Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • David Burrowes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Burrowes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons refugees with disabilities who have been deemed entitled to disability living allowance have different backdating entitlements depending on whether their claim happened to be stockpiled before or after the Upper Tribunal ruling of 17 March 2016 on the past presence test.

    Penny Mordaunt

    No claims were stockpiled before the Upper Tribunal ruling of 17 March 2016, 40 Disability Living Allowance claims were stockpiled after the ruling.

    Section 27 of the Social Security Act 1998 provides that, where the Upper Tribunal decides on a social security appeal that the Secretary of State has made an error of law in his original decision and other claims subsequently fall to be decided by the Secretary of State, the judgment generally is not to be applied in relation to any period that predates the Upper Tribunal’s decision (s.27(3)). This statutory rule does not apply to the person who brought the original appeal, to people who have already lodged an appeal against a decision or who are still in time to do so, or to people whose case the Secretary of State has stockpiled (or whose appeal he has stayed) pending the judgment under section 25 of the Act.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has received notification of, or has itself noted, any unusual submarine activity in the vicinity of internet and telephony cables in the Atlantic Ocean; and if he will make a statement.

    Penny Mordaunt

    I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 3 November 2015 to Question 13593 to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Mr Chapman).

  • Steven Paterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the threat posed to the Trident nuclear weapon system by cyber-attacks; and what steps he is taking to ensure that system is secure against such attacks.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Ministry of Defence audits the integrity of the UK’s nuclear deterrent regularly for all threats and hazards and acts to ensure that it maintains the highest possible standards. The Strategic Defence and Security Review acknowledges the growing cyber threat and the importance of investing in cyber security across all of our capabilities. The Government has invested £860 million in new technology and capabilities since 2011 and will invest £1.9 billion over the next five years in protecting the UK from cyber attack and developing our sovereign capabilities in cyberspace. Our approach to protecting Defence capabilities against and mitigating the impact of cyber attacks spans technical, organisational, procedural and physical measures benefiting many different systems and networks, and investment is integrated across these measures. Submarines operate in isolation by design, and this contributes to their cyber resilience. I will not discuss further details for reasons of safeguarding national security.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were moved from receipt of employment and support allowance to jobseeker’s allowance because they did not meet the new points standard in each quarter of 2015.

    Priti Patel

    This is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-02-04.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have regarding claims that UN member states are seeking to minimise the number of Sustainable Development Goal indicators, possibly eliminate the Female Genital Mutilation target, and retain the current restriction of measuring Female Genital Mutilation only in relevant countries”.”

    Baroness Verma

    The UK has continually championed the inclusion of a global goal on gender and the inclusion of a target on ending harmful practices with indicators on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child, Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM). With others, we resisted a proposed qualifier which would have restricted the measurement of FGM to ‘relevant countries only’. We anticipate this indicator will remain, and apply to all countries, when the report and indicators are approved by the UN Statistical commission in mid-March.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government is giving to (a) the government of Greece and (b) civil society organisations in Greece to assist the response to the arrival of migrants and refugees.

    James Brokenshire

    The UK has contributed over £19 million in humanitarian support to Greece: almost £8 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), almost £7.5 million to Non Governmental Organistions (NGOs), over £1.6 million to the Red Cross, over £1 million to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and almost £1 million of essential supplies (blankets, sleeping mats, tents, solar lanterns, generators). We are assessing how best to target further humanitarian support in 2016, including through EU routes.

    Through UK aid in Greece, UNHCR expects to support approximately 250,000 migrants and refugees with life-saving humanitarian aid through: reception, protection, accommodation, water and non-food Items. UNHCR and the IOM are also working with the government of Greece to improve their capacity to receive and manage refugees and migrants.

    In bilateral support to the Government of Greece the UK Government is providing direct support to the Hellenic Coast Guard in the Aegean Sea. The UK Border Force hired offshore patrol vessel, VOS Grace, is currently deployed in the Aegean.

    In addition, the Government is funding a voluntary returns programme (£2 million over 2 years 2014-2016) and asylum programmes (totalling £600,000 over 3 years) in Greece through NGOs. The Home Office has a long-term secondee to the Greek Government based in Athens, supporting improvements in Greek asylum system capability.

    In 2016, the UK Government has committed to provide 34 months of staff deployment to Frontex operations in Greece. Debriefing and screening support has also been offered bilaterally to the Hellenic Police. And the UK Government has provided five month-long secondments to the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) for deployment at Hotspot sites in both Greece and Italy.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many major surface warships were ordered between the 2010 general election and the 2015 general election.

    Earl Howe

    Her Majesty’s Government did not order any major surface warships between the 2010 and 2015 general elections. However, the work to deliver the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers continued during this period and in August 2014 we placed an order for three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), which will provide valuable capability to the Royal Navy and sustain the skills needed to build the Type 26 Global Combat Ship.

    Since the 2015 general election, the White Paper ‘National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015’ (Cmd 9161) has set the Government’s commitment to build eight anti-submarine Type 26 Global Combat Ships, preceded by two additional OPVs, and to launch a concept study and then design and build a new class of lighter, flexible general purpose frigate. Additionally, the White Paper confirmed we will buy three new logistic ships to support the fleet, in addition to the four Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability tankers ordered in 2012.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34235, whether the UN Economic Commission for Europe Regulation 10 specifically covers the potential health risks of electromagnetic emissions by multiple driverless vehicles as well as those from single vehicles.

    Andrew Jones

    United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Regulation No 10 seeks to limit the maximum emission of electromagnetic radiation from vehicles. Recognising the rapid changes in technology in new vehicles, the relevant UN-ECE technical committee has established a task force to consider the implications of new technologies such as those used by driverless vehicles.

    The Department is participating in the work of the task force.

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Ethiopian government on the implications for her Department’s supported programmes in Oromia of the response of that government to protests in that region.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    I visited Ethiopia on the 17th of June and held discussions with senior Ministers in the Ethiopian Government, reiterating our concerns about the response to the protests in Oromia. I emphasised that civil and political rights are an important aspect of DFID’s Partnership Principles assessments, which inform decisions on the shape of our programme.

  • Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will guarantee to fund the remaining period of Peace IV in the event that the UK leaves the EU before the conclusion of that fund in 2020.

    Lord Dunlop

    The Government has set out that all European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs) projects with signed contracts or funding agreements in place with government, and projects signed before the Autumn Statement, including the PEACE programme will be fully funded, even when these projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU.

    For qualifying projects under the PEACE programme signed after the Autumn Statement, we will work with the devolved administrations on funding arrangements to allow them to prioritise projects within their devolved responsibilities. As we make the transition to longer-term arrangements, we will ensure the devolved administrations are treated fairly and that their circumstances are taken into account.