Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Flick Drummond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Flick Drummond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Flick Drummond on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote the participation of women in the Syrian peace negotiations.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK is committed to peace talks between the Syrian parties, under UN auspices in Geneva and continues to work closely with the International Syria Support Group. The UK encouraged the UN Special Envoy for Syria and the Syrian opposition to include women in the negotiations. The UN established a Women’s Advisory Board and the opposition’s negotiating team includes women.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to improve its ability to efficiently shift its involvement from providing short-term humanitarian assistance to long-term development projects in regions experiencing protracted crises.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    We are increasing our capacity to deal with protracted and multiple crises. We have set up a new team to develop thinking on our overall approach to protracted crises, and are working across the department to share lessons and build on best practice.

    We are also working with international partners to develop solutions for protracted crises – and more appropriate medium term financing. The UK co-hosted the “Supporting Syria and the Region” conference in London on 4 February 2016 which raised over $12bn in pledges, of which $6.1 billion has been committed for 2017-20 to enable partners to plan ahead. We are approaching the UN World Humanitarian Summit 2016 with an ambitious set of objectives to secure commitment to implementing a new approach to protracted displacement.

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the take-up rate is of the HPV vaccine for girls in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the UK.

    Jane Ellison

    Data for the Mansfield and Ashfield Clinical Commissioning Group are included within the Nottinghamshire Local Authority, which is within the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Area Team.

    The uptake rates for the first dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine given to Year 8 girls (12-13 year olds) from 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2015 are:

    Nottinghamshire local authority: 89.1%;

    South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Area Team: 90.0%; and

    United Kingdom: 89.5%.

    The latest published figures for the HPV vaccination programme cover the 2014/15 academic year, and show the uptake rate for the first dose of this two dose programme. Vaccine uptake data covering the second dose will not be available until autumn 2016.

  • Lord Palmer of Childs Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Palmer of Childs Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Palmer of Childs Hill on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the remarks made by the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Palestinian Authority calling for legal action against the UK over the Balfour Declaration, what representations they have made to the Palestinian Authority regarding the delegitimising of the State of Israel.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem have discussed the remarks with Palestinian officials and politicians.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has had any discussions with the Home Secretary on the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) review of the classification of products containing cannabidiol since the MHRA’s news story on that review was published on 13 October 2016.

    Nicola Blackwood

    There have been no discussions at Ministerial level but officials from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Home Office have been in contact regarding this issue.

    At present, the MHRA has offered an opinion that products containing cannabidiol used for medical purposes should be regulated as medicinal products. If manufacturers do not accept this, the MHRA can use a statutory determination process to formally classify their product(s).

  • Chris Evans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Chris Evans – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Evans on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to amend the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (England) Representations and Appeals Regulations 2007 to enable the adjudicator to make an order awarding costs and expenses to appellants in successful parking appeals; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    Under current regulations the adjudicator may make an order awarding costs and expenses against an enforcement authority where the adjudicator considers that the disputed decision was wholly unreasonable. The adjudicator may also award costs and expenses against either party where that party has acted frivolously or vexatiously or where their conduct in making, pursuing or resisting an appeal was wholly unreasonable. The Government has no plans to change this arrangement.

  • Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16286 of 18 November 2015, on the National Crime Agency (NCA), how many of those suspicious activity reports were investigated by the NCA.

    Mike Penning

    Suspicious activity reports (SARs) submitted under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Terrorism Act 2000 are available to officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and to accredited officers in all UK police forces. This allows NCA officers and the police to use SARs for a variety of investigative and intelligence purposes.

    No central record is held relating to the ultimate use of SAR data by these end users and therefore no data is available relating to how many investigations or enforcement actions may have resulted from SARs.

    A report providing an overview of the operation of the SARs regime is published annually on the NCA website, the link to the latest report is below:

    http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/suspicious-activity-reports-sars

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-01-25.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 16853, how the additional £4 million allocated for national minimum wage enforcement was allocated within national minimum wage enforcement activity.

    Greg Hands

    The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it.

    Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker. A further increase in penalties will come into force in April 2016 and will increase the penalty percentage from 100% to 200% of the underpayments owed to each worker, up to the existing maximum.

    The extra funding was allocated in two tranches. The first of £3 million has been used by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to recruit additional staff primarily into front line compliance posts to increase the scope and coverage of interventions aimed at identifying employers who do not pay the minimum wage.

    The second tranche of £1 million has been used to appoint staff into new roles specifically geared to promoting compliance with the National Minimum Wage, through education and support for employers, helping workers to understand their rights, and tackling serious non-compliance where deliberate behaviour is suspected.

    Staff across HMRC contribute to enforcing National Minimum Wage, including people who work in legal advice, debt management, technical support and criminal investigation. However, HMRC does not record the specific numbers of those staff involved beyond those identified in UIN 16853.

    HMRC does not breakdown the overall budget allocated into specific activities. For details of the overall budget in 2015/16, I refer the honourable member back to the answer provided at UIN 16853. Funding allocations for 2016/17 onwards have yet to be confirmed.

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the fiscal framework to accompany the devolution of income tax powers to Wales.

    Greg Hands

    The Autumn Statement announced that the Government will legislate to remove the need for a referendum to introduce Welsh Rates of Income Tax. The Government has been clear that it will amend the draft Wales Bill to do this.

    The programme of fiscal reform has been designed for a purpose: to empower the Welsh Government with further tools and levers to deliver more growth and be more accountable to the people of Wales by raising more of the money they spend.

    We will continue to discuss the implementation of Welsh Rates of Income Tax – including the financial arrangements – with a range of interested stakeholders, including the Welsh Government.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-03-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who was involved in the process to select which charities would receive funding from the Tampon Tax Fund.

    Mr David Gauke

    ‘Showcase’ bids were identified, with the help of departmental expertise, that were innovative, in line with the aims of government policy, and likely to provide strong value for money. The bids selected represent a range of different initiatives to benefit women across the whole of the UK.

    Additionally, in recognition of the very high level of interest received, the government has also allocated funding to the Women’s Fund for Scotland, Comic Relief and Rosa who have specialist experience in this area, to disburse funding to a range of grassroots women’s organisations. These funds mean further awards will be made to a high number of charities in this sector.