Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the oral evidence given by Ann Beasley, DG Finance and Corporate Services, Ministry of Justice, to the Justice Committee on 13 October 2015, HC 416, Question 30, how many agency staff his Department employed in each of the last five years.

    Mike Penning

    Workforce information including agency staff, interim managers, contractors and consultants for the Ministry of Justice, its agencies and executive non-departmental public bodies is published in the department’s annual accounts. Information for 2011 to 2015 is available at Annex A vi of the 2014/2015 annual report available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/434016/moj-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-15.pdf

    Information for the 2010 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/217275/moj-annual-report-accounts-2011-12.pdf

    “

  • Stephen Hammond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Hammond – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the implementation of the proposed General Data Protection Regulation; which non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and agencies overseen by his Department will be affected by that Regulation; and what estimate he has made of the potential liability of his Department, its agencies and NDPBs in connection with that proposed Regulation.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Negotiations on the proposed General Data Protection Regulation are still continuing and our negotiating position has taken into account the likely impact on Government Departments, NDPBs and agencies. Once the outcome of tripartite negotiations between the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament and the Commission are complete, and the Regulation has been adopted, the liabilities will be further assessed. There will then follow a maximum implementation period of two years. Between now and then, Government departments who will be affected by the Regulation are closely involved in work led by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport to consider the implications of the text as it develops through the negotiating process.

  • Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for the workload of Jobcentre Plus of providing appropriate advice and support to parents with children aged two, three and four who (a) have never been employed, (b) do not have five A* to C grades at GCSE, (c) have a history of addiction, (d) have mental health problems and (e) were formerly looked-after children.

    Priti Patel

    Jobcentre staff are trained to deal with a wide range of circumstances, offering a personalised approach.

    In readiness for Universal Credit, Work Coaches will be multi skilled so they can work with the person to resolve a variety of issues or barriers preventing them securing employment. This is based on individual need rather than around particular groups or characteristics.

    There has been no specific assessment made of the implications for the workload of Jobcentre Plus of providing appropriate advice and support to parents with children aged two, three and four who (a) have never been employed, (b) do not have five A*-C grades at GCSE, (c) have a history of addiction, (d) have mental health problems and (e) were formerly looked-after children.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on (a) data protection, (b) sponsorship of the Information Commissioner’s Office and (c) sponsorship of the National Archives.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Policy responsibility for data protection policy, sponsorship of the Information Commissioner’s Office, and sponsorship of The National Archives transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, on 17 September. My department is working with the Information Commissioner and other stakeholders to effectively deliver the Government’s objectives in these areas. The National Archives remains a non-ministerial department.

  • Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have qualified for a war pension as a result of contracting Hepatitis C or HIV from an infected blood transfusion while serving in the armed forces.

    Mark Lancaster

    The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the implications for his Department’s advice on travel to Egypt are of the accidental killing of foreign tourists in that country on 13 September 2015.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    As stated in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Travel Advice for Egypt, in September 2015 Egyptian security forces mistakenly killed 12 members of a tour group, including 8 Mexicans, in the Western Desert area of Al-Wahat.

    Before the incident, FCO Travel Advice already advised against all but essential travel to this area of the country. After the incident, we made a factual update to the Travel Advice in order to make British Nationals aware of the incident, so they are able to make an informed decision on travel to the area.

    We keep our travel advice under constant review, based on robust and up to date information and analysis from our experts in country.

  • Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve working conditions for employees in the social care sector.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government has taken a number of measures to improve working conditions for employees in the social care sector.

    The Government has taken action where social care providers have not previously paid the National Minimum Wage, to ensure staff receive the money owed to them and are paid fairly in future. The Government will introduce a National Living Wage from April 2016 to ensure care workers are better paid for the vital work they do. Guidance from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs has been updated to make it clear when staff must be paid for travelling time and rest breaks.

    The Department continues to work closely with the social care sector to improve skills and is investing funding for training and developing the adult social care workforce.

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2015 to Question 11278, who is responsible for restrictions on commercial and humanitarian shipping to Yemen.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    A number of parties are responsible for the conflict in Yemen which has led to the restrictions on commercial and humanitarian shipping to Yemen. At President Hadi’s request, Saudi-led Coalition airstrikes began in March 2015 following a rebellion against President Hadi and the Government of Yemen by the Houthi’s and forces loyal to former president Saleh. Intense fighting and insecurity on the ground has resulted in restrictions being placed on commercial and humanitarian shipping, and it is proving difficult to distribute food and fuel to those who need it making the humanitarian situation even worse.

    The most important action to address the humanitarian situation, beyond a ceasefire, is to open up access for commercial and humanitarian goods to reach those most in need. All parties to the conflict should take all reasonable steps to allow and facilitate humanitarian access, to facilitate immediate access to life-saving supplies both into and within Yemen. The Secretary of State for International Development recently reinforced this message at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

    The UK also supports the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism, UNVIM, which is now being established to address commercial shipping needs. It involves setting up an internationally-staffed maritime verification centre to replace the existing informal Coalition mechanism. To be effective, all commercial cargo should be within the scope of UNVIM – including fuel.

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Leader of the House, whether he has had discussions with the Chairs of the Business, Innovation and Skills, International Development, Foreign Affairs and Defence select committees on their re-establishment of the Committees on Arms Export Controls.

    Chris Grayling

    No. The re-establishment of the Committees on Arms Export Controls (CAEC) is a matter for the relevant committees under Standing Order No. 137, which allows for the concurrent meeting of any select committee with another for the purpose of deliberating or taking evidence.

  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-10-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason his Department’s guidance on accessible communication formats published on 14 August 2014 does not include email as an accessible format; and what consultation his Department had with disability groups before producing that guidance.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The guidance referred to was published before 2010 and moved from the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) website to GOV.UK last August. It was written for government communicators on how to make effective use of accessible communications formats. It was not about specific means of communication, e.g. email, letters etc. This document is due to be reviewed and updated.

    Stakeholders groups were involved when the document was originally produced, and will be invited to be part of the review process.