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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects negotiations to begin with Govia over the direct award extension from September 2015 to June 2017 of the London Midland passenger rail franchise.

    Stephen Hammond

    On 9 June we signed the 7-period extension to the London Midland contract as permitted in the franchise agreement. This extends the current franchise until April 2016. Although preliminary negotiations have taken place with regard to a Direct Award to run services from April 2016, no timetable for formal negotiations is yet in place. As announced by the Secretary of State, the new franchising programme will provide a more sustainable schedule for rail franchising and the planned competition for the West Midland franchise should see the successful operator providing services from June 2017.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Charlotte Leslie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the statement on the What About Youth? website that approval has been received to use young people’s contact details from NHS registration data and the National Pupil Database, when that data was supplied; and on what register the decision to disclose that data was recorded.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    On behalf of the Department, the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has commissioned the “What about Youth?” trial survey to test the processes and methodology. It was carried out by Ipsos Mori and ran from November 2013 to February 2014. The trial survey was posted to just under 7,000 younger people using information obtained from the Medical Research Information Service Integrated Database and Administration System, approval for which was obtained on 15 August 2013 via the HSCIC Data Linkage and Extract Services application process:

    http://www.hscic.gov.uk/dlesaac

    The decision to approve the request for provision of an extract will be included in the next Data Release Register due in early July.

    The National Pupil Database (NPD) is a Department for Education resource. HSCIC gained approval to use NPD data by applying via the formal process:

    https://www.gov.uk/national-pupil-database-apply-for-a-data-extract#approval-process

    and received approval to use NPD for the trial survey on 18 March 2014; however, this was too late for the trial and the data were not used. Ipsos Mori was granted access to the extract on 10 April. The decision to approve the request for provision of an extract is shown on row 139 of the “National pupil database: requests received” at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-database-requests-received

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will assess the potential effect on gateline staffing levels at (a) Birmingham New Street, (b) Coventry and (c) all stations on the London Midland line of London Midland’s proposals to reduce the number of revenue protection staff.

    Stephen Hammond

    Staffing levels and to which role staff are allocated are matters for the train operator, as long as they continue to deliver the services that meet the requirements of the Franchise Agreement.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are making any representations concerning the choice of Qatar as the host of the World Cup in 2022 in the light of recent allegations of corruption.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    There is an investigation taking place into the bidding process and we should wait and see what this reports rather than prejudge it. We expect FIFA, and all other major sports organisations, to practise good governance and operate in a transparent manner.

  • Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to move responsibility for planning policy to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    No.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to continue enforced removals to Mogadishu, Somalia, pending the publication of an official decision on the country guidance case and an official statement by the Home Secretary; and, if so, why.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    There are no existing court judgments that have found that all removals to Somalia are unsafe or should be suspended. An existing country guidance judgment promulgated in November 2011 recognised that many but not all Somalis returning to the country after a significant time abroad would be at risk on return. However, the determination also recognised that the country situation was improving and each case needed to be considered on its individual merits.

    We are awaiting a country guidance determination on the country situation in Somalia. However, the High Court has previously ruled that automatic stays on removal simply because a country guidance case is pending are not necessary. A stay of removal is at the discretion of the courts in each particular case and on its own facts.

    We will continue to assess each case on its individual merits against the latest country information and existing, relevant caselaw.

    We will only enforce the return of Somali nationals who we, and the courts, are satisfied are not at risk on return and who do not elect to leave voluntarily.

  • Mel Stride – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mel Stride – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mel Stride on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made on increasing the number and quality of apprenticeships for 16 to 18 year olds.

    Matthew Hancock

    We are on track to deliver 2 million apprenticeships over this Parliament.

    We continue to focus on quality, insisting that all apprenticeships are jobs, have a minimum duration of a year, include on the job training and meet the needs of employers. As a result the number of ‘full’ 16-18 apprenticeship starts – those with a planned duration of a year – have doubled.

    Apprenticeship reforms will further increase quality and simplify the system, making it easier and more desirable for employers to offer more apprenticeships in the future.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts they have made to support press freedoms in Sudan; and what role they consider such freedoms can play in the promotion of the National Dialogue process.

    Baroness Warsi

    Freedom of expression and an independent media are vital components of a genuinely open and transparent National Dialogue process. Our Embassy in Khartoum regularly raises this in discussions with the Sudanese Authorities, and jointly with the British Council is funding the Thompson Foundation programme to build capacity for Sudanese journalism. Examples include media training and a sponsored visit to London by Sudanese newspaper editors. During his visit to Sudan in January the Minister for Africa, my Hon Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr Simmonds), met Sudanese journalists and editors and stressed to senior members of the Sudanese government the importance of open democratic space and respect for fundamental freedoms.

  • Baroness Thornton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Thornton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thornton on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what monitoring they are conducting on the effect of the increase in tribunal costs on cases being brought concerning harassment in the workplace.

    Lord Faulks

    The Justice Secretary is committed to reviewing the impact of the introduction of fees in the employment tribunals system. The Ministry of Justice is currently finalising arrangements for the timing and scope of this review, to enable the impacts to be properly assessed, and we will be making an announcement in due course.

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the dismissal of the United Kingdom’s challenge to the proposed financial transaction tax at the European Court of Justice, whether they have any plans to re-examine the extent of European Union competence in respect of United Kingdom taxation; and whether they consider that the application of such a tax would trigger a referendum under the terms of the European Union Act 2011.

    Lord Deighton

    The Court of Justice of the European Union ruling on 30 April deemed the UK challenge to the FTT was premature, but confirmed that the Government could challenge a future FTT Implementing Directive.

    The introduction of the FTT under the Enhanced Cooperation Procedure would not be a relevant transfer of sovereignty or power for the purpose of the “referendum lock” in the UK’s EU Referendum Act.

    The extent of European Union competence in respect of United Kingdom taxation was set out in the Balance of Competences Review, published 22 July 2013, and available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/taxation-report-review-of-the-balance-of-competences.

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