Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with NATO allies on the number of troops deployed to the Baltic states; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    The 2014 Wales Summit, under UK leadership, delivered an effective and united response to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and its actions in Eastern Ukraine.

    NATO has agreed to strengthen its defence and deterrence posture to provide further reassurance to Allies and deter Russian aggression.

    In February 2016 Defence Ministers agreed to address specific concerns raised by the Baltic States and Poland. Ahead of the Warsaw Summit in July, work continues within the Alliance to determine the size and scale of an enhanced forward presence in the East. The proposed measures are proportionate, defensive in nature, and not a threat to Russia, but demonstrate unequivocally the unity within the Alliance and the continued commitment of all Allies to the NATO principles of collective defence and security.

    A UK contribution will ultimately be shaped by what is agreed by all Allies.

  • Nia Griffith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Nia Griffith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote the abolition of the death penalty worldwide.

    Alok Sharma

    The UK strongly supports global abolition of the death penalty. It is part of the day-to-day work of all diplomatic missions to countries that retain the death penalty.

    Under the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, the Foreign Office has this year approved funding for anti death penalty projects worth over £500,000, covering more than 10 countries.

    We continue to work closely with our international partners to promote the abolition of the death penalty, including supporting the UN resolution on a global moratorium on the death penalty.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of the decision by the Department of Health to remove electrical socket inserts from all premises where NHS care is delivered; and whether her Department plans to issue similar guidance.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education has never required the use of socket covers in schools. All socket outlets in teaching areas of schools are designed to BS1363 and have built in safety shutters.

    The Department of Health guidance followed recent advice from electrical engineers that in some circumstances socket covers can compromise the safe operation of socket outlets and advises against their use.

  • Lord Stevenson of Balmacara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Stevenson of Balmacara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stevenson of Balmacara on 2015-10-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support the proposal by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead to invite the Sir William Borlase Grammar School to open a new grammar school in Maidenhead in the near future.

    Lord Nash

    Current legislation prohibits the introduction of a new grammar school. The government has been clear that we have not changed the law in this area.

    The government is supportive of all good and outstanding schools that seek to expand, in order to deliver more school places and greater choice to parents. Any school proposing such an expansion would need to demonstrate that it was a genuine continuation of an existing school. Schools that have successfully proposed an expansion have met a high threshold and other schools would need to do the same.

  • Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Gould of Potternewton on 2015-11-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the costs to the NHS of the £200 million reduction in the Public Health Grant to local authorities for 2015–16.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Local authorities are best placed to make an assessment of local public health needs, and to prioritise and deploy their available resources accordingly, in partnership with the National Health Service. The NHS will continue to provide a vital role in the delivery of public health services.

  • John Woodcock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    John Woodcock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Woodcock on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons there was no bidding process for the primary lighting contract for the Successor submarines.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    No contract has yet been awarded for the Successor primary lighting system.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend further the Criminal Justice Act 2015 in relation to online harassment and internet trolling.

    Mike Penning

    Legislation that can be used to prosecute online harassment and related offences includes the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; the Malicious Communications Act 1988; and the Communications Act 2003. The Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 made changes to the relevant offences in these last two Acts which aim to ensure that people who commit them are prosecuted and properly punished.

    The Government believes that current legislation is sufficient and does not intend to introduce specific additional legislation to address online harassment and internet trolling.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Questions 24490 and 24491, when her Department expects to have made a decision on whether to grant the right of abode to former British-Hong Kong servicemen.

    James Brokenshire

    The assessment of the request by former members of the Hong Kong Military Service Corps that they be granted right of abode in the UK is on-going, including discussions at official level with other government departments and a review of archived material on the schemes established between 1990 and 1997. A decision will be made as soon as practicable

  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the number of its senior civil servants who will potentially fall under the provisions of the fourth EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849; and what assessment he has made of which of his Department’s agencies or other public bodies will potentially be classed as holding a prominent public function for the purposes of that directive.

    Anna Soubry

    Under the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, a ‘politically exposed person’ is one ‘who is or who has been entrusted with prominent public functions’. This could potentially include some senior civil servants in the Department and its agencies or other public bodies.

    The Government’s view is that the Directive permits a risk-based approach to the identification of whether an individual is a politically exposed person and, when identified, the application of different degrees of enhanced measures by banks and other financial institutions to reflect the risks posed. The Government will be setting out this view in a consultation, which will be published shortly.

  • Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they reconcile printing and delivering their pamphlet Why the Government believes that voting to remain in the European Union is the best decision for the UK to every household in the UK, with the statement by the Minister of State for Europe, Mr David Lidington, on 7 September 2015 that we have no intention of legislating to allow the Government to do things such as mailshots

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    As the full excerpt below shows, the statement referred to by the Noble Lord relates to conduct and activity during the final 28 days of the referendum period, which are covered by the provisions of section 125 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The Government will comply fully with these provisions.

    “Instead, new clause 10 provides a power to make regulations to exempt particular categories of publication from section 125. Any such regulation would need to be approved by an affirmative resolution in both Houses. We have also adopted the recommendation of the Political and Constitutional Affairs Committee that the Government should consult the Electoral Commission before any such regulation is made.

    While I understand the constructive intention behind the suggestion made by the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon), I think that at the end of the day the Government must be free to go to Parliament and ask whether it accepts or rejects a particular proposal. The safeguard here is that if Government new clause 10 is accepted tonight, both Houses will have the right to veto anything that the Government might bring forward under this new provision.

    Let me explain the kind of things I have in mind. They include, for example, modernising the press notice exemption, which is already in section 125, to take account of digital media, by making it clear that it is permissible to link to a press notice from a website or a social media site; allowing the publication of a document on government.uk; or clarifying that material passed on to the print or broadcasting media would be acceptable. None of those things is clear at the moment. Let me repeat that we have no intention of legislating to allow the Government to do things such as mailshots, paid advertising or leafleting.”