Tag: Parliamentary Question

Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total cost to the public purse is of the Home Office contract with Airwave.

Mike Penning

The Home Office holds three contracts with Motorola Solutions. These are:

(a) The Public Safety Radio Communications Service (PSRCS) Framework Arrangement for the provision of the Airwave service to the police services of Eng-land, Scotland and Wales.

(b) Contract ST03 10/641/9 for the provision of telecommunications services to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

(c) Emergency Services Network (ESN) — Lot 2 User Services; one of the contracts that will replace the current Airwave contract.

The cost to the public purse of the Home Office contract with Airwave in Financial Year 2015-16 is forecast to be £283 million comprising £230 million paid centrally by the Home Office and £53 million paid locally by police forces to Airwave. By way of comparison, under the newly procured Emergency Services Network, the policing share of costs is expected to be less than half of the current Airwave costs.

Airwave Solutions Ltd provides mobile telecommunications services for emer-gency services. The Home Office Airwave contracts only relate to police forces, and immigration and nationality functions within the Home Office. The Home Office is not party to the contracts which many other organisations in the public sector have entered into with Airwave.

The acquisition of Airwave by Motorola Solutions means all three Emergency Services contracts now end on 31st December 2019. This provides continuity of service for the transition to the Emergency Services Network.

01/01/2023
Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, for what reasons the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 sets the retirement age for new entrants to the Civil Nuclear Constabulary at 68; and for what reasons the retirement age of those people is not comparable with officers in other forces.

Andrea Leadsom

This matter is currently the subject of a Judicial Review and I cannot comment further at this time.

01/01/2023
Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s Level Crossing Reform Action Plan, published in December 2014, how many officials of his Department are currently working full-time or equivalent on the level crossing reform programme.

Claire Perry

The level crossing reform programme forms part of the responsibilities of the Head of Railway Safety Policy who is working closely with the Office of Rail and Road to develop proposals.

01/01/2023
Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-07-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the financial costs relating to asbestos surveying and removal in buildings being converted to free schools have been since the free school programme began.

Edward Timpson

The Education Funding Agency does not have access to the‎ breakdown of cost information in relation to asbestos surveys and asbestos removal works.

01/01/2023
Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-09-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much in research grants UK universities received from the EU in the last year for which figures are available.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

In 2014/15 UK universities and other higher education institutions received £836,388,000 in research grants from EU sources.

01/01/2023
Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors trained in the UK emigrated in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2013 and (d) 2014; and what assessment he has made of the effect such emigration has had on the provision of emergency medicine.

Ben Gummer

This information is not collected centrally.

01/01/2023
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 2015-12-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they currently monitor soil quality in the UK, including soil organic matter content, soil loss and the extent and severity of soil compaction; and if so, what data are available.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

The 2007 Countryside Survey measured changes in soil organic matter content of soils in Great Britain. It also measured bulk density and a number of other physical and chemical characteristics of soil. A new baseline survey for soil carbon was carried out in 2009 as part of the EU Land Cover and Land Use Statistics (LUCAS) exercise. The 2015 LUCAS soil samples are currently being analysed.

Defra does not routinely monitor national rates of soil loss (erosion), but we are funding research to pilot a national soil erosion monitoring framework for monitoring soil erosion in England and Wales.

Defra also funded a survey of soil compaction levels in grasslands in England and Wales in 2011.

No formal assessment has been made of the sufficiency of the baseline data from which to measure changes in soil quality.

The Government recognises that soil is essential for underpinning a range of benefits, including food production, but also biodiversity, carbon storage and flood protection.

While the future direction of soils policy will be considered as part of the development of the 25 year plans for Food and Farming, and Environment, government is already taking action to improve soil quality.

This includes new rules underpinning cross compliance which anyone claiming Common Agricultural Policy payments must comply with. The rules require a minimum level of soil cover, prevention of erosion and measures to protect the organic matter levels of soil. The new rules take an outcome based approach, instead of the previous paper-based system, thereby focussing on environmental improvements while reducing burdens for farmers. The Government will continue to monitor the implementation of the new rules.

No single body or institution has responsibility for measuring and analysing soils in the UK. Soil testing is carried out by a mix of commercial laboratories and Public Analyst labs. Typically laboratories are accredited and adhere to British Standards on testing procedures. However, there are no regulations governing soil testing procedures themselves.

There are existing soil maps for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which use different soil classifications. There are currently no plans to produce a new UK soil map, and we have not explored options for private sector investment.

01/01/2023
Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much (a) the Legal Aid Agency and (b) HM Courts and Tribunal Service spent on intermediaries in each of the last four years.

Mr Shailesh Vara

This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

01/01/2023
Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Government’s policies of the recognition of acts constituting genocide in the European Parliament’s Resolution, Systematic mass murder of religious minorities by ISIS, agreed on 4 February 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

European Parliament resolutions are not binding and do not create legal obligations on member states.

It is the long-standing policy of successive governments that any judgements on whether genocide has occurred should be a matter for the international judicial system rather than governments or other non-judicial bodies. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations of International Humanitarian Law, and to prevent their further escalation, irrespective of whether these violations fit the definition of specific international crimes.

Ultimately, the best way of preventing future atrocities is to defeat Daesh and its violent ideology. That’s why the UK is playing a leading role in a Global Coalition of more than 65 countries and international organisations to respond to Daesh’s inhumanity.

01/01/2023

Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on how much and what proportion of the total budget for UN peacekeeping was spent in support of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus in each of the last six years.

James Duddridge

The table below sets out how much the UN General Assembly allocated to the gross budget for the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for the last six UN budget years (which run from 1 July to 30 June); the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus net budget, following the deduction of voluntary contributions from the Governments of Cyprus and Greece; how much the total UN Peacekeeping Budget was for each year; and the percentage of the UN Peacekeeping Budget allocated to UNFICYP’s gross budget. The UN budgets in US dollars, therefore all the figures below are in that currency.

UN budget year	UNFICYP budget (gross)	UNFICYP budget (net)	Total UN Peacekeeping Budget	Percentage of UN Peacekeeping Budget allocated to UNFICYP’s gross budget
2015/16	55,139,400	31,027,967	8,256,758,900	0.67
2014/15	62,531,500	36,082,233	8,510,143,233	0.73
2013/14	58,514,200	33,332,866	7,901,248,366	0.74
2012/13	56,968,200	32,251,867	7,364,983,850	0.77
2011/12	60,121,200	34,506,933	7,835,339,630	0.77
2010/11	59,759,200	34,304,608	7,823,615,600	0.76

01/01/2023