Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) total research and development spend by his Department in each of the last five years and (b) forecast research and development spend by his Department in the next five years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Ministry of Defence (MOD) research and development expenditure is published in "Departmental Resources Statistical bulletin" (Excel Table 5), which is available at the following website:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/defence-departmental-resources-2015

    There is no fixed forward budget for research and development because development expenditure is mostly part of the equipment programme applied as needed against the development requirements of individual projects. The government will dedicate 1.2% of its growing Defence budget to the Defence Science and Technology Programme, the centralised research budget, under the Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser.

  • Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to support the Clean for the Queen campaign.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government is delighted to support and endorse the Clean for the Queen initiative. Litter and fly-tipping blight communities and pose a risk to human health, which is why tackling them is a priority for the Government. I gave my backing to the campaign when it was launched and we will continue to promote it, to help reach as many people as possible.

    Together with the Minister for Local Government, Marcus Jones MP, I shall be writing to every Member of Parliament with an English constituency and every English unitary and district Local Authority, to encourage their participation and leadership in this worthwhile campaign.

    Our experience from the first Community Clear-Up Day in March last year demonstrated the enthusiasm and willingness of people across England to give some of their time to improve their local environment. The Clean for the Queen campaign provides a great opportunity for people to come together and clean up our local streets and parks.

    We hope the campaign will help lead to a lasting legacy of a cleaner, tidier Britain.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nigel Huddleston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on individual cold weather payment notifications in (a) 2011, (b) 2012, (c) 2013, (d) 2014 and (e) 2015.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Douglas Carswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice he has received from the Office for Budget Responsibility on the effect on the economy in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

    Mr David Gauke

    A vote to leave the EU is identified as an economic risk in the OBR’s March 2016 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, which states that it “could usher in an extended period of uncertainty regarding the precise terms of the UK’s future relationship with the EU. This could have negative implications for activity via business and consumer confidence and might result in greater volatility in financial and other asset markets”.

  • Baroness Falkner of Margravine – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Falkner of Margravine – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Falkner of Margravine on 2016-05-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the editorial independence of the BBC Chinese Service of its potential relocation to Hong Kong.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We have made no assessment regarding the operational decision to move some Chinese Language Service posts to Hong Kong. The BBC has advised that BBC Chinese Language staff are already able to report from Hong Kong independently and without interference from authorities. The BBC believes this will continue in Hong Kong which hosts regional headquarters and offices for more than a hundred leading international media organisations.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-06-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 13 June (HL424), whether another country’s failure to recognise dual citizenship impedes the UK from offering consular assistance to an individual whose fundamental rights are being violated.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Dual citizenship is allowed in the UK and we respect the rights of Britons who choose to have dual nationality in the UK or overseas. However we acknowledge that many countries do not accept dual nationality, or allow it in the same way as the UK.

    The consular assistance we offer to dual British nationals overseas depends on where they are and their circumstances.

    We do not normally offer support to dual nationals who are in the country of their other nationality, however we consider each case on the circumstances and we may make exceptions if there are special humanitarian reasons to do so.

    In countries where dual nationality is not recognised we offer assistance and lobby for consular access, but the other country has the right to refuse to grant such access.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Government has made of the (a) amount and (b) proportion that net revenue expenditure by local authorities will increase in England in (i) 2017-18, (ii) 2018-19 and (iii) 2019-20.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    Government does not estimate local authority net revenue expenditure. Local authorities estimate how they intend to spend their money for the next financial year and submit this information in Revenue Account (RA) budget returns. The returns from all 443 local authorities in England are compiled by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Revenue Outturn statistics published by DCLG at the end of the financial year show how local authorities actually allocate their expenditure. The latest information on the amount of net revenue expenditure estimated by local authorities in England is for 2016/17. It is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/532932/RA_Budget_2016-17_Statistical_Release.pdf

    Local authority core spending power provides an estimate of the amount of funding available to local authorities. Local authority core spending power figures setting out indicative figures for the potential income from core components for 2016/17-2019/20 are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/core-spending-power-final-local-government-finance-settlement-2016-to-2017

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to introduce national prescribing guidelines on medical nutrition.

    Nicola Blackwood

    Prescribing guidance is already available to clinicians on individual medical foods, known as foods for special medical purpose (FSMP). Guidance on prescribing is published within Part XV of the Drug Tariff by clinical indication and product name.

  • Steve Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Steve Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Kurdistan and the effect this situation has on the threat from Islamic State; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK Government is following the political situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq closely. Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Baghdad and Consul General in Erbil are encouraging Kurdish political leaders to resolve their differences peacefully, in the spirit of compromise and respecting democratic principles. We welcome the major contribution made by the Kurdistan Regional Government and Kurdish people to counter ISIL, and encourage them to continue to unite against this threat.

  • Michael Tomlinson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Michael Tomlinson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to streamline Disclosure and Barring Service checks; and what consideration she has given to the use of volunteers in this service.

    Karen Bradley

    The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is undertaking a transformation programme to reform the way it delivers its services. Release 1 (R1) will improve efficiency with modernised IT solutions and business processes, making it more convenient and quicker for customers. This does not include using volunteers to operate the disclosure process, given the highly sensitive nature of the information involved.

    For applications received from individuals with a Dorset postcode between December 2014 and November 2015, the average processing time was 23.4 days. It is not possible to calculate the average figure for those from East Dorset specifically as this information is not collected.