Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the outcome of the last round of the UK-China human rights dialogue; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The 22nd round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue was held in Beijing on 21-22 April 2015. It provided for detailed, expert engagement on a wide range of human rights concerns, resulting in a frank exchange of views. Our current assessment of the human rights situation in China can be seen in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the distributional effect of the exclusion from National Insurance contributions of property, dividends, pensions and other forms of non-employment income.

    Mr David Gauke

    National Insurance contributions (NICs) are not intended to tax all forms of income. As a system of social security, the purpose of NICs is that individuals contribute when they are working, in order to build entitlement to contributory benefits such as the State Pension.

    Taxes are levied on non-employment income through the rest of the tax system, and the government’s policies since 2010 have repeatedly increased the contribution of the wealthy. The richest fifth of households will contribute more than half (52%) of UK household tax receipts in 2019-20; under the 2010-11 tax system, they would have paid 49%.

  • Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether any military equipment exported from the UK to India is being used against the civilians of Kashmir.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are concerned to see reports of excessive violence against protesters in Kashmir.

    The UK Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world.

    In light of media reports on the situation in Indian Administered Kashmir (IaK), we have undertaken checks regarding shotguns being licensed to the Indian Security Forces (ISF) in IaK covering the last 10 years. We are confident from these checks undertaken that no such weapon has been licensed to this specific force in IaK.

    All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant information available at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued, for any country, including India, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that the items might be used to facilitate internal repression.

    The Government is confident in our case by case assessment and routinely keeps factors relevant to the licensing of arms exports under active review. Ministers are consulted as necessary in the event of any significant changes in the circumstances relating to UK-licensed exports.

    Our export licensing system allows us to respond quickly to changed circumstances, with the option to suspend or revoke any licence where we consider this a necessary step.

  • Lord Rennard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Rennard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rennard on 2016-10-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen on 20 October (HL Deb, col 2484–90), how much of the Pharmacy Access Fund will come from existing funds to support community pharmacies, and how much of the Pharmacy Access Fund will be additional money to support community pharmacies.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Pharmacy Access Scheme (PhAS) will be paid for from the funding for the community pharmacy contractual framework. The PhAS will be an additional monthly payment, made to all small and medium sized pharmacies that are a mile or more from another pharmacy. The PhAS has been designed to capture the pharmacies that are most important for patient access, specifically those pharmacies where patient and public access would be materially affected should they close. The PhAS takes isolation and need levels into account.

    The scheme also includes a review process, and reviews of eligibility will also be granted for pharmacies that may have narrowly missed out on the scheme through the distance criteria, but are in areas of high deprivation. This will cover pharmacies that are located in the top 20% most deprived areas in England, and are located 0.8 miles or more from another pharmacy. Additional funding for successful reviews under this criterion will be made available as required.

  • Stella Creasy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stella Creasy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stella Creasy on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent estimate he has made of the number of employees who receive payment of service charges, tips, gratuities and cover charges through their employer; and in what industries such employees work.

    Nick Boles

    The Government has not made a recent estimate of the number of employees who receive payment of service charges, tips, gratuities and cover charges through their employer.

    The Government launched a call for evidence in this area which closed on 10th November. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will analyse responses and make public the key findings in due course.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people applied for British passports through the passport section of the British embassy in Dublin in the last 12 months.

    James Brokenshire

    Her Majesty’s Passport Office Belfast commenced the repatriation of application processing for customers residing in the Republic of Ireland on 20th January 2014 and the decommissioning of passport processing at the British Embassy in Dublin was completed by 31st March 2014. Therefore, no applications for British passports will have been dealt with or issued by the British Embassy Dublin after 31 March 2014.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on eradication of polio.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The UK and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are both committed to global polio eradication. The Secretary of State and officials from her Department have had a number of meetings with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to discuss polio. Officials also have regular policy discussions through both organisations’ participation on the Global Polio Oversight Board and its Finance and Accountability Committee.

    The UK is a top three donor to polio eradication, with a £300 million commitment from 2013 to 2018. UK support has been critical in bringing us one step closer to the finish line of a world free from polio, something people across the country can be immensely proud of.

  • David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has for implementing a meningitis vaccination programme for older adults.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department has no plans to introduce a meningitis vaccination programme for older adults.

    National immunisation programmes are introduced following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the expert body that advises the government on all immunisation matters. JCVI reviewed all available evidence and advised that immunisation against meningococcal group B should be routinely offered to infants from two months of age and immunisation against meningococcal A, C, W and Y should be routinely offered to teenagers aged around 14 years.

  • George Kerevan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    George Kerevan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Kerevan on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received on the applicability of the 1951 Refugee Convention to the migrants who arrived in the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus in 1998.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The 1951 Refugee Convention places no obligation on the UK to consider asylum claims made outside its immediate territory. The Sovereign Base Area is an overseas territory and separate by legal jurisdiction to the UK. The Convention has not been extended to the Sovereign Base Areas. Representations challenging the applicability of the 1951 Refugee Convention are currently being made to the High Court on behalf of a group of refugees who have been resident in the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus since 1998.

    “

  • Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP appointments were available in Enfield North constituency in each year since 2010.

    Alistair Burt

    The attached table shows the total general practitioner (GP) headcount and headcount per head of population in Enfield and London between 2010-14.

    Information on the availability of GP appointments in Enfield North is not collected centrally.

    We have invested in the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund to test improved and innovative access to GP services. Across the two waves of the Fund, there are 57 schemes covering over 2,500 practices and over 18 million patients have benefited from improved access and transformational change at a local level. A wide variety of approaches are being tested through the Access Fund, including: evening and weekend appointments and better use of telecare and health apps; more innovative ways to access services by video call, email or telephone; and developing more integrated services with a single point of contact to co-ordinate patient services.