Tag: Parliamentary Question

Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2014-06-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce a measure enabling civil partners to marry.

Baroness Northover

Section 9 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 provides that civil partners may convert their civil partnership into marriage under regulations to be made by my Right Honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Her Majesty’s Government is working hard to ensure that couples wanting to convert their civil partnerships into marriages are able to do so as soon as possible. The aim is to do this before the end of 2014.

01/11/2022
Baroness Whitaker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2014-06-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have called in the approval of planning permission for a site for Travellers in Brighton, granted by the South Downs National Park; and if so, when they will make a decision.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston

This application remains under consideration by the Secretary of State in response to a request by the hon. Member for Hove (Mike Weatherley) for the application to be called in. The consideration is being made against the Secretary of State’s policy, as set out in a Written Ministerial Statement on 26 October 2012, Official Report, Column 72W. The Secretary of State is very selective about calling in applications and will generally only do so if they raise issues of more than local importance. I will arrange for departmental officials to let the noble Lady know the outcome in due course.

01/11/2022
Lord Hoyle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hoyle on 2014-06-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why Royal Air Force aircraft flying to Gibraltar cannot fly over Spain; what cost that adds to the flight; and what representations they have made to the government of Spain about the restriction.

Lord Astor of Hever

All requests to Spanish authorities by any nation for a military over flight that has Gibraltar as a departure or arrival airfield, is routinely denied by Spanish authorities. We make clear to the Spanish government that this is not the sort of arrangement close allies should have to manage.

The military aircraft that routinely fly to Gibraltar are the Hercules C130 and C17 Globemaster. The difference in cost of a direct flight to Gibraltar from, for example, RAF Brize Norton and a route not overflying Spain is as follows.

C130 – £2,600 each way
C17 – £4,900 each way

It should be noted that Spanish authorities are swift and cooperative in allowing our military aircraft to pass through Spanish airspace to any other destination. The refusal to use their airspace to access Gibraltar is an irritant that we have managed since the 1980s, and is set against an otherwise productive defence relationship between our two countries.

01/11/2022
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2014-06-04.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the reports that Joseph Kony and senior members of the Lords Resistance Army are hiding in a Sudanese-controlled area of a disputed enclave bordering the Central African Republic.

Baroness Warsi

We have not been able to assess the veracity of reports that Joseph Kony and senior members of the Lords Resistance Army are hiding in a Sudanese-controlled area of a disputed enclave bordering the Central African Republic. However, we are aware of reports that local authorities in south-eastern Central African Republic (CAR) have been in contact with a contingent of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) who have expressed an interest in surrendering.

The British Government condemns in the strongest possible terms the atrocities carried out by the LRA. Although much reduced in numbers, the LRA remains an unprincipled, violent threat to civilians in the heart of Africa. The UK has consistently promoted a co-ordinated regional and international approach to defeating the LRA. We continue to encourage the UN and African Union to implement their counter-LRA strategies in full and bring Kony to justice.

01/11/2022
Lord Clement-Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have issued guidance as to whether members of either House of Parliament are, or should be, considered as Politically Exposed Persons for the purposes of United Kingdom financial regulation; and, if so, what guidance.

Lord Deighton

The UK’s Money Laundering Regulations 2007 define Politically Exposed Persons [PEPs]. UK Members of Parliament are not currently considered PEPs for UK purposes. However, revised global standards require that they are treated as PEPs.

As similar definitions apply in other jurisdictions UK Parliamentarians are likely to be considered as PEPs in other jurisdictions. We are seeking a risk-based approach to the application of this requirement in negotiating the Fourth Money Laundering Directive.

Treasury Ministers have approved industry guidance which further confirms that UK Parliamentarians are not PEPs for UK purposes. Some UK banks may apply enhanced due diligence to UK Parliamentarians in accordance with their own risk appetite, and as part of global policies and procedures.

01/11/2022
Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote human rights in North Korea.

