Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Baroness Corston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Baroness Corston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Corston on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees how much has been spent by the House of Lords on floristry services on the Parliamentary estate for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

    Lord Laming

    The cost of flowers for the House of Lords is set out in the table below. These costs relate primarily to flowers in catering and retail outlets, and ceremonial events, such as state visits. The cost of flowers in the House of Commons portion of the Parliamentary estate is a matter for the House of Commons Commission.

    Financial year

    Amount (£)

    2011/12

    23,185

    2012/13

    13,956

    2013/14

    11,656

    2014/15

    13,459

    2015/16 (to December 2015)

    9,276

    These figures do not include flowers for banqueting functions and other income generating business as these costs are paid for by the customer or revenue from the event.

    Catering and Retail Services keeps its expenditure on flowers under review, to ensure that it is delivering best value to the taxpayer.

  • 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 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consulted the Charity Commission prior to their announcement on 6 February that charities would no longer be able to use any government grant to influence policy, and if so, what advice the Charity Commission gave.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The announcement on 6 February was on a new clause for all government grant agreements. It is not specific to Charities.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 3 March (HL6235), what destinations are currently licensed to accept spoil from the Thames Tideway Tunnel, and what commitments have been given about whether such spoil may be sent to landfill permit sites.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    There are many sites across the country licensed to accept the type of excavated material and waste from the Thames Tideway Tunnel (TTT). Tideway, the Infrastructure Provider set up to finance, build, maintain and operate the TTT, is assessing several sites that were identified as part of the information submitted for the Development Consent Order consent to receive the TTT excavated material. In order to meet Tideway’s commitment to transport by river, it is focussing on sites in the Thames Estuary. The type of permit these sites require is being assessed in line with current statutory guidance. A number of applications have been made and are being determined by the Environment Agency.

  • Lord Palmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Palmer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Palmer on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees how much is the agency fee to engage three new sous chefs, as recently advertised by Berkeley Scott.

    Lord Laming

    The House of Lords is recruiting to fill two Sous Chef vacancies which have recently arisen. These posts have been advertised on the Parliamentary Website, The Caterer and the House of Lords external recruitment portal. No agency has been asked to recruit to these vacancies on our behalf.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many adults on GP registers had been diagnosed with diabetes in (a) 2000 and (b) 2015.

    Jane Ellison

    The number of adults diagnosed with diabetes is taken from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), this represents all patients age 17 and older who have been diagnosed with diabetes and recorded on general practitioner (GP) registers.

    The latest data available are for 2014/15, when there were 2,913,538 adults included on GP registers. QOF goes back to 2004/05 and at that time there were 1,766,391 adults included on GP registers.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Apprenticeship Levy on the (a) changes made by and (b) finances of employment businesses that supply temporary workers.

    Nick Boles

    An impact note on the apprenticeship levy is available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-levy/apprenticeship-levy.

    The levy will apply to all employers in all sectors with a paybill above £3million with no exceptions.

    The Government will support all employers in using the levy funds to invest in apprenticeships and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills is working with employers to create apprenticeships across all sectors.

    “

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of UK energy supply he plans to be produced by UK coal-fired power stations in each of the next 10 years.

    Jesse Norman

    Most of the UK’s existing coal fired power stations are old, relatively inefficient and require investment to reduce the level of damaging pollutants they emit. I expect to consult shortly on the closure of unabated coal stations.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the cost of (a) completing the network of Marine Conservation Zones and (b) creating a blue belt around British Overseas Territories.

    George Eustice

    Responsibility for Marine Conservation Zones is devolved, the answer below relates to Marine Conservation Zones being established in the Secretary of State’s waters: English inshore waters (within 12 nautical miles) and the offshore waters (beyond 12 nautical miles) off England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

    We are designating Marine Conservation Zones in tranches; for each tranche costs are estimated in Impact Assessments accompanying their consultation and then designation. Equivalent annual costs to business for the first tranche were estimated upon their designation to be £0.5 million, with £1.7 million annual costs for the public sector. Equivalent annual costs to business for the second tranche estimated when they were consulted on were £0.18 million, with £1.924 million annual costs for the public sector, these estimates will be updated when this second tranche is designated. We have not yet estimated the costs for the third and final tranche, costs estimates will be provided when this tranche is consulted on.

    The Blue Belt of marine protection around the Overseas Territories will encompass a broad range of new and enhanced marine protection measures across different Territories.The British Indian Ocean Territory and South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands have already declared Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), with funded enforcement measures. For Pitcairn and Ascension Island, work is in hand to develop cost-effective monitoring and enforcement solutions for future MPAs. For the other Overseas Territories, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office is at an early stage of working with the Territories to scope what further marine protection measures are desirable and scientifically justified.Identifying any additional cost requirements to support this initiative is part of this scoping exercise.[1]

    [1] Information provided by Foreign and Commonwealth Office

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the UNHCR about the de-registration of Syrian refugees in Lebanon; what assessment he has made of the effect of the Lebanese government programme to de-register refugees in Lebanon on the number of refugees reported to be in that country; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We have regular discussions with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on the situation of refugees in Lebanon. Unregistered refugees do not have the official documentation required to get access to essential services. We continue to lobby the Government of Lebanon to allow refugees to register with UNHCR and have given UNHCR over £44 million towards their work in the region. This includes support for registering Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan. The UK is also providing £1.9 million to the Norwegian Refugee Council for information, counselling and legal assistance to refugees in both countries. This aims to ensure refugees are aware of their rights and are able to access all relevant services available to them. Lebanon has shown remarkable generosity in hosting over 1.1 million refugees from the Syria crisis. The UK recognises the great strain that this is placing on the country and we remain committed to supporting Lebanese stability in the face of these pressures.

  • Baroness King of Bow – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness King of Bow – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-01-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 8 December 2015 (HL3997), what has been identified as the cause of the overpayment of housing benefit to those claimants migrated onto Universal Credit, and how many claimants in Tower Hamlets have been affected.

    Lord Freud

    We have safeguards in place to ensure an effective transition and avoid impacts on overlapping benefits.