Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bruce of Bennachie on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual contribution in Official Development Assistance provided by the UK to India in the last year for which figures are available.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Total UK Official Development Assistance to India appears in the official statistics on International Development. The latest available figures are for 2014 when the total UK ODA Bilateral spent in India was £279,060,026. Official ODA statistics for 2015 will be available in November.

    DFID financial aid to India ceased in December 2015. As of 2016 DFID has committed to spend £30 million through technical assistance and £40 million through returnable capital investment.

  • Kate Hoey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kate Hoey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contact there has been between Government officials and Moussa Koussa since his departure from the UK in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    There has been no contact between Government officials and Moussa Koussa since his departure from the UK in 2011.

  • Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government where information about higher education institutions found not to be in compliance with Tier 4 licences for non-EU students is published.

    Lord Bates

    The Tier 4 Register of Sponsors which is available via the link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-students shows active sponsors.

    No information is routinely published regarding sponsors found not to be compliant.

    In January 2015 data was published showing Tier 4 sponsors whose status appeared as revoked from 2010 to 2014. This information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tier-4-sponsors-whose-status-appeared-as-revoked-from-2010-to-2014

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what impact assessment the Government has undertaken on its decision to privatise the Green Investment Bank.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government is moving UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) into private ownership so it can continue operating in the same way it does now only funded with private capital rather than relying on taxpayers’ support. The detailed background and supporting case for this move was set out in the policy statement we published on 18 November. Decisions on the proposed sale are being taken in accordance with best practice to ensure all available options are properly examined in a detailed business case and that a robust valuation process is followed. The process does not involve preparation of an impact assessment as there are no regulatory or significant cost impacts of a majority sale of GIB, or changes to pre-existing policy goals for GIB.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her EU counterparts during the renegotiation of the terms of the UK’s membership of the EU on the Common Agricultural Policy; and if she will take steps to secure a better outcome for the British farmers within that policy.

    George Eustice

    The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership which can cause so much frustration in the UK. The Prime Minister has set out the UK’s priorities that will deliver a better deal for the UK and secure our future. The Government is focused on driving forward a successful renegotiation; it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU.

    Separately, the UK continues to make the case in Europe for improvements to the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) so that it is simpler and more effective. Reducing the administrative burden of the CAP on farmers is a necessary part of increasing the competitiveness of our food and farming industries.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the female genital mutilation reporting duties under Section 5B of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 apply to professionals who (a) are members of any of the professional bodies on the Accredited Voluntary Register and (b) work in sectors where there is no statutory requirement to be members of a professional body and who themselves are not members of professional bodies.

    Karen Bradley

    Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse.

    The new FGM mandatory reporting duty requires specified professionals to report known cases of FGM in under 18s to the police. It applies to teachers and health and social care professionals regulated by a body which is overseen by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (with the exception of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland) in England and Wales.

    The duty does not apply to non-regulated professionals. This includes non-regulated professionals who are members of bodies on the Accredited Voluntary Register. However, our guidance on the duty is clear that such professionals also have a responsibility to take appropriate action in relation to any identified or suspected case of FGM, in line with wider safeguarding frameworks and guidance, including the multi-agency guidance on FGM which we are putting on a statutory footing.

    Where professionals fail to comply with the duty, this should be dealt with in accordance with professional bodies’ existing disciplinary procedures.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they will provide for 16 to 18 year olds who are not in higher education or apprenticeships to ensure they have an effective and successful transition from school into the workplace.

    Lord Nash

    Support is available for all 16 to 18-year olds whether they are making a transition into employment, ongoing education, or a combination. Local authorities are required to track and support young people, and in doing so they work closely with education and training providers, employers, the Voluntary and Community Sector, and other agencies.

    Schools and colleges have a duty to secure independent careers guidance to young people. The Careers & Enterprise Company has been established to help ensure young people get the inspiration and guidance they need to leave school or college ready to succeed in working life.

    Specialist support is provided to vulnerable young people such as Care Leavers and those who are under the supervision of a Youth Offending Team, and any 16 to 18-year olds who claim benefits are supported into employment or education by staff at Job Centre Plus offices. The government has also allocated £30m for the Youth Engagement Fund and Fair Chance Fund Social Impact Bond (SIB) schemes which provide support to vulnerable young people.

    We are looking to improve the quality of the destinations data by linking it to employment and benefits data. This data will enable us to improve the robustness and coverage of NEET destination data and monitor the impact of our policies.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much UK development aid to Bangladesh has been spent on education in each year since 2000; and what information her Department holds on the proportion the total Bangladesh education budget that UK development aid represents in each of those years.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The table below shows the amount of Official Development Assistance (ODA) spent on education in Bangladesh by the United Kingdom through the government, NGOs and civil society.

