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  • Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many projects were taken forward from Phase 1 of his Department’s Biodegradable Plastic Carrier Bags Solutions through Innovation research call feasibility studies which concluded on 31 March 2014 in (a) Lot 1 and (b) Lot 2.

    Dan Rogerson

    Defra has funded and taken forward two feasibility study projects in Lot 1 and two feasibility study projects in Lot 2 of this research call.

  • Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total number of projects was involved in Lot 1, Phase 1, of his Department’s Biodegradable Plastic Carrier Bags Solutions through Innovation research call; and how many of those projects met each of the five functions and characteristics outlined in the research call.

    Dan Rogerson

    Defra received six bids for Lot 1, Phase 1 of this research call.

    Two bids met the requirements outlined in the research call and are being funded by Defra.

  • Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Maria Eagle – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria a biodegradable plastic bag will need to fulfil for exemption from his single use plastic bag charging policy.

    Dan Rogerson

    We intend to exempt biodegradable bags that meet certain standards from the charge to give consumers an alternative to using single-use plastic bags when they do not take a reusable bag with them. The standards will be worked up in consultation with industry. They are likely to cover how the bag should behave during disposal or recycling (for example, having a short degradation time period), resource use, energy consumption during production and other elements across their lifecycle.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2014, Official Report, column 697W, on unmanned air vehicles, if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance note issued to his Department’s network staff on data protection aspects of unmanned air vehicles.

    Dan Rogerson

    I will place a copy of the guidance in the Library.

  • Stephen Phillips – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Phillips – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Phillips on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage his counterparts in other EU member states to support and commit resources to the EUFOR RCA mission in the Central African Republic.

    Mark Simmonds

    I welcome the launch of the EU Force (EUFOR) military operation in the Central African Republic (CAR) on 2 April. EUFOR will help the African-led International Support Mission to CAR (MISCA) and French (Sangaris) forces to provide security in Bangui until a hand-over to MISCA or a possible UN Peacekeeping Operation can take place. I discussed the importance of the mission with Ministerial colleagues in the margins of the EU-Africa Summit in Brussels on 1-2 April. The UK has played a strong role in the planning for EUFOR, and is discussing the possibility of providing airlifts to help EUFOR’s deployment. Ongoing reports of violence in CAR demonstrate the importance of this mission.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Bridgen – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Italian counterpart on the status of foreign lecturers in Italian universities.

    Mr David Lidington

    The discrimination faced by UK and foreign national lecturers in Italy is unacceptable and illegal. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) raised the ‘lettori’ with the then Italian Foreign Minister, Emma Bonino, on 25 October 2013. I met the then Italian Europe Minister, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, on 19 November 2013, and stressed the importance of progress. I also met the Chairman of the Association of Foreign Lecturers in Italy (ALLSI), David Petrie, on 28 November 2013, and assured him of the Government’s commitment to keep up the pressure on the Italian authorities. I raised the issue with Italian Deputy Foreign Minister, Marta Dassu, when I met her on 15 January. Most recently, the Minister of State for Universities and Science, my right hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Mr Willetts), has written to the new Italian Minister for Education, Research and Universities, Stefania Giannini, and underlined the importance of finding a solution.

  • Mike Freer – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mike Freer – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Freer on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will review the reporting of the mis-stunning of animals before slaughter by the Food Standards Agency to ensure that the way in which the data is collected provides as accurate a picture as possible of the real situation.

    George Eustice

    Official Veterinarians of the Food Standards Agency report centrally all cases of non-compliances with the welfare at slaughter regulations. This data provides an accurate picture of welfare breaches at slaughterhouses.

    The Welfare at Time of Killing Regulations will come into force next month and we will keep the effectiveness of monitoring and enforcement at slaughterhouses under review.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress has been made on the development of an indicator on five year survival rates from all cancers to support early diagnosis and reduction of preventable mortality from cancer.

    Mr Nick Hurd

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

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 19 March 2014, Official Report, column 607W, on unmanned air vehicles, whether any person, agent or public body has provided video imagery or other data to her Department obtained by unmanned aircraft systems in the UK; and for what purposes.

    James Brokenshire

    I am advised that no imagery or other data from such sources is held by the Department.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-04-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has issued any authorisations under section 42(3) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 which permit intrusive surveillance by unmanned aircraft systems in the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    As a matter of long-standing practice we do not comment on the operational use
    of covert surveillance, or provide a breakdown of the number of warrants signed
    by particular Secretaries of State, or in relation to specific circumstances or
    methods of surveillance.

    Existing regulation relating to surveillance includes the surveillance camera
    code of practice issued under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, which
    provides a framework of good practice for surveillance camera operators and
    sets out obligations arising from other legislation including those for the
    processing of personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998 and a public
    authority’s duty to adhere to the Human Rights Act 1998. Any covert
    surveillance undertaken by a public authority which is likely to obtain private
    information would be subject to authorisation under the Regulation of
    Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).