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  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Prime Minister, whether he opposed the provisional implementation of the proposed EU-Canada trade agreement at the EU Council on 28 and 29 June 2016.

    Mr David Cameron

    No. The UK supports this EU-Canada agreement. The President of the European Commission updated the European Council on ongoing trade negotiations. A comprehensive discussion by the Council on trade will take place at the forthcoming October meeting as set out in the European Council Conclusions, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for (a) the UK aviation sector and (b) his Department’s aviation policies of the outcome of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    It is too early to assess the impacts of the outcome of the EU Referendum for any particular sector, including aviation. The Prime Minister has made it clear that at present we remain a member of the EU with all the rights and obligations this entails and that it will be for the next administration to determine the terms of our exit from the European Union.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps his Department has taken to assist London Midland in tackling fare evasion on the West Coast Mainline.

    Claire Perry

    The Department funded a ticketless travel survey in Summer 2015 that highlighted to London Midland where there is lost revenue across their network. London Midland are obliged to maximise revenue in the franchise and it is in their interests to reduce ticketless travel. The public consultation that closed in February 2016 for the new West Midlands franchise asked for views on how ticketless travel can be improved for the next franchise that is due to commence in October 2017.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Women and Equalities

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent steps she has taken to promote LGBT rights in the workplace.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Improving LGB&T people’s experience at work is a key priority for this government. The Equality Act 2010 provides one of the world’s strongest legislative frameworks to prevent and tackle discrimination, harassment and victimisation in employment, including because of sexual orientation and gender reassignment.

    We also fund the Equality Advisory & Support Service, which provides free information, advice and support on equality and human rights issues to LGB&T people and others who may have been discriminated against at work.

    In addition, we recently published guidance for employers on the recruitment and retention of transgender employees. The guidance contains practical advice, suggestions and ideas to help improve knowledge and understanding about transgender issues in the workplace, and helps employers comply with the law.

    We will continue to engage with LGB&T organisations, employers, trade unions and individuals to understand and address the challenges for LGB&T people in the workplace.

  • Alan Mak – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Alan Mak – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Mak on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that school standards in England match those of the best international competitors.

    Nick Gibb

    In 2014 we introduced a new, ambitious national curriculum to match the best education systems in the world. We are also reforming GCSEs, A Levels and primary school assessment to represent a new gold standard which enables students to compete with their peers in the world’s best school systems. From summer 2017 the standard of a GCSE “good pass” will be in line with the average performance in high-performing countries.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Office of National Statistics’ statistical bulletin Population Estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: mid-2015 published on 23 June was not subject to purdah before the EU referendum.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the next BBC Charter will include a requirement for public service notices to be broadcast over (1) BBC radio, and (2) BBC television.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    There are provisions in the current BBC Framework Agreement for the broadcast of an announcement in an emergency. There are no plans to change this. The new BBC Framework Agreement will be published in due course.

  • Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of the three-day interval between the notification and arrival of forest reproductive material in preventing damage to, or infection of, existing forestry.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Forest Reproductive Material (Great Britain) Regulations 2002 regulate the marketing of forest reproductive material (FRM). There is no notification period for the introduction of FRM so no such assessment has been carried out.

    The Plant and Tree Notification System requirements relates to the movement of certain tree species from other EU member states and extends to oak, plane, sweet chestnut, pine, elm, prunus and ash trees (although no movements of ash trees are permitted at present, due to ash dieback restrictions).

    The scheme is intended to help the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate build intelligence about particular trades, particularly those where there is a risk of introducing harmful organisms, and to help arrange targeted inspections of such trees. The information is also valuable in the event of an outbreak, to facilitate tracing of trees which may be implicated, and to help inform the development of Defra policy. The scheme is not restricted to trees intended for forestry purposes.

    Notification of importation of plants and trees should be before or within 5 days of the arrival of the consignment, detailing the planned destination in England or Wales.

  • Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make the police information number 101 a free phone number.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The public have always paid to contact the police for non-emergencies and the 15 pence per call charge is a competitive and transparent rate, especially when compared to previous police non-emergency numbers (such as 0845 numbers) which could cost up to 40 pence per minute.

    Research by Ofcom shows that a small fixed charge does not deter people from calling the service and reduces the likelihood of it being used inappropriately.

  • Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether companies employed to remove crashed vehicles have a legal obligation to collect detached parts of the vehicles from hedgerows, ditches and property around crash sites.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The company employed by Highways England in respect of vehicle recoveries does not have a legal obligation to remove debris from, or around, the strategic road network.