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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the average number of days training of full-time equivalent staff employed in his Department was in each of the last three financial years.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The average number of hours staff in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have spent participating in learning and development, during the last three financial years were:

    2013/14 – 51.7 hours per person
    2012/13 – 43.6 hours per person
    2011/12 – 43.7 hours per person

    We record participation in hours because the length of learning and development varies considerably. This data refers to UK Based Staff development activities only. We do not hold data centrally on the learning and development undertaken by Local Staff employed overseas. To obtain this would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Robert Flello – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Robert Flello – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what analysis and research her Department has undertaken into the potential risk to human health of the transportation of animal carcasses and animal products in unsealed and unrefrigerated vehicles to rendering facilities.

    George Eustice

    Defra has not undertaken research into the potential risk to human health of the transportation of animal carcasses and animal products in unsealed and unrefrigerated vehicles to rendering facilities.

    EU animal by-products (ABP) legislation, which is in force to protect public and animal health, requires animal carcasses and other ABP material to be collected and transported in sealed new packaging or covered leak-proof containers or vehicles at an appropriate temperature. Non-compliance with this requirement is a criminal offence under the Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2013. In addition, the Government has been urging the rendering industry to consider what improvements can be made to current practice when transporting ABPs and on the issue of cooling carcasse material.

    The Department understands that the rendering industry is currently undertaking and funding its own research into the costs and benefits of chilling ABPs during storage and transport.

  • Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve McCabe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many awards of damages have been awarded in respect of cases in which police officers from each police force caused substantial damage during the execution of a police raid or warrant in each of the last five years.

    Mike Penning

    The Police and Criminal Evidence Act Code of Practice B governs the searching of premises and the seizure of property from those premises by police officers. This includes the conduct of officers executing a search warrant (see paragraphs 6 to 6.15) and a note on compensation matters (see note 6.A). A copy of the PACE Code of Practice B can be found at GOV.UK.

    The execution of a search warrant is an operational matter for the Chief Constable of the force concerned and so too is the consideration of damage claims which, as PACE Code B makes clear, will depend on the circumstances in each case.

    The Department does not hold or collect data concerning the number of awards of damages paid out by police forces.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average age was of a magistrate on 1 April (a) 1989, (b) 1994, (c) 2000, (d) 2005, (e) 2010 and (f) 2014.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    We encourage applications from people from all walks of life who have the necessary skills, and we will continue to work to ensure that our magistrates reflect the make-up of modern Britain.

    Average age data for the magistracy is not recorded for 1989, 1994, and 2000. The available data is shown below.

    Year

    Average Age

    2005

    56

    2010

    58

    2014

    59
  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the average number of days training of full-time equivalent staff employed in his Department was in each of the last three financial years.

    David Mundell

    The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly; all staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies.

    All staff have access to a wide range of professional development courses through their parent employers, through Civil Service Learning, and in the form of continuous on the job training. The Office does not have a record of time spent on training in each of the last three financial years.

  • Tessa Munt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tessa Munt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tessa Munt on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individual cold weather payments were made to recipients in the UK in winter 2013-14.

    Steve Webb

    Only one trigger was recorded in the 2013/14 Cold Weather season and an estimated 1,100 payments paid. Further details can be found in the ‘Social Fund Cold Weather Payments for Great Britain from 1st November 2013 to 31st March 2014’ update on Gov.uk which may be found at

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/299461/sf-cwp-31-03-2014.pdf.

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  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-02-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on training in each of the last three financial years.

    Esther McVey

    Departmental expenditure on training in each of the last three financial years, for which audited accounts have been published, is shown in the table.

    Training

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    Total Spend

    £6,599,138.40

    £8,613,542.60

    £9,421,756.17
  • Lord Browne of Belmont – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Browne of Belmont – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Browne of Belmont on 2015-02-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual cost to the public purse of maintaining disused court buildings; and how many disused court buildings are currently lying empty because they have not been sold.

