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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will amend how the pupil premium is paid in order to reward schools that consistently improve results for all pupils while narrowing the attainment gap.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We have no plans to change the basis on which the pupil premium is distributed to schools.

    Our school reforms are intended to deliver educational excellence everywhere so that every child, regardless of background, reaches their potential. This includes the new ‘progress 8’ performance measure for secondary schools, so that schools are recognised for the improved achievement of every child.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-12-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which public inquiries they set up between May 1997 and January 2004; and what was the purpose of each.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    This information was made available as part of the evidence provided by the Government to the House of Lords Select Committee on the Inquiries Act 2005:

    http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldselect/ldinquiries/143/14318.htm

  • Lord Boateng – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Boateng – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Boateng on 2016-01-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the state of the rule of law in Burundi, the need for security sector reform and the role of development assistance in addressing any deficits in this regard.

    Earl of Courtown

    The UK is deeply concerned by the situation in Burundi. At least 130 people were killed in December 2015 alone. We are aware of 250 cases of torture/ill treatment and 13 documented cases of sexual violence. The UK has also been deeply concerned to hear of allegations that the police and the Burundian ruling party’s youth league are involved in the violence, including sexual violence. These reports demonstrate that the rule of law is in a fragile state in Burundi.

    Given this, there is a critical need for security sector reform (SSR) in Burundi. The African Union (AU) has authorised a protection mission to Burundi if Burundian consent is obtained. If the mission is deployed the UK will provide financial and logistical support. However, the UK’s current focus is to see progress in the Ugandan-mediated East African Community dialogue. Without dialogue, SSR will bear little fruit.

    The UK does not currently have a bilateral aid programme with Burundi; however, the Department for International Development is providing £18.15 million to support Burundian refugees in the region, making the UK the second largest contributor to the humanitarian effort after the US.

    The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), visited Burundi in mid-December 2015 where he pressed the Government to engage in inclusive dialogue to end the violence. He again pressed the Foreign Minister for action when they met at the recent AU Summit. The summit also provided an opportunity to lobby a range of AU members on the importance of regional leadership in resolving the situation in Burundi.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many properties that have been bought and sold in (a) London and (b) each London borough in the last 10 years record no sale price on the Land Registry.

    Anna Soubry

    The relevant data requested is attached.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s oral Answer of 16 March 2016, Official Report, what part of the text of the agreement on Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant provides that there will be no payment by the Government unless the power station goes ahead and is built efficiently by EDF.

    Andrea Leadsom

    My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will make a final decision regarding Hinkley Point C once EDF have reached a Final Investment Decision. The terms of the contract will be published (with only the most commercially sensitive information removed) once it has been entered in to by the parties.

    In October 2015, the Government laid a minute before Parliament setting out at a high level the terms of the agreement reached with EDF in respect of the Hinkley Point C power plant:

    http://qna.files.parliament.uk/qna-attachments/425357%5Coriginal%5C20151021%20Minute%20to%20Parliament%20HPC%20contingent%20liabilities.docx.

    “

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will make it its policy to allocate revenue raised from the soft drinks industry levy to maintain the grant for summer schools.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Government has no plans to use the soft drink levy to maintain the grant for pupil premium summer schools. The 2016 budget statement identified that the soft drinks industry levy would be used to double the amount of funding to £320m per annum that we dedicate to sport in every primary school and to make it easier for up to a quarter of secondary schools to extend their school day to include a wider range of activities, including extra sport.

    The Government has protected the pupil premium at current per pupil rates for the rest of the Parliament, providing schools with around £2.5 billion per year of additional funding to support their disadvantaged pupils. Schools have the choice to continue running summer schools and can use their pupil premium allocation to fund places for their disadvantaged pupils.

  • John Glen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    John Glen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on British farming of the Plan for Public Procurement, published in July 2014.

    George Eustice

    Total spend on public sector food and catering services is around £2.4 billion. The Plan for Public Procurement launched a new approach to the way the Government and its catering providers buy food. It provides a transparent set of criteria that allow contracting parties to reach agreement about the quality and value of products and services. British farmers are well placed to meet these standards and to compete for a further £400 million of business that the Plan opens up.

  • Graham Allen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Graham Allen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what programmes her Department supports related to children and religious fundamentalism; and if she will make a statement.

    Justine Greening

    If there is a face of poverty, it is often a young face, and young people are at the heart of DFID’s agenda. We combat poverty, and religious fundamentalism, by investing in young people and their future, which is why our focus on education is so important.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    David T. C. Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what factors Ministers in his Department took into account when signing a memorandum of understanding with Aventa Capital in 2014.

    Greg Hands

    A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a high-level arrangement, which is not legally binding, and enables the participants to work together toward a desired outcome. Between the period April 2014 to October 2015, the Regeneration Investment Organisation (RIO) negotiated MoUs with seven companies. Only one of those MoUs remains in place.

    Aventa is a regeneration investor and comprises a regulated asset management company and a vehicle for managing early stage development and construction risk. The Regeneration Investment Organisation and Aventa Capital MoU was developed in October 2014 to support Aventa’s work in seeking to develop a regeneration fund and thereby encourage institutional investment into UK regeneration projects. The Department felt the proposal covered by the MoU was viable given Aventa’s sector and management experience.

    There was no commitment on the part of RIO to provide any capital or resource in connection with the agreement. In addition, any recommendation from Aventa would have been reviewed and subjected to due diligence by the developer as a commercial partner. The MoU was concluded, by mutual agreement, following meetings with officials during December 2014.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Chinese government on the reported disappearance of Gui Haiming and other employees of Sage Communications in Hong Kong.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We are following this issue closely along with EU partners. The UK takes seriously any threats to press freedom. We monitor this constantly including through the Foreign Secretary’s Six-Monthly Reports to Parliament. We have welcomed previous statements that the Hong Kong SAR Government remains committed to protecting the freedom of the press. We hope they and the Chinese authorities will also continue to make every effort to ensure that the environment in which the media, and publishers operate in the Hong Kong SAR is conducive to full and frank reporting.