Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2016 to Question 27540, under whose jurisdiction objections citing provisions relating to the Armed Forces Covenant excluding those relating to service premium admission would fall.

    Nick Gibb

    The School Admissions Code contains a range of statutory provisions relating to school admission arrangements and to the wider admissions process. The code includes provisions to ensure that children of UK service personnel are not disadvantaged when applying for a school place. The role of the Schools Adjudicator is to consider objections about admission arrangements only. Some of the provisions in the code, therefore, do not fall within the adjudicator’s jurisdiction. There is no body which has jurisdiction to consider objections relating to these other provisions, but admission authorities must comply with all the statutory provisions in the code and, where they fail to do so, the Secretary of State has powers under section 496 and 497 of the Education Act 1996 to require them to comply.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has sought advice on the re-classification of powerful handheld lasers as offensive weapons since 14 February 2016; whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to so classify those lasers in the current Parliament.

    Mike Penning

    The sale and use of laser pointers is an issue that cuts across a number of Government Departments, including the Home Office, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Department of Health and the Department for Transport.

    The Home Office is working closely with the other interested Departments and we are looking at a number of options.

  • Rehman Chishti – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rehman Chishti – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage greater diplomatic co-operation between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan is crucial for the security and prosperity of both countries. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runneymede and Weybridge, visited Afghanistan and Pakistan last month and urged their leaders to work closely together, including on the reconciliation process.

  • Lord Marlesford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Marlesford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-04-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what academic studies have been conducted into the financial case for bat bridges over roads, and what assessment they have made of the conclusions of those studies.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Highways England are not aware of any studies conducted into the financial case for bat bridges. Work in 2015 undertaken by Leeds University, on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), did look at the effectiveness of bat bridges.

    Highways England have reviewed the study and met with Natural England and DEFRA to discuss the conclusions of the report.

    While the conclusions of the Leeds University work are based on limited sample size, the authors conclude that the effectiveness of crossing structures increases with their size, connectivity and similarity to natural features. They also conclude that wire bat bridges do not provide effective mitigation.

  • Baroness Burt of Solihull – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Burt of Solihull – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-06-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many civil servants within the Department for Business Innovation and Skills have (1) been recruited into the department (a) from within the civil service, or (b) from outside the civil service, and (2) left to (a) other posts within the civil service, and (b) other roles outside of the civil service, in each of the last five years.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The total number of civil servants within the Department for Business Innovation and Skills HQ (BIS) who have (1) been recruited into the department (a) from within the civil service, or (b) from outside the civil service, and (2) left to (a) other posts within the civil service, and (b) other roles outside of the civil service, in each of the last five years are shown in the tables below.

    Recruited to BIS

    Year of joining

    Joined from outside the Civil Service

    Joined from within the Civil Service

    Grand Total

    2011-12

    185

    190

    375

    2012-13

    243

    208

    451

    2013-14

    186

    186

    372

    2014-15

    158

    198

    356

    2015-16

    170

    145

    315

    Grand Total

    942

    927

    1869

    Left BIS

    Year of leaving

    Left the Civil Service

    Moved to another part of the Civil Service

    Total

    2011-12

    338

    154

    492

    2012-13

    253

    101

    354

    2013-14

    205

    120

    325

    2014-15

    244

    157

    401

    2015-16

    364

    273

    637

    Grand Total

    1404

    805

    2209

  • Hugo Swire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Hugo Swire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to change the proportion of the cost of retrospective planning applications currently paid by developers.

    Gavin Barwell

    A nationally set fee is payable where a retrospective planning application is submitted to regularise a breach of planning control, to support the council with the costs of determining the application. We are clear that unauthorised development is unacceptable and unfair to the majority who abide by the rules. However, the retrospective planning application process is there to give those who have made a genuine mistake the opportunity to rectify the situation. We have no plans to review the way fees are calculated for retrospective applications at this point.

  • Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Russia on Russian military drills in the North Sea in October 2016.

    Mike Penning

    The Department has held no formal discussions with the Government of the Russian Federation with regard to Russian military drills in the North Sea in October. All NATO Allies have a collective responsibility to monitor the path and activity of non-NATO ships and aircraft passing through NATO areas of responsibility. The UK fully upholds its commitments in this regard and will act accordingly. Russia is aware of these arrangements. We expect Russian activity to occur in international waters and airspace, and in accordance with international rules.

  • Karin Smyth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Karin Smyth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karin Smyth on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many new homes for affordable rent were completed in Bristol South constituency in each year from 2010 to 2014.

    Brandon Lewis

    Statistics on additional housing for affordable rent provided in each local authority area in England are published in the Department’s live table 1006a which is available at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

    These figures include both newly built housing and acquisitions.

    Figures are not collected on the basis of Parliamentary constituencies.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been spent from the public purse on providing legal aid for asylum seekers who wish to pursue immigration appeals in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Ministry of Justice cannot separately report on legal aid specifically awarded to asylum seekers. This information is not recorded, as it is not relevant to the administration of the legal aid scheme.

  • Vernon Coaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Vernon Coaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent estimate he has made of the investment rate in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

    Anna Soubry

    The ONS only publishes investment data at a country level, for which the latest published data was in the 23rd December Business Investment release, available on the ONS website. Investment data is unavailable on a regional basis.