Mr Hugo Swire

The UK is deeply concerned by reports of widespread and systematic state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), as I made clear in my Written Ministerial Statement following the publication of the UN Commission of Inquiry report into these violations. I have called publicly on the DPRK to take immediate steps to close political prison camps, to act on the Commission’s recommendations and to give full and unimpeded access to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other relevant parts of the UN. I also made clear the UK’s commitment to ensuring the Commission’s findings were a beginning and not an end.

Reflecting this commitment, the UK played an active role in ensuring a strong DPRK resolution at the March UN Human Rights Council. I lobbied personally on this issue during my visit to Geneva at the beginning of the Council. Since the resolution was passed we have continued to engage, supporting an informal briefing of the UN Security Council and pressing the DPRK during its recent Universal Periodic Review to respond to the Commission of Inquiry’s findings. In May, I met US Special Envoy on DPRK Human Rights, Robert King, to discuss next steps, and during a visit to Geneva next week I will have further discussions with Ambassador King and others.

01/11/2022
Henry Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will measure changes in the number of animals used in scientific procedures in the UK following publication of Working to reduce the use of animals in scientific research in July 2011.

Norman Baker

The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain
for 2013 will be published on 10 July 2014.
I will be publishing a progress report on the Coalition Commitment "Working to
reduce the use of animals in research" in early 2015.

01/11/2022
Hugh Bayley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugh Bayley on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average weekly gross earnings of full-time (a) men, (b) women and (c) people in York has been in (i) cash terms and (ii) at constant prices in each year since 2006-07.

Mr Nick Hurd

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

01/11/2022

Hugh Bayley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugh Bayley on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many UK-domiciled (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate students enrolled at the (i) University of York and (ii) University of York St John in each year since 2009-10.

Mr David Willetts

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on student enrolments at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

The number of UK domiciled undergraduate and postgraduate enrolments at University of York and York St John University in the academic years 2009/10 to 2012/13 has been provided in the following table.

Information on the number of enrolments at UK HEIs for the academic year 2013/14 will become available from HESA in January 2015.

UK domiciled ⁽¹⁾enrolments ⁽²⁾by level and institution of study

Academic years 2009/10 to 2012/13

Institution	Level of study	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13
University of York	Postgraduate	2,405	2,610	2,680	2,135
	Undergraduate	9,645	10,190	10,475	10,395
	Total	12,050	12,800	13,155	12,525
York St John University	Postgraduate	815	780	735	715
	Undergraduate	4,835	4,855	4,920	4,960
	Total	5,650	5,640	5,660	5,680

Source: HESA Student Record

Notes:

(1) Domicile refers to a students’ home or permanent address prior to starting their course

(2) Enrolments refers to students in all years of study

This information can also be found on the HESA website at the following link:

https://www.hesa.ac.uk/free-statistics

01/11/2022

Graeme Morrice – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graeme Morrice on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many workplace capability assessments have been submitted to Atos, processed and returned within 35 working days in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) West Lothian local authority area in each of the last three years.

Mike Penning

The number of Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment Work Capability Assessment referrals to Atos Healthcare in each of the last three years is as follows:

01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 1,553,839

01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 1,742,593

01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 1,495,159

For the period October 2008 to May 2014, there have been 3,431,528 Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Reassessment cases processed by Atos Healthcare within 35 days.

The latest (April 2014) national Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment Actual Average Clearance Time (AACT) is 118.9 days.

There are a range of financial remedies available within the Medical Services contract to address service level failure. However this is a matter of commercial in confidence between the Department of Work and Pensions and its supplier Atos Healthcare.

The number of Employment and Support Allowance and Incapacity Benefit Allowance cases that were referred to Atos Healthcare processed and returned within 35 days in each of the last three years is as follows:

a). UK

01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 767,674

01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 1,073,987

01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 249,305

b). Scotland

01/06/2011 to 31/05/2012 – 97,951

01/06/2012 to 31/05/2013 – 133,923

01/06/2013 to 31/05/2014 – 58,326

c). West Lothian Local Authority Area

The information requested is not available

01/11/2022