Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office of 24 March 2016, Official Report, column 209, on the Policing and Crime Bill, how her Department defines warranted in the context of warranted officers; and what assessment she has made of whether Clause 28 of the Policing and Crime Bill would give warranted powers to staff and volunteers.

    Mike Penning

    In the context of warranted officers and in relation to the Policing and Crime Bill, “warranted” means attested as a constable. The Bill sets out a series of reforms, endorsed in a public consultation, that will enhance the powers of chief police officers to designate police staff and volunteers with a broad range of powers or duties, other than those core powers that will be available only to constables. In making this distinction, we are underlining the central place of the constable in policing.

    These reforms will free up police officers to concentrate on the core policing tasks that most require their particular powers and experience, while enabling chief police officers to deploy a flexible and balanced workforce with the appropriate mix of skills and experience to keep our communities safe. We know there is demand from forces to introduce these volunteer roles – Lincolnshire, for example, have already recruited and trained volunteer Police Community Support Officers, who are waiting for this Bill to pass so they can be given powers appropriate to their roles and training.

    If it is acceptable to confer all the powers of a constable on one type of volunteer, namely special constables, it is inconsistent to object in principle to conferring a narrower set of powers on other suitably trained volunteers. Chief officers are best placed to decide how to shape their workforce to meet local need and the reforms in the Bill enable them to do just that.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to close the iPlayer loophole.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government will bring forward legislative proposals to close the iPlayer loophole by the Summer.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will increase its contribution to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

    James Wharton

    The Global Fund has announced its 2017-2019 replenishment target – seeking to mobilise US$13billion to save 8 million lives and avert up to 300 million new infections. The UK is planning to support a successful Fifth Replenishment of a strong, value for money Global Fund and a decision on the size of our investment will be made later in the summer.

  • John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    John Pugh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of staff on the payroll of his Department who work in Westminster are (a) British nationals and (b) nationals of another country.

    Mr John Hayes

    Many staff self-declare their nationality on the staff system. Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks and copies of this evidence are held on file for the duration of the person’s employment and for a further two years after they cease working for the department.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the contribution made by bus commuters to economic output in the last year for which figures are available.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport has not estimated the contribution made by bus commuters to economic output. According to the latest statistical data, available for 2014 from the National Travel Survey, an estimated 8% of all commuting trips (including private transport) in England are made by bus.According to the same data source, 40% of all commuting trips made by public transport in England are made by bus, which is why I am pleased to see that bus fares in the period 2010-2015 have risen at a slower rate in real terms than in the period 2005-2010.

    For non-London residents, an estimated 6% of all commuting trips and 52% of all public transport commuting trips are made by bus. London residents use buses for 16% of all commuting trips, and bus trips make up 28% of all public transport commuting.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action can be taken by a local authority or a successful provider when a contractor appointed to enable a local healthwatch to be established and run does not respect the distinction between its role and the local healthwatch organisation being run by that provider.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Local authorities are responsible for making contractual arrangements for local Healthwatch statutory activities to be delivered in their area. As commissioners of the service, we expect local authorities to manage their contracts in order to ensure the local Healthwatch is able to operate effectively.

    The Local Government Association has published guidance to support local Healthwatch and local commissioners to put in place good governance arrangements, which includes clarity about the roles of all parties involved. A copy has been attached.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the 2010 contract for £15 million with BAE Systems for the replacement of propulsion systems in the eight Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessels is still to be completed by October 2016; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    To date, work to replace the propulsion system on four of the Hunt Class mine countermeasures vessels has been completed with the fifth due for completion later this year. Due to changes applied to the ships upkeep programme combined with the need to address emerging engineering issues, work on the remaining three vessels is now scheduled for completion by late 2019.

  • Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Champion – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the Government’s funding for community projects to tackle female genital mutilation has been spent.

    Karen Bradley

    Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. We will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong physical and psychological suffering to women and girls.

    In 2014/15, the Government provided over £380,000 to community organisations through the Home Office’s FGM Community Engagement Initiative and the Department for Communities and Local Government’s FGM and forced marriage prevention projects.

    The 29 projects all included prevention work with a focus on building the confidence of women and communities to speak out against these practices and raising awareness of the serious consequences they can have.

    Evaluations show that over 25,000 people were reached and feedback from participants demonstrates increased awareness of the context, manifestation and harm caused by FGM and forced marriage.

  • Graham Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Graham Evans – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the greatest possible engagement by children and young people in the commemoration of the First World War.

    David Evennett

    Children and Young People are at the centre of our First World War Centenary Commemorations. We want to see young people across the country learning about the war.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times on which dates in 2014 specialist contractors were used to facilitate the enforced return to Yemen of people from that country who had unsuccessfully claimed asylum in the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    All escorting services to facilitate enforced returns are provided by the Home Office’s main contractor, Tascor. In 2014, detainee custody officers from the Pilgrims Group, who are sub-contracted by Tascor were used on one occasion on 23rd July to facilitate the enforced return of an individual to Yemen.