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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Charles Walker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Charles Walker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance judges will receive on settling inheritance disputes which were initially settled under the Sharia succession rules guidance issued by the Law Society.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Sharia law has no jurisdiction in England and Wales and the Government has no intention to change this position.

    The legal profession is independent of Government and is regulated by approved regulators for which the Legal Services Board has oversight responsibility. The Law Society is the approved regulator for solicitors under the Legal Services Act 2007. On 13 March it published a practice note on Sharia succession rules to assist its members preparing wills for clients under the law of England and Wales. The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with The Law Society about its practice note. It is not for the Government to comment on the compatibility of the guidance with equalities legislation as the courts in England and Wales interpret and apply the law.

    The guidance does not, and cannot, change the law of England and Wales. The courts will continue to apply the law of England and Wales relating to the making of wills in exactly the same way as they did before the practice note was issued.

    The judiciary of England and Wales is independent of the Government and it would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Justice to issue guidance to the judiciary on how judges are to apply or interpret the law.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

    Ben Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how many employees of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, broken down by grade, have remained at the same grade since 2010 and in that period received pay rises.

    Mr Charles Walker

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.

    Letter from Marcial Boo, July 2014:

    As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA staffing.

    29 of our current employees have worked for IPSA since 2010. Of those 29, 17 have remained at the same grade and received pay rises of 1% in 2012 and 2013.

    Grade

    Number

    A

    1

    B

    11

    C

    3

    D

    0

    E

    2

    F

    0
  • Charles Walker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Charles Walker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the Law Society’s inclusion of Sharia succession rules in its guidance and its compatibility with existing equalities legislation.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Sharia law has no jurisdiction in England and Wales and the Government has no intention to change this position.

    The legal profession is independent of Government and is regulated by approved regulators for which the Legal Services Board has oversight responsibility. The Law Society is the approved regulator for solicitors under the Legal Services Act 2007. On 13 March it published a practice note on Sharia succession rules to assist its members preparing wills for clients under the law of England and Wales. The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with The Law Society about its practice note. It is not for the Government to comment on the compatibility of the guidance with equalities legislation as the courts in England and Wales interpret and apply the law.

    The guidance does not, and cannot, change the law of England and Wales. The courts will continue to apply the law of England and Wales relating to the making of wills in exactly the same way as they did before the practice note was issued.

    The judiciary of England and Wales is independent of the Government and it would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Justice to issue guidance to the judiciary on how judges are to apply or interpret the law.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will introduce an embargo on the export of weapons to Israel.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We remain deeply concerned about the situation in Gaza. We call for an immediate de-escalation and restoration of the November 2012 ceasefire, to avoid further civilian injuries and the loss of innocent life.

    The United Kingdom does not believe that imposing a blanket arms embargo on Israel would promote progress in the Middle East Peace Process. All countries, including Israel, have a legitimate right to self-defence, and the right to defend its citizens from attack. In doing so, it is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and are calibrated to avoid civilian casualties.

    Export licence applications to all countries continue to be considered on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking into account the circumstances prevailing at the time of application. In view of the situation in Gaza, we are keeping all licence applications under review to ensure that all our decisions remain consistent with our human rights commitments and all applicable criteria. If a decision is taken to suspend or revoke licences we will announce this to Parliament, and where possible we will do this in concert with our EU partners.

  • Keir Starmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Keir Starmer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what increase there has been in the mitigation and compensation budget of High Speed 2 as a result of the greater impact of AP3 construction works on Camden residents and businesses in (a) intensity, (b) length of construction period and (c) need for temporary rehousing and secondary glazing.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The cost of mitigating the construction works impacts arising from changes to the hybrid Bill scheme for Euston introduced by AP3 and the budget for any additional statutory and discretionary compensation costs will be accommodated within the existing overall budget for Phase One of HS2.

  • Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to tackle homophobic bullying in universities.

