Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many civil servants are employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Jones

    All departments are equipping themselves with the resources they need to get the best deal for the UK. The Department for Exiting the European Union now has over 250 staff plus the expertise of over 120 officials in Brussels, and we are still growing rapidly.

    The term ‘secondment’ to refers to an interchange of staff between the Civil Service and an external organisation as such we have not brought any secondees into the Department from elsewhere in the Civil Service. All joiners from other Government departments have been on a loan basis, which refers to an interchange of staff between Civil Service departments or Agencies.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce average household debt.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Household debt as a proportion of income has fallen to 144 per cent in Q2 2015, from a peak of 168 per cent in Q1 2008. To avoid repeating the mistakes of the past we have created the independent Financial Policy Committee (FPC) within the Bank of England, to ensure emerging risks and vulnerabilities across the financial system as a whole are identified, monitored and effectively addressed.

  • Lord Birt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Birt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2015-11-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek to improve the effectiveness of national and global measures to counter internet fraud and other online crime.

    Lord Bates

    Cyber Security, including combating cyber crime, is a top priority threat to national security. That is why, through the National Cyber Security Programme, we have invested over £90 million over the last five years to bolster the law enforcement response, and we will continue to invest. As the Chancellor announced on 17 November, we plan to almost double investment in cyber security, including cyber crime, to £1.9 billion over the next five years.

    Cyber Crime, including internet enabled fraud will continue to call for a multi layered response from Government, Law Enforcement and Industry to successfully tackle the threat. At the National and International level the National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency (NCA) will continue to lead operations to disrupt serious cyber crime at scale. This includes joint operations with industry and international law enforcement partners across the globe, to disrupt cyber criminals, attack their infrastructure and protect UK businesses and citizens.

    Having an accurate national picture of the threat is critical to informing our ongoing response. That is why there has been and will continue to be significant investment in Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, which has seen the reporting of fraud and cyber crime trebled, from 72,000 before the centralisation of reporting to over 230,000 reports. As a result of this improvement in reporting we have now got a much improved intelligence picture.

    Industry also has a central role in fraud and Cyber Crime prevention. That is why we are working with the banking sector and law enforcement agencies to more effectively disrupt fraudsters and protect victims. The Government also continues to raise awareness of cyber crime and fraud at all levels, through the Cyber Streetwise campaign, while providing advice to help individuals and small businesses adopt safer behaviours online and to be better protected. The third phase, launched in September this year focuses on promoting the adoption of three simple online behaviours: use of three random words to create a strong password; install security software on all devices; and always download the latest software and app updates as soon as they appear.

    The UK also leads international efforts to raise global cyber resilience through our work with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe and others, to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the threat from Cyber Crime. In the past three years the NCA has used Government funding to increase the investigative capacity of a range of Law Enforcement partners around the World. The projects, which range from ‘on-the-job’ investigative mentoring to legislative and technical training in the UK, focus on supporting the NCA’s priority countries overseas and build capability and mutually beneficial relationships with key partners across the globe.

  • Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Colombian authorities regarding the status of the investigation into the murder of Benicio Flor Belardo Cazar on 11 October 2015 in La Meseta, Suarez.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I was sorry to hear of the death of Benicio Flor Belalcázar. Whilst the United Kingdom cannot interfere in another country’s judicial process, we continue to encourage the government of Colombia in its efforts to prevent violence and threats against human rights defenders, trades unionists, political activists and civil society and to promptly investigate human rights violations.

    As I have said to the House on a number of occasions, I am convinced that current efforts to secure peace represent the best prospect for the rights of all Colombians. This Government remains hugely supportive of this process.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2016 to Question 24477, which railway stations in which regions are fitted with ITSO-compliant smartcard readers.

    Claire Perry

    Further to the answer to Question 24477 the attached tables list railway stations by region that are fitted with ITSO-compliant smartcard readers.

    The table contains 710 rail stations – this is 8 fewer than the previous answer, because in the answer provided to the Hon. member on 2nd February, three stations operated by more than one train operator were split into multiple entries and the five stations in addition to Gatwick Airport that were involved in January’s extension of Oyster were also listed twice. This duplication has been removed.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Prime Minister, how many times his ministerial office has been decorated in the last five years.

    Mr David Cameron

    Refurbishment and maintenance at 10 Downing Street is part of a continuing programme of work. The Downing Street complex is maintained to standards appropriate to its Grade 1/2 listed status in consultation with English Heritage.

    The building also fulfils an important representational role.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Julian Sturdy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications for the Legion d’Honneur have been withdrawn since July 2015 due to the death of the applicant; and what further steps his Department is taking to ensure that people nominated to receive that medal receive it as quickly as possible.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence has been made aware of 37 cases from the original list of approximately 3,300 names submitted to the French authorities where the veteran had died before their case could be submitted. In addition, the French Embassy has advised us of 14 cases in which the medal has been sent out but was returned to them specifically because the individual had died.

    Under the terms of the arrangement with the French authorities, within which the normal timetable for processing awards has greatly reduced, the Ministry of Defence can submit 100 cases per week. Cases are normally submitted in order of their original submission to the Department; but we prioritise cases where we are notified of life-threatening or serious conditions.

    Since the new system began in July last year we have sent 3,150 applications to the French Embassy and it should be remembered that this alone is more cases than would normally be dealt with by the Legion d’Honneur in all categories for a whole year. The French are also receiving applications from the other Allied nations that took part in D-Day, and the overall level of applications will clearly be far higher.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support Christians facing persecution in Nigeria.

    James Duddridge

    In Nigeria, the right to freedom of religion is protected by the Constitution. Boko Haram seeks to undermine this right by attacking Nigerians of all faiths who do not subscribe to its extremist views. They have caused immense suffering in both Christian and Muslim communities. We assess that the majority of their victims are Muslim.

    We are providing a substantial package of intelligence, military and development support to Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram, including training and advice on counter-insurgency, £5 million of support to a regional military taskforce and humanitarian aid to support those affected by the conflict.

    Elsewhere Nigeria faces inter-communal conflicts between farmers and herdsmen over land, farming rights, grazing routes and access to water. Through our development assistance, the United Kingdom supports initiatives to reduce these conflicts and build bridges between communities.

    We will continue to work with the Nigerian Government, non-governmental organisations and civil society to improve the security situation and human rights for all in Nigeria.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has assessed the effect on (a) patients and (b) patient choice of centralised procurement.

    George Freeman

    ‘Centralised procurement’ can sometimes be used to refer to the services of NHS Supply Chain. NHS Supply Chain offers a procurement and logistics service to all National Health Service trusts in the United Kingdom under a central service contract on behalf of NHS Business Services Authority.

    There is currently no centralised procurement model mandated to the NHS by the Department, and as such no assessment has been made as to an effect on patients or patient choice. NHS trusts may choose to utilise the service offering of NHS Supply Chain, or choose an alternative. It is for NHS trusts to make their own choices with regard to products and services they purchase; therefore it is for individual trusts to assess any impact on patients and patient choice.

  • Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Judith Cummins on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of dwellings in the UK have an EPC rating below band E; and what proportion of measures installed under the Energy Company Obligation have been in dwellings with an EPC rating below band E.

    Gavin Barwell

    On 29 July 2016, 5% of dwellings in England and Wales where an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) has been produced are rated band F and 2% are rated band G.

    Information on the proportion of measures installed under the Energy Company Obligation carried out in dwellings with an EPC rating below band E is not held centrally.