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  • Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for the Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean of the recent ruling from the Supreme Court in Belize that a law that criminalised homosexuality was unconstitutional.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Tolerance, respect, equality and non-discrimination are all important UK values. I therefore welcome the recent ruling from the Supreme Court in Belize and hope that, following the appeal made by the Belize Catholic Church, the decision will stand. I also hope countries across the Caribbean and the wider Commonwealth which continue to criminalise private consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same sex will consider this judgment carefully and be encouraged to make similar updates to their own legislation.

  • Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have undertaken any follow-up work as a result of the MoD study Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in the UK Air Defence Region published on 15 May 2006; and if so, what was the nature and status of such work, and what units were involved.

    Earl Howe

    No.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the amount of student loans outstanding was as of 31 March in each of the last three years.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers student loans for each of the UK Government Administrations. Statistics on student loan debt and repayment in England are published annually by the SLC in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Loans in England’. Information on the amount of student loan outstanding as of 31 of March in each of the last three years is available in Table 1. The information can be accessed at the following link:

    http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment/england.aspx

    “

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people earning less than £11,000 per year are full-time employees.

    Chris Skidmore

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

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether public sector net debt will fall by the end of financial year 2016-17 in line with his Department’s published estimates.

    Jane Ellison

    The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) publishes the official forecasts for the level of public sector net debt as a share of gross domestic product. The next OBR forecast will be published in November 2016 in its Economic and Fiscal Outlook document.

  • James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on how many residential planning permissions which were granted in England in the last five years have yet to commence building work.

    Gavin Barwell

    As of 1 July 2016 planning permission had been granted since 1 January 2011 for 311,000 homes on sites where work had not yet started. However, latest figures show that on these sites yet to be started, 90 per cent of the dwellings are now progressing towards a start, up from 85 per cent in July 2015.

    There are a range of factors which can delay the start of work on site. We are taking forward a range of proposals to help drive up delivery post permission, including changes in legislation to tackle unnecessary planning conditions and providing additional investment in infrastructure to help unlock housing sites and we expect developers and local authorities to work together to tackle problems at a local level.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 20 March 2015 to Question 227862 and pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 45109, on Northern Ireland Universities Air Squadron, what assessment he has made of the full 24 student places to be filled.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Northern Ireland University Air Squadron provision of 24 student places reflects the current flying opportunities and staffing levels. The precise number recruited this academic year may not be known immediately, as students can express their interest and join the Squadron throughout the year.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to identify properties in Preston that are vulnerable to flooding; and what (a) funding has been allocated and (b) work is being done to protect such properties.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    The Environment Agency has undertaken detailed flood modelling for the Preston area and properties at flood risk are shown on the Environment Agency’s flood map (available on GOV.UK), additional modelling to refine this after the December 2015 flooding is ongoing and expected to be completed in early 2017.

    The full cost of a flood defence scheme for the Preston and South Ribble area is £32 million. The Government has allocated £17 million in the current flood risk capital programme to this scheme. The Environment Agency is currently working with partners to explore opportunities to secure an additional £15 million, to address the remaining shortfall. The scheme is scheduled to commence in 2019 and will provide new and improved defences which will reduce flood risk to 3000 residential and 600 commercial properties.

    The new Preston and South Ribble flood risk scheme is the main focus of the work that is being done to protect property. However, a number of smaller projects were also completed after the December 2015 flood events including repairs to flood walls at Walton-le-Dale, removal of a fallen tree and repairs to defences at Broadgate and repairs to defences at the Capitol Centre.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the UN Security Council on the persecution of Christians and other minorities living in Syria in the last three months.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK Government has consistently supported the need for accountability for atrocities that have been committed in Syria, in the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council (HRC).

    On 19 September, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), alongside the Foreign Ministers of Iraq and Belgium, launched a global campaign to bring Daesh to justice for its crimes at the UN General Assembly – this initiative includes crimes committed against religious minorities.

    The UK plays a leading role in the tri-annual Syria resolutions at the UN HRC, the latest of which took place in September. The HRC resolutions draw attention to the ongoing violations and abuses of human rights in Syria, the vast majority of which are the responsibility of the Asad regime, and refer to the need to protect ethnic, religious and confessional communities. We will continue to use our leadership role in the HRC to shine a spotlight on the dire human rights situation, and make clear our strong condemnation of the Asad regime.

    We consistently use our interventions at the UN Security Council – most recently at an emergency session on Aleppo on 25 September – to highlight the suffering of the Syrian people, of all ethnic and religious backgrounds.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Nigel Dodds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the prospects of talks on North Korea under the Six Party talks format.

    Alok Sharma

    The UK is not a member of the Six Party talks, but we maintain a close dialogue with all participants, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Through our bilateral engagement with DPRK we have made clear to the regime that their nuclear and ballistic missile programmes are in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions and that the DPRK should return to credible and authentic multilateral talks on denuclearisation. We assess that the resumption of Six Party talks is unlikely given the current situation and only if the DPRK agrees to discuss denuclearisation.