The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to continue funding the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Rory Stewart
The Government remains committed to tackling wildlife crime.
We are currently allocating our Spending Review settlement. Future funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit will be decided as part of that process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on ensuring that farmers receive a fair price for milk.
George Eustice
We continue to support our hard-working dairy farmers by reducing inspections, extending the system of tax averaging, and opening new export markets.
The £26.2 million aid package we secured from the European Commission has helped to provide some immediate relief. A number of supermarkets have also pledged to pay a premium over and above the current market price.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support UK fishermen (a) in general and (b) in the under 10 metre fleet.
George Eustice
UK-led Common Fisheries Policy reforms have given UK fishermen a more sustainable long-term future.
The inshore fleet will particularly benefit from an extra 1,000 tonnes of quota this year. This comes on top of the permanent transfer of under-used quota to the Under-10s, which was worth an extra 678 tonnes in 2015.
In addition, over £100m of European (EMFF) Funding is now available to support the UK catching, processing and aquaculture sectors.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of flood defences in Earby.
Rory Stewart
May I pay tribute to the community of Earby and their fortitude following the terrible floods this Christmas.
We have been working closely with the local community and partners in Earby to investigate options for reducing the risk from all sources of flooding.
We have allocated £50,000 to this study.
The study will also update the flood map for Earby, improve flood warning and improve planning decisions.
In addition to this, the Environment Agency is carrying out £500k of work to repair and reduce the risk of blockage of the Victoria Clough culvert.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem on 2016-01-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions in the last 12 months and from which airfields aircraft of the Quick Reaction Alert have been scrambled, and for what purpose on every occasion.
Earl Howe
Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Coningsby launched to intercept aircraft on 12 days in 2015.
I am withholding further details as deterrence is a principal function of QRA and QRA is in turn an integral part of the air defence of the UK. The disclosure of information that might compromise the QRA deterrent capability would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Corston review in 2007, how many women’s centres there are in the UK; where those centres are located; to what extent those centres support women on remand or serving community sentences; and what plans they have to establish additional centres.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
We do not collate information centrally about the numbers and locations of women’s centres across the UK or the services that they offer.
The Government believes that future funding for women’s centres should lie at the local level, as local experts know what works in their community and how best to deliver services. We are encouraging and supporting areas to bring together local agencies in the criminal justice, statutory and third sectors to develop a joined-up, multi-agency approach to address the often complex needs of female offenders.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place the minutes of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference since 1998 in the Library of the House.
Lord Dunlop
The British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference met on one occasion during 2007, 26 February in Dundalk. This was the last time that the body met.
Details of Ministerial attendees and the topics discussed were published in a Joint Communiqué between the two Governments. A copy of this has been placed in the Library (along with copies of all other Joint Communiques published since 1998).
Although a range of issues were discussed, no formal actions were listed. The focus however at the time was the drive towards devolution and the Conference urged all political leaders to act with courage and determination in order to attain this. Assembly elections subsequently took place in May 2007.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether membership of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe requires them to regard all citizens in the UK to be equal and thus requiring equal treatment by law.
Lord Dunlop
In the UK, The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has many commitments that recall that all persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 27 November 2015 (HL3723), what difference, if any, there is between people in Northern Ireland and people of Northern Ireland in the application of their policies.
Lord Dunlop
In this context there is no difference between people ‘in’ Northern Ireland and people ‘of’ Northern Ireland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-01-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, as part of the Northern Powerhouse initiative, what are their policies for the decentralisation of civil servants.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The Civil Service has a significant presence across the UK and we are considering how new government hubs, in strategic locations across the country, will help to make sure that we have an efficient and effective Civil Service at the same time as we consolidate the government estate.
Any proposed relocation is done based on the operational needs of Departments.