The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-04-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what change there has been in the total amount of gift aid claimed by charities between 2008 and 2013.
Nicky Morgan
HMRC publishes data on repayments of Gift Aid to charities in Table 10.1 of its National Statistics at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/256802/table10-1.pdf
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2014-06-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of his Department’s Child Maintenance Group on-site nurseries are due to close from September 2014; and what the location of each such nursery is.
Steve Webb
Five Child Maintenance Group on-site nurseries are due to close on expiry of the contract at the end of September 2014. They are located at offices in Birkenhead, Dudley, Falkirk, Hastings and Plymouth.
Child Maintenance Group childcare subsidy was made no longer available to new entrants from 1 June 2012. This brings Child Maintenance Group into line with the Department’s policy on childcare subsidy.
As part of its remuneration package, the Department supports employees through a salary sacrifice scheme where employees can give up part of their salary in return for childcare vouchers. This scheme allows for significant savings through tax relief and gives parents support in order to make their own choices for childcare.
Employees affected by the closure of the five on-site nurseries have been offered a day’s special leave in order to look for suitable alternatives.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason an Apache helicopter had to make an emergency landing outside Aberdeen during Exercise Joint Warrior.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Apache helicopter was taking part in a biannual joint multi national exercise and was travelling from West Freugh to Kinloss when the crew were given a warning notice. They followed correct flight procedures and safely conducted an emergency landing.
An engineering fault investigation report identified a failure with the oil pump and the engine is now being replaced before further engineering checks are conducted and the aircraft is cleared to fly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Sheridan on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with employment agencies on the practice of blacklisting.
Jenny Willott
Blacklisting is an unacceptable and illegal practice and we take any allegations of blacklisting very seriously. I have not had any discussions on the practice of blacklisting with employment agencies. We have referred the allegations made about an international recruitment agency to the Information Commissioner’s Office which is looking into the matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann McKechin on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made any recent representations to the government of Uzbekistan regarding the imprisonment of the journalist, Salidzhon Abdurakhmanov.
Mr David Lidington
We, along with our European partners, have raised the case of Mr Abdurakhmanov with the Uzbek authorities at Ministerial and official level on several occasions. The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the Rt. Hon. Baroness Warsi, raised this issue with the Uzbek Foreign Minister when he visited London last November. Our Embassy in Tashkent is in contact with the Uzbek human rights organisation, Ezgulik, which visited Mr. Abdurakhmanov in custody in January. Baroness Warsi discussed a range of human rights issues, including freedom of expression, with Ministers and senior officials when she visited Uzbekistan earlier this month.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) reporting has consistently highlighted our concerns about freedom of the press and harassment of journalists in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan remains on the list of Countries of Concern in the FCO’s annual Human Rights and Democracy Report, reflecting longstanding concerns about the overall human rights situation in Uzbekistan. Our Embassy in Tashkent regularly raises these issues with the Uzbek authorities and funds projects that support good governance and human rights. We also continue to encourage further progress towards full implementation of Uzbekistan’s international human rights commitments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he last met the Scottish Government to discuss air passenger duty.
Nicky Morgan
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK Government Ministers have visited Lesotho since 2010.
Mark Simmonds
I visited Lesotho in March 2013 as part of a larger tour of the Southern African region. My visit to Lesotho was the first bilateral Ministerial visit to the Kingdom since 2002. I was delighted that the Prime Minister of Lesotho was able to visit the UK between 4-9 April, further strengthening bilateral relations and the ongoing links between our two countries. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire) and I both enjoyed meeting the Prime Minister of Lesotho during his visit to the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average length of time is taken by his Department to issue a Compulsory Purchase Order to a local authority.
Nick Boles
Since May 2012 (when the National Planning Casework Unit took responsibility for this area of work) the average length of time to make a decision on opposed planning Compulsory Purchase Orders is 10-11 weeks.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 703W, on translation services, how much was spent on interpreters in courts in each court in Lancashire in 2011, 2012 and 2013; which languages were interpreted; and how much was spent on interpreting each language.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The Department does not hold centrally all of the information that has been requested. To provide the information would incur disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to hold further D-Day commemorations.
Anna Soubry
Following the very successful commemorations to mark this year’s 70th anniversary of D Day we will be discussing with the Normandy Veterans Association how we might approach future commemorations once the Association disbands later this year. We are sure that veterans will continue to return annually as long as they are able and that particular plans will again be made as the 75th anniversary, another significant milestone, approaches.