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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Simon Burns – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Simon Burns – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Burns on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, who will be responsible for the appointment of the next Clerk of the House and Chief Executive.

    John Thurso

    Following a competitive tendering process, Saxton Bampfylde was appointed on 29 May 2014 to support the recruitment of the next Clerk of the House and Chief Executive, in particular by providing executive search services. Three bids were received and evaluated by Mr Speaker and the Director General of HR and Change. The fee for these services is fixed at £18,000. The contract will be monitored by the Department of HR and Change. The recruitment brief to which Saxton Bampfylde are working will be placed in the Library.

    The Clerk of the House is appointed by the Crown by Letters Patent, on the recommendation of the Speaker to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister to the Crown. Short-listed candidates will be interviewed by a panel chaired by Mr Speaker, three other members of the House of Commons Commission, a senior backbencher and an external member.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Kerry McCarthy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he has had on the Government’s Action Plan on Business and Human Rights in advance of the visit by his Chinese counterpart to the UK.

    Mr David Cameron

    I plan to hold wide-ranging discussions with Premier Li. We have a foreign policy that is based on our values, and we consistently raise them with the Chinese government, including during high level dialogues.

    I am very supportive of the business and human rights agenda, and action against climate change is a priority for the government.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gordon Marsden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with maritime industry stakeholders on the implications of maritime fuel sulphur regulations for freight traffic moving from water freight to road freight.

    Stephen Hammond

    In October 2012, and again in March 2013, I chaired ‘round table’ meetings of industry stakeholders (from the shipping, ports, exhaust gas cleaning system technology, oil refining and logistics sectors) to consider the best way forward for compliance with the new international and EU sulphur requirements. The potential for reverse modal shift, the maturity and efficacy of scrubber technology and the scope for financial assistance to industry were all key to those discussions. The report commissioned by the UK Chamber of Shipping was produced as a result of those meetings, and officials have taken it into account in producing the Government’s Impact Assessment on the draft UK Regulations to implement the sulphur limits in national law.

    The Government went out to an eight-week public consultation on 29 April 2014 on those draft UK Regulations. Meanwhile, Government officials continue to work closely with the industry and to explore the scope for securing EU finance, possibly under the Trans-European Network (commonly known as TEN-T) programme and affordable capital from the European Investment Bank, for shipowners and ports who wish to invest in scrubber technology or in technology associated with the use of an alternative fuel, such as liquefied natural gas, to comply with the new limits.

    The UK Regulations will be reviewed in accordance with normal Government practice and consistent with the principles of better regulation.

  • Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to collect data on work capability assessment outcomes for people diagnosed with fibromyalgia; and if he will estimate the cost of collecting such data.

    Mike Penning

    The Department does collect some data on Work Capability Assessment (WCA) outcomes for people diagnosed with fibromyalgia but it is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will take steps to ensure that the funding of infrastructure projects in the Jordan Valley is not dependent on approval from the Israeli government.

    Justine Greening

    We continue to believe the best approach to development in Area C is to engage constructively with Israel to help Palestinian communities to plan and build for their future without fear of demolition. We consistently emphasise the need for unfettered humanitarian provision, including necessary infrastructure.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the postal vote turnout was as a proportion of all votes cast in each UK parliamentary constituency at the 2010 General Election.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission has placed the answer to the hon. member’s question in the library.

  • Greg Knight – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Greg Knight – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects work on the electrification of the railway line between Hull and Selby to begin.

    Stephen Hammond

    Feasibility work on the project continues. Subject to further development and implementation funding and confirmation of the business case the scheme’s promoter, First Hull Trains, anticipates that certain physical works could commence in 2015.

  • Philip Hollobone – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Philip Hollobone – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the approach of the new Palestinian government to the peace process with Israel.

    Hugh Robertson

    President Abbas was clear that new interim technocratic government will uphold a commitment to the principle of non-violence, a negotiated two state solution, and an acceptance of all previous agreements and obligations, including Israel’s legitimate right to exist. Reuniting Gaza and the West Bank under a government committed to these principles is a necessary condition for resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict. We now look to the new government to demonstrate these commitments through its actions as well as its words.

  • Frank Dobson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Frank Dobson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Dobson on 2014-06-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the contribution to economic growth of payment protection insurance repayments.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. The effects of payment protection insurance repayments were taken into account in their latest forecast of the economy, published in the March 2014 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

  • 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 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason his Department did not provide an ICT hosting environment for Capita on time for the Recruiting Partnering Project.

    Anna Soubry

    A number of factors contributed to the problems experienced with the Information Communication Technology hosting environment provided for Capita. I refer the hon. Member to the Secretary of State for Defence’s (Philip Hammond) response to an Urgent Question from the hon. Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) on 14 January 2014 (Official Report, column 715).