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 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what investigative process the Government has to investigate alleged international humanitarian law violations involving the use of British equipment in the Syrian conflict.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK does not provide lethal assistance to any party in Syria. We have provided life-saving equipment, including communications, medical and logistics equipment, and equipment to protect against chemical weapons attacks to the moderate Syrian opposition.

    The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Syria are compliant with the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria and EU restrictions on the provision of goods to Syria. A licence will not be issued, for any country, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria. This includes where we assess there is a clear risk that it might be used in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application.

  • Chris Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Green on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the effect of antimicrobial resistance on hospital budgets.

    Jane Ellison

    The current cost of antimicrobial resistance to the National Health Service is estimated to be in excess of £180 million per annum.

  • Lord Hutton of Furness – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Hutton of Furness – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hutton of Furness on 2016-07-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure continued public access to the archives and collections of the Royal Artillery museum once the existing site at Woolwich is closed.

    Earl Howe

    Regimental museums are provided and sustained by individual Regiments. However, I understand that the Royal Artillery intends to follow the precedent set by the National Army Museum, which is to close all access to the archives and collections during the transition of the Royal Artillery Museum to a new location. I understand that the Royal Artillery is examining ways to provide some access to a limited selection of archive materials whilst it develops longer term plans.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor the welfare of unaccompanied refugee children who arrive in the UK and are in the care of the relevant authorities and (b) locate those refugee children who have gone missing in the UK in the last five years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    All local authorities have statutory duties to safeguard children as part of their local responsibilities regardless of nationality or immigration status. Once an unaccompanied asylum seeking child (UASC) becomes a looked after child the main responsibility for that child’s welfare lies with the respective local authority.

    Home Office staff dealing with UASC receive specialist training and are required to follow published guidance on processing asylum claims from children, which requires the child’s welfare to be taken into account throughout the asylum claim.

    The government takes the issue of missing children extremely seriously and has published a cross government strategy on missing children and vulnerable adults.

    Migrant children over the age of 5, including asylum seeking children will have their biometrics captured by the Home Office. If a child goes missing, the local police and UK Missing Persons Bureau will be notified and the child’s details will be circulated on the Police National Computer. Home Office guidance requires staff to maintain contact with the local authority and the police until the child is found.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what timetable she plans to set for ratification of the Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence.

    Karen Bradley

    The previous Government signed the Istanbul Convention in June 2012. We will only commit to ratification when we are absolutely satisfied that we comply with all articles. The UK already complies with the vast majority of the articles but primary legislation is required to comply with the extra-territorial jurisdiction provision set out in Article 44 of the Convention. We are liaising with the devolved administrations about ratification, including the further legislative steps required.

    We will continue to lead efforts to tackle violence against women and girls. End Female Genital Mutilation and combat early and forced marriage, both at home and abroad.

  • Richard  Arkless – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Richard Arkless – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the safety and security of UK HGV drivers from their approach to Calais to entering the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    The haulage industry is hugely important to UK trade and prosperity and Her Majesty’s Government regularly speaks with haulage industry representatives to listen to their concerns regarding the situation in northern France. The Government is funding improved security measures and port infrastructure to protect the travelling public, including HGV drivers, in the Calais area. This includes the introduction of security fencing around port perimeters and along the port approach roads at Calais port and at the Coquelles Eurotunnel site; and the introduction of new secure zones for UK-bound HGVs at both locations. In addition, the UK and French authorities also work closely to share intelligence to combat illegal migrant activity and organised immigration crime.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the correlation between cycle usage and household income.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The number of cycle trips and distance cycled per person per year for different household income levels (based on data for households in England in 2014) are given in the table.

    Real household income quintile

    Lowest real income level

    Second level

    Third level

    Fourth level

    Highest real income level

    All income levels

    Cycle trips per person per year

    21

    15

    15

    18

    21

    18

    Distance cycled (miles) per person per year

    50

    46

    43

    64

    88

    58

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the public sector exit cap proposed in the Enterprise Bill on employees of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

    Greg Hands

    An impact analysis was published within the exit payment cap consultation document which respondents had an opportunity to comment on. Further, the Government has been working with departments, including the Department of Energy and Climate Change, to inform the impact of a public sector exit payment cap set at £95,000 in different sectors and on different categories of workers. The exit payment cap consultation can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-a-public-sector-exit-payment-cap

  • Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-03-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were registered with HM Revenue and Customs as self-employed (a) wholly and (b) partly for the purposes of tax and national insurance in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency in each of the last 24 months.

    Mr David Gauke

    The latest available data for the numbers of individual taxpayers with self-employment income, by constituency level, is for 2012-13. There were estimated to be 4,000 individuals with self-employment income in Cardiff South and Penarth out of 48,000 with income from any source.

    These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes and are taken from table 3.15 of the HM Revenue and Customs Personal Income statistics publication. The estimate for 2013-14 is due to be published on the 31st March 2016.

    No information on the purpose for individuals registering for Self Assessment is collected.

  • Graham Allen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Graham Allen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to tackle child sexual abuse; and what steps she plans to take in regards to such abuse in the next year.

    Karen Bradley

    Tackling child sexual abuse is a top priority for this Government and good progress is being made on delivering the commitments made in “Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation” – the Government’s response to address on a national scale the failures that had been seen in Rotherham and elsewhere. We are working collaboratively across Whitehall to deliver on our commitments and will publish an update to the “Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation” report later this year. This will set out our progress to date on what we have achieved in tackling offending, reducing vulnerability and supporting victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. It will also set out what future steps the government plans to take.

    As part of this work, we have prioritised child sexual abuse as a national threat, providing a clear mandate for police forces to safeguard children and to share intelligence and best practice. We have also rolled out to all UK police forces Child abuse image database (CAID) which provides law enforcement with effective tools to search seized devices. We have delivered a £7 million uplift in funding over the financial years 2014 – 15 and 2015 – 16 for non statutory organisations which support victims and survivors of sexual abuse and have announced that the same amount will be available in 2016 – 17.

    In January this year we launched a new national whistle-blowing helpline, operated by the NSPCC, for any employee who wants to raise a concern about how their organisation is dealing with a concern about a child. The establishment of the Centre of Expertise has formed part of discussions held at the Inter Ministerial Group on Child Sexual Abuse, and we are currently working towards its procurement. In terms of the Centre working with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Inquiry is independent of Government, but the Government is, and will, continue to fully co-operate with it.