Tag: Parliamentary Question

Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any future corporate services integration and innovation provider for Defence Business Services will be permitted to bid for contracts for direct service delivery within the future Defence Business Services contract.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence is currently examining options for the future of Defence Business Services (DBS) as part of the Future DBS Programme. No final decisions have been taken on whether any elements of DBS’ current operations will be outsourced. Decisions on whether any future Corporate Services Integration and Innovation Service supplier could bid for service delivery contracts in DBS would be made in line with the procurement legislation and regulations that applied at the time.

01/01/2023
Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the extent to which UK universities are being excluded from joint funding applications to EU funding bodies by other EU universities.

Joseph Johnson

The European Commission has made it clear that while the UK remains a member of the EU, proposals from, or including, UK applicants must be treated in the same way as applications from other Member States including for collaborations under Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+.

In addition, the HM Treasury announcement on 13th August brought clarity on continuity of research funding by stating that competitively bid for projects applied for before the UK departs the EU would be underwritten by the Treasury for the life of the project.

The Government is vigilant and will continue to monitor any problems in this area. To aid this we have set up a mailbox where specific instances should be sent: research@beis.gov.uk.

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01/01/2023
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 plans to publish her Department’s new code of practice on the use of fox snares.

Rory Stewart

In 2012 Defra published research on the extent of use and humaneness of snares in England and Wales. Ministers are currently considering options.

01/01/2023

Rob Marris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2015-12-15.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent members of staff were employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2005.

Mr David Gauke

The number of full-time equivalent members of staff employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2005 is shown in the following table.

Year	Full-time equivalent staff in post
April 2005	97,073.36
April 2006	92,888.45
April 2007	88,935.55
April 2008	83,827.84
April 2009	81,159.89
April 2010	70,699.64
April 2011	66,880.89
April 2012	66,466.00
April 2013	64,476.36
April 2014	61,370.12
April 2015	57,138.24

01/01/2023

Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2016 to Question 23285, by what mechanisms the UK strongly asserts its right, and supports that of all States, to exercise Freedom of Navigation in accordance with the International Rules Based System in the South China Sea.

Penny Mordaunt

Royal Navy warships exercise their rights of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea pursuant to the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In addition, aircraft may exercise their right of overflight of the High Seas by virtue of Article 87(1)(b) of UNCLOS. By virtue of their free passage through international water and airspace Royal Navy vessels and RAF aircraft exercise and assert this right whenever transiting through international waters and airspace.

01/01/2023
David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average hourly earnings of (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of 10 Downing Street were in each of the last five years.

Matthew Hancock

The information is not available.

01/01/2023
Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

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 microplastics from toiletries and detergents on aquatic life.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Microplastics from cosmetic products make up a very small percentage of the total of microplastics entering the marine environment, with estimates ranging from 0.01% to 4.1%. Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of microplastics in the marine environment. The project studied whether chemical pollutants stick to plastic particles, whether marine organisms ingest plastic particles and pass them along the food chain, and whether the plastics themselves, or associated chemical pollutants, could cause harm to those organisms. The final report for this project is currently undergoing peer review.

01/01/2023
Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much UK aid has been spent on programmes to support (a) children who have been conscripted as child soldiers by Daesh, (b) other children who have been held in captivity by Daesh and (c) women and girls who have been held in sexual slavery by Daesh.

Mr Desmond Swayne

We are very concerned about appalling crimes committed by Daesh in Iraq and Syria, including against women and young children. We strongly condemn their use of sexual slavery, sexual violence, rape and kidnapping. Likewise, we have seen reports of children in Daesh-held areas being forced into military training after the militant group closed down their schools – leaving an estimated total of over 670,000 children without the opportunity of a proper education.

In Syria and Iraq, DFID continues to work with the UN and the international community to ensure all civilians’ rights are protected. However, we do not earmark our aid as being solely for Daesh victims or victims of other groups. The UK is committed to supporting the most vulnerable people wherever they are, in accordance with international humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, independence and impartiality. Consequently all UK funded humanitarian assistance is distributed on the basis of need, and need alone, regardless of politics, religion, ethnicity or place of origin.

The UK has pledged over £2.3 billion for the response to the Syria crisis. Some of this funding is enabling partner agencies to provide specialist assistance to those affected by sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including safe spaces, psychosocial support, cash assistance and reproductive healthcare. By June 2015, UK assistance had provided SGBV focussed interventions to over 197,000 individuals in Syria and the region. In addition, more than 673,000 children have been reached with child protection initiatives across Syria and the region.

Ultimately, the best way of safeguarding these children is by defeating Daesh and establishing a lasting peace in both Syria and Iraq. The UK Government is committed to this aim: we have a comprehensive strategy for defeating Daesh and continue to work with our international partners and the UN towards a political settlement in Syria.

01/01/2023
Hywel Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what provision HM Prison Service makes to meet the spiritual needs of prisoners who speak Welsh in prisons in (a) Wales and (b) other parts of the UK.

Andrew Selous

The spiritual needs of Welsh speaking prisoners have been, and continue to be, provided by chaplains working in multi-faith teams. The framework for providing faith services in languages other than English is detailed in Prison Service Instruction 05/2016 Faith and Pastoral Care of Prisoners.

This can be found on the Justice website at the following link:

https://www.justice.gov.uk/offenders/psis

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01/01/2023
William Cash – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Cash on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate any advantage which fossil fuel generated electricity imported via interconnector has over domestic electricity generation on which carbon price floor rates are applied.

Jesse Norman

Whatever the source, and wherever it is from, we import electricity when the cost is lower than here in the UK, driving down consumer bills. Ofgem’s analysis of proposed interconnector projects shows that the carbon price floor is not the determinate of whether the projects are in the interests of UK consumers.

01/01/2023