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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • James Duddridge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    James Duddridge – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Duddridge on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of (a) the economic effect on and (b) changes in tourism revenue in Southend as a result of the closure of East Beach in Shoeburyness for his Department to survey for unexploded ordnance.

    Anna Soubry

    East Beach is managed by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council under a licence agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The decision to close the beach was made by the Council and it will be for them to determine when to re-open it. As such, no estimates have been made by the MOD about the economic effect of the Council’s decision to the local economy.

    A MOD survey of East Beach will assist in the formulation of a risk management plan that will focus mitigation work on those areas of the beach at greatest risk. It is too early to say what mitigation work will be required, when it will be carried out, and how long it will take to complete.

  • Baroness Uddin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Uddin – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Uddin on 2014-05-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provisions exist to safeguard monies identified by the Independent Living Fund (ILF) as needed to meet the critical and substantial need of recipients; and whether such funds will be ring-fenced by local authorities to ensure monies are used exclusively for continuation of care when the ILF ceases.

    Lord Freud

    All the funding that would have been allocated to the ILF in 2015/16 to support its users from July 2015 onwards will be transferred to local authorities in England and to the devolved administrations in other parts of the UK. Local government social care funding is not ring-fenced, allowing local authorities the flexibility to manage their budgets locally in line with local needs and priorities. Local authorities have a statutory duty to assess and fund the eligible care needs of all disabled people, including former users of the Independent Living Fund. The Public Sector Equality Duty applies to local government in the same way as it does to central government.

  • Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2014-05-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect that an Organisation for Securityand Co-operation in Europe Summit meeting will discuss Ukraine and crisis management there in the immediate future.

    Baroness Warsi

    The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has been at the forefront of the international response to the crisis in Ukraine over recent months. The crisis has been a regular topic of discussion on the Organisation’s agenda since the Permanent Council met to discuss it in special session on 3 March. Both the Permanent Council and the Forum for Security and Co-operation have discussed Ukraine on numerous occasions since then.

    The OSCE has launched a number of initiatives to contribute towards de-escalation of the crisis. On 21 March the Permanent Council agreed to the deployment of a Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine. That Mission, which includes a UK Deputy Chief Monitor and nine UK staff, swiftly deployed across the country with a mandate to gather information, report on the security situation and assess how best to meet the concerns of all parties. The Mission is providing regular reporting and recently played a key role in the negotiation of the safe release of the Vienna Document unarmed military inspectors who had been detained in Slavyansk. In Geneva on 17 April the US, the EU, Ukraine and the Russian Federation agreed that the Mission should have a role in verifying the implementation of agreed steps towards de-escalation. The Government fully supports this Mission’s work and is actively backing it with both finance and personnel. The UK has so far contributed over £1 million and is currently the second biggest contributor to the Mission’s core costs.

    In addition to the SMM, the OSCE has been active in Ukraine through the work of its autonomous institutions, the High Commissioner on National Minorities and the Representative on Freedom of the Media, while there has been a rolling programme of visits by unarmed military inspectors under the Vienna Document 2011. The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is sending a large scale mission of 1000 observers to monitor the Ukrainian Presidential Elections on 25 May. The UK will be providing 10% of the total number of observers with 10 Long Term Observers and 90 Short Term Observers.

    There are no current plans for an OSCE Summit, while the next formal Ministerial Council is due to take place in Basel, Switzerland on 4-5 December 2014. However the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has been in regular contact with OSCE Chairman and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, most recently when they met in Vienna on 6 May, while the Minister for Europe, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), spoke by telephone to OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier on the same day.

  • Lord Judd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Judd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2014-05-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they envisage federation as a possible future constitutional settlement in Ukraine; and, if so, under what conditions.

    Baroness Warsi

    The Ukrainian people will be voting in Presidential elections on 25 May. The outcome will determine the future direction of their country. It is crucial that Ukraine is able to deliver these elections in a successful, free and fair manner, without external pressures. It is not for the rest of the world to negotiate away the constitution nor the freedom or democracy of Ukraine.

    The British Government will continue to support Ukraine’s democratic and constitutional reform process as the best means of overcoming this crisis and helping the people of Ukraine to choose their own future. We stand with them in their efforts to create a better Ukraine.

  • Lord Jopling – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Jopling – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jopling on 2014-05-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Newby on 6 May (WA 365), whether they will now answer the question which was put.

    Lord Faulks

    Further to the information given by my Noble Friend on 6 May (WA 365) I can add that the Ministry of Justice does not operate a strict percentage based escalation process for financial issues. The Departmental Board receive a routine update on the Ministry’s financial position at every meeting. This provides a summary of the overall position and, where necessary, highlights any significant variations from, or changes to, budget forecasts.

  • David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2014-05-07.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, when he expects to bring forward legislative proposals for the recall of hon. Members by their constituents.

    Mr Nick Clegg

    The Government remains committed to introducing a recall mechanism which is transparent, robust and fair when parliamentary time allows. We reiterated this commitment in our response to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee’s report on recall.

    The Government’s legislative programme for the fourth session of Parliament will be announced in the Queen’s Speech.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of people with liver disease since September 2012.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England is responsible for the overall national approach to improving clinical outcomes for people with liver disease. It is adopting a broad strategy to reduce premature mortality, including mortality from liver disease.

    My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has not met any external organisations to discuss a strategy for combating liver disease since 11 May 2010. The Secretary of State and current Ministers at the Department have not met with representatives of people living with liver disease since September 2012.

    NHS England and Public Health England are supporting clinical commissioning groups and local authorities to reduce premature mortality by providing commissioners with a suite of tools to help them maximise the best possible outcomes for their local communities such as Local Authority Profiles. These can help local authorities and clinical commissioning groups identify the significance of liver disease in their local area compared with the rest of the country and the actions they could prioritise to tackle it.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, if he will consider the merits of ring-fencing funds allocated by his Office to local government for the purpose of voter registration.

    Greg Clark

    Both the paper forms and the new online registration channel to be used under Individual Electoral Registration have been designed to meet a wide range of accessibility needs. The Government has no current plans to commission such research, but the Electoral Commission is currently aiming to publish its assessment of registration rates under individual electoral registration in July 2016.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, with reference to the Answer of 6 September 2010, Official Report, column 302W, on electoral register, what additional research has been conducted into the reasons for the apparent decline in registration levels and the growth of local and regional variations in electoral registration.

    Greg Clark

    The Electoral Commission is currently conducting research into the completeness and accuracy of Electoral registers which will be published in Summer 2014.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the Answer from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Constitutional and Political Reform of 11 October 2011, Official Report, column 344W, on electoral register: standards, what assessment she has made of the effects of the visits of electoral registration officers in Northern Ireland to schools with 10 or more pupils between the ages of 16 and 17 on electoral registration for that age group in Northern Ireland.

    Mr Andrew Robathan

    Concerns about under-representation of attainers were raised following the introduction of individual registration in Northern Ireland in 2002. The registration of attainers improved significantly with the introduction of the Chief Electoral Officer’s Schools Initiative. The Electoral Commission’s 2012 report on continuous electoral registration in Northern Ireland estimated that 66% of attainers were registered.

    Although the number of attainers registered in December 2013 fell to 9,945 from 11,477 in December 2012, the Electoral Commission’s recent report on the electoral registration canvass suggests that this can be partially explained by the fact that the Electoral Office did not conduct any activity with schools to register attainers in autumn 2013 due to canvass activity. The Electoral Office will commence school visits in September 2014 for the academic year 2014-15 and will also take applications from those pupils not visited last year.