Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures are in place to ensure that the support being given to the Nigerian authorities for defence and security priorities is underpinned by human rights standards.

    Baroness Warsi

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made a statement about the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) guidance on 15 December 2011.

    Since this date all funding and assistance provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to Nigeria, which falls under the criteria set out in OSJA guidance, is examined in compliance with OSJA requirements. This includes strict stipulation on human rights standards and compliance. The OSJA process reflects the determination of the British Government to ensure that such assistance is provided in a manner that promotes, rather than undermines, human rights and democracy in Nigeria.

  • Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 29W, on gold: prices, and to the Financial Conduct Authority’s decision to fine Barclays Bank for gold fix manipulation, if he will make an assessment of the effect of (a) US regulatory authorities’ interventions in the gold market and (b) such interventions on gold market-related securities in ISAs.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government monitors all aspects of the gold market. Although no specific assessment of US regulatory interventions has been made, the Government is committed to taking action, whenever necessary, to ensure the efficient functioning of these essential markets. In order to raise standards of conduct in the financial system the Government has launched a joint review by the Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority into the way wholesale financial markets operate, including commodity markets.

  • Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Adrian Sanders – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the cost is of all foreign visits undertaken by the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities as part of her official duties to date.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    Details of Ministers’ visits overseas are published quarterly and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/expenses-and-hospitality

    The latest data available at this time is:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-meetings-and-hospitality-data-october-to-december-2013

    “

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Robertson on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what strategic level his Department has agreed with industry for the amount of motor gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel products required to meet the compulsory stock oligations.

    Michael Fallon

    EU Member States are required under EU Directive 2009/119/EC to hold oil stocks at the higher of 90 days of average net daily imports or 61 days of average daily inland consumption in order to mitigate a substantial supply disruption. At present, the UK is obligated at 61 days of average daily inland consumption. The UK meets this obligation by directing substantial suppliers of oil products to the UK market to hold stocks.

    In order to meet the requirements of EU Directive, the UK requires that at least one-third of this obligation is held by industry in the form of gas/diesel oil, motor gasoline and Kerosene-type jet fuel.

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps are being taken in response to EU Council Regulation 692/2014 to (a) identify goods originating in Crimea or Sevastopol and exclude them from entry into the UK and (b) ensure no individual or business based in the UK provides, directly or indirectly, financing, financial assistance or insurance or reinsurance related to the import of such goods from Crimea or Sevastopol.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has set up customs risk profiles to target goods originating in Crimea or Sevastopol in response to EU Council Regulation 692/2014. The profiles are targeting Crimean postcodes. The risk profiles are being monitored and will be adjusted as circumstances require.

    As with all sanctions introduced by the EU, they have direct effect in the UK and apply directly to UK persons and companies. The Government will take steps to ensure these measures are effectively implemented and enforced.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people aged (a) under 18 and (b) 18 years and over died as a consequence of a condition related to alcohol misuse in each year since 2010.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Sarah Teather – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, Inspection into the Handling of Asylum Applications made by Unaccompanied Children, published in October 2013, what steps have been taken in response to recommendations 1, 3, 4 and 8 of that report.

    James Brokenshire

    In response to recommendation 1, a clear and consistent approach has been
    adopted. A pilot was run shortly after the inspection that led to the adoption
    of a new screening process for unaccompanied children; this has led to
    increased consistency between the Home Office and local authorities. All
    initial screenings take place within five days of initial claim. Local
    Authorities are clearly responsible for facilitating the access to legal advice
    and responsible adults prior to the screening interview.

    In response to recommendation 3, this guidance and policy has been reinforced
    locally. The Asylum Casework Directorate has implemented new structures that
    offer better technical support for promoting and monitoring family tracing.
    This guidance has been reinforced locally in all teams through the creation of
    specialised family and minors teams in each regional location. Work is
    ongoing with the Foreign Office on new family tracing arrangements for volume
    UASC nationalities (Albanian and Afghan) that should help to expedite the
    tracing process in these countries. The practicality of specialised teams
    will be reviewed once all decision units are fully staffed.

    In response to recommendation 4, the move to a single national directorate has
    led to greater consistency and control of asylum case work. This has helped to
    address the consistency of operations and outcomes in each of the seven
    casework locations. Customer service standards have been reviewed with the
    expectation that straightforward claims can expect to receive their decision
    within six months. Unaccompanied children should receive their decisions
    quicker than that.

    In response to recommendation 8, as part of the ongoing continuous improvement
    programme decision letters have been reviewed and changed. Templates are now
    clearer, more concise and customer friendly. This new approach to producing
    more concise grant letters and minutes has been implemented whilst a pilot
    regarding refusal letters is underway.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national prisoners were repatriated to their home countries to serve their custodial sentence in each year since 2010.

    Jeremy Wright

    The tables below sets out the number of prisoners who have transferred from a prison in England andWales to a prison in their state of nationality since 1 January 2009.

    Year

    Transfers

    2009

    40

    2010

    46

    2011

    33

    2012

    40

    2013

    43

    The list includes one foreign national prisoner who was returned to a British Overseas Territory in 2011 under the Colonial Prisoners Removal Act 1884.

