Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school buildings under wave 1 of the Priority Schools Building Programme received additional funding for those buildings; and for what that additional money was used.

    Edward Timpson

    Under the first phase of the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP), third parties have chosen to contribute funding at 133 schools. The majority of the third party funding is for additional places beyond the capacity requested in the PSBP application.

    The Department provides basic need funding to local authorities for the provision of additional places to meet basic need. Between 2011 and 2015, the Government allocated over £5 billion of basic need funding to local authorities for new school places and will be spending a further £7 billion between 2015 and 2021.

    By co-ordinating PSBP projects and the provision of additional places we are able to drive value for money for the public purse.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on funding for inquests into the killings allegedly carried out by the British Army’s Military Reaction Force.

    James Brokenshire

    The Government committed, in our manifesto, to work to reform the system of legacy inquests in a way that enables the UK Government to fulfil its international obligations. The current system was not designed to cope with a large number of highly complex cases that involve sensitive information. Since taking up office I have been meeting regularly with the Executive parties and a large number of other stakeholders as part of work to progress reforms around legacy issues. I will continue to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive and others and consider any proposals that the Executive puts forward that would lead to effective reform of the inquest system.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will publish the Joint Hen Harrier Recovery Plan.

    Rory Stewart

    We have been working with Sub-Group members to finalise the Hen Harrier Action Plan with a view to publishing it shortly.

  • Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2015-12-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on making the discounts to the Mersey Gateway Bridge toll available to residents of the Wirral.

    Greg Hands

    The Department for Transport are looking at the Mersey Gateway local discount scheme following the Chancellor’s announcements earlier this year. An announcement will be made on the discount scheme in due course.

  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the contingency fund for the new generation of successor Trident submarines was based on a full quantitative risk assessment of the project.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, we have set a contingency of £10 billion, which represents around 35% of the cost to completion. This is a prudent estimate based on past experience of large, complex projects, such as the 2012 Olympics.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will exempt people from the extra three per cent stamp duty charge on second properties who have moved home because of flooding and are unable to sell their primary home within the 18 month eligibility period for a refund.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government has consulted on the changes to ensure they are introduced in a fair way, and is now carefully analysing the consultation responses received. The final policy design will be confirmed at the Budget on 16 March 2016, before the new rules come into effect on 1 April this year.

  • Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the consumption of microplastics on human health.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    No such assessment has been made.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department provides to people with autism.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department co-ordinates the Cross Government Autism Strategy originally published as Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives in 2010 and updated as Think Autism in 2014. The on-going actions of the strategy focus on assisting local implementation and multi-agency planning to deliver the aims of the 2009 Autism Act and help people with autism access services and support, and reach their potential. In support of the strategy, statutory guidance was co-ordinated by the Department and issued to local authorities and the National Health Service in 2010 and 2015.

    Figures on the numbers of people diagnosed with autism in different parts of the country are not collected centrally.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on arms export licences to Saudi Arabia of the recent reports that a BL755 cluster bomb made by UK firm Hunting Engineering Ltd was found to be in use against civilians in Yemen.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of recent reports that the Coalition may have used cluster munitions in Yemen. We have raised this issue with the Saudi Arabian authorities and, in line with our obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, continue to encourage Saudi Arabia, as a non-party to the Convention, to accede to it.

    The UK Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. 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 factors at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued for any country, including Saudi Arabia, 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 in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law.

    The Government is confident in our robust case-by-case assessment and is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licensing criteria. The conflict in Yemen is being monitored closely, and relevant information gathered from that monitoring is taken into account as part of the careful risk assessment for the licensing of exports to Saudi Arabia.

    Minister for Defence Procurement, Philip Dunne, responded to an urgent question on the reports of UK manufactured cluster bombs in Yemen on Tuesday 24 May.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether there have been contraventions of the (a) 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and (b) 1972 World Heritage Convention during the conflict in Yemen.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We remain concerned about any damage to cultural property in Yemen and are aware of reports of alleged damage by actors in the conflict. Yemen and many members of the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition are parties to the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the event of Armed Conflict and to the 1972 World Heritage Convention. We have raised our concerns regarding protection of cultural property with both the government of Yemen and Saudi Arabia.