UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on HM Government Strategy for Abolition of the Death Penalty, published October 2011.

    Mr David Lidington

    Progress has been strong. In December 2014, a biennial UN resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty was passed with a record majority. Fewer than 30 countries now carry out executions and the number of people executed is at an all-time low. There have been set-backs and disappointments, but the long-term trend in the use of the death penalty is undoubtedly downwards. Nonetheless, the British Government’s view remains that the death penalty is an unjustified tool in all circumstances and we continue to campaign for total abolition.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to address increasing numbers of ISIS fighters in Kosovo; and what support the UK is offering to authorities in Kosovo to tackle this issue.

    Mr David Lidington

    We are concerned about the rise of Daesh foreign fighters across Europe, including in Kosovo and are engaging in a range of ways to reduce the risk to the UK. We have encouraged Kosovo to put in place the necessary measures, including legislation and counter-extremism strategies. Last year, Kosovo adopted legislation making it illegal to join in armed conflicts outside its territory and approved a 2015-2020 Counter Extremism Strategy. We, along with other international donors, are identifying areas in the action plan where we can offer support. In addition, our wider assistance to Kosovo targets social exclusion and seeks to promote jobs and growth, which are key to mitigating the risks of marginalisation and radicalisation of Kosovo’s youth. Kosovo is a member of the Global Coalition Against Daesh and, at the UK’s invitation, has joined the Strategic Communications Working Group, which the UK co-chairs.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what checks his Department has in place to ensure that credit reference firms do not sell-on electoral roll data.

    John Penrose

    Under the Regulation 115 of the Representation of the People (England and Wales)(Amendment) Regulations 2002, anyone who is supplied with the full register is not permitted to sell a copy to any person, disclose any information contained in it, or use it for anything apart from the specified purpose for which the full register has been supplied. In contravening this provision, a person would be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, which currently stands at £5000.

  • Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Sue Hayman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sue Hayman on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 4.10 of his Department’s response to its consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of personal independence payment, published in March 2016, if he will publish the raw data referred to in that paragraph; and whether that data was subject to peer review.

    Justin Tomlinson

    As confirmed by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State in his statement to the House on 21 March, the proposed changes to PIP will not be going ahead.

    We spend around £50bn every year on benefits alone to support people with disabilities or health conditions, with spending on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) having increased by more than £3 billion since 2010. The government is committed to talking to disabled people, their representatives, healthcare professionals and employers to ensure the welfare system works better with the health and social care systems and provides help and support to those who need it most.

  • Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the amount of staff time that has been used in assisting representatives of British overseas territories and Crown dependencies in preparation for meetings with the European Commission in the most recent period for which information is available.

    James Duddridge

    The UK is responsible for the international relations of the Overseas Territories, which have a specific status within the European Union Treaties. The Overseas Association Decision is the instrument which sets out the relationship between the European Union and the Overseas Territories of the Member States. In 2015 I attended the annual Forum bringing together Territory leaders, senior representatives from the European Commission and the Member States. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials meet approximately six times a year with the Territories and the Commission to take forward cooperation under the Overseas Association Decision. Other government departments provide officials when required if the subject matter falls within their area of competence.

    The United Kingdom is also responsible for the international relations of the Crown Dependencies which have a special relationship with the European Union under Protocol 3 to the United Kingdom’s Treaty of Accession to the European Community.

    United Kingdom Government officials meet regularly with Crown Dependency and Overseas Territory representatives to discuss forthcoming business; information sharing is a matter of routine. The Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories make their own preparations for meetings with the European Commission but Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials assist when asked to do so. Support is also available from other government departments and the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union should it be required.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to change the broadband target of 10 megabits per second by 2020 to a higher one, in the light of the progress made by other countries.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government’s ambition for the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) is that it should be set initially at 10 megabits per second. The rationale for the USO is to provide a ‘digital safety net’ to ensure that every home and business is able to access a fast broadband.

    A broadband USO set at 10 megabits per second is higher than anywhere else in Europe. Spain, for example, has set their USO at 1 megabit per second, and Finland and Malta at 2 and 4 megabits per second respectively. We expect that the USO speed will need to increase over time beyond 10 megabits per second and are committed to keeping this under review to make sure that it keeps pace with consumers’ needs.

  • FALSE – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    FALSE – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 27 June (HL Deb, col 1352), whether when they use the words extremism”

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    As part of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST), the Prevent strategy was revised in 2011 to address all forms of terrorism.

  • Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Drew Hendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures his Department has put in place to ensure that terminally ill patients’ needs are fully considered during personal independence payment assessments.

    Penny Mordaunt

    There are special rules and procedures for people who are terminally ill and make a claim to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) meaning that their claims are fast tracked and they are guaranteed immediate, unconditional entitlement to the enhanced rate of the daily living component, without an assessment of their needs.

    To ensure correct decisions are made as quickly as possible, factual information on the claimant’s condition, clinical features and current/planned treatment is captured on the DS1500 form. This is completed by their GP, hospital consultant or delegated practice/special nurse (e.g. a Macmillan nurse).

    The Department has worked closely with organisations supporting terminally ill people, such as Macmillan Cancer Support, to ensure that the service we offer works as effectively and efficiently as possible. This collaborative approach has resulted in the Department introducing a dedicated telephone service for terminally ill claimants and introducing an electronic method of submitting a DS1500 form from the claimant’s medical practitioner.

  • Richard Graham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Richard Graham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Graham on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many delays to benefit payments there were in (a) Gloucester, (b) the South West and (c) England in each of the last five years.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not available.

  • Clive Betts – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Clive Betts – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Betts on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of social rented homes that will be completed in (a) 2015-16 and (b) each of the succeeding four years.

    Brandon Lewis

    Through the Spending Review the Government has committed to investing £8 billion to deliver over 400,000 affordable housing starts, doubling our investment in affordable housing from 2018-19.

    This includes £1.7 billion to deliver around 100,000 homes for affordable or intermediate rent. Already through the 2015-18 Affordable Homes programme we have allocated over £1 billion to deliver affordable housing, with the majority being for rented housing.

    Since April 2010 we have delivered over 260,000 affordable homes. Under Labour the stock of affordable homes fell by 420,000, with 1.8 million families on social housing waiting lists. More council housing has been built since 2010 than in the previous 13 years of a Labour Government.

    The funding allocated to housing associations and local authorities will depend on the bids submitted to the Affordable Homes programme.