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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Tom Elliott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on Scotland of the UK leaving the EU.

    David Mundell

    At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-04-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mr Tobias Ellwood, on 18 January (HC21629), what action they propose to take to prevent the forcible transfer of Bedouin in the West Bank by Israel.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We continue to raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities over demolitions and the treatment of the Bedouin community. We have supported Bedouin communities in Area C facing demolition or eviction through support to Rabbis for Human Rights and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) legal aid programme. This helps individuals challenge decisions in the Israeli legal system. The NRC has successfully suspended demolitions and evictions so that Palestinians can remain in their homes in 99 per cent of the cases they represent.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the additional cost of £70 to £80 per annum, at 2011 prices and based on a 50 per cent probability of cost overruns, to all Thames Water customers of the Thames Tideway Tunnel, as quoted on page 83 of the prospectus of Thames Water Utilities Cayman Finance Ltd, represents good value for money for the consumer.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The impact of the Thames Tideway Tunnel on Thames Water customer bills is expected to be £20-£25 per year (at 2015 prices) by the mid-2020s. This is about a third of the initial estimate of £70-£80 per year in 2011, assessed at an early development stage of the project, and represents good value for money for customers. It follows the successful competition by Thames Water Utilities Ltd, completed in August 2015, to procure an Infrastructure Provider to finance and deliver the Thames Tideway Tunnel. The Thames Water Utilities Cayman Finance Ltd prospectus quoted by the Noble Lord is dated 26 June 2015 and so was prior to this procurement.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people working for his Department or its executive agencies on a (a) directly employed, (b) agency or (c) outsourced basis are paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation; and how many of those people are employed on zero-hours contracts.

    Joseph Johnson

    As at 1 August 2016 (following the implementation of the 2016 pay award) there are no direct employees in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills or former Department for Energy and Climate Change) paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

    As at this date there are no agency staff in former DECC paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

    There are 5 agency staff in former BIS paid less than the Living Wage Foundation’s definition. However, all 5 are paid more than the Government’s Living Wage rate of £7.20 per hour.

    We do not centrally hold details of the pay levels of staff working for outsourced companies contracted by former BIS. Arm Length Bodies linked to former DECC have confirmed that they pay all their employees above the level set by the Living Wage Foundation.

    There are no employees on zero hours contracts.

    I have asked Chief Executives of the executive agencies of former BIS to respond directly to the Hon. Member.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many instances were recorded in which a young person was restrained physically by placing their face on the floor in a children’s mental health ward in each year from 2012.

    Nicola Blackwood

    Prone restraint data for years since 2012 is not available. NHS Digital began collecting the number of incidents of prone restraint on mental health wards for adults and for children and young people in January 2016. In line with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice, this data is undergoing evaluation.

  • Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Catherine McKinnell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the effect of the criminal courts charge on the reduction in costs awarded to the Crown Prosecution Service under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 as a result of (a) magistrates and (b) judges using their discretion to lower the level of costs awarded.

    Robert Buckland

    The criminal court charge imposed a non-discretionary charge on all adult offenders convicted for offences committed on or after 13 April 2015 and is imposed separately from other financial considerations and orders the court may make. It is premature to fully appreciate the implications of the charge on the criminal justice system.

    The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain data on the value of costs awarded to the CPS but does have data on the value of costs recovered following the award of costs. The value of costs recovered and paid to CPS, following the award of costs under the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, in quarter 1 2015-16 was about £10.7m, in line with expectations.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will take steps to ensure that graduates from a working class background are recruited onto the Civil Service Fast Stream.

    Matthew Hancock

    To govern modern Britain, the Civil Service needs to look and sound likemodern Britain. We need access to the broadest possible pool of talent, drawing on peoplefrom all backgrounds and all parts of the country.

    The Civil Service is implementing a number of initiatives to recruit individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds onto the Fast Stream and Fast Track Apprenticeship schemes, including internship programmes, schools and colleges mentoring and discovery days, work experience programmes and engagement with universities with a high representation of lower socio-economic students.

    Information on the socio-economic status of recent appointees to the SCS was published in 2014,and the socio-economic status of Fast-Stream applicants has been published since 2011.

    In 2015 16.8% of new joiners to the Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme were from lower socio-economic backgrounds, up from 8.5% in 2013/14. From 2015 this data will be published as part of the Fast Stream applicants publication.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Church Commissioners

    Stewart Jackson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Church Commissioners

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress has been made on land disposals for residential housing by the Church Commissioners at (a) Paston Reserve and (b) Norwood urban extensions near Peterborough; and if she will make a statement.

    Mrs Caroline Spelman

    The Church Commissioners have two strategic land sites at Peterborough; Paston Reserve and Norwood. Both sites are allocated as residential urban extension sites in Peterborough City Council’s adopted Core Strategy and Site Allocations Development Plan Documents. It is the Commissioners’ intention, over the long term, to make these sites available to facilitate the delivery of housing and other infrastructure.

    The construction of Paston Reserve, which has planning permission for over 1,000 houses, local facilities (including a primary school), open space and other infrastructure, began in 2014. The first residential phase of development comprises 87 houses and the first houses on site were sold by the developer, Keepmoat Homes, in early 2015. Discussions in regard to a second phase of development on the site are underway and it is expected that work on site will commence in late 2016.

    With respect to Norwood, the Commissioners worked with the local planning authority through the development plan process, which saw the site’s allocation for 2,300 new houses, and are committed to bringing forward the land for development. Pre-application work is currently being progressed with the other landowners across the site and initial discussions have been had with Peterborough City Council about the site’s delivery and potential timescales for an outline planning application.

  • Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Poulter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Poulter on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of progress on defeating Daesh; and what steps his Department plans to take to protect national security from the threat of terrorism.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The UK is making a significant contribution to the coalition of more than 60 countries, supporting the Iraqi security forces to deny ISIL the freedom to operate in 30% of the Iraqi territory it once held, helping Syrian Kurds take 17,000 sq km from ISIL in Syria, and degrading ISIL’s ability to refine oil or to access the international financial system.

    But defeating ISIL is not a military task alone and the global coalition is working to defeat ISIL on all fronts – militarily, cutting off ISIL finance, reducing the influx of fighters, challenging its ideology and providing humanitarian assistance.

    Within the UK the Home Office has the lead for counter terrorism but certain military specialist capabilities are always available, should they be required.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11217, what rate of non-guaranteed reasonable profit has been included in the calculated strike price.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The forecast rate of return is commercially confidential and is naturally subject to change as it will depend on the performance of NNB Generation Company Ltd. (NNBG), given that the Contract for Difference (CfD) is designed so that many of the risks belong to NNBG. The CfD contains a series of gainshare mechanisms in which consumers would benefit if the project construction costs or equity returns were more favourable than forecast.

    However, although the actual number is confidential, the European Commission’s Closing Decision for the Hinkley Point C State aid case, where they judged the Strike Price to be proportionate, gives an expected range for the project rate of return of between 9.25 and 9.75% as of October 2014.

    http://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/251157/251157_1615983_2292_4.pdf

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