Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Church Commissioners

    David Hanson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Church Commissioners

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what the average hourly earnings for their (a) female and (b) male (i) full-time and (ii) part-time employees was in each of the last five years.

    Mrs Caroline Spelman

    The following information relates to employees of the Church of England’s National Church Institutions (NCIs). Senior salaries, gender and race information are published each year in the annual reports of Archbishops’ Council, Pensions Board and Church Commissioners.

    Women make up 55% of the total workforce and hold just over 40% of the roles at a senior level. Most roles fit into a pay banding structure which pays the same for equivalent jobs in each band. The equal pay draft regulations have just been published and the NCIs will be reporting in line with the requirements when they have been passed into law.

    Clergy officeholders, as distinct from employees, are paid a stipend rather than a salary. For information female and male Bishops in office receive the same level of stipend. All other clergy officeholder stipends are based on a national stipend benchmark which is set by post and is the same for female and male clergy in each diocese.

  • Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether (a) legal costs and (b) compensatory payments resulting from investor state dispute settlement claims relating to acts by the Scottish local authorities would be passed onto those local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government would typically be responsible for legal costs incurred and compensatory payments awarded by an ISDS tribunal resulting from acts by UK local authorities. There is no specific mechanism in place for the UK Government to pass any such costs or payments to Scottish local authorities. The UK has a good record of creating the right environment for investors and treating them fairly – we have over 90 such agreements in place with other countries and there has never been a successful ISDS claim brought against the UK.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US and Japanese counterparts about nuclear tests by North Korea.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I raised this issue with US colleagues in Washington last week. The UK condemns the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) continued development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. We have regular contact with key partners on this issue, including the US and Japan. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) discussed the issue with his counterparts at the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Hiroshima on 11 April. The G7 issued a joint communiqué [http://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000147440.pdf] which strongly condemned the DPRK’s nuclear tests and called upon the international community to enforce the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions to respond to the clear and continuing threat to international peace and security that is posed by the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department’s offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not set a budget for food served in its UK food outlets. Catering services in the UK are provided to staff by an external contractor. Spending on food is determined by the contractor based on sales receipts from FCO staff.

    The FCO has worked with its supplier to align the existing contract with the requirements of the Government’s food procurement balanced scorecard.
    By value, approximately 84% of dairy produce, 100% of chicken, 77% of beef, 88% of pork and 91% of other meats is sourced from British producers.

    The amount of other food sourced from British producers for the FCO was 35% in the last period for which figures are available (January to March 2016); this figure relates to the catering contractor’s main supplier only and includes non-indigenous products (eg tea and coffee) and does not include specialist items (eg scampi).

  • Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Pendry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-07-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to publish their strategy on tackling child obesity; and whether that strategy will include a commitment to children taking part in sports activity, as well as the monitoring and regulation of the advertising of sugary products.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Our forthcoming Childhood Obesity Strategy will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet will be working over the coming days and weeks to establish their priorities and how we deliver on these commitments.

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of relative levels of productivity in community pharmacy and secondary care in each year since 2005.

    David Mowat

    We have made no assessment of productivity in community pharmacies.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency can license the drug bevacizumab in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration in the absence of an application by the company that holds the patent.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an executive agency of the Department of Health, is responsible for the licensing of medicines. The MHRA is only able to assess and grant a licence for a particular use of a medicine once an application has been made and supporting data have been submitted to demonstrate that the quality, safety and efficacy of the medicine are satisfactory for the intended use.

  • Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the reoffending rates are for (a) young people who do not complete an accredited qualification in prison, (b) young people who do complete an accredited qualification in prison, (c) all other offenders who complete an accredited qualification in prison, (d) all other offenders who do not complete an accredited qualification in prison and (e) offenders who leave prison unable to read and write.

    Andrew Selous

    Re-offending rates are not currently available broken down by different levels of education attainment. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Ministry of Justice have, however, jointly commissioned an evaluation of prisoner learning. This study, which is currently underway, aims to use linked administrative datasets to analyse the short-term impact of prisoner education on re-offending outcomes among adult prisoners. The analysis will examine learning aims, rather than accredited qualifications specifically. The study is currently underway and will complete in mid-2016. It will also feed into the independently led review of Education in Prisons being undertaken by Dame Sally Coates.

    Separately, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills publish information on the number of prisoners achieving an accredited qualification in prison, including qualifications in English at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held (See tables 7.1 and 7.2 on page 36 for offender learning)

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many affordable housing completions there were in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency for each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

    Brandon Lewis

    Figures on the numbers of affordable housing completions for each local authority area in England in each year since 1991-92 are published by the department in Live Table 1008 which is available to download at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

    The figures are not compiled on the basis of parliamentary constituencies.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, by what date he expects all local authorities to be fully reimbursed for flood compensation payments they have made to households.

    James Wharton

    To date over £48 million has been paid out to local authorities through the Community and Business Recovery Fund and Council Tax and Business Rates discounts to assist households and businesses affected by the floods caused by Storms Desmond and Eva.

    Local authorities have not notified the Department of any allowable costs not covered by the sums transferred. It is expected that further payments will be made shortly as flooded property numbers are confirmed and further funds requested.