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Graham Allen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has (a) invested in and (b) made an assessment of the potential merits of acquiring unmanned underwater vehicles.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Royal Navy (RN) currently deploys unmanned systems to enhance maritime surveillance and improve situational awareness in a number of operational theatres.

Specifically for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV), the Hunt Class Mine Countermeasure Vessels employ a UUV for remote mine-disposal, known as the Seafox mine-disposal system. In addition, the Fleet Diving Squadron employs a small UUV for seabed searches.

It is widely recognised that autonomous systems offer a unique opportunity to maintain our operational advantage and the RN will therefore continue to explore how such systems can further augment its capabilities into the future.

01/01/2023

Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of named day written parliamentary questions have been answered after the specified date by each Minister in her Department since May 2015.

Nick Gibb

The Department for Education received 787 named-day written parliamentary questions that were due for answer between 1 May 2015 and 28 April 2016. Of these, 675 (86%) received responses on the specified date, 107 (14%) received replies after their specified date and 5 (1%) had passed their specified date and were still awaiting a response when this data was compiled on 3 May 2016. [1]

The breakdown by answering minister for the above period was as follows:

Answering minister	Number of named-day PQs due for reply	Number and % answered after the named day
Edward Timpson	302	43 (14%)
Nick Boles	35	8 (23%)
Nick Gibb	284	41 (14%)
Nicky Morgan	1	0 (0%)
Sam Gyimah	165	15 (9%)
Total	787	107 (14%)

[1] These percentages do not add up to 100% due to rounding.

01/01/2023

Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to mitigate the cost to local authorities of schools that are in deficit transferring to academy status.

Edward Timpson

Deficits for schools which convert to become sponsored academies remain with the local authority. These deficits remain with their local authority as these schools were the responsibility of the authority when they were found to be failing or underperforming and it is the authority’s responsibility for ensuring the school managed its expenditure satisfactorily. Guidance on how deficits for converter and sponsored academies are dealt with is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416430/School_balances_on_conversion_submission.pdf

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring the financial viability of maintained schools and ensuring any deficits are cleared within 3 years.

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01/01/2023
Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2016 to Question 32143, how many full-time equivalent officials in her Department have been working on the Government’s emissions reduction plan to date; and what work those officials have done towards the Plan so far.

Rory Stewart

The Department of Energy and Climate Change is leading work across Government to prepare the Emissions Reduction Plan. The development of policies and proposals to reduce greenhouse gases emissions is an integral part of the work of a number of staff across Defra working on many areas including forestry, farming, recycling and resource efficiency among others. This is facilitated by a small coordination team. We do not keep a record of the staff time spent on the Emissions Reduction Plan because it is impracticable to separate it out from this wider work.

01/01/2023
Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2016 to Question 34699, when her Department expects to (a) receive advice from the UK Export Committee on Pesticides about the two applications for emergency authorisation for the use of neonicotinoids and (b) make a decision on whether to grant such authorisation.

George Eustice

The UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) considered these applications at its meeting on 4 May. I expect to receive its advice shortly.

The decision on whether or not to grant the authorisations will be made once the ECP and other experts have concluded their examination of the applications and the Government has received and considered their findings.

01/01/2023
Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will provide funding to support the work of the charity Open Doors in tackling the persecution of Christians around the world.

Mr David Lidington

The Government values our close working relationship with a wide range of NGOs working on human rights issues, including Open Doors. Whilst we are not currently providing funding to Open Doors, it is open to them to apply to the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy for funding to implement specific projects overseas. The fund supports targeted projects which aim to tackle the root causes of human rights violations, strengthen institutions and governance, promote and protect human rights, and support democracy and the rule of law.

01/01/2023
Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what work his Department has completed with the charity Open Doors since 2010.

Mr David Lidington

Ministers and officials from the FCO’s Human Rights and Democracy Department and from a number of geographical departments regularly meet with representatives of Open Doors. FCO Ministers have also attended and spoken at the annual launch of the Open Doors Annual Report.

01/01/2023
Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help achieve a two-state solution that is acceptable to the people of both Israel and Palestine.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We remain focused on steps which will secure progress towards a two-state solution. We continue to believe that the best way to achieve this is through negotiations. We are in close consultation with international partners about what kind of renewed process might lead to progress. We continue to press both sides on the need to refrain from taking any action which takes us further away from securing a lasting peace. We believe that if both parties show the bold leadership and political strength necessary to find a way forward, a two-state solution remains possible.

01/01/2023
Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-04-29.

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

Mr David Lidington

I am very concerned by the human rights situation in Macedonia and by related developments, including most recently the decision of President Ivanov to pardon those individuals currently under investigation over allegations of abuse of power. This decision undermines the principle that all people must be held legally accountable for their actions. I raised my concerns over this decision and its implications for the rule of law in my public statement of 14 April. I, along with international partners, have also spoken to Nikola Gruevski, former Prime Minister and leader of the governing party VMRO, and raised concerns over the credibility of forthcoming elections in Macedonia, attacks on democratic institutions, and the wider level of commitment to the democratic process including the lack of media reform and the intimidation of voters. As I made clear to Mr Gruevski and to other party leaders during my visit to Skopje in March, Macedonia must implement commitments on the rule of law and free and democratic institutions as set out in the European Commission’s Urgent Reform Priorities.

01/01/2023
Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will issue a response to Early Day Motion 373, Applying Results of Experiments on Animals to Human Patients.

George Freeman

The Government considers that the carefully regulated use of animals in scientific research remains a vital tool in improving the understanding of how biological systems work and in the development of safe new medicines, treatments and technologies.

At the same time, the Government believes that animals should only be used when there is no practicable alternative and it actively supports and funds the development and dissemination of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs), in particular through funding for the National Centre for the Replacement Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs), and also through ongoing UK-led efforts to encourage greater global uptake of the 3Rs.

Advances in biomedical science and technologies – including stem cell research, in vitro systems that mimic the function of human organs, imaging and new computer modelling techniques – are all providing new opportunities to reduce reliance on the use of animals in research. As part of this Innovate UK, the NC3Rs, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Medical Research Council have produced a Non-animal Technologies Road map for the UK, which offers an approach for the UK to develop, exploit and deploy new non-animal technologies for long-term economic and societal benefit. Integral to this strategy have been two Innovate UK industry-led competitions which have awarded approximately £7m in grant funding; “Developing non-animal technologies” and “Advancing the development and application of non-animal technologies”.

EU and UK law requires safety testing on animals before human trials for new medicines can begin and animal research still plays an important role in providing vital safety information for potential new medicines.

The Early Day Motion (EDM 373) rightly draws attention to the UK life science sector’s Concordat on openness in animal research which was launched last year, and provides new opportunities for transparency and debate in this area.

01/01/2023