Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2024 to Question 11394 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Ministers' Private Offices, what the cost of each refurbishment was.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish his latest estimate of the annual cost to the Exchequer of the Rural Fuel Duty Relief scheme.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government estimates that Rural Fuel Duty Relief had an Exchequer cost of £5m in 2020/21 (the latest year of estimation).
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2024 to Question 11388 on Ministry of Defence: Ministers' Private Offices, what the cost of the 2022 refurbishment works was; and what those refurbishment works entailed.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The cost of refurbishment works to Ministers’ Private Offices in 2022 totalled c£27,000.
The works comprised wallpapering and replacement carpets.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the minutes of each of the fortnightly meetings held by his Department, TfL and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham on the business case for the strengthening works on Hammersmith Bridge in the last six months.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
These meetings are primarily for the Department’s officials to discuss any updates regarding the ongoing Hammersmith Bridge restoration project with their counterparts at Transport for London and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and are not minuted.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The following table includes the number of reported lost or stolen ministerial red boxes from the FCDO between 2021 and 2023.
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
Lost | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Stolen | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The departmental security team records and investigates each reported loss from the FCDO. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
None.Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the amount of interest that Russian designated persons have accrued on assets that have been frozen by the UK Government.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
As published in the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI)’s 2022-2023 Annual Review, between February 2022 and October 2023, £22.7 billion in frozen funds were reported to OFSI, part of HM Treasury, in relation to the Russia sanctions regime. This figure is provided in aggregate so as not to disclose the value of any funds held by particular designated persons and is a cumulative total of assets reported.
An asset freeze does not involve a change in ownership of the frozen funds or economic resources, nor are they transferred to HM Treasury. Any interest accrued on these assets is subject to the asset freeze, to be frozen immediately by the person in possession or control of them. There is no obligation for a relevant institution to inform OFSI when it credits an account with interest and therefore OFSI does not hold this information.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to her Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was established in February 2023 as a result of the Machinery of Government changes, so records only exist for one year.
The following table includes the number of lost or stolen ministerial red boxes from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology for 2023.
2023 | |
Lost | 0 |
Stolen | 0 |
The departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to her Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
No ministerial red boxes belonging to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport were reported lost or stolen between 2021 and 2023.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
None.