Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Barnett – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Barnett – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Barnett on 2014-05-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 9 April (WA 302), what are the current terms of income contingent repayment loans.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations set out the terms and conditions of income contingent student loans. This is also set out in the booklet Student Loans – a Guide to Terms and Conditions, the latest copy of which can be accessed at http://www.sfengland.slc.co.uk/media/666045/sfe_t_c_guide_1415_d.pdf . Students are informed at the time of taking out their student loan that the regulations may change from time to time and this means that the terms of their loan may also change.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will assess the potential merits of allowing designated bodies to be given the power to make super-complaints against public service providers such as those that exist in private markets.

    Mr Francis Maude

    The Government is considering recent reports of the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) into how complaints about public services are handled. As part of this, the Cabinet Office is working to investigate further how public services can make best use of complaints and also to take a wider look at the role and powers of the Public Sector Ombudsmen. The Government will respond to the PASC in due course. I am happy to discuss this matter further with my Hon. Friend.

    The annual reports and accounts of the public service ombudsmen in the UK provide details of their performance over the past 12 months including information about complaints received.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the effect of export of refuse-derived fuel and solid recovered fuel for use in energy from waste plants overseas has on the ability of the UK to meet renewable energy targets; and if he will make a statement.

    Gregory Barker

    DECC has not made an assessment of the effect of export of refuse-derived fuel and solid recovered fuel may have on the ability to meet renewable energy targets.

    We are making good progress towards meeting our 2020 target. In 2012 4.2% of UK energy consumption was met by renewables, up from 3.8% in 2011. Our latest estimates suggest that the UK is currently on course to meet our next interim renewable target of 5.4% for 2013/2014.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which Scottish airports will benefit from the Regional Air Connectivity Fund.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government announced on 6 June that a Public Service Obligation will be established on the air route between Dundee Airport and London Stansted Airport from 1 July 2014 for a two-year period, with support from the Regional Air Connectivity Fund announced in last year’s Spending Round.

    The Scottish devolved administration or regional body may apply for access to this fund to maintain an air link from other Scottish airports to London, where there is a risk that an existing link may be lost, and where the case for a Public Service Obligation has been made.

    The Chancellor announced in this year’s Budget that the funding would be doubled to £20 million per year, and also extended to allow for the support for start-up aid for new air routes from UK regional airports. European Union aviation State aid guidelines allow for provision of start-up aid to facilitate start-up of new routes from airports which handle fewer than five million passengers per annum. This will therefore cover all Scotland’s airports apart from Glasgow and Edinburgh.

    The Department for Transport is working with the Treasury to develop guidance that will clarify how the Government will ordinarily expect to interpret the European Union guidelines, and explain how the funding process will work.

  • Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Cathy Jamieson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of passport applications have been dealt with within the target timescale in each of the last 12 months.

    James Brokenshire

    Expected service standards for passport applications are given at
    www.gov.uk.

    Information in respect of the Member’s constituency is not available and the
    cost of collating it would be disproportionate.

    The table below shows the proportions of UK passport applications in each of
    the last 12 months which have been processed within the published service
    standards.

    2013

    % straightforward applications processed within the published timescales

    % non-straightforward applications processed within the published timescales

    June

    100%

    97.8%

    July

    100%

    96.9%

    August

    100%

    96.4%

    September

    100%

    96.0%

    October

    100%

    95.9%

    November

    99.99%

    96.5%

    December

    99.99%

    96.3%

    2014

    January

    99.99%

    96.8%

    February

    99.98%

    98.1%

    March

    99.95%

    96.8%

    April

    98.59%

    99.6%

    May

    92.26%

    93.9%

  • Gerald Kaufman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gerald Kaufman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Kaufman on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she intends to reply to the letter to the Immigration and Security Minister dated 7 April 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr M Frimpong.

    James Brokenshire

    I wrote to the Rt. Hon. Member on 20 May 2014.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department spent on contracts for consultancy groups on the Bost Agri-Business Park and Airfield projects in Afghanistan in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

    Justine Greening

    I refer the Hon. member to the answer that I gave to him on 5 March 2013, Official Report, Col 967 – 968W.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Nicholas Soames – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Transforming Rehabilitation programme risk register.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Transforming Rehabilitation Programme’s risk register is a live document whichthe Department maintains to actively monitor all risks to the successful delivery of the Programme. It is good Government practice to challenge proposals robustly internally and we need to maintain a mechanism to do this to ensure we implement these reforms to the highest standard. It is firmly in the public interest that this process is not inhibited. For this reason there are no plans to publish the risk register.

  • Graham Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Graham Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) cats, (b) dogs and (c) horses were rehomed after their release from laboratories following research in 2012.

    Norman Baker

    I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Office.

    The Home Office does not hold the information requested.

    Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, authority may be given to

    re-home animals where those animals were bred or held for supply for use in

    regulated procedures, or were intended for use in regulated procedures, or have

    been used in regulated procedures. This may also apply to animals which are

    being kept under the care of the Named Veterinary Surgeon after completing

    procedures, and is always contingent on our acceptance of certain reassurances

    relating to Section 17A of the Act. Records of each animal re-homed would be

    kept locally at the licensed establishment so that they can be available to

    Home Office Inspectors on request.

    European Directive 2010/63/EU, which was implemented in the UK and other

    Member States on 1 January 2013, does not provide legal grounds on which the UK

    can impose a mandatory obligation of re-homing under the Animals (Scientific

    Procedures) Act 1986. Nevertheless, we have provided guidance on re-homing

    animals in our Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures)

    Act 1983, section 5.21.

  • Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what methodology his Department uses to calculate workforce requirements for (a) community physiotherapists, (b) podiatrists and (c) occupational health therapists; and what future projection he has made of staffing levels in such professions.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    Health Education England (HEE) was established to ensure a greater connection between the needs and demands of local employers and education and training commissions.HEE holds information contributing to, and are responsible for, the secure supply of the England NHS funded workforce.