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  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency has taken to identify those responsible for the fly-tipping of plastic and other rubbish in Cornwall Road, Smethwick in March 2015.

    Rory Stewart

    The Environment Agency is continuing to investigate the case of illegal dumping on land in Cornwall Road. As this is an active investigation I am unable to provide further details at this stage.

    Illegal dumping and waste crime more generally is unacceptable whether it occurs on public or private land.

    The Government is taking action to crack down on this unacceptable behaviour and has pledged an additional £20 million of funding for waste crime enforcement over the next five years as part of the Spending Review. We are also working with the Environment Agency through a joint Waste Crime Action Plan to ensure its regulatory effort is targeted effectively and focussed on speedy and tough enforcement action

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy that waste disposal licences are not issued by the Environment Agency to individuals with criminal convictions or to companies controlled by individuals with criminal convictions.

    Rory Stewart

    The Environment Agency can already refuse an application for an environmental permit if it considers the applicant or another relevant person is not competent or unwilling to comply with the conditions of a permit. Where disclosed as part of an application, relevant convictions may be considered by the regulator as part of its assessment of an operator’s competence to hold an environmental permit.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

    George Eustice

    The Govt Legal Dept have represented Defra at Employment Tribunals since Oct 2011. The costs of any such litigation are covered by an annual block fee arrangement which covers all aspects of legal services provided to Defra.

    The cost of Employment Tribunals can be found within the HMCTS annual accounts published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/433948/hmcts-annual-report-accounts-2014-15.pdf.

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  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in her Department.

    George Eustice

    Cleaning services for Defra are provided under the facilities contract with Interserve FM. Rates for cleaners vary dependent on location and market rates. From April the minimum rates will be:

    £7.20 per hour for 25 year olds and over

    £6.70 per hour for 21 year olds and over

    £5.30 per hour for 18 – 20 year olds

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) publications, (b) consultation documents and (c) circulars her Department has issued since August 2012; and what the title was of each such publication, consultation document or circular.

    George Eustice

    This Department’s publications and consultations issued since August 2012 are available, indexed in date order, on the GOV.UK website. The indexes enable users to search by date and by type of publication. Approximately 2540 publications have been issued by, or jointly with, this Department since August 2012, including 210 consultations. We cannot identify any circulars published since August 2012.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many consultants’ contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.

    George Eustice

    No consultants’ contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to make available to the Welsh Government funds received as a result of the application to the EU Solidarity Fund announced on 25 February 2016.

    James Wharton

    Decisions regarding the disbursement of any funding will be made once we have received confirmation of whether our application has been successful.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on applying to the EU Solidarity Fund as a result of flooding in Wales in late 2015 and early 2016.

    James Wharton

    The UK Government has been working with Wales and Scotland to understand their impacts from the flooding events of 2015 and early 2016. These conversations will continue to enable us to demonstrate the impacts to the UK for an EU Solidarity Fund application.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what political engagement her Department had with the Afghan government on extractives governance in 2015.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The British Embassy regularly engages with the National Unity Government on improving extractives governance to encourage responsible development of the extractives sector. The UK-funded Extractive Sector Support Programme provides technical advice to the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum on legal and regulatory frameworks, contract management and fiscal regimes. The UK is also helping the Afghan Government to implement the Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative. I raised this matter when I met President Ghani in June 2015.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many consultants’ contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.

    Mr David Lidington

    This information is not held centrally and the question cannot be answered without incurring disproportionate cost.