UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in her Department in 2015-16.

    George Eustice

    Core Defra publishes Workforce Management Information on a monthly basis. This sets out the number of staff who are a) on payroll and b) off payroll and the published data covers financial years 2010-11 to 2015-16. It can be found at the following link: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/workforce-management-information-defra.

    No civil servants within Core Defra are paid through limited companies.

    The figure for spend on non-payroll staff in 2015-16 will be published in the 2015-16 Annual Report and Accounts.

    “

  • 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 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 29 February 2016 to Question 27306, if his Department will undertake analysis to understand the potential benefits for bus passengers of the municipal bus company model.

    Andrew Jones

    There are only 8 existing municipal bus companies operating services in England and the Department does not currently have any plans to undertake analysis on the potential benefits of the municipal bus company model.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for International Development will provide funding to the International Planned Parenthood Federation in 2017.

    Lord Bates

    The International Planned Parenthood Federation, together with other civil society organisations, has long played an important role in promoting the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of the world’s poorest girls and women. The Government is committed to this agenda, for example through the delivery of our commitment to work for access to family planning for everyone who wants it.

    The Government intends to publish the reviews of our development assistance, including the Civil Society Partnership Review (CSPR), shortly. The ways we will deliver our commitments globally and at country level, including with civil society partners, will be set out and further developed following publication of the reviews.


  • Drew Hendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Drew Hendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Development on contributing to the European Commission’s North Africa Trust Fund.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK continues to contribute to the North Africa Trust Fund at the same level as comparable EU states, and has allocated funds to tackle the root causes of migration from the Horn of Africa. There have been no recent discussions between the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the Secretary of State for International Development on contributing to the European Commission’s North Africa Trust Fund.

  • Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Gould of Potternewton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Gould of Potternewton on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether an assessment has been undertaken of the effect on contraceptive services of reductions in the public health budget.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Decisions on local public health spending are a matter for local authorities. Local authorities are mandated to commission open access contraceptive services that provide advice on, and reasonable access to, a broad range of contraceptive substances and appliances.

  • Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Stephen Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions his Department has been notified by external consultants or other third parties of breaches by employees or subcontractors of those consultants of document retention or security policies relating to confidential or secure materials in each of the last two years.

    Dominic Raab

    The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why no safe areas have been established in Syria, in particular in Idlib, Darra, Jazira, and Afrin.

    Baroness Verma

    At the Syria conference in London on 4 February, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will more than double our support in response to the Syria crisis from £1.12 billion to over £2.3 billion, our largest ever humanitarian response to a single crisis. We will consider any option compliant with international law that might save lives in Syria. However, experience suggests that so-called ‘safe’ areas can prove difficult to demilitarise and protect against all threats. In fact, there is a risk that they can become targets.

    For a safe area to work, all parties to the conflict and relevant regional authorities would need to agree to its establishment. In the absence of such consent, this would require foreign military intervention, authorised by a UN Security Council Resolution. Any party seeking to establish a safe area would need to ensure sufficient military capability to guarantee safety from both aerial and ground attack, including by unconventional means. Credible measures would also be needed to prevent human rights abuses and to provide humanitarian assistance within the protected area. In addition, the existence of a ‘safe’ area near an international border should not be used to repatriate refugees against their will, or to deny access to asylum.

    The UK plays a key role in ensuring humanitarian access to Syria. By 31 January 2016, at least 257 shipments of cross-border aid had been delivered as a direct result of the UK co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolutions 2165, 2191 and 2258 which enables the UN to deliver aid into Syria without the consent of the regime. We continue to call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and ensure free, unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make representations to the Post Office on providing free business banking services to small and medium-sized enterprises.

    George Freeman

    The provision of services at post offices is the operational responsibility of the Post Office. Post Office offers a Retail (consumer) Bank Account direct to its own customers and, like any other business, can only offer services which are commercially sustainable for the business. The Post Office does not offer a Business (SME) type Bank Account direct to small businesses.

    In addition to its own consumer financial services, the Post Office has offered access to ‘basic bank branch’ services for business and personal banking customers of almost all high street banks for a number of years. The banks charge their customers at the applicable rate agreed in their customer terms and conditions. The Post Office provides the services free to the customer at the counter, based on a series of commercial agreements with the banks. These agreements have recently been reviewed and discussed as part of the industry response to the Government sponsored ‘Access to Banking Protocol’ from March 2015.

    The Post Office believes that personal and business customers of all banks would benefit from being able to continue to access existing basic banking services at Post Office branches, making sure that all communities can access banking services locally.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-04-21.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 136 of the publication, HM Treasury analysis: the long-term economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives, published in April 2016, whether the total net international migration figure of 185,000 per year from 2021 includes (a) Turkey, (b) Montenegro and (c) Serbia.

    Mr David Gauke

    The “HM Treasury analysis: the long-term economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives” uses the ONS central projection of total net international migration, defined as the movement of people to or from countries outside of the UK. As such, it applies to citizens of all countries outside the UK, including Turkey, Montenegro and Serbia.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the report, The Blood of People Who Don’t Cooperate, published by Human Rights Watch in November 2015, if he will review his Department’s policy of providing funding for the training of prison and security officers in Bahrain.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We believe that UK support to Bahrain’s reform programme is the most constructive way to achieve long-lasting and sustainable reform in Bahrain. While it will take time to see the full results, UK support is having a direct, positive impact on areas of concern. We continue to work with the Government of Bahrain to ensure momentum and progress on its reforms, for the benefit of all Bahrainis. All Foreign and Commonwealth Office programmes that support security reform are carefully considered in line with HMG’s Overseas Security and Justice Assistance Guidance in order to assess and mitigate human rights risks. Our assistance is specially designed to improve human rights standards and strengthen the rule of law in partner countries. These programmes are routinely monitored and evaluated on a quarterly basis to ensure that they are on track for delivery.