UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have taken, if any, in response to the most recent arrests of members of the Sudan Congress Party, and more broadly regarding the treatment of members of civil society, political activists and journalists in Sudan since the election in April.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Whilst we have not raised this specific case, we regularly highlight our concerns over the treatment of political parties, civil society and the media with the Government of Sudan, most recently with a member of the National Congress Party in September this year.

  • The Earl of Dundee – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The Earl of Dundee – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Dundee on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what comparisons they have made between their current and previous schemes to encourage foreign students to prolong their studies and take up employment with United Kingdom business and industry; and whether, as a result, they plan to amend their current scheme.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    Prior to 2012 international students who successfully completed a degree at a UK institution could apply for permission to work in the UK for two years. This Post-Study Work route was closed from 6th April 2012 as it granted unrestricted access to the UK labour market for two years to non-EEA nationals at a time when a large number of British graduates were unable to find work. The route was also found to be heavily abused with many people taking up low-skilled work rather than the intended graduate level roles. There are no plans to reintroduce this scheme.

    The UK has an excellent offer for overseas students graduating from UK universities wishing to remain in the UK. Those with an offer of a graduate-level job, paying a salary of at least £20,800, can take up sponsored employment for up to six years. In 2014 some 11,000 international students switched to skilled work. PhD students can stay in the UK for an extra year, under the Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme, to look for work or start their own business. Graduate entrepreneurs can stay on for up to two years to develop their business in the UK. The Government has also made provisions for graduates wishing to undertake a period of professional training or a corporate internship related to their qualifications, before pursuing a career overseas.

  • 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 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many National Health Service organisations currently have vacancies for chief executive posts.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    This information is not held centrally by the Department.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the past five years, what percentage of applicants aged between 18 and 25 have been granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom on compassionate grounds; and how many applicants are still waiting for a decision.

    Lord Bates

    People in all immigration application routes have the potential to be granted leave to remain on compassionate grounds. There is no formal application category for ‘compassionate grounds’. The Home Office therefore cannot determine the percentage of applicants between 18 and 25 who have been granted leave to remain in the United Kingdom on compassionate grounds or how many applicants are still waiting for a decision.

  • Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have sought, or been given, the advice of the National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites concerning proposals for dualling the A303 through the Stonehenge part of the World Heritage Site; and if so, what advice they received.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Highways England is currently in the early stage of scheme development looking at options and to date have not sought the advice of the National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites.

  • Valerie Vaz – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Valerie Vaz – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assets of (a) President Assad and (b) the Syrian government have been frozen in the UK; and what the value is of those assets.

    Harriett Baldwin

    In view of the situation in Syria, Council Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 of 18 January 2012 imposed an asset freeze against listed Syrian individuals and entities. The EU Regulation, which has direct effect in the UK, requires that all funds and economic resources belonging to, owned, held or controlled by listed persons are frozen.

    Those listed under this regime include natural and legal persons, entities and bodies who have been identified as being responsible for the violent repression against the civilian population in Syria, persons and entities benefiting from or supporting the regime, and natural or legal persons associated with them. These persons and entities include, but are not limited to, President Assad and several members and agencies of the Syrian government.

    The approximate aggregate value of funds frozen in UK jurisdiction under EU Regulation 36/2012 is £151,080,000 (based on an annual audit in September 2014). These funds continue to belong to the individuals and entities listed under the Regulation and are not seized or otherwise held by HM Government.

    The Regulation states that HM Treasury can use this information only for the purpose for which it was provided. In order to comply with this requirement, and to comply with UK data protection law, the figure is provided on an aggregate basis so as not to disclose data relating to funds held by particular individuals or entities.

    HM Treasury publishes the names of those subject to EU financial sanctions on the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK, which can be found on the gov.uk website.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice was provided to his Department by independent environmental bodies on proposals for a carbon price support exemption scheme; and what alternative such proposals were made by those bodies.

    Damian Hinds

    Environmental protection is a devolved matter, and outstanding land restoration liabilities lie with the relevant local authorities and ultimately with the Scottish Government. The Treasury has fully considered the two proposals put to them for addressing the shortfall of land restoration on abandoned Scottish coal mines: an exemption from the Carbon Price Support (CPS) tax and a direct grant from the Exchequer. Following discussions with Hargreaves, the UK Coal Authority, the Scotland Office, the Scottish Government and DECC, the Treasury has had to decline both proposals after thorough consideration. The reasons for this include: – Addressing the shortfall in land restoration is not the responsibility of the UK Government. Environmental protection is a devolved matter, and outstanding land restoration liabilities lie with the relevant local authorities. – The proposals are unaffordable in the current fiscal climate. They would also set a precedent that would risk discouraging companies and local authorities from making proper financial provision for the cost of site restoration and future environmental liabilities. – A CPS exemption would be an inefficient means of addressing the shortfall of land restoration, as the money would not go directly towards this aim and it would incur significant administration costs. – A CPS exemption would distort the market by making non-exempt coal less competitive, and by discouraging investment in low carbon power generation. I have written to the Scottish Government’s Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism informing him of this decision and I would be happy to consider any other options put forward.

  • Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Anna Turley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that national galleries and museums remain free at the point of use.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Free access to all national museums and galleries was a commitment made in the 2015 Conservative Party Manifesto and remains government policy.

    Management agreements between DCMS and all national museums and galleries highlight as a priority that “free entry to the permanent collections of the national museums will continue to be available and public access will be protected.”

  • Phil Boswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Phil Boswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure that core UKCS Oil and Gas infrastructure is identified, supported and rendered fit-for-purpose for the long-term development of marginal fields and future significant fields off the west coast of Scotland, and for transportation and distribution around the UK.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Oil and Gas Authority’s Call to Action report highlighted the risk that low profitability in producing fields could lead to premature decommissioning of critical infrastructure. It is important to avoid decommissioning for as long as possible and the OGA is as a priority working with companies to facilitate discussions, remove barriers to cooperation and encourage investment. In addition it is conducting rigorous economic assessments of key production hubs to explore the drivers of continued investment, including fiscal levers. Work is also taking place to facilitate the preparation of Regional Development Plans for critical regions of the North Sea, building on data provided by operators.

  • Sarah Champion – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Sarah Champion – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Egypt.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office published its annual Human Rights and Democracy Report on 12 March 2015, which provides an assessment of the situation in Egypt, and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/country-case-study-egypt