Asked by: Ann McKechin (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much UK aid has been spent in support of privatising electricity in Nigeria since 2002; and through which funding streams that aid was provided.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The UK has spent £39 million since 2002 supporting the reform on Nigeria’s power system. Of this around £7 million has been spent directly on support to privatisation and around £14 million on market and regulatory reform.
Support has been provided through two phases of the Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (NIAF) programme. The first phase ran from 2007 to the end of 2011 (and spent £15.5 million on the power sector, of which £4 million was on privatisation). The second phase started at the end of 2011 and runs to December 2016 (and has spent £23.5 million on the power sector to date, £3 million on privatisation). DFID support has helped more than double the power supply.
Asked by: Ann McKechin (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobseeker's allowance applications processed by (a) Maryhill Job Centre and (b) Partick Job Centre were subject to monetary sanctions in (i) 2011, (ii) 2012, (iii) 2013 and (iv) 2014; and what the average length of such sanctions was in each such year.
Answered by Esther McVey
The number of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) decisions to apply a sanction by Jobcentre Plus office is published at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm
Information requested on the average length of sanctions is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Ann McKechin (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 on charities.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Section 39 of the Act provides for a review of the operation of the regulatory regime governing third parties at the 2015 General Election.
The Government announced on 28 January 2015 that Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbots will conduct this review.
Asked by: Ann McKechin (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what the Government's policy is on increasing participation amongst young voters.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The introduction of online registration makes registering to vote quicker, simpler and more convenient than ever before. Over 1 million applications to register to vote have been made by young people.
On 4 February the Government announced that a number of national organisations will receive funding to promote voter registration. The organisations include the British Youth Council and UK Youth. We will also fund student organisations including the NUS.
In addition we have supported data sharing initiatives whereby universities share directly with Electoral Registration Officers the details of students who can then be contacted individually.
Asked by: Ann McKechin (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2015 to Question 222124, what information his Department holds on money withheld in benefit sanctions.
Answered by Esther McVey
As previously replied and reiterated in the Debate on the matter, the Department doesn’t make an estimate of the amount of benefit that would have been withheld as a result of benefit sanctions.
Asked by: Ann McKechin (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was withheld in benefits sanctions from applicants residing in (a) Glasgow North constituency, (b) the city of Glasgow and (c) Scotland in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013 and (v) 2014.
Answered by Esther McVey
As previously replied and reiterated in the Debate on the matter, the Department does not estimate the amount of benefit withheld as a result of benefit sanctions.
Asked by: Ann McKechin (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many organisations in Scotland have signed the Corporate Covenant relating to reservists, veterans and families of service personnel.
Answered by Anna Soubry
There has been healthy interest in the Corporate Covenant from large corporations to small businesses, and Scotland is no exception. To date, 12 organisations in Scotland have signed the Corporate Covenant, and many more have expressed an interest in doing so. In addition, many national organisations have signed up and would of course also have sites/branches in Scotland.
Asked by: Ann McKechin (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Scottish Government will participate in the One per cent Challenge for recruitment of reservists.
Answered by Julian Brazier
The Scottish Government is participating in the "Civil Service Reserves 1% Challenge" which seeks to raise awareness amongst civil servants of the opportunities in the Reserves and encourage more to join.
Asked by: Ann McKechin (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2015 to Question 219632, whether his Department received any direct or indirect information from people or organisations other than City Link or the administrators (a) orally or (b) in writing before 23 December 2014 that there was a possibility of City Link being placed into administration.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Insolvency Service first received information that a national logistics firm was at risk via email on 9 December and passed this to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) on 10 December. Requests for the company name were rejected as the information was commercially sensitive. On the basis of the available information, officials worked with the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus to be ready to provide support should a failure actually materialise.
It is not uncommon for BIS to receive commercially sensitive information about companies or facilities at risk in strict confidence, though not all of these result in a company or site closure or significant job losses. BIS treats any such information with the utmost discretion in order to avoid precipitating a failure, which we would all wish to avoid.
Asked by: Ann McKechin (Labour - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effects of fracking on rural communities; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Shale gas exploitation has the potential to benefit rural communities. It will create jobs in the industry and supply chain. Communities will also benefit locally from a share of the revenues and from additional business rates. The Department of Energy and Climate Change lead on the economic benefits of shale gas. Any potential impacts, including those on the local environment, are fully considered through the rigorous permitting and planning processes.