Tag: Richard Arkless

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to her Statement of 16 November 2015, Official Report, columns 379 to 382, what proportion of the new security officers announced in that Statement she plans will be based in Scotland.

Mr John Hayes

We do not discuss specific deployments of SIA officers. The Rt. Hon member can be confident that the Strategic Defence and Security Review is a good result for the whole of the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans for the proposed British Bill of Rights to apply to Scotland.

Dominic Raab

The government was elected with a mandate to reform the UK’s human rights framework. We are considering the implications of a Bill of Rights on devolution as we develop our proposals. We will, of course, fully engage with the devolved administrations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the implications for aid of the 1955 tax treaty between the UK and Malawi.

Mr Nick Hurd

The Secretary of State for International Development has had no discussions on the 1955 tax treaty between the UK and Malawi with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Issues relating to tax treaties are a matter for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to publish its review into supported accommodation; and whether it has carried out an impact assessment on the extension of the Local Housing Allowance cap.

Caroline Nokes

I refer the Honourable Member to the Written Statement made today by the Secretary of State:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2016-09-15/HCWS154/

Full impact and equality impact assessments will be undertaken in due course.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-11-17.

To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will provide an update on whether there are plans for a review of security protocols for the Parliamentary Estate and what communication the Serjeant at Arms office has had with relevant government departments on increasing the security of the House and the safety of staff.

Tom Brake

It is a long-standing practice that we do not comment in public on the security of Parliament. However, I can assure the hon. Member that arrangements are kept under continual review and those working on the Estate are advised of any changes. If he has particular concerns the Parliamentary Security Director and the Serjeant at Arms would be happy to meet with him.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the effect of the Government’s welfare programme on social and economic inequalities in Scotland.

David Mundell

We have fully assessed the impacts on equality of the measures in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill and the wider budget, meeting our obligations as set out in the Public Sector Equality Duty. The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Bill on 20 July.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-02-09.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received on the implications for aid of the 1955 tax treaty between the UK and Malawi.

Mr David Gauke

No such representations have been received. Discussions with Malawi over a new tax treaty have already taken place. We are hopeful the new treaty can be concluded shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2016-09-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department takes to ensure prompt payments by companies in receipt of defence contracts.

Harriett Baldwin

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to paying all of its suppliers promptly, and we place a contractual obligation on our prime contractors to pay their subcontractors within a 30 day period.

MOD payment performance is published on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministry-of-defence-supplier-invoicing-and-payment-information.

This shows that during the first quarter of 2016-17, the MOD paid 96.5% of its invoices within five days and 99.9% within 30 days.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether a security review has been initiated for the purpose of strengthening port security between Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Mr Robert Goodwill

All maritime security requirements are risk informed and are kept under constant review. The Department for Transport (DfT) works closely with ports, ferry operators and other agencies to ensure the safety of the travelling public.

The DfT also has a set of comprehensive maritime security requirements which port facilities and ships are required to implement, with a well-established monitoring and oversight programme in place to ensure compliance with this regime.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Arkless on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to encourage an increase in the number of HGV drivers in the UK to meet demand for such drivers.

Andrew Jones

The Department’s agencies are taking action on HGV driver testing and licensing. This includes recruiting 78 new driving examiners, as well as 65 in training and 41 offered posts. Licence renewal times where there are not medical issues have reduced and changes are being made to the operation of parts of the medical renewals process. The Department is working with other parts of Government to encourage and enable more people to become lorry drivers, including via apprenticeships and action related to Jobcentre Plus.

I note that over 55,000 tests were conducted in 2014-15, the highest total since 2008-09. Further, the number of Large Goods Vehicle practical and theory tests of all types conducted during July to September 2015 was 34 per cent higher than in the same quarter of 2014.