Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they reconcile printing and delivering their pamphlet Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK to every household in the UK, with the statement by the Minister of State for Europe, Mr David Lidington, on 7 September 2015 that we have no intention of legislating to allow the Government to do things such as mailshots

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    As the full excerpt below shows, the statement referred to by the Noble Lord relates to conduct and activity during the final 28 days of the referendum period, which are covered by the provisions of section 125 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The Government will comply fully with these provisions.

    “Instead, new clause 10 provides a power to make regulations to exempt particular categories of publication from section 125. Any such regulation would need to be approved by an affirmative resolution in both Houses. We have also adopted the recommendation of the Political and Constitutional Affairs Committee that the Government should consult the Electoral Commission before any such regulation is made.

    While I understand the constructive intention behind the suggestion made by the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon), I think that at the end of the day the Government must be free to go to Parliament and ask whether it accepts or rejects a particular proposal. The safeguard here is that if Government new clause 10 is accepted tonight, both Houses will have the right to veto anything that the Government might bring forward under this new provision.

    Let me explain the kind of things I have in mind. They include, for example, modernising the press notice exemption, which is already in section 125, to take account of digital media, by making it clear that it is permissible to link to a press notice from a website or a social media site; allowing the publication of a document on government.uk; or clarifying that material passed on to the print or broadcasting media would be acceptable. None of those things is clear at the moment. Let me repeat that we have no intention of legislating to allow the Government to do things such as mailshots, paid advertising or leafleting.”

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what ministerial representation there will be at the CITES Conference of the Parties in September 2016.

    Rory Stewart

    We understand that the South African Government is intending to host a ministerial-level segment to open the 17th Meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa from 24 September to 5 October 2016.

    We are still considering UK Ministerial attendance so I am not able to confirm this at the current time. I am however keen for the UK delegation to play an active role at CoP17 in securing positive outcomes for endangered species at risk of over-exploitation as a result of international trade.

  • Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Government will make it its policy not to take a decision on the location of an additional runway until its reviews of UK airspace and the Aviation Policy Framework have been completed.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Government remains fully committed to delivering the important infrastructure projects it has set out, including delivering runway capacity on the timetable set out by Sir Howard Davies.

    In the coming weeks the Government will carefully consider all of the evidence before reaching a view on its preferred scheme.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on work permits and immigration rules for EU citizens working in higher education, research and academia after the UK leaves the EU.

    Joseph Johnson

    Department for Education officials meet regularly with Home Office officials to discuss a range of issues regarding EU students and staff. The two departments will continue to work closely as these issues progress.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he is making to large businesses on paying the living wage.

    Nick Boles

    The National Living Wage (NLW) will be introduced in April 2016. It will be mandatory for employers of all sizes to pay their workers the new NLW if those workers are over 25 and are not in the first year of an apprenticeship. The Government encourages all employers to pay more than the statutory minimum rates when they can afford it.

  • Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2015-11-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of those responding to the 2012 consultation Measuring Child Poverty supported the exclusion of any income measure; and whether they will name those organisations that supported the exclusion.

    Lord Freud

    The Government’s response to the consultation on new measures of child poverty can be found in Annex E of the attached document. The analysis of the results in 2013 recorded that two respondents to the consultation said income should not be included in a measure of child poverty.

    We cannot give the names of the respondents due to Data Protection Act requirements. However, one was from an academic organisation and the other was from a frontline service.

    The Government wants to focus future effort on tackling the root causes of child poverty. That is why the life chances provisions in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill will introduce new measures of worklessness and educational attainment, and why we have committed ourselves to introducing a set of non-statutory indicators including ones on family breakdown, problem debt and addiction. These measures will focus action on the areas which the evidence indicates will make a sustainable difference to children’s lives – now and in the future.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will issue clear guidance that buzzard control licences should be granted to gamekeepers or organisations whenever the criteria for applications for such licences are met.

    Rory Stewart

    Licences to control buzzards are issued by Natural England on the Secretary of State’s behalf in accordance with the Government’s policy on wildlife management. Following the recent McMorn judgment in the High Court, which quashed a licencing decision taken in 2014 relating to buzzards, Natural England is revising the guidance on dealing with these types of application and once completed, the guidance will be publicly available.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will take steps to prepare to contribute from the public purse to the new education funding platform to be launched at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK has bold ambitions for the World Humanitarian Summit, which comes at a critical time given the number of people experiencing crisis. We are working with a range of partners, including the UN, government, NGOs and the private sector, to ensure it delivers transformative change to crisis response including education.

    In the run up to the Summit, the UK has been playing a leading role in agreeing principles and global action on education in emergencies and protracted crisis situations, including at the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region. We are co-funding the design of the new education funding platform and will take a decision whether to support this once the design has been fully appraised.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in her Department.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    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

    “

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding his Department received from the European Social Fund (a) between 2007 and 2014 and (b) from 2014 to the last month for which data is available.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Department has no record of receiving any funds from the European Social Fund.