Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many cases of alleged malpractice by directors of companies the Insolvency Service investigated in each year since 2009; and in each of those years how many directors of such companies were disqualified from practising on account of offences committed (a) in the UK and (b) abroad.

    Anna Soubry

    When a company enters into formal insolvency proceedings, the insolvency practitioner (IP) has to file a report on the conduct of the directors unless an official receiver is in office; and each of those reports is assessed by the Insolvency Service to determine if a more detailed investigation is appropriate. When a company enters into compulsory liquidation, although this is not itself an indication of misconduct, the official receiver will in all cases make enquiries to determine the cause of insolvency and the conduct of the directors of the company.

    The number of reports of misconduct submitted by IPs is detailed in the table below, alongside the total number of compulsory liquidations each year.

    Reporting year

    IP reports of misconduct

    Compulsory liquidations

    Total disqualifications

    09/10

    7,030

    5,418

    1,386

    10/11

    5,373

    4,573

    1,453

    11/12

    5,401

    5,125

    1,165

    12/13

    5,335

    4,001

    1,034

    13/14

    4,671

    3,734

    1,282

    14/15

    4,620

    3,588

    1,210

    15/16

    4,277

    2,778

    *810

    *Disqualifications in the period from April 2015 to December 2015, the latest period for which official statistics are available.

    All of these cases relate to companies based in and trading in the UK. In many cases, a disqualification will be obtained in a period subsequent to the submission of a report or the insolvency of the company. Each case may encompass a number of directors.

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received from Calderdale Council on the construction of a new rail station at Elland.

    Claire Perry

    We are aware of aspirations for a new station at Elland but have not received any representations about it from Calderdale Council. The promotion of any new station is a matter for the relevant local transport authority, in this case West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the change in defence spending has been since May 2015.

    Michael Fallon

    The Spending Review 2015 set out the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) budget for the rest of this Parliament reflecting the Government’s commitment to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence. The MOD budget will increase by 0.5% above inflation each year from 2016-17 to 2020-21, during which time the Department will have access to the new Joint Security Fund.

    The Defence Budget for 2016-17 is £35 billion.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2016 to Question 44873, in what month he expects the cycling and walking investment strategy to be published.

    Andrew Jones

    We have previously said we would publish the Strategy in the summer of 2016. Due to the very large number of consultation responses covering a wide range of issues, there has been a need to assess these and make any necessary revisions to the Strategy. We hope to publish the Strategy shortly but we are not able to specify a precise month.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is his policy that the day of the week on which claimants are asked to sign on for jobseekers allowance should be varied.

    Priti Patel

    The day of the week on which claimants are asked to sign on is typically fixed during a claimant’s new jobseeker interview.However, this may be varied because of the personal circumstances of the claimant or for operational reasons. This policy ensures that claimants are able to manage their lives and take advantage of work-related opportunities whilst remaining close to Jobcentre Plus support. Whatever signing day is agreed, be it linked to the NINO or otherwise, entitlement is not affected as this will still be tied to the date of claim.

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information the Financial Conduct Authority holds on (a) the reasons for which Mourant Fund Services Ltd did not complete its transaction to take over the operation of the Connaught Income Fund in 2009 and (b) whether at the time Mourant Fund Services Ltd was in possession of information about the Connaught Income Fund which should have been reported to the regulatory authorities.

    Harriett Baldwin

    This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government.

    This question has been passed on to the FCA. They will reply directly to the Honorable Member Helen Jones by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

  • Peter Lilley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Lilley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Lilley on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to his letter of 15 December 2015 setting out Skills Funding Agency priorities and funding for 2016-17, whether it is his policy that an area can only have its adult education budget devolved once it has fully implemented the recommendations of its area review.

    Nick Boles

    The Area Review process has been designed to bring about a more resilient and sustainable post-16 sector in the given locality, better able to exploit the opportunities made available through the recent SR and better placed to meet local skills needs. As such the completion of an area review, leading to an agreed plan for implementation, is an essential pre-cursor to the full devolution of the adult education budget.

  • Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jon Trickett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jon Trickett on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which providers are expected to provide accommodation for the estimated 20,000 Syrian nationals to be resettled under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme by 2020.

    Richard Harrington

    The UK has been operating resettlement schemes for many years and we already have established and effective networks to accommodate and support resettled people.

    This is a voluntary scheme whereby local authorities sign up to accept refugees on a voluntary basis. It is up to each individual local authority to decide how best to manage the resettlement of refugees in their area, and they are therefore free to choose their own delivery partners.

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30414, on terrorism; Hyde Park, if the Secretary of State for Justice will support the Hyde Park victims by providing financial assistance outwith the Legal Aid Agency process.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government’s sympathies are with the victims and friends and families of those who lost their lives and were injured in this terrible attack.

    As I said in my answer of 14 March to Parliamentary Question 30414, decisions on funding individual cases are taken independently by the Legal Aid Agency. The decision not to provide legal aid funding for this claim for damages was made as it does not meet the criteria set by Parliament. Ministers are prevented by law from intervening in the individual decisions of the Legal Aid Agency.

    The legal aid scheme sets out the extent of the circumstances in which Parliament has decided it is appropriate for the taxpayer to fund litigation. The Government has no current plans to change arrangements for funding in damages cases or provide alternative funding to meet litigation costs.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department provides to medical practitioners on the similarities between Kawasaki disease and scarlet fever.

    George Freeman

    The Government published the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases in November 2013. The strategy contains over 50 commitments to ensure people living with a rare disease, such as Kawasaki disease, have access to the best evidence-based care and treatment that health and social services, working with charities, researchers and industry can provide.

    It is the responsibility of the professional regulators to set the standards and outcomes for education and training and approve training curricular to ensure newly qualified healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. This includes training in both scarlet fever and Kawasaki disease.

    Health Education England works with bodies that set curricula such as the General Medical Council and the Royal Colleges to seek to ensure training meets the needs of patients.

    The Department and its arm’s length bodies have not published any specific guidance on the similarities between Kawasaki disease and scarlet fever.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on the assessment and initial management of fever in under 5s sets out the circumstances in which a diagnosis of Kawasaki disease should be considered, and Public Health England (PHE) has endeavoured to keep healthcare professionals, schools and the general public informed of the increased incidence of scarlet fever through timely information, news stories and updates on the PHE website and by using social and other media. These awareness raising measures assist general practitioners and other frontline healthcare professionals in reaching a correct diagnosis more quickly and encourage patients to seek medical advice early so that suspected cases receive prompt antibiotic treatment to reduce the risk of complications and limit further transmission.