Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what work his Department has undertaken with the devolved administrations on communicating to the public changes to the new state pension.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Northern Ireland is the only devolved administration for pensions. We have worked closely with officials from the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency and have shared our new State Pension advertising materials for customised use in Northern Ireland.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-11-30.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia about those currently facing execution in Saudi Arabia.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, including Saudi Arabia. The death penalty undermines human dignity and there is no evidence that it works as a deterrent. We continue to remind the Saudi authorities of our views on the death penalty at every suitable opportunity.

    We continue to strongly believe that we are most effective when we discuss human rights privately in some countries. This is the approach we are following in light of claims that Saudi Arabia intends to execute over 50 people convicted of terrorism offences, which the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised at a senior level on 4 December.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-01-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 11 January (HL4752 and HL4753), whether they regard the preaching and teaching of Wahhabism in mosques and Muslim education bodies in Britain, and its funding from overseas, as creating a risk of extremism threatening national security.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    As noted in the recent National Security Strategy, extremism divides communities and weakens the social fabric of our country, and extremist ideas are often used to try to justify terrorism.

    Anyone promoting the use of violence to promote any ideology, or using any ideology to incite violence and terrorism will have the full force of our laws brought against them. Countering extremist ideologies that create division in our country is the fundamental aim behind the new Counter Extremism Strategy.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the financial viability of education providers offering PGCE qualifications.

    Nick Gibb

    For all new School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) providers there is a rigorous accreditation process which includes a financial and governance review of the lead school encompassing financial accounts and forecasts and governance arrangements. If successful, the new SCITT is awarded accreditation by the Secretary of State. In Academic Year 2015/16 there were 41 new SCITT providers who commenced operations.

    As part of the December annual school return process all Local Authority SCITT providers are required to produce an audited income/expenditure statement and balance sheet.

    For Academy based SCITT providers, the Education Funding Agency obtain financial health information from the audited academy trust, financial statements by 31 December and their budget returns by 31 July each year. The financial statements include independent audit opinions and regularity reports, which provide assurance that the trust has used funds appropriately and report any instances of financial concerns. The financial information is assessed and where appropriate instances of trusts at potential risk are asked to prepare and submit a recovery plan.

    Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) receiving PGCE bursary funding are regulated through HEFCE and therefore the responsibility of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. There is a Memorandum of Understanding in place with HEFCE so that if there any financial viability issues with HEIs, these are notified and considered by the National College for Teaching and Leadership.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-02-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their planned introduction of votes for life would also mean that British citizens who have lived abroad for more than 15 years could fund UK political parties.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    We will introduce a Bill in due course that will make these matters clear.

  • Clive Betts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Clive Betts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Betts on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the responses to the non-financial factors section of the recent consultation on revoking and replacing the Local Government Pension Scheme.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government’s response to the consultation, which will set out our next steps in relation to these issues, will be published shortly.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will estimate the amount of funding that will be made available to each part of the UK for farming and agriculture through the CAP in the post-2020 Multi Annual Framework.

    George Eustice

    No decisions on post-2020 funding have been taken yet. The post-2020 Multi Annual Framework negotiations will be led by HMT.

  • Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Geoffrey Clifton-Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to secure a trade agreement with Israel after the UK ceases to be party to the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

    Greg Hands

    In due course, Britain will be leaving the EU. This offers us an opportunity to forge a new role for ourselves in the world: to negotiate, in time, our own trade agreements and to be a positive and powerful force for free trade.

    Whilst it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions at this stage, the UK will want to continue our strong trade and investment relationship with Israel.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she estimates that the BCG vaccine will be available to resume the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme; and what plans her Department has in place to procure BCG for this purpose.

    George Eustice

    We have no firm date for resumption of supply of the authorised product from the manufacturer, with whom my officials and Public Health England (PHE) are in contact. PHE and Defra officials visited the production facility in September.

  • Lord Ahmed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Ahmed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which categories of United Kingdom visa application processes are outsourced; which companies have been given the right to process those applications; and whether those companies have been provided with guidance in relation to religious and cultural sensitivities.

    Lord Bates

    UKVI has two suppliers, VFS and Teleperformance, who are contracted to run UK Visa Application Centres (VACs) overseas. Their role is to capture visa applicants’ biometrics and forward their visa application documentation to the Home Office run Decision Making Centres (DMCs). Once Home Office staff have decided an application, the decision is returned to the customer via the suppliers. The suppliers have no role in visa decision making.

    VACs are generally staffed and managed by local nationals, so staff should be aware of any local cultural and religious sensitivities. Where local sensitivities require special arrangements, such as ensuring that there are female as well as male security guards or privacy when capturing biometrics, UKVI ensure the arrangements are in place by setting out requirements in the contract, providing guidance and training and through inspection visits.