The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to continue to participate in the European Training Foundation after the UK leaves the EU.
Joseph Johnson
The UK will continue to participate in the European Training Foundation until we leave the EU. Future participation after we leave the EU is a matter for the forthcoming negotiations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 2015-11-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many civil servants are supporting Lord Strathclyde in the preparation of his report on the powers of the House of Lords; and which political advisers are also providing support to that review.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston
The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Stowell of Beeston):
Lord Strathclyde is being supported in his review by a panel of external experts and a small secretariat of civil servants in the Cabinet Office. The secretariat does not include political advisers. The expert panel comprises Sir Stephen Laws, former First Parliamentary Counsel; Jacqy Sharpe, a former Clerk in the House of Commons and Clerk to the Joint Committee on Conventions; and Sir Michael Pownall, former Clerk of the Parliaments.
Several reviews have examined the powers of the House of Lords, including the Royal Commission on the reform of the House of Lords (2000) and the Joint Committee on Conventions referenced above (2006).
The review led by Lord Strathclyde is due to consider how to protect the ability of elected Governments to secure their business in Parliament in the light of the operation of certain conventions. The review will consider in particular how to secure the decisive role of the elected House of Commons in relation to its primacy on financial matters; and secondary legislation.
Ministers regularly discuss a wide range of issues with the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service.
Lord Strathclyde will determine the way in which the review is undertaken and the content of his recommendations, including any definitions required. It is not possible to provide an estimate of the cost of the exercise at this stage, but neither Lord Strathclyde nor his panel of experts will be paid a fee. Lord Strathclyde is expected to seek views from a wide range of Parliamentarians, parties and groups in undertaking his review, and has issued a letter to all Parliamentarians inviting their input. He is also seeking views from the Clerk of the Parliaments and the Clerk of the House. Lord Strathclyde will report to the Prime Minister, and the Government will decide how to proceed upon receipt of his recommendations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patricia Gibson on 2015-12-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Financial Conduct Authority plans to publish a consultation on nuisance calls.
Harriett Baldwin
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has committed to undertake a review on unsolicited marketing by consumer credit firms. This will take place early next year. The FCA intends to consult on any proposals in summer 2016.
The FCA requires that when cold calling by phone, the identity of the person and the firm is made clear at the outset, as well as the purpose of the communication, so the consumer can decide whether to proceed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the diary of engagements of the Chief Social Worker for Children since 1 January 2015.
Edward Timpson
The Department does not publish the diaries of staff members. Diaries often contain sensitive information and releasing them could impact both on the policy making process and the willingness of officials to meet with particular groups if this information were to be freely available.
Since her appointment, the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, Isabelle Trowler, has visited the following local authorities: Bexley; Birmingham; Blackpool; Calderdale; Cambridgeshire; Camden; Central Bedfordshire; Cheshire West and Chester; Derbyshire; Doncaster; Enfield; East Sussex; Gloucestershire; Greenwich; Hackney; Hammersmith and Fulham; Haringey; Hull; Islington; Kensington and Chelsea; Kent; Kingston on Thames; Kirklees; Lancashire; Leeds; Liverpool; Manchester; North Lincolnshire; Northamptonshire; Portsmouth; Redcar and Cleveland; Richmond upon Thames; Rotherham; Sheffield; Slough; Solihull; Staffordshire; Tower Hamlets; Wandsworth; Westminster; Wigan; Wolverhampton; Worcestershire; and York.
As well as visiting local authorities, the Chief Social Worker meets with representatives of many children’s services departments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to cap the number of times a person in receipt of benefits can be sanctioned in a month.
Priti Patel
The Department has no plans to cap the number of times a sanction might apply to a claimant’s benefit in a month.
There are established safeguards to prevent the accrual of sanctions. This prevents the duration of a sanction escalating if the sanctionable failure occurs within two weeks of a previous similar failure.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of changes in his Department’s headcount in each financial year of the 2015 Spending Review.
Joseph Johnson
As part of the Department’s contribution to deficit reduction BIS received an overall 17% reduction to Resource DEL under the 2015 Spending Review. In order to meet that reduction, the Department is committed to becoming more efficient and effective, including by reducing its overall operational headcount across the whole BIS Group, in consultation with staff in the headquarters and Partner Organisations. The details of exactly what headcount reductions will need to be made in each financial year of the Spending Review are being considered alongside our overall approach to a new business model for the Department.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-04-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any enquiries have been launched into the involvement of UK financial institutions in the matter of the Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK has a robust but proportionate anti-money laundering regime. The UK’s first National Risk Assessment of money laundering was published on 15 October 2015. It identified the threats and vulnerabilities faced in this area, and an Action Plan will be published shortly, clearly setting out the steps that will be taken to address them.
The Prime Minister made clear in his Singapore speech on corruption last year that the Government is determined to make sure the UK does not become a safe haven for corrupt money. The Prime Minister’s Anti-Corruption Summit in May will also consider what more the UK and our international partners can do to tackle flows of illicit finance at home and abroad.
Any investigation is an operational matter for the police and the prosecution authorities. The decision on whether to investigate a case, and then take forward a prosecution, will depend on the evidence available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that when a girl is identified as being at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM), frontline professionals are taking the steps outlined in the multi-agency statutory guidance on FGM.
Karen Bradley
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. We will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong physical and psychological suffering to women and girls.
The Government is clear that tackling FGM needs a coordinated response from a range of professionals, including teachers, health professionals, social workers and police which is why on 1 April we published updated multi-agency guidance on FGM which we have put on a statutory footing to support compliance. To support professionals to take the steps outlined in the guidance, including receiving adequate training, we have made available free FGM e-learning for all professionals. To date, the course has been completed by over 30,000 people. Our FGM Unit is providing outreach support to local areas and working to raise awareness of resources available to professionals, including training, best practice examples and information on legislation and policy.
In addition, the Department of Health’s £3 million FGM Prevention Programme is focused on improving the response of NHS to FGM, and through its Innovation programme, the Department for Education is funding the Local Government Association and Barnardo’s to develop a centre of excellence and outreach to support local authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Judith Cummins on 2016-07-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential economic benefits to Bradford and the wider regional economy of electrifying the Calder Valley line.
Andrew Jones
Later this year the rail industry will present its initial advice to Government on investment needs for the national network, drawing on the outputs of Network Rail’s long term planning process, including its refresh of the national electrification strategy. Taking account of this advice and other inputs – including from Transport for the North – the Government intends to articulate its emerging priorities for improvement to the national network during 2017.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by his Department are non-UK nationals.
Mr David Jones
All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.
More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with business to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.