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  • Mary Creagh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mary Creagh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will assess the costs and benefits of the EU Water Framework Directive to the UK economy.

    Rory Stewart

    Implementation of the Water Framework Directive within the UK is a devolved matter. In England, the Environment Agency’s 2014 consultation on updating the 2009 River Basin Management Plans considered a scenario in which around 75% of waters would reach good status or good ecological potential by 2027 (or later where natural recovery times are an issue). It estimated the benefits of achieving this to be £21 billion (present value), with costs of £12 billion.

    The Environment Agency will shortly be submitting its updated proposed River Basin Management Plans with revised estimates of the costs and benefits to the Secretary of State, for consideration with a view to their approval and publication by the end of the year.

  • Mary Creagh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mary Creagh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will assess the costs and benefits of the EU Waste Framework Directive to the UK economy.

    Rory Stewart

    An assessment of the costs and benefits of the revised Waste Framework Directive in England and Wales was carried out when laying the Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011 which transposed the Directive. The assessment was published and is still available on the Legislation.gov webpages. As waste is a devolved issue, the Scottish and Northern Irish administrations carried out and published their own impact assessments, which are similarly available online.

    The European Commission are expected to publish proposals to amend the revised Waste Framework Directive on 2 December. Once those proposals are published, we will submit another explanatory memorandum to the House, assessing the potential costs and benefits of those changes.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what commitments on human rights in China he secured during the recent state visit to the UK by President Xi Jinping.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    In talks with President Xi, the Prime Minister, my rt hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) reaffirmed the importance we attach to the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue. President Xi acknowledged the importance of improving human rights protection, and that China was ready for increased exchanges and co-operation on this issue with the United Kingdom. In the UK-China Joint Statement, Britain and China agreed to continue exchanges on human rights and rule of law. We will continue to pursue our human rights concerns both privately and in public fora.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has received from his Turkish counterpart on the ongoing situation in Iraq and Syria; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Lidington

    We regularly discuss the situation in Syria and Iraq with the Turkish Government. I last met with my Turkish counterpart in August where we discussed the need to support a political solution in Syria and the Iraqi government’s efforts to combat ISIL. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge has spoken with the Turkish Foreign Minister a number of times in the last month, where both Ministers made clear that the UK and Turkey would continue to cooperate closely on the situation in Syria and Iraq.

  • 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 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of senior civil servants from his Department are from a lower socio-economic background.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Information on the socio-economic background of all our staff is not centrally held and to compile it would incur disproportionate cost.

    The FCO takes part in a number of schemes to encourage applicants from a lower socio-economic background.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans his Department has to transfer powers over the raising and spending of public finances from the government of Anguilla to the Government.

    James Duddridge

    There are no plans to remove the power of the Government of Anguilla to tax and spend. In circumstances where an Overseas Territory is in breach of its legal limits for debt, or where the UK taxpayer may be called upon to provide support, it is the established convention that reasonable assurance measures are put in place so that financial obligations continue to be met and public finances remain sustainable. The Government of Anguilla faces considerable challenges in maintaining sound public finances along with support for economic growth and the financial sector. We look forward to receiving the Government of Anguilla’s robust and credible plans, and to discussing these with them. The UK Government will continue to work in partnership with the Government of Anguilla to help ensure the long term financial security of the people of Anguilla. We also continue to keep open our offer to provide further technical assistance.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have received atrial fibrillation in the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    This information is not collected centrally.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with Lyme disease in each of the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    The total number of laboratory confirmed Lyme disease cases for each of the last five years is shown in Table 1.

    Table 1: Total number of laboratory confirmed Lyme disease cases for each of the last five years:

    Year

    Total number of Lyme disease cases laboratory confirmed

    2010

    905

    2011

    959

    2012

    1,040

    2013

    878

    2014

    735

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to consume less salt.

    Jane Ellison

    New voluntary salt reduction targets have been developed for 76 specific food groups that contribute most to people’s salt intakes and major retailers, manufacturers and caterers are working to meet these targets by December 2017.

    Maximum per serving salt targets for the out of home sector (restaurants and caterers) have also been set, covering the 10 most popular dishes on menus and children’s meals, and these are being supported by further actions in this sector, including training chefs, reformulating dishes and procuring lower salt ingredients.

    The Front of Pack nutrition labelling scheme makes it easier for consumers, at a glance, to understand what they are buying and supports them to make healthier choices including reducing their intake of salt.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding his Department has made available to research the causes of child death in each of the last five financial years.

    George Freeman

    The information requested is not available. The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Department’s Policy Research Programme (PRP). Spend on research funded directly by the NIHR is categorised by Health Research Classification System (HRCS) health categories. There are no HRCS health sub-categories, and no category or sub-category for causes of child death.

    The PRP is investing £7.9 million from April 2010 to December 2017 in the Policy Research Unit in Maternal Health and Care, which is based in the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford. The investment is funding a programme of research that includes research on infant deaths.