    UK Calendar year

    2000

    2001

    2002

    2003

    2004

    2005

    2006

    2007

    UK Spend (£millions)

    0

    0

    7.8

    7.7

    17.3

    28.9

    19.6

    8.9

    UK Calendar year

    2008

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    UK Spend (£millions)

    22.2

    34.6

    33.5

    50.2

    26.5

    34.6

    33.1

    2015 figures will be published later this year.

    Details of the total Government of Bangladesh education budget can be found here: http://www.mof.gov.bd/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=1/.

    “

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of the British steel industry to future transport infrastructure projects in the UK.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department has been working closely with BIS, Cabinet Office and industry to consider how Government can help the UK steel industry meet the challenges it has been facing.

    The bulk of infrastructure projects within the Department are being delivered by the Department’s Arm’s Length Bodies (ALB), in particular, Network Rail, Highways England and HS2. Cabinet Office guidance on the approach to steel procurement has been circulated to the Accounting Officers of each ALB and procurement and commercial teams within these organisations are aware of the need to:

    • Signal the future pipeline of requirements on steel sourcing and best practice in pre-procurement market engagement;
    • Ensure there is clear visibility of opportunities at sub-contractor level where the source of steel has not been defined by a Tier 1 contractor;
    • Assess the health and sustainability of potential suppliers in the supply chain at selection stage, including compliance with relevant health and safety and employment legislation;
    • Ensure that the price or cost calculations are based on an assessment of the whole-life cost and not lowest purchase price;
    • Take account of appropriate social and environmental impacts at the award stage where they are linked to the subject of the contract.

    As with the rest of the materials for construction, steel is procured by the supply chain for the majority of our infrastructure projects. The Department and its ALBs are complying with the Cabinet Office guidance and ensuring that, for instance, where appropriate, assessment of social and environmental impacts are considered as part of the evaluation criteria. The Department and its ALBs also positively encourage bids from British companies and are holding discussions with UK suppliers to make sure they are in the best possible position to win contracts.

    Activity currently underway is as follows:

    Network Rail

    • Network Rail buys approximately 120,000 tonnes of steel for rails per annum directly from British Steel in Scunthorpe, which is around 96% of Network Rail’s total aggregated demand by value.

    Highways England

    • Highways England does not procure steel materials directly, however over the last five years Highways England has used a category management framework as the main method of procuring steel gantries for the Strategic Road Network.
    • To date circa 95% of this steel has been drawn from British Steel in the UK, which equates to approximately 11,000 tonnes of steel. The approximate framework spend is £30 million, of which about 35% will be steel procurement i.e. raw materials, and will equate to around £10.5 million.

    Crossrail

    • The 57km of steel required for the rails of Crossrail’s brand new central tunnel section is being sourced entirely from British Steel in Scunthorpe. This equates to 7,000 tonnes of steel.
    • Crossrail Ltd does not directly procure steel as this is undertaken by their tier 1 contractors and their supply chains. However, Crossrail keeps an oversight of its critical contracts and estimates that 85% of its supply chain providing steel to the project is UK based.

    HS2

    • It is estimated that HS2 will need approximately 2 million tonnes of steel over the next 10 years. The procurement for the main civil engineering works between Euston and Birmingham is now underway with procurements for the stations and rail systems expected to commence later this year and for rolling stock in early 2017. Subject to Royal Assent, the project will start construction in 2017.
    • As with the rest of the materials for construction, steel is procured by the supply chain. HS2 positively encourages bids from British companies and is already holding discussions with UK suppliers to make sure they are in the best possible position to complete for contracts for the steel that will be needed for track, concrete reinforcements, overhead wires and other structures.
  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the UN Security Council on the persecution of Christians and other minorities living in Syria in the last three months.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK Government has consistently supported the need for accountability for atrocities that have been committed in Syria, in the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council (HRC).

    On 19 September, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), alongside the Foreign Ministers of Iraq and Belgium, launched a global campaign to bring Daesh to justice for its crimes at the UN General Assembly – this initiative includes crimes committed against religious minorities.

    The UK plays a leading role in the tri-annual Syria resolutions at the UN HRC, the latest of which took place in September. The HRC resolutions draw attention to the ongoing violations and abuses of human rights in Syria, the vast majority of which are the responsibility of the Asad regime, and refer to the need to protect ethnic, religious and confessional communities. We will continue to use our leadership role in the HRC to shine a spotlight on the dire human rights situation, and make clear our strong condemnation of the Asad regime.

    We consistently use our interventions at the UN Security Council – most recently at an emergency session on Aleppo on 25 September – to highlight the suffering of the Syrian people, of all ethnic and religious backgrounds.