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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • 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 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the benefits of future mergers of public service ombudsman services in England.

    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.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners who breached their temporary licence conditions in each of the last three years were granted further release on temporary licence.

    Jeremy Wright

    An answer to this question could only be provided at disproportionate cost. It would entail detailed checking of over 1,100 individual prisoner records relating to those who had breached conditions attached to their temporary release during this period in order to see whether they had subsequently been granted further temporary release.

    The number of temporary release failures remains very low, less that one failure in every 1,000 releases and only around five failures in every 100,000 releases involve alleged offending; but we are keenly aware of understandable public concern about temporary release failures. Towards the end of May we accelerated our plans to improve release on temporary licence (ROTL) policy and practice. We brought forward aspects of the new “restricted ROTL” approach for serious offenders to safeguard the public, and the requirement that no ROTL can take place without a clearly defined, legitimate purpose. In addition, those who have failed to return from or offended on temporary release, or who have absconded or escaped from custody during the current sentence will now be refused temporary release in the absence of exceptional circumstances.

  • Mark Lazarowicz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mark Lazarowicz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Lazarowicz on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding his Department received from the European Commission for projects relating to bees in 2013-14.

    Dan Rogerson

    In 2013/14 €116,760.90 of funding was provided by the European Commission for research projects relating to bees.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the report, Merits of UK Coal State Aid Application submitted to his Department on 9 May 2014 by Orion Innovations.

    Michael Fallon

    I asked officials to review the report and discuss it with the author. This included a discussion on the background to the report and an explanation from Orion of the methodology and conclusions made in the report. Furthermore, they questioned the detail of the analysis, the robustness of the assumptions and areas for further development. Their conclusions are that the report is a high level analysis of the key issues and that it would require significant further work, diligence and validation of assumptions and contingency. It also requires enhancements to methodology, for example, to model the phasing of cash flows and include time value of money considerations and appropriate returns to capital. Orion has noted that the work was completed on a short timeframe and that they would be open to carrying out further work if a mandate could be agreed. On this basis, it is not possible to draw conclusions sufficient to inform any investment decision.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gareth Thomas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of European Economic Area nationals who received NHS treatment in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The following information is not held by the Department:

    – income health trusts in each region or nation of the United Kingdom received for the cost of treating European Economic Area (EEA) nationals;

    – income each NHS trust in each region of England claimed back for the cost of treating EEA nationals;

    – the number of EEA nationals who received NHS treatment;

    – the cost of treating EEA nationals who received NHS treatment in each region of the UK.

    Claims to and from EEA countries are managed centrally by the Department on behalf of the whole of the UK. Income claimed from EEA countries is based on both data collected from trusts and arrangements in place with other EEA countries under bilateral agreements.

    The Department does hold information on claims to the UK from other EEA countries for healthcare costs. However, claims to the UK from other EEA countries are not based on nationality – they are based on whether the UK is judged to be responsible for someone’s healthcare costs, for example due to residency in the UK or, for state pensioners, someone with a UK state pension who has retired to a different EEA country. It is therefore not possible to provide a breakdown of costs based on UK nationality.

  • Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Murphy on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make it her policy to support the adoption of a target to end child labour by 2030 and protect the rights of and ensure safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers and those in precarious employment in Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals.

    Justine Greening

    The UK supports ending child labour and safe and secure working environments for all workers. This language is included in the most recent draft goals and targets list released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June.

    The final targets in the post-2015 development framework will however be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

  • Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Sheridan on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with Kellogg’s about its working relationships with small-scale farmers.

    Lynne Featherstone

    Kellogg’s is not currently one of DFID’s partners on the issue of working relationships with small-scale farmers.

  • Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Attorney General, how many lawyers were employed in the Treasury Solicitor’s Department in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014 to date.

    Oliver Heald

    The figures below give the number of lawyers employed in the Treasury Solicitor’s Department (TSol), as at 31st March each year and to date for 2014.

    Year

    Full Time Equivalent

    31st May 2014

    910

    31st March 2013

    572

    31st March 2012

    565

    31st March 2011

    464

    31st March 2010

    451

    The figures given are for permanent staff.

    Since 2010 TSol has been engaged on a process of transferring lawyers from other departments to TSol as part of the the Shared Legal Services Programme. Sharing legal services brings considerable benefits including greater flexibility and resiliance, more efficient deployment of legal resources, more opportunities for savings and improved knowledge sharing, which in turn supports consistency of legal advice across Government.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on progress on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

    Mr William Hague

    The March European Council held an in depth discussion on the situation in Ukraine, and the political chapters of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement were signed on 21 March. At the March European Council the EU and Member States also restated their commitment to signing the remainder of the Association Agreement with Ukraine.

    The 14 April and 15 May Foreign Affairs Committees agreed Conclusions which reiterated the EU’s commitment to sign the remaining provisions of the Association Agreement, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, as soon as possible after the presidential elections which took place on 25 May.

  • Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when HMS Illustrious will return from its current deployment.

    Mr Mark Francois

    HMS ILLUSTRIOUS is currently participating in Exercise Deep Blue, an anti-submarine exercise in the Western Approaches. I am withholding details of its future programme and dates as their disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.