Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame M. Morris on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which organisations he has consulted on the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Government is committed to full and effective consultation on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and has discussed it with a broad range of stakeholders across the UK. Organisations consulted include business representative bodies, such as the CBI and the Federation of Small Business, and trades unions including the TUC, Unison, the GMB and others. We have also regularly consulted Which? to discuss the potential benefits to consumers and of a coalition of civil society campaigners, including the Trade Justice Movement, Friends of the Earth, War on Want and the World Development Movement.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Insolvency Service provides value for money for creditors of liquidated companies.

    Jo Swinson

    The Insolvency Service has recently undertaken reviews of its systems and processes to identify ways to reduce costs. It also regularly reviews its fees. In addition, measures contained in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill will benefit creditors by saving an estimated £20m per year from the cost of all insolvency proceedings.

  • William McCrea – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    William McCrea – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William McCrea on 2015-01-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to devolve corporation tax to the Northern Ireland Executive.

    Mr David Gauke

    Following the 23 December Stormont House Agreement, the Government introduced and published the Corporation Tax (Northern Ireland) Bill on 8 January 2015. The Bill is available here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-bill-to-devolve-corporation-tax-in-northern-ireland

    “

  • Margot James – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Margot James – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margot James on 2015-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of pupils in each primary school in Stourbridge constituency met the required standard of phonic decoding in the 2013-14 academic year.

    Mr Nick Gibb

    School level performance in the phonics screening check is not published in the performance tables. Schools are not held to account for their performance in this diagnostic check, although they do have to inform parents of their child’s result in the way they think most suitable. The results are available on www.raiseonline.org for schools to use and for local authorities and Ofsted as part of their inspections process.

    The overall proportion of pupils attending schools in Stourbridge constituency who met the required standard of phonics decoding by the end of year 1 in the 2013/14 academic year was 77%. Nationally 74% of year 1 pupils met the required standard of phonic decoding in the 2013/14 academic year.

    “

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many officials work in each section of the Northern Ireland Office.

    Baroness Randerson

    The number of staff working in each business group of the Northern Ireland Office in January 2015, the latest period for which figures are available, is shown below:

    Business Group

    Number of Staff

    Senior Management

    6

    Business Delivery

    40

    Security and Protection

    31

    Legacy

    23

    Community Engagement

    15

    Economic Constitutional and Political

    19

  • Lord Kilclooney – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Kilclooney – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the proposed acquisition of Aer Lingus by International Consolidated Airlines, whether they have made representations to safeguard the slots at Heathrow airport for flights by British Airways and Aer Lingus to Belfast City; and whether they have made representations to safeguard the slots at Gatwick airport for flights to Belfast City.

    Baroness Kramer

    The Government does not currently consider that there is a risk of air services between Belfast and London being lost. The routes remain commercially viable, with nearly two million passengers carried on almost 19,000 flights between the two Belfast airports and the five main London airports in 2013.

    EU Regulations govern the allocation, transfer and exchange of slots at Heathrow, Gatwick and other slot co-ordinated airports in the UK. The purpose of the EU Slot Regulations is to support the operation of a single market for aviation by seeking to ensure airlines have fair and equal access to airports across the EU through the application of independent, non-discriminatory and transparent slot allocation procedures. The Regulations stipulate that the actual process of slot allocation is undertaken entirely independently of the Government, the UK Civil Aviation Authority or other parties. The Government has therefore made no representations to safeguard Heathrow or Gatwick slots for air services from Belfast.

    In circumstances where vital air connectivity would be lost, EU law does provide some limited scope to protect regional air services by allowing Member States to establish public service obligations (PSOs) to protect air services to airports serving a peripheral or development region, or on thin routes considered vital for a region’s economic and social development. Where a PSO has been approved, this would permit slots to be ring-fenced at a London airport. There is no other mechanism for the Government to intervene in the allocation of slots at London airports.

    As part of the 2013 Spending Round the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced that £20million would be made available over the two years 2014-15 and 2015-16 through a Regional Air Connectivity Fund to maintain regional air access to London through the establishment of PSOs where there was the probability that an existing air service would be lost. The 2014 Budget announced a doubling of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund to maintain existing connectivity to London.

  • Lord Patten – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Patten – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which European Union legislation they have considered in framing the proposed draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations 2015; what view they have taken on the applicability of the European Union legislation; and what is the basis for their view.

    Earl Howe

    As I said in the debate on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Mitochondrial Donation) Regulations 2015 on 24 February 2015 (columns 1570 and 1617-8) the Government is satisfied that the Regulations do not contravene any aspect of European Union law. It has carefully considered recent arguments relating to the Clinical Trials Directive (Directive 2001/20/EC) but is satisfied that the Directive is not relevant in this context as it relates to clinical trials of medicines.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what incentives he is providing to encourage investment from Commonwealth countries in the UK.

    Matthew Hancock

    UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is the Government department that works to encourage foreign direct investment into the UK.

    UKTI’s has teams focussed on attracting inward investment in Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand and all UKTI teams in Commonwealth countries together with UK based UKTI staff provide support for companies or funds considering inward investment into the UK.

  • Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Christopher Chope – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to publish the Government’s response to the review of gambling advertising before the General Election.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    Yes.

  • Steve Baker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Steve Baker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Baker on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the government of Germany on financial contributions for British victims of thalidomide.

    Mr David Lidington

    The British Ambassador to Berlin has recently raised the issue of compensation for British survivors of Thalidomide with the German Families Minister Manuela Schwesig. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently working with the Thalidomide Trust to secure a meeting between the Trust and the relevant German authorities in support of their campaign to seek compensation for British survivors of Thalidomide.