    We remain determined to secure compulsory Prisoner Transfer Agreements wherever possible, in order to increase the number of foreign national prisoners who are able to transfer to prisons in their home countries. In January this year we signed a compulsory transfer agreement with Nigeria and last year we signed an agreement with Albania. We expect to see prisoner transfers to both these countries before the end of this year.

    We are also working hard to increase the number of foreign nationals who are removed from prison under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS) and the Tariff Expired Removal Scheme (TERS). In 2013, we removed nearly 2,000 FNOs under ERS and under TERS, which we introduced in May 2012, we have removed 256 prisoners to date.

    The numbers reported here are drawn from a Prison Service Case Tracking System. Care is taken when processing these cases but the figures may be subject to inaccuracies associated with any recording system.

    Whereas this Government has begun to reduce the foreign national population in prison since 2010, between 1997 and 2010, the number of foreign nationals in our prisons more than doubled.

  • Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Chris Bryant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to the energy assistance package, stage 3, to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out in Scotland.

    David Mundell

    The Scottish Government is responsible for defining the entitlement criteria for these passported benefits. They will need to consider the current eligibility criteria and make arrangements to ensure that they can continue to deliver these benefits as Universal Credit is introduced.

    There is ongoing engagement between the Scottish Government and the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that any solution is simple, fair, easy to understand and affordable.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, if the Electoral Commission will publish the names of the 10 local authorities with the (a) smallest and (b) biggest percentage increase in registration after the implementation of the Standard Three door-to-door canvassing for 2013 canvass; and which parliamentary constituencies each such local authority covers.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission informs me that the table below shows the ten local authorities with the biggest increases and decreases in electorate between the start and end of the 2013 canvass.

    Local authority

    Change (November 2013 – Feb/March 2014

    Edinburgh, City of

    20,241

    Cheshire West and Chester

    14,676

    Tower Hamlets

    10,566

    Newcastle upon Tyne

    9,550

    Taunton Deane

    9,023

    North Lanarkshire

    9,001

    South Lanarkshire

    8,926

    Glasgow City

    8,710

    Huntingdonshire

    8,023

    Mole Valley

    7,866

    Northampton

    -10,309

    Barnet

    -12,743

    Newham

    -16,617

    Maidstone

    -10,121

    Cornwall

    -13,195

    East Devon

    -6,424

    Birmingham

    -20,572

    Shropshire

    -14,350

    Leeds

    -24,119

    Renfrewshire

    -7693

    These local authorities cover the following parliamentary constituencies:

    Local authority

    Constituencies covered

    Edinburgh, City of

    Edinburgh East

    Edinburgh North and Leith

    Edinburgh South

    Edinburgh South West

    Edinburgh West

    Cheshire West and Chester

    City of Chester

    Eddisbury

    Ellesmere Port and Neston

    Tatton

    Weaver Vale

    Tower Hamlets

    Bethnal Green and Bow

    Poplar and Limehouse

    Newcastle upon Tyne

    Newcastle upon Tyne Central

    Newcastle upon Tyne East

    Newcastle upon Tyne North

    Taunton Deane

    Taunton Deane

    North Lanarkshire

    Airdrie and Shotts

    Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill

    Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East

    Motherwell and Wishaw

    South Lanarkshire

    Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale

    East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow

    Lanark and Hamilton East

    Rutherglen and Hamilton West

    Glasgow City

    East Dunbartonshire

    Glasgow Central

    Glasgow East

    Glasgow North

    Glasgow North East

    Glasgow North West

    Glasgow South

    Glasgow South West

    Huntingdonshire

    Huntingdon

    North West Cambridgeshire

    Mole Valley

    Epsom and Ewell

    Mole Valley

    Northampton

    Northampton North

    Northampton South

    South Northamptonshire

    Barnet

    Chipping Barnet

    Finchley and Golders Green

    Hendon

    Newham

    East Ham

    West Ham

    Maidstone

    Faversham and Mid Kent

    Maidstone and The Weald

    Cornwall

    Camborne and Redruth

    North Cornwall

    South East Cornwall

    St Austell and Newquay

    St Ives

    Truro and Falmouth

    East Devon

    Central Devon

    East Devon

    Tiverton and Honiton

    Birmingham

    Birmingham, Edgbaston

    Birmingham, Erdington

    Birmingham, Hall Green

    Birmingham, Hodge Hill

    Birmingham, Ladywood

    Birmingham, Northfield

    Birmingham, Perry Barr

    Birmingham, Selly Oak

    Birmingham, Yardley

    Sutton Coldfield

    Shropshire

    Ludlow

    North Shropshire

    Shrewsbury and Atcham

    The Wrekin

    Leeds

    Elmet and Rothwell

    Leeds Central

    Leeds East

    Leeds North East

    Leeds North West

    Leeds West

    Morley and Outwood

    Pudsey

    Renfrewshire

    Paisley and Renfrewshire North

    Paisley and Renfrewshire South