Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Judd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the humanitarian consequences in the acute winter season, especially for children, of the destruction by the Israeli Civil Administration of Bedouin homes and communities in Area C near East Jerusalem, including that of Abu Nwar on 6 January; and what discussions they have had with the Israelis about whether such actions accentuate counter-productive security consequences.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    An official from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concerns on this issue with the Israeli Office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories on 13 January. Officials from our Consulate General in Jerusalem and the Department for International Development visited Abu Nwar on 19 January alongside EU colleagues. The UK is deeply concerned by Israeli proposals to relocate the Bedouin population from the E1 area, which the UN have said could constitute forcible transfer. These plans could have a devastating impact on the communities concerned and will likely open the way for further settlement expansion – endangering the viability of a two-state solution. Our position is clear: demolitions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; are harmful to the peace process; and are, in all but the most exceptional of cases, contrary to international humanitarian law. The Fourth Geneva Convention is clear that the destruction of any real or personal property in Occupied Territory is not justified unless it is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations. We also make clear to Israel that forcible transfer would be a breach of international humanitarian law and would have serious ramifications on Israel’s international standing.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Attorney General, what steps his Department plans to take in response to the recommendations in the report by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, entitled Thematic Review of the CPS Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Units, published in February 2016, (a) that a new protocol should be developed with each police force capturing early investigative advice and file quality and (b) in respect of training for lawyers and paralegal staff.

    Robert Buckland

    The way in which the Criminal Justice System investigates and prosecutes rape allegations is changing and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is taking a leading role. In September 2015 the CPS and Police set up a joint National Rape Steering Group, supported by a joint Delivery Board, to drive forward a co-ordinated programme of work. This programme includes the development of an optimum model for working (in rape and serious sexual offence cases) between the CPS and the Police which will address early investigative advice and file quality.

    It is a CPS priority that its staff have the tools and skills necessary to prosecute effectively. A detailed CPS/Police Joint National Rape Action Plan was published in June 2014 which identified a programme of training activity to deliver improvements in investigation and prosecution outcomes. This extensive programme, consisting of a range of face to face specialist training measures, is currently underway.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Prime Minister, if he will publish the guidance provided to government Ministers by the Cabinet Secretary on the entitlement of such Ministers to make use of (a) special advisors, (b) departmental officials and (c) legal advisors to provide advice on the implications of (i) remaining in and (ii) leaving the EU.

    Mr David Cameron

    I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 23 February from the Cabinet Secretary, a copy of which can be found on the gov.uk website.

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what statutory duty there is on individual general practitioners to provide notice of closure of a GP practice to NHS England or clinical commissioning group.

    Alistair Burt

    GP Contract regulations require a practice to give NHS England written notice of their intention to terminate their contract. Where the contract is with a partnership, the contract terminates six months from the date of the notice. In the case of a single handed practice, the contract terminates three months from the date of the notice.

    There is no specific statutory duty on NHS England to notify patients of the closure of a practice however the National Health Service Act 2006 requires NHS England to ensure the provision of primary medical services throughout England.

    However, NHS England take the closure of a practice very seriously and will look to engage with patients at the earliest opportunity.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when his Department plans to publish its Skills White Paper.

    Nick Boles

    The Government is implementing reforms to the skills system to ensure we have the technical skills that the economy needs. We are considering when and how to publish details of our plans for further reform of the skills strategy.

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the European Parliament Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs’ draft report on the proposal for a regulation on securitisation and creating a European framework for simple, transparent and standardised securitisation; and whether he supports the Committee’s proposal to increase risk retention from five per cent to 20 per cent based on a vertical slice of securitised assets.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government welcomed the development of international and EU standards to revitalise the regulatory framework for securitisation by encouraging the use of simpler and more transparent products. We agree with the Bank of England that a well-functioning and stable securitisation market will benefit financial stability and the wider economy. We support the Basel standards for securitisation, set with the intention of enhancing financial stability, which see features such as tranching and synthetic structures as being legitimate activity. We also support the need for all securitisations to adhere to appropriate rules on transparency and investor due diligence, and that they must be afforded sensibly calibrated capital requirements. Following the financial crisis it was Basel, working with the Financial Stability Board and the International Organization of Securities Commissions which, set the 5 percent risk retention standard.

    In the development and delivery of policy, Treasury Ministers and officials are in regular contact with relevant institutions, regulatory authorities, other governments, industry and other civil society groups including think tanks such as Finance Watch.

  • Chris Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chris Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Green on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled, Chancellor steps up industry engagement, published on 7 September 2016, what plans he has to engage with the bio-tech and pharmaceutical industry as part of that industry engagement.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Treasury regularly engages with businesses from all sectors and values the opportunity to hear their views.

    Over the next month, the Chancellor will be meeting with over 80 representatives from businesses of all sizes, and from a wide variety of sectors and regions, including the bio-tech and pharmaceutical industry.

  • Gill Furniss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gill Furniss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gill Furniss on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to keep records of the (a) number of people who have their tax credits erroneously suspended by Concentrix, (b) number of people who subsequently have those tax credits reinstated and (c) length of time it takes HMRC to subsequently process those payments.

    Jane Ellison

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) collects a wide range of data in order to process a claim. However, this data is not currently held in a form that is accessible for bulk requests without incurring disproportionate costs. For that reason, HMRC is currently focused on resolving outstanding Concentrix cases, but will be preparing analysis which will be made available in due course.

  • Kirsty Blackman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Kirsty Blackman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsty Blackman on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2015 to Question 14925, on publications, what deadlines his Department places on its publication of transparency information.

    David Mundell

    I refer the hon Member to my answer of 9 November 2015 (UIN 14925).

  • Lord Quirk – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Quirk – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2015-12-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 17 November (HL3221) concerning the use of forensic linguistics by the Home Office in immigration cases, whether they have plans to enable the admittance in court, as in some other European jurisdictions, of evidence derived from forensic linguistics, and if not, what are their reasons.

    Lord Bates

    Evidence derived from language analysis undertaken for immigration purposes is admissible and, in practice, is routinely presented in immigration appeals.