Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2016 to Question 30765, when his Department plans to publish its White Paper on improving support for disabled people.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Improving support for disabled people and people with health conditions to get into and stay in work is a key priority for Government.

    The Secretary of State has outlined that he is starting a new conversation with disabled people and people with health conditions, their representatives, healthcare professionals and employers. He is listening to all of their ideas and this will help inform our plans.

    These will be set out in due course.

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 4 February (HL5525), whether they are now able to publish the conclusions of the lessons learned” review of the recent roadworks to the A1 road close to Gamston Airport

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The report should be available by the end of July 2016.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2016, to Question 41982, which nations receive direct foreign aid from the UK.

    Rory Stewart

    DFID has now stopped providing general budget support in all countries with the exception of Pakistan. This year DFID only anticipates providing sector budget support in Ghana, Nepal, Pakistan and Zambia.

    We also support partner governments to deliver development objectives in other ways including technical assistance and support to build their core systems. This ensures appropriate safeguards for UK taxpayers’ resources are in place.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support the establishment of a UN Inquiry into alleged war crimes committed during the Yemen civil war.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    ​We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by actors in the conflict and take these very seriously. It is important that all sides conduct thorough and conclusive investigations into incidents where it is alleged that IHL has been breached. The Saudi Arabian Government has their own internal procedures for investigations. At a press conference on 31 January they announced more detail of how they investigate such incidents. The Saudi led Coalition Joint Investigations Assessment Team announced the outcome of 8 investigations on 4 August.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the reasons were for the recent changes in the proportion of resolvable Freedom of Information requests whose answers were fully withheld.

    Justin Tomlinson

    This Department considers and responds to each request for information under the Freedom of Information Act, on its own merits. I can confirm that there have not been any changes to Departmental Policy in doing so.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to investigate whether employees of Sports Direct are paid the minimum wage.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government takes the enforcement of National Minimum Wage very seriously.Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should make a complaint to the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reviews every complaint that is referred to them by the Acas helpline. Additionally, HMRC collate and analyse data from various sources in order to identify those employers who are potentially more likely to be underpaying National Minimum Wage, so that they can undertake targeted enforcement against those employers.

    For reasons of confidentiality, HMRC do not divulge information relating to the affairs of an individual or company or confirm whether or not there is an ongoing enquiry.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment he has made of the level of security of supply of rare earth metals required by industry.

    Anna Soubry

    There has been no recent assessment for the UK. However, the EU critical raw material list is reviewed every 3 years and the most recent review of that list, which currently includes rare earth elements, took place in May 2014. The UK uses this list to help in its assessment of which materials are of particular significance to UK manufacturing.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to protect the public from fraudulent organisations presenting themselves as Disclosure and Barring Service umbrella body companies seeking personal data.

    Karen Bradley

    Registered/Umbrella Bodies are governed by a Code of Practice, set out in Part V of the Police Act 1997, which includes the handling of personal data. Failure to comply with the Code of Practice may result in the suspension or cancellation of the umbrella body’s registration. In addition the Disclosure and Barring Service undertakes robust checks to ensure that its authorised Registered/Umbrella Bodies have appropriate safeguards in place to protect the personal data of people they are representing.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to reinstate the bilateral aid programme with Burundi.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    There are no plans for DFID to re-open the office in Burundi. DFID’s bilateral programme in Burundi closed in 2012 following the 2010 Bilateral Aid Review. We have provided support to Burundi through Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA), an independent agency promoting trade and regional economic integration, given that this is central to Burundi’s growth and prosperity. DFID has provided £10 million for TMEA work in Burundi since 2012.

    DFID will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with counterparts across Whitehall, the international financial institutions (IFIs) and humanitarian partners in Burundi. DFID is working with the IFIs to identify options to support the provision of basic services, where there is none. DFID has prepared a response plan in the event of significant unmet humanitarian needs emerging.

    DFID has also provided technical support, in the form of secondment of experts, to support UN agencies working in Burundi. This includes support to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) to strengthen humanitarian coordination in Burundi.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-04-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that they fulfil the pledge in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Human Rights and Democracy Report 2015 to continue to look at every available option to ensure accountability” for the crimes committed by Daesh.”

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We continue to look at every option to ensure accountability. In the meantime we are supporting the gathering and preservation of evidence that could in future be used in a court to hold Daesh to account.

    The UK co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council resolution of September 2014 mandating investigation of Daesh abuses in Iraq. Working with international partners, we are doing everything we can to assist in the gathering and preservation of evidence that could in future be used by judicial bodies to make a judgement on this matter. It is vital that this is done now, before evidence is lost or destroyed.