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  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to promote EU member states only sending animals to slaughterhouses which meet the standards set by the World Organisation for Animal Health.

    George Eustice

    The Government is committed to pressing for all EU Member States to ensure that animals are only sent to slaughterhouses that meet high welfare standards. To this end, we will continue working with the European Commission to build on the success of their workshop in the Lebanon in March, in raising awareness of the requisite slaughter standards within the region and further afield. We will also continue to make a significant contribution to the work of OIE and development of global standards on animal welfare at slaughter.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Ben Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has established that there is a basis to permit fishing at levels higher than the limits set by the Common Fisheries Policy.

    George Eustice

    Defra’s view is that fishing limits, in the form of Total Allowable Catches, need to be set in accordance with the objective of achieving the maximum sustainable yield exploitation rate by 2015, where possible, and 2020 at the latest.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Ben Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of UK seas out to 200nm are designated as (a) Special Areas of Conservation and (b) Marine Conservation Zones.

    George Eustice

    The Government is committed to creating a Blue Belt of Marine Protected Areas around our coast. Currently 7.6% of UK seas are designated as Special Areas of Conservation, 1.4% as Special Protection Areas and 8.0% as Marine Conservation Zones (known as Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas in Scotland). Accounting for overlaps, a total of 16.2% of UK seas are designated as Marine Protected Areas.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Ben Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of assessed European fish stocks that are (a) fished at or below and (b) fished at higher than the maximum sustainable yield rate.

    George Eustice

    European Commission information suggests that in 2015, for stocks with full analytical assessments in the Atlantic EU waters, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, (a) 32 stocks were being fished at or below the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) exploitation rate, and (b) 30 such stocks were being fished higher than the MSY exploitation rate.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Ben Bradshaw – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is her Department’s position in EU Council negotiations to develop Multi-Annual Fisheries Plans that ensure fishing limits do not exceed the maximum sustainable yield.

    George Eustice

    The UK supports the development of Multi-Annual Fisheries Plans that assist the delivery of Common Fisheries Policy objectives, including the achievement of maximum sustainable yield exploitation rates by 2015 where possible, and by 2020 at the latest.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was paid in (a) year end and (b) in-year bonuses to officials of her Department in each of the last three years.

    George Eustice

    The table below sets out how much was paid to officials in the core-Department in end-year and in-year non-consolidated performance payments in each of the last three financial years.

    Financial Year

    End-year Payments

    In-Year Payments

    2012-13

    £898,447

    £167,490

    2013-14

    £1,359,640

    £250,423

    2014-15

    £1,002,359

    £298,028

    The amounts include end-year payments made to Senior Civil Servants and staff at Grade 6 and below and in-year payments made to staff at Grade 6 and below.

  • John Spellar – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    John Spellar – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will update the travel advice regarding the Punjab on his Department’s website to advise travellers to give serious consideration to not travelling until the situation in that region stabilises.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office reviews travel advice on a regular basis and we have updated the travel advice for India to reflect the situation on the ground in Punjab. Whilst the situation in Punjab has eased since October, calls for further protests continue. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and update travel advice accordingly.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much was paid in (a) year end and (b) in-year bonuses to officials of his Department in each of the last three years.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Since 2010-11, in line with wider Government policy, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has restricted Performance Related Pay (PRP) awards for senior civil servants within the FCO to the top 25% of performers. Since April 2015 the FCO has restricted PRP awards for UK based staff across all grades to the top 25% of performers.

    In providing the below figures, we have interpreted ‘last three years’ to be the last three financial years. Amounts paid to officials working for the FCO, FCO Services and to those on interchange on FCO terms and conditions have been included within the figures provided.

    The following amounts in (a) year end and (b) in-year bonuses were paid to FCO officials in each of the last three financial years, we also note the numbers of staff who received the bonuses during each of the financial years:

    FY14-15 a) £6,274,254.70; 4160 officers received a year PRP
    b) £575,894.46 ; 1714 officers received an in-year PRP

    FY13-14 a) £6,654,783.10; 4271 officers received a year end PRP
    b) £566,880.52; 1642 officers received an in-year PRP

    FY12-13 a) £6,658,384.20; 4076 officers received a year end PRP
    b) £757,403.98; 2492 officers received an in-year PRP

    Non-consolidated PRP is only paid to reward excellence, for example to recognise and incentivise those responsible for delivering high quality public services and savings to the taxpayer.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I am aware of concerns about human rights violations on both sides of the Line of Control. We have consistently maintained that any allegations of human rights abuses should be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues in the Cabinet Office on the removal from the Ministerial Code of a reference to Ministers having a duty to comply with the law including international law and treaty obligations and to uphold the administration of justice.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not normally disclosed.