Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2015 to Question 35420, how many hotel bookings were made for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials of his Department in each of the last five years.

    Mr Mark Francois

    Ministers, special advisers and civil servants in this department undertake a variety of visits to support the delivery of Government’s objectives. A total of 10,725 hotel bookings, or slightly over 2,000 per annum, were made in the last 5 years. We do not hold figures for the costs incurred for hotel bookings, broken down in the format requested and this can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the level of corruption in those states and territories in the Middle East which receive international development aid from the UK.

    Sir Desmond Swayne

    In their most recent report, Transparency International assessed that the risk of fraud and corruption in the region is “high”. We therefore apply a rigorous process of due diligence, where partners must demonstrate accountable and transparent governance structures and financial procedures including compliance with counter-terrorism legislation.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of extending visa-free access to the UK to Ugandan citizens.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The UK keeps its visa system under regular review. There are currently no plans to change the visa requirements for Ugandan citizens.

  • 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 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many civil servants working in his Department have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive.

    Mr Robin Walker

    As a new department we are currently in the process of migrating a large number of civil servants onto our HR systems from across government. As a result we do not hold this information.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage the development of enterprise zones in Northern Ireland.

    Greg Hands

    In Northern Ireland, many of the benefits associated with Enterprise Zones are the devolved responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive.

    The 2013 economic pact, Building a Prosperous and United Community, indicated that the Government would consider designating a range of sites within any Northern Ireland Enterprise Zone as eligible for Enhanced Capital Allowances, which as part of the UK’s tax system remain a non-devolved responsibility.

    In March 2014 the NI Executive indicated that it was considering creating a pilot Enterprise Zone near Coleraine. The Government remains open to examining the case for offering Enhanced Capital Allowances at that, or alternative, locations when proposals are brought forward by the Executive.

    Budget 2014 announced that businesses located within the Executive’s proposed pilot Enterprise Zone near Coleraine will benefit from enhanced capital allowances until 2020. I understand the Executive continues to work towards the implementation of this pilot Enterprise Zone.

  • James Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    James Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Morris on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to promote mental health education in schools.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Children and young people’s mental health is a high priority for the department, and that is why my Rt Hon friend the Secretary of State appointed me as the first DfE minister with specific responsibility for this important area.

    Over the last 9 months, we have funded guidance for schools on counselling and lesson plans to support age-appropriate teaching about mental health. Today the Government is launching a new campaign to tackle stigma and discrimination which aims to involve schools, children and young people.

    We are also contributing £1.5m to a joint pilot for training single points of contact in schools and specialist mental health services; and providing funding worth £4.9m this year, through a dedicated mental health strand within our VCS programme, to support 17 projects delivering a wide range of support across the country to children and young people with mental health issues. These include projects to promote positive mental health in schools with organisations such as MIND and Place2Be, and new resources for parents on MindEd.

  • David Mowat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Mowat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mowat on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he and officials in his Department have had with the government of Israel on the prevention of oil smuggling from wells under the control of Daesh; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We have briefed the Government of Israel on Coalition efforts to target and disrupt Daesh oil sales through military action and sanctions. Daesh oil sales are a complicated picture. It is known that individuals linked to the Assad regime have bought Daesh oil and there is some smuggling across borders in the region, but the majority of Daesh’s oil is refined and sold within the territory it controls. We have no evidence to suggest that Israel is buying oil from Daesh controlled oilfields.

  • 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, what recent discussions the Vehicle and Certification Agency has had with Volkswagen on the funding of the vehicle retesting programme.

    Andrew Jones

    On the 10 November the Secretary of State announced an Emissions Testing Programme to look for “defeat devices” and improve our understanding of the real world emissions performance of vehicles used in the UK. This investigation is vital in restoring public confidence. To ensure the independence of the testing, the Department is funding the programme and neither the cars nor the testing facilities will be provided by the vehicle industry themselves.

    Ongoing testing of VW Group vehicles outside the Department for Transport Emissions Testing Programme and for which the Vehicle Certification Agency is the approval authority (Skoda), will be funded by the manufacturer on a case by case basis.

  • 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 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to his officials in each of the last five years; and what the total of such bonuses was to the public purse.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Prime Minister’s office and No.10 are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.

    Non-pensionable bonuses are only awarded to staff in recognition of sustained high performance. This allows the Cabinet Office to reward high performance and create an organisation that delivers on its challenging objectives. The information requested since 2011-12 for all Cabinet Office staff including that of Ministerial offices has been published on the Cabinet Office website.

    Information on non-consolidated bonuses for 2011-12 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/62006/ncprp-data-collection.csv/preview

    Information on non-consolidated bonuses for 2012-13 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/83748/CO_NCPRP.csv/preview

    Information on non-consolidated bonuses for 2013-14 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/414856/Cabinet_Office_NCPRP_2014.csv/preview

    The most up to date information for 2014-15 is due to be published in due course.

    “

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department has applied for from the EU Solidarity Fund to help communities affected by recent floods.

    James Wharton

    The Government submitted an initial EU Solidarity Fund application on Friday 26 February. We are in the process of refining our cost estimates and figures.

    The United Kingdom’s Permanent Representation to the European Union submitted the initial application to the European Commission on the UK Government’s behalf and will continue to engage with them and the Department on the development of the application.