Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Allen of Kensington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Lord Allen of Kensington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Allen of Kensington on 2016-07-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the changes that have placed responsibility for universities within the Department for Education and the responsibility for research, including for the research councils and Innovate UK with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how they plan to ensure that businesses and the university sector work closely together to maintain the UK’s research and science base, and to make the UK an attractive place to innovate.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    This Government has demonstrated its commitment to the UK’s research and science base, protecting £4.7bn funding in real terms at the Spending Review. Our proposals set out in the Higher Education and Research Bill will meet Sir Paul Nurse’s ambition to strengthen strategic leadership and maximise the benefit from the Government’s investment in research and innovation.

    A single minister for Universities and Science whose portfolio spans both departments will ensure coherence and integration across universities, research councils and Innovate UK and have a strong input into our industrial strategy.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what account his Department took of the case of Andargachew Tsege in its decision to fund the executive MSc programme in security sector management in Ethiopia.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    ​In line with standard government policy, we conducted an Overseas Security and Justice Assessment before funding for the executive MSc programme in security sector management was approved. The consular case of Mr Andargachew Tsege was not a factor in the process. The programme focuses on building an understanding of the rule of law, human rights and international humanitarian law, and the assessment evaluated the programme to be supporting the reduction of human rights violations. The Government takes the detention and welfare of Mr Andargachew Tsege very seriously and continues to raise his case with the Ethiopian government at the highest levels.

  • Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Ian C. Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will assess the potential merits of arms-length funding to support community journalism and independent news start-ups to promote informed citizenship.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    This Government believes local media has a vital role to play in local communities and in local democracy.There are no current plans for a Government investigation into the merits of arms-length funding for community journalism, but we would welcome evidence from the sector to support this.

  • Baroness Rebuck – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Rebuck – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Rebuck on 2015-12-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reintroduce automatic post-study work visas, in particular for postgraduate international students working at recognised higher education institutions in the UK.

    Lord Bates

    We have an excellent post-study offer for international graduates seeking to undertake skilled work in the UK after their studies. There is no limit on the number who can remain, if they secure a graduate job paying an appropriate salary.

    The Government has no plans to reintroduce the Tier 1 (Post Study Work) visa, which saw large numbers of fraudulent applications and graduates who remained unemployed or in low-skilled work. We closed this visa category in 2012 and have replaced it with a more selective system.

  • David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-01-06.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will increase the budget for IT contractors employed by HM Revenue and Customs.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government is investing £1.3bn to transform HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) into one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world. Along with other changes, this will enable HMRC to transition to a new IT delivery model following the ending of the Aspire contract. Through these changes, HMRC will be able to make savings on its annual IT budget.

  • Lord Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kinnock on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the average (1) in-work, and (2) out-of-work, benefits paid to all recent EU migrants supported by the benefits system as at March 2013.

    Lord Freud

    I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Minister for Employment (Ms. Esther McVey) in the House of Commons on 20 November 2014 to Question number 211618 as below:

    While the Government checks the immigration status of benefit claimants to ensure the benefit is paid properly and to prevent fraud, traditionally that information has not been collected as part of the payment administrative systems.

    However, the Government is looking at ways to reform the current administrative system under Universal Credit so that it will systematically record nationality and immigration status of migrants who make a claim.

    The Government has made a radical series of changes over the last year to restrict the access by non-UK citizens from the European Economic Area to UK benefits and tax credits. This is in order to protect the UK’s benefit system and discourage people who have no established connection with the UK from moving here, unless they have a job or a genuine prospect of work, or have savings to support themselves until they do.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many consultants’ contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.

    Matthew Hancock

    The information requested is not held centrally.

  • James Berry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    James Berry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Berry on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the local government finance settlement announced in the 2015 Spending Review his Department plans to spend on homelessness prevention in each year up to 2019-20; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government has always been clear that we are committed to supporting the most vulnerable people in our society. One person without a home is one too many. That is why we have protected the homelessness prevention funding local authorities receive, totalling £315 million by 2019-20.

  • Nia Griffith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Nia Griffith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she expects the Government’s review of the case for the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon to be completed.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The timeframe depends on a number of factors, many of which would be outside the control of the Department. Talks between Government and the developer are on-going and will be fed into the independent review of tidal lagoons for consideration. The independent review will be completed as soon as possible.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals have been on the staff of the European Commission in each year since 2010.

    Mr David Lidington

    Whilst the European Commission provides staffing numbers by nationality they do not break them down between permanent and temporary agents. In total the numbers of UK nationals employed by the European Commission in each year since 2010 is:

    April 2010: 1284
    April 2011: 1162
    April 2012: 1134
    April 2013: 1079
    April 2014: 1053
    April 2015: 1008

    The latest figure available is for Feb 2016 and is 982.

    UK representation has been falling across EU institutions as UK officials retire and are not replaced by the same number of new UK entrants. The Government is committed to reversing this picture, recognising that this will require a sustained effort. The EU Staffing Unit, established in April 2013, promotes EU careers across the UK and supports candidates through the application process. It has increased secondments in positions of strategic importance to the UK. The European Fast Stream within the Civil Service has also been re-launched