The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with HM Treasury on the removal of the fuel duty escalator for liquefied petroleum gas as part of government proposals to reduce emissions from road transport.
Rory Stewart
Defra has had no discussions with HM Treasury about the removal of the fuel duty escalator for liquefied petroleum gas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2015 to Question 223992, how many applications were made to the Access to Elected Office Fund in each year following its establishment; how many of those applications were (a) granted and (b) refused; and what the total amount paid to successful applicants was.
Caroline Dinenage
The number of people who have applied to the Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund is in the table below:
|
Financial Year |
Number of applicants (some applicants made more than one application) |
|
2012/13 |
27 |
|
2013/14 |
34 |
|
2014/15 |
48 |
The total amount claimed by successful applicants was £271,260 (out of awards totalling £418,733)
An evaluation of the pilot fund is currently being undertaken and will be published in due course. An announcement regarding the future of the fund is anticipated early in 2016.
The information on regional breakdown of expenditure and the diversity of candidates can be found in the tables below:
|
Region (location of election seat) |
Amount claimed and paid (£) |
|
East Midlands |
1,099 |
|
East of England |
480 |
|
Greater London |
89,399 |
|
North East England |
4,382 |
|
North West England |
20,567 |
|
South East England |
69,474 |
|
South West England |
21,260 |
|
West Midlands |
20,281 |
|
Yorkshire and Humberside |
17,882 |
|
Total (rounded) |
271,260 |
|
Political Party |
Amount claimed and paid (£) |
|
Conservative |
32,361 |
|
Democracy 2015 |
350 |
|
Green |
5,791 |
|
Labour |
120,846 |
|
Liberal Democrat |
32,601 |
|
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition |
276 |
|
UKIP |
53,236 |
|
Independent |
25,798 |
|
Total (rounded) |
271,260 |
|
Gender |
Amount claimed and paid (£) |
|
Male |
139,524 |
|
Female |
131,736 |
|
Total |
271,260 |
|
Ethnic Group |
Amount claimed and paid (£) |
|
White; all backgrounds |
218,117 |
|
Mixed ethnic origin |
1,348 |
|
Asian; all backgrounds |
26,680 |
|
Black/African/Caribbean/Black British |
22,977 |
|
Other ethnic group |
350 |
|
Prefer not to say |
1,788 |
|
Total |
271,260 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-01-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 7 January (HL4728), whether independence was one of the criteria by which candidates to chair the independent review of localisation of Council Tax support schemes were assessed.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
While independence was not referenced in my earlier answer, Ministers were mindful of independence in considering a chair, and have made it clear that this would be an independent review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rowlands on 2016-02-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the European Commission on when their revision of the European Arrest Warrant handbook will be issued.
Lord Bates
We continue to press the European Commission to revise the European Arrest Warrant handbook as soon as possible, in particular as it relates to proportionality. We have done so through both working groups in Brussels and bilateral contact.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-03-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Turkey about its actions against Zaman newspaper, its editor and chief columnist, together with other media; and what response, if any, they have received.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We continue to monitor specific cases and regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government. We welcomed the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey, released on 10 November, which highlighted the need for further reforms from Turkey in these areas. The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), did so on 7 March when he met Turkey’s Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, and underlined the importance of protections for a free press and human rights in Turkey. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), set out the UK’s concerns on freedom of expression when he met his Turkish counterpart on 12 March. The Minister for Europe, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), discussed media freedoms and rule of law issues when he met Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister on 12 March.
As a friend and ally, we urge the Turkish government to uphold the right of media to operate without restriction.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-04-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many infraction proceedings the EU has initiated against his Department in each of the last 10 years; what the reasons were for each such proceeding being undertaken; and what the outcome was of each such proceeding.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The information requested is publicly available on the website of the European Commission where the infringement cases for each member state can be found. This includes the infringement and the decision. These records go back to 2002 and can be found here.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of how many full-time equivalent civil servants will support the West Midlands Combined Authority in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Mark Francois
A range of officials from across Government will work to support the West Midlands Combined Authority in the delivery of their policy outcomes. Civil Servants from my Department, including those based in Birmingham, and from the Homes and Communities Agency, will support the authorities of the West Midlands on a number of key local delivery priorities, including on planning, housing, and programmes to drive local economic growth, such as Enterprise Zones and European funding.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the concluding observations and recommendations of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the UK’s sixth periodic report in relation to welfare support for asylum-seekers; and if she will make a statement.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The report recommends that the cash allowance provided to destitute asylum seekers, currently set at £36.95 per week, is raised. The level of the allowance is reviewed regularly to ensure that it is sufficient to cover essential living needs of individual asylum seekers and we will announce the result of this year’s review later this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-10-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the number of Deprivation of Liberty orders sought by care home owners and the proportion which are rejected, whether they are considering taking steps to improve the system; and if so, when they will publish details of those planned steps.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department has commissioned the Law Commission to carry out a review of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The review is expected to be published at the end of the year.
The Department will consider what steps may be necessary to improve the system in light of the review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress made by Montserrat in meeting the Prime Minister’s ambition for a public register of beneficial ownership since June 2013.
James Duddridge
I refer the Right Honourable Lady to the answer given by my Hon Friend the member for Hertfordshire South West (David Gauke), the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to questions 10437, 10438 and 10448, which sets out the criteria we expect the Overseas Territories to meet in relation to their central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system. We are in discussions with the Montserrat authorities on this and are offering technical assistance as they develop their proposals.