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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Wilson Doctrine has been consistently applied to the communication of the hon. Member for Warrington North since her election; and whether that hon. Member has been subject to surveillance.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Government’s position on the Wilson Doctrine was set out by the Prime Minister in a written ministerial statement made on 4 November 2015.

    As the Prime Minister made clear, the Wilson Doctrine has never been an absolute bar to the targeted interception of the communications of Members of Parliament or an exemption from the legal regime governing interception. The Doctrine recognised that there could be instances where interception might be necessary.

    The Prime Minister announced that as matter of policy the PM will be consulted should there ever be a proposal to target any UK Parliamentarian’s communications under a warrant issued by a Secretary of State. This applies to Members of Parliament, members of the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Assembly and UK members of the European Parliament. It applies to all activity authorised by a warrant issued by a Secretary of State: any instance of targeted interception and, electronic surveillance and equipment interference, when undertaken by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. This is in addition to the rigorous safeguards already in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and the Code of Practice issued under it which set out a series of robust safeguards for any instance of interception.

    It is long standing policy of successive Governments neither to confirm nor deny any specific activity by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 it is an offence for anyone to identify an individual interception warrant or an individual interception that takes place.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2015 to Question 11759, if he will place a copy of the report compiled by EY in connection with changes to Network Rail in the Library.

    Claire Perry

    The work referenced in Question 11759 was commissioned in order to inform a range of policy options. This work is ongoing, and therefore we will not be placing it in the House Library.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-10-20.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make provision for a dedicated email address by which hon. Members can raise constituents’ concerns on tax credit claims.

    Damian Hinds

    HMRC runs three hotlines to help MPs – and their staff – deal quickly and efficiently with constituent issues and concerns. These include a dedicated hotline on Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit: 03000 135001, which is available from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. MPs can also email constituents’ queries on tax credits claims to HMRC’s Ministerial Correspondence team. It can be contacted at the following address: correspondence-team.mincom@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.

    “

  • 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 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will report on progress with the 100,000 Genomes Project.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Almost 10,000 people have been involved in the 100,000 Genomes Project so far,with more joining through the NHS Genomic Medicine Centres each day.The Project will sequence 100,000 whole genomes from around 70,000 people.Cancer patients have their genome and the genome of their cancer sequenced. Rare disease patients have their genome sequenced as do two of their blood relatives.

    As at 12 October 5,234 whole genomes had been sequenced and added to the data centre.Substantial progress has been made across all aims of the project including the establishment of 11 NHS Genomics Medicine Centres who are actively recruiting participants and the first rare disease patients being diagnosed.

    Regular updates on the 100,000 Genomes Project including the total number of genomes sequenced are published on Genomics England’s website:

    www.genomicsengland.co.uk

    “

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in each year since 1995, how many passports have been issued by the appropriate office in Belfast.

    Lord Bates

    I refer to the attached table which provides by calendar year the volume of passport applications issued by the Belfast office from 2005 to 2014. Her Majesty’s Passport Office does not hold readily available data prior to 2005 and the cost of extracting this data would be disproportionate.

    Year

    Number of passports processed by Belfast Office

    2005

    359,224

    2006

    336,306

    2007

    364,821

    2008

    341,898

    2009

    370,622

    2010

    364,688

    2011

    408,628

    2012

    427,422

    2013

    433,530

    2014

    628,528

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2015-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government (1) how many Syrian opposition fighters have been trained by British military personnel since January 2015, (2) what military equipment has been supplied to them and by whom, and (3) how many are actively involved in military operations at this time.

    Earl Howe

    Since January 2015, 268 Syrian opposition fighters have been trained at sites where British military personnel are training. Of these 268, 180 have completed their training and the majority of that number have returned to Syria. The 88 who left prior to completing their training were either removed for disciplinary reasons or opted out of the programme. Whilst they might not all have been specifically trained by a British trainer, it is likely that most had interaction with a member of a British training team at some point during their tenure.

    The UK has not supplied military equipment to the Syrian opposition fighters. We do not comment on the provision of equipment by other coalition partners.

    We cannot say with certainty how many of the trained Syrian opposition fighters are actively involved in military operations.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Ouseley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent study by Shelter, what steps they are taking to address the problems faced by tenants in privately rented homes infested with vermin.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Local authorities have a power under section 4 of the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 to require owners of premises infested by mice or rats to eradicate the problem and failure to do so is a criminal offence. Infestation by such pests is also a hazard under the housing, health and safety rating system in Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004. Where the infestation is a category 1 hazard the local authority must require the landlord to take action to eradicate the infestation or it may prohibit the property (or the affected part) from being occupied until the hazard has been eradicated. Through licensing schemes under Parts 2 or 3 of that Act an authority can impose licence conditions relating to privately rented homes that require landlords to take measures to prevent infestation of pests and a failure to do so would be a criminal offence.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to compel the housing associations who voted against an extension of the Right to Buy discount in the National Housing Federation ballot on 2 October 2015 to comply with that policy.

    Brandon Lewis

    We are pleased to see that 93% of the total housing association stock is covered by those associations who said yes to the offer.

    We would like as many associations as possible to sign up to the deal – so that their tenants can access the same home ownership opportunities as other tenants – and the opportunity is still there for them to do so.

    The Housing and Planning Bill will also introduce a clause where the Regulator will have the power to monitor and report on how private registered providers are supporting their tenants into home ownership.

  • 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 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Royal Navy’s (a) liability, (b) trained strength and (c) untrained strength for each (i) rank and (ii) branch specialisation and arm was in each financial year from 2005-06 to 2014-15.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The information requested, from January 2010, is available in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Monthly Personnel Statistics, published on gov.uk at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/royal-naval-monthly-report-personnel-situation-statistics-index

    The reports are not available prior to 2010, and this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Ben Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of assessed European fish stocks that are (a) fished at or below and (b) fished at higher than the maximum sustainable yield rate.

    George Eustice

    European Commission information suggests that in 2015, for stocks with full analytical assessments in the Atlantic EU waters, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, (a) 32 stocks were being fished at or below the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) exploitation rate, and (b) 30 such stocks were being fished higher than the MSY exploitation rate.