    Lord Faulks

    The Court Estate Reform Programme (CERP) was introduced in 2010 to improve efficiency through the closure of poor quality and underused court buildings. The total cumulative gross benefits expected from CERP is an estimated £152m over the SR10 period. At the end of June 2014, approximately £140m had been realised through resource savings of approximately £98m and gross capital proceeds of £42m.

    There are 32 closed courts currently not in use. Of these, 27 were closed between May 2010 and March 2013 as part of CERP and business as usual closures. The full year cost of maintaining these courts in 2013/14 was £942,162. A further five courts were closed since then. The cost of maintaining these courts since their closure to date has been £122,444. All closed courts are being prepared for or undergoing sale processes.

    The cost of maintaining courts following closure includes costs on rent and rates, maintenance, labour costs on facilities management, fuel and utilities and other property costs. One court, Stourbridge County Court, was closed but is being used for administrative purposes.

    The Department is committed to disposing of surplus property assets expeditiously and reducing holding costs. The sale of former courts is dependent on a number of factors e.g. market, potential future use, location and the fact that some are occupied in part by the police and local authorities which also make disposal difficult. We have improved efficiency through the closure of poor quality and underused court buildings.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2015-02-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to enhance the quality of careers guidance available in schools in England.

    Lord Nash

    It is essential that all young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. This includes finding new ways to broaden young peoples’ exposure to the world of work and ensuring they have key skills like character and grit. A new, independent careers and enterprise company, announced by my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, on 10 December 2014, will support schools by increasing the level of employer input into careers guidance, inspiration and enterprise. This is a vital part of our plans to strengthen links between schools and the world of work to ensure young people get the support they need. The company will have the specific remit of spreading existing good practice to every part of England. The company will receive start-up funding drawn from the £20 million for careers announced in the autumn statement.

    The new company is a key part of a wider package of measures to improve careers guidance in schools. We have revised our statutory guidance to clarify our expectations of schools in relation to their duty to secure independent careers guidance, and will review it again in time for the next academic year. We have established a clear accountability system. Ofsted is giving a higher priority to careers guidance in school inspections and we publish destination measures which help schools and colleges to be held to account locally and inform choices by parents and students. We have also enhanced the role of the National Careers Service to help bring schools and employers closer together.

  • Lord Myners – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2015-02-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether copies of HM Revenue and Customs Board papers and minutes of Board meetings are provided to HM Treasury and the Board of HM Treasury or its Council of Economic Advisers.

    Lord Deighton

    Information provided to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) by the French tax authorities in respect of individuals indicated to hold accounts at the Geneva branch of HSBC Suisse and understood to be UK residents was supplied to HMRC under the terms of both the Mutual Assistance Directive 77/799/EEC[1] and the Double Taxation Convention in force between France and the United Kingdom at that time[2].

    The Mutual Assistance Directive had been in force since 23 December 1977. The Double Taxation Convention has been in force since 18 December 2009, replacing an earlier convention which had been in force since 1969.

    Since their entry into force each of these agreements has been a matter of public record.

    There was, therefore, no new agreement for the Board of HMRC to negotiate or consider in connection with the provision of the information by the French tax authorities.

    HMRC does not share copies of Board papers and minutes with HM Treasury. However, senior HM Treasury officials are standing invitees to HMRC’s monthly Executive Committee meeting, which is the Department’s main executive forum and the primary place where decisions are taken with regards to setting and delivering strategy and improving performance in key areas, and as such they have routine access to relevant committee meeting papers and minutes.

    Each HMRC Executive Committee member also takes responsibility for the management of activities within a specific portfolio, including enforcement and compliance and business or personal tax customer services; HM Treasury officials do not have access to this level of information which ‎contains operational compliance and taxpayer confidential information.

    [1] http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31977L0799

    [2] http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxtreaties/in-force/france.pdf

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