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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2014-06-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made by each local authority in the United Kingdom in making changes to their information technology services to remain part of the gov.uk secure network.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The Public Services Network (PSN) is a new and trusted single network for government. Ninety-eight per cent of local authorities have already transitioned to PSN, with the remainder due to transfer before the end of summer.

    The Cabinet Office is supporting local authorities as they transition to PSN by providing guidance, project managers and information assurance specialists.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the written statement of 16 June 2014, Official Report, columns 70-1WS, on student support in England, how many of the students who were unable to or chose not to provide adequate evidence of residency were studying at an alternative provider with designated courses; at which provider they were studying; for what qualifications they were registered; and on what basis his Department calculated that £65 million was due to be paid to 1,333 students.

    Mr David Willetts

    The number of students who were unable to or chose not to provide adequate evidence of residency who were studying at an alternative provider with designated courses and providers at which they were studying, was included in the data set placed in the libraries of the House to accompany the Written Ministerial Statement on Monday 16 June 2014.

    A breakdown of the courses these students are studying is data that is not held in the form requested. I have asked the Student Loans Company to compile this data and I will place a copy in the libraries of the House as soon as it is available.

    The £65m figure given in the Written Ministerial Statement is the amount of student support that would have been paid in relation to the 5,548 students deemed to be ineligible following the residency checking exercise. It was calculated using actual awards for students who had approved applications and average award amounts for students whose applications had not reached the approval stage at the time payments were suspended.

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Robertson on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with charities on implementation of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 since that act received Royal Assent.

    Greg Clark

    The Electoral Commission is producing guidance to explain the rules on non-party campaigning. The Commission has held four roundtable discussions for charities and other campaigners across the UK and Electoral Commission officials have spoken at events hosted by charity sector umbrella bodies.

    The Commission will publish its full guidance on the new rules in the summer, in advance of the regulated period which starts on 19 September 2014.

  • Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-06-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints have been made about HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints related to mistakes in calculated tax liability.

    Mr David Gauke

    The table below shows the number of complaints received by HM Revenue and Customs (excluding the VOA) for each of the years 2009/10 – 2013/14. The figure for 2013/14 will be published in the HMRC Annual Report later this month.

    Year

    Number of complaints

    2009/10

    71406

    2010/11

    76721

    2011/12

    74831

    2012/13

    67956

    2013/14

    64729

    HMRC’s complaints database does not currently distinguish between complaints about mistakes in calculated tax liability from mistakes in other functions. HMRC is developing a robust process for learning from customer’s complaints which aims to reduce or eliminate mistakes made.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve care for veterans suffering with psychological injuries after their service.

    Anna Soubry

    I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 8 May 2014, (Official Report, column 277W) to the hon Member for Portsmouth South (Mr Hancock). In addition to the initiatives outlined in that answer, I would also note that the mental health of our personnel and veterans is a top priority for the Government and that is why we have committed £7.2 million to ensure there is extensive mental health support in place for those who need it.

  • 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 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what deviations or exemptions from the Military Air Systems Certifications Process were made for the Airseeker aircraft; when those deviations or exemptions were made; and who authorised each such deviation or exemption.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 June 2014, (Official Report, column 364W), to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Alison Seabeck).

    Ongoing work will progressively refine this release as additional information becomes available and further analysis is conducted.

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of school closure for local elections on parents and children.

    Elizabeth Truss

    The Department has made no such assessment. Local returning officers can require a school to act as a polling station and may do so where no suitable alternative venue is available. It is often possible for schools to remain open in such circumstances, but whether to close is an operational decision for the headteacher. We expect headteachers to keep schools open whenever it is reasonable for them to do so.

    Where a headteacher decides to close a school on polling day, we expect them to take all necessary steps to minimise any damage to pupils’ education. This may include making up the missed day later in the year, or combining the day with one of the five annual training days. We also expect schools to give as much notice as possible to parents of any school closures, including for local elections.

  • Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Bob Ainsworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Ainsworth on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with their (i) Indian and (ii) Pakistani counterparts on the increase of trade and transit between the two countries.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Ministers engage regularly with their counterparts in both India and Pakistan to discuss these and many other issues. We welcome the recent meeting between the countries two Prime Ministers in Delhi and subsequent exchange of letters.

  • David Ruffley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Ruffley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Ruffley on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the average travelling distance to a 24-hour accident and emergency department for people in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales.

    Jane Ellison

    No estimate has been made by the Department. NHS England has, however, published best practice guidance ‘Planning and delivering service changes for patients’. In the guidance, commissioners are reminded that where any changes are proposed to urgent and emergency care services they need to provide analysis of travelling times and distances, identifying the impact on pedestrians and public and private transport users, as well as the ambulance service where relevant.

  • David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received from the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the processing of passport applications from abroad since 1 January 2014.

    James Brokenshire

    Home Office Ministers have regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues and
    others. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the government’s
    practice to provide details of all such meetings.