange Group website, which contains information about the proposed merger, including some information on the combined group’s proposed structure. I also refer the noble Lord to my previous written answer HL7153.

    Once formally notified of the proposed merger, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (as supervisors of the London Stock Exchange Group’s UK-authorised subsidiaries) must assess the proposal from a regulatory standpoint.

    In addition the proposed merger must be approved by competition authorities and is subject to a range of other assessments including those of overseas regulators and shareholders.

    European Regulation No 648/2012 (EMIR) sets out detailed standards on the quality of collateral that a central counterparty (CCP) can accept, and includes a general requirement that the CCP can demonstrate to its supervisor that the form of collateral in question does not present unmanageable risk to the CCP. Furthermore, CCPs are permitted under EMIR to invest their collateral “only in cash or in highly liquid financial instruments with minimal market and credit risk.”

    Any proposals for inter-CCP links would need to be assessed against relevant parts of EMIR by the Bank of England, as supervisor of LCH. EMIR requires that models used to set CCP margin requirements (and any changes to them) are validated by the CCP’s supervisor. EMIR also requires that a CCP wishing to extend its business to additional products or services must obtain the authorisation of its supervisor.

  • Edward Argar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Edward Argar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Edward Argar on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what criteria her Department uses to determine the award of contracts for projects overseas.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    To determine the award of contracts, tenders are assessed against pre-defined and published evaluation criteria by an evaluation panel with relevant expertise. This assessment follows the EU Public Procurement principle of selecting the ‘most economically advantageous tender’. The evaluation has two main sections – technical evaluation and commercial evaluation.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy that (a) plug sockets, (b) tables and (c) WiFi equipment should be installed in all standard class Thameslink Class 700 carriages.

    Claire Perry

    Contract variations have been proposed by my Department to introduce seat back tables and WiFi infrastructure throughout the new Class 700 Thameslink trains and officials are negotiating the details with the other contractual parties. My officials are also exploring with Siemens, the manufacturer of the new Class 700 Thameslink trains, the scope for increasing the number of plug sockets.

  • James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on how many residential planning permissions which were granted in England in the last five years have yet to commence building work.

    Gavin Barwell

    As of 1 July 2016 planning permission had been granted since 1 January 2011 for 311,000 homes on sites where work had not yet started. However, latest figures show that on these sites yet to be started, 90 per cent of the dwellings are now progressing towards a start, up from 85 per cent in July 2015.

    There are a range of factors which can delay the start of work on site. We are taking forward a range of proposals to help drive up delivery post permission, including changes in legislation to tackle unnecessary planning conditions and providing additional investment in infrastructure to help unlock housing sites and we expect developers and local authorities to work together to tackle problems at a local level.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the number of people in prison (a) as a result of and (b) with a gambling addiction.

    Ben Gummer

    This information is not available centrally.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether embarked carrier air squadrons will follow the all of one company” rule and operate under the same harmony rules.”

    Earl Howe

    When necessary to deliver the carrier strike programme, embarked jointly manned F-35B air squadrons will operate to the same harmony guidelines.

    Deck qualifications will not be affected by harmony rules.

  • David Crausby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    David Crausby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken was to resolve enquiries from hon. Members about tax credit cases; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce that time.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Tax Credit Office aims to prioritise and respond to representations from hon. Members as soon as possible. HMRC do not routinely record and collate performance against specific timescales for such representations.

  • Graham Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Graham Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total cost to the NHS has been of outsourced mental health services in each of the last three years.

    Alistair Burt

    We do not hold this information centrally.

    Departmental Ministers regularly discuss a number of mental health issues with NHS England officials, although no discussions specifically about the cost of outsourced mental health services have taken place.

  • Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the implications for his Department’s policies on people with rare forms of kidney disease are of the report of the Rare Disease Forum, Delivering for patients with rare diseases: Implementing a strategy, published on 29 February 2016; and if he will make a statement.

    George Freeman

    The Department is committed to improving the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases for all patients, including those with rare forms of kidney disease through implementation of the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases, published in November 2013.

    The UK Forum report, Delivering for patients with rare diseases: Implementing a strategy, published on 29 February 2016 includes 51 specific commitments to improve the lives of all those affected with rare diseases. The measures focus on improving diagnosis and early intervention for patients affected by a rare disease.

    The UK Rare Disease Forum is working to ensure that specific commitments in the Strategy are embedded in policy development and implementation across the United Kingdom.