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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to assist Ethiopia with famine relief and support in dealing with draught.

    James Wharton

    Ethiopia is coming out of its worst drought for 30 years. At the peak of the crisis, over 18 million people (approximately 20% of the population) were in need of food assistance.

    The UK responded quickly and decisively to the humanitarian crisis and was the second largest bilateral donor. We have provided emergency support for 3.8 million people to date. Through the Government of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Nets Programme (PSNP), which boosts household food security for extremely poor and vulnerable people over five years, UK funds are supporting 1.7 million people in 2016. We will continue to provide support over the coming months, including through longer term programming which will help strengthen the Government of Ethiopia’s ability to cope with future climate shocks.

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2015 to Question 12777, what assessment she has made of whether each party to the conflict is taking reasonable steps to allow access to Yemen’s ports for (a) fuel for civilian use and (b) other commercial and humanitarian goods.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK welcomes the improvement in access for commercial and humanitarian shipping to Yemen’s ports over the last two weeks. In October, a total of 60 ships of all types entered Yemeni ports, including grain ships, fuel tankers, and humanitarian ships. We will continue to work with the Coalition and the Government of Yemen to ensure this improvement is sustained.

    We will also continue to call on all parties to the conflict to safeguard key infrastructure, including airports, sea ports, fuel distribution sites and major access routes into Yemen; and to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

  • Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Ansell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK remains competitive with other countries in attracting overseas students to higher and further education; and if he will make a statement.

    Joseph Johnson

    The UK welcomes international students and there is no cap on the number that can study here. The Government promotes study in the UK through the Britain is GREAT marketing campaign and through the British Council, which promotes UK education in over 100 countries, connecting millions of people with the United Kingdom.

    The Government has a number of major education agreements with overseas partners. Key programmes include the UK-China Partners in Education Programme, the UK-India Education Research Initiative and engagement in Brazil’s ‘Science without Borders’ scholarship scheme.

    Government also supports student exchange, such as through the Erasmus Scheme, which enables international students to take short placements in the UK and British students to gain valuable overseas experience.

    As part of our recent Spending Review the Government has also reaffirmed the importance international students to the success of UK universities and the economy. To ensure universities can continue to compete with the US, Australia and Canada for top international students, dependants of postgraduates on courses lasting more than a year will be welcome to come and work. Current English language requirements will be maintained.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s consultation, Out-of-school education settings: call for evidence, published on 26 November 2015, what definition her Department uses for (a) supplementary schools, (b) tuition centres, (c) intensive education and (d) the eight hours threshold for inspection.

    Nick Gibb

    The Government wants children to be educated in a safe environment where they are not exposed to hateful and extremist views that undermine British values.

    The call for evidence on out-of-school settings described:

    (a) Supplementary schools as settings which offer support or education in addition to mainstream or core learning, and which operate after school hours and on the weekends; and

    (b) Tuition centres as settings which could often be used in place of mainstream education and support home education, and which can operate at any time of day.

    The proposals are about making sure that where there are concerns raised by parents and others about issues of extremism, child cruelty or inappropriate teaching in unregulated settings, the Government can take action to protect children and empower parents.

    The call for evidence defined intensive education as anything which entails an individual child attending a setting for more than betweensix toeight hours a week. Such settings would be required to register with their local authority and be eligible for inspection where concerns were reported.

    Settings providing ad hoc classes or regular classes below a specified time threshold would not be captured by the proposal. One-week holiday clubs and Sunday schools would not, therefore, be covered. The proposal is intended to capture settings where children receive intensive education, regardless of faith or whether provided by a community group.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with her ministerial colleagues on distributing UK fines for air quality breaches to individual local authorities or combined authorities.

    Rory Stewart

    The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues within Defra and across Whitehall on a range of issues, including on air quality. The air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide we published on 17 December last year sets out the steps we are taking to reduce pollutant levels, including working in partnership with Local Authorities, to avoid any prospect of fines.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether energy suppliers are obligated to report to the National Measurement and Regulation Office when a heat network is established or a lease is acquired.

    Joseph Johnson

    Under Regulation 3(2)(b) of The Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014 heat suppliers have a duty to notify the National Measurement and Regulation Office in relation to a district heat network or communal heating that commences operation after 31st December 2015, on or before the first date of operation.

    If a change of ownership occurs (or a lease is acquired) on a district heat network or communal heating that has already been notified there is no requirement to re-notify within four years of the date of the first notification submitted. If the network has not been previously notified, then the duty to notify applies.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of bus services in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Teesside.

    Andrew Jones

    The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision is primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. Decisions about the provision of subsidised services are a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their other spending priorities.

    The Government is committed to supporting bus services in England. We are taking forward a Buses bill to provide local authorities with the tools they need to improve local bus services.

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on ensuring that Ministry of Defence contracts with suppliers and manufacturers benefit the UK economy.

    Anna Soubry

    My Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has regular discussions with my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on a wide variety of issues. My department supports the Government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), published last November, which set out the Government’s commitment to get the best value for money for the taxpayer in a way that strengthens our economy and bolsters the long-term prosperity of people across the UK. The SDSR committed the Government to refreshing its defence industrial policy and taking further action to help the UK’s defence industry grow and compete successfully and my department is engaging MOD on taking this work forward.

  • Lord Touhig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Touhig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Touhig on 2016-06-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of recruits enlisting under the age of 18 in the past five years had at least one parent who was serving or had served in the armed forces.

    Earl Howe

    The information is not held in the format requested. Questions regarding details of parental and family links with the Armed Forces are not a mandatory part of the recruiting process and this information is not captured or collated centrally by each Service.

  • The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry on 2016-07-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia about the use of the death penalty against minors.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, especially for crimes other than the most serious and for juveniles, in line with the minimum standards set out in the EU Guidelines on the Death Penalty of 2008 and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Arab Charter on Human Rights.

    We continue to raise the cases of Ali Al-Nimr, Dawood Al-Marhoon and Adullah Al-Zaher with the Saudi authorities at the highest levels, including during the former Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond)’s most recent visit to Saudi Arabia on 29 May. We expect that Ali Al-Nimr and the two others who were convicted as juveniles will not be executed.