    Joseph Johnson

    Homophobia has no place on a university campus, nor anywhere else. This is a serious matter where a zero tolerance approach is required. Universities are already tackling the issue through a range of initiatives, including working with expert organisations such as Stonewall.

    Universities have duties through the Equality Act 2010 and in particular the Public Sector Equality Duty applies to publicly funded universities and requires them to have “due regard” to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation of students on the grounds of sexual orientation. Institutions themselves are responsible for making sure that their policies and practice meet their legal duties.

    However, more can be done. The Department is working with Universities UK, the body that represents universities, which has established a task force to explore what more can be done by universities to address harassment. The task force, which will involve the Department along with students and relevant sector bodies, will look at harassment in all its forms whether related to gender, religion and belief, sexual orientation or disability. Although it is for the task force to decide what the outcomes will be it is likely that the focus will be on practical actions to support universities to combat these issues and to safeguard students.

  • Ian Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Ian Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2015-10-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will undertake and publish an impact assessment in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK for the Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2015.

    Damian Hinds

    The Summer Budget offered a new deal for working people. It means Britain moving from a high welfare, high tax, low wage economy to a lower welfare, lower tax, higher wage society.

    A new National Living Wage for workers aged 25 and above, initially set at £7.20 per hour from April 2016, will directly benefit 2.7 million low wage workers, and up to 6 million could see a pay rise as a result of a ripple effect up the earnings distribution. The new National Living Wage will boost pay for those currently earning the National Minimum Wage by £4,800 a year by 2020 when the National Living Wage is expected to rise to over £9 per hour.

    To help working families keep more of what they earn, the personal allowance will increase to £11,000 in 2016-17 and £11,200 in 2017-18. The government has committed to increase the personal allowance to £12,500 by 2020 which will mean that a typical basic rate taxpayer will see their income tax cut by £1,205 a year compared to 2010.

    The government set out its assessment of the impacts of the Summer Budget policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July 2015. Taken together, the introduction of the National Living Wage, increases in the personal allowance and welfare changes mean that 8 out of 10 working households will be better off as a result of the Summer Budget.

    In response to a request from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, the government has chosen to produce and release an impact assessment on the tax credit changes to the Committee. The impact assessment shows that 60% of the tax credit savings come from the half of tax credit claimants with the highest income.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-10-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what statistics his Department holds on the number of sick notes provided by jobseeker’s allowance or employment and support allowance claimants which have been lost by Jobcentre Plus.

    Priti Patel

    The Department does not collect statistics on the number of fit notes reported as lost.

    Claimants post their fit note into the Department or if it is urgent can hand it in at their local Jobcentre where staff are trained to update computer systems and arrange for benefit payments to be made if one is due.

  • Lord Beecham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Beecham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they instructed local authorities not to disclose the contents of their submissions for the Comprehensive Spending Review; and, if so, why.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    Her Majesty’s Government has not instructed local authorities on the matter of disclosing the contents of their submissions for the Comprehensive Spending Review. Local authorities are free to publish the contents of their submissions and many have chosen to do so.

  • Baroness Falkner of Margravine – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Falkner of Margravine – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Falkner of Margravine on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of recent reports of creeping annexation of Georgian territory by Russia.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK continues to be concerned by ongoing reports of Russian supported borderisation (building fences and putting up “border” signs) along the Administrative Boundary Line with the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. A recent example occurred in July 2015 when so-called border signs were moved closer to the South Ossetian Administrative Boundary Line. Regular reporting by the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia provides valuable updates on the constant, low-level borderisation process by Russian and South Ossetian personnel.

    The UK has a clear policy of non recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s claims to independence, and recognises Georgia’s territorial integrity and its sovereignty over these two regions. We reject any actions which will increase tensions and the isolation in communities living along the Administrative Boundary Lines and call on Russia to fulfil all of its 2008 ceasefire commitments, including removing its troops from South Ossetia to pre-conflict positions.