Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will establish an inquiry into the Omagh bombing of 1998 and the handling of the investigation into that bombing by the security forces.

    Lord Dunlop

    The Government’s position, as announced in September 2013, remains that following careful consideration and consultation there should be no public inquiry. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland concluded that a further inquiry or review would not deliver results going beyond what had already been uncovered by previous investigations and processes.

  • 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 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide on atrocities committed by Daesh.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    My officials have regular contact with the Joint Office of the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect. Their discussions cover a range of issues related to preventing genocide and mass atrocities, including the actions of Daesh.

    The UK provides funding for the Office, including for its work with religious leaders and faith-based organisations in the Middle East and North Africa.

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-05-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to encourage public bodies, including the BBC, to recruit and promote individuals based on merit alone, and to move away from any affirmative action policies that may be in use.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    All public appointments to the boards of public bodies are made on merit and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the Rt Hon Peter Riddell. The boards of non-departmental public bodies should ensure that the body’s rules for recruitment and management of staff provide for appointment and advancement on merit. These requirements also apply to the BBC.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to make representations to the President of Colombia during his state visit to the UK in November, about domestic laws that potentially conflict with international human rights obligations and the rights of indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The State Visit presents an opportunity for us to continue our engagement with the Government of Colombia on a wide variety of themes.

    We continue to raise the issue of human rights with the Colombian Government at the highest levels. In recent months the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon Friend, the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), and I have all urged President Santos to continue Colombia’s efforts to address human rights concerns.

    We support the peace process and hope that achieving a sustainable peace agreement will benefit all Colombian citizens, including indigenous and afro-descendant communities.

    I am pleased to note that at the 46th session of the Organisation of American States and General Assembly, the Colombian Government supported the adoption of the instrument for the rights of indigenous peoples of the Americas and renewed its commitment to continue advancing respect for pluralism and ethnic and cultural diversity.

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the target length of time for Border Force to process (1) non-European Economic Area passengers, and (2) European Union passengers, at each terminal in Heathrow; and how often that target has been missed in the past six months.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The service level agreement for passengers arriving at Heathrow for Non-EEA nationals is 95% of queue measures to be less than 45 minutes and for EU/EEA nationals this is 95% of queue measures to be less than 25 minutes.

    The data on the Border Force performance against the targets at Heathrow can be found at:

    www.heathrow.com/company/company-news-and-information/performance/airport-operations/border-force

  • Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department plans to review the VAT threshold.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government keeps all tax rates and thresholds under review.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding was allocated to raising awareness of diabetes by Public Health England in each of the last three years.

    Jane Ellison

    There is no specific budget for diabetes awareness marketing within Public Health England.

    However, Change4Life is Public Health England’s (PHE) social marketing programme which aims to inspire families with children aged five to 11 to eat well and move more in order to lower the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, some cancers and heart disease. More than 2.7 million people have engaged with the campaign.

    Table: Costs for the delivery of the Change4Life campaign

    Year

    Cost

    2012/13

    £8,933,000

    2013/14

    £12,582,000

    2014/15

    £10,041,000

    Note: These costs are total campaign costs and only exclude staffing costs.

    PHE is also developing an integrated social marketing campaign to engage adults in making changes to improve their own health. The programme will encourage people to make a number of lifestyle changes including taking up more exercise, improving diet, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol consumption.

  • Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of potential risks associated with vulnerable witnesses and defendants travelling by public transport when considering potential court closures as part of proposals on the future of the court and tribunal estate; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    To ensure that access to justice is maintained, we are committed to providing alternative ways for users to access our services. This includes the use of other civic buildings and extending video conferencing facilities. This will further reduce the need for vulnerable victims and witnesses to travel to attend court.

  • David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Anderson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2015 to Question 17647, if he will carry out a survey of women’s attitudes to state pension equalisation.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department has no plans to carry out a survey of women’s attitudes to State Pension age equalisation. It has been Government policy since 1995 that the inequality between men and women’s State Pensions Ages must be removed.

  • Baroness Manzoor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Manzoor – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Manzoor on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what case material was examined as part of the review of 105 Personal Independence Payments (PIP) claims referenced in the DWP’s consultation on PIP aids and appliances (Cm 9171).

    Baroness Altmann

    DWP are currently running a consultation to seek views on how support can best be provided to help meet the costs of disability faced by people who are currently awarded points due to aids and appliances. The department is keen to hear views from all interested parties, especially disabled people and disability organisations.

    As part of the consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of PIP, the Department reviewed a sample of 105 cases where claimants scored all, or the majority, of their points from aids and appliances. These were randomly selected.

    DWP doctors, who reviewed these cases, looked at all the relevant information held on departmental systems relating to each case. This included the application form, the results of any face-to-face assessment and any additional supporting evidence provided by the claimant.