The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, on how many occasions a special adviser in her Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.
Andrea Leadsom
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has been accompanied by special advisers on three overseas trips since May 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 21401, what her Department’s policy is on energy issues affecting park homes.
Andrea Leadsom
Park home residents are able to benefit from DECC policies aimed at improving the energy efficiency of homes and helping with energy bills. This includes the Energy Company Obligation, Green Deal Communities, the Renewable Heat Incentive, the Warm Home Discount and the Central Heating Fund.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage competition between rail services providers in the UK.
Claire Perry
Since the launch of the franchising programme in March 2013, the Department has introduced a series of measures aimed at increasing the number of companies in the market.
Working with UKTI and other partners in Government, we have been actively seeking potential new entrants. We have engaged closely with a number of companies that are looking to join the market and have provided advice on the conditions and qualities of our market so they can begin the process of entry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether his Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.
Jane Ellison
At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wes Streeting on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on implementation of the UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1 on Sri Lanka.
Mr Hugo Swire
Sri Lanka has made encouraging progress towards fulfilling its commitments to UNHRC Resolution 30/1 but we recognise there remains much to be done. We look forward to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ assessment of progress at the next Human Rights Council in June.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the recommendations of the report of the Public Accounts Committee, Department for International Development: responding to crises, published on 20 April 2016, what steps she is taking to ensure that her Department improves its system of accounting for ODA spend on humanitarian emergencies.
Justine Greening
The Government will respond to the Committee’s recommendations in the usual way in a Treasury Minute which will be laid before Parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-06-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the one-year survival rates are for women diagnosed with cervical cancer following (a) a routine smear test and (b) diagnosis by other means.
Jane Ellison
Cervical screening is not a test for cancer. Cervical screening detects abnormalities within the cervix that could, if undetected and untreated, develop into cervical cancer. It is unusual to detect an invasive cervical cancer on a screening test and this would need to be confirmed by a diagnostic test.
For those cervical cancers which are detected through screening, the one-year relative survival is 99%. This compares to 86% for all cervical cancers; 83% for those diagnosed after a Two Week Wait referral; and 45% for those diagnosed as an emergency.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 19 July (HL1204), whether they will now list the competent courts that can recognise genocide.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We continue to believe that recognition of genocide should be a matter for competent courts, decided by judges after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process. A recent example was in March 2016, when the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) convicted Radovan Karadžić of one count of genocide (along with other crimes) and sentenced him to forty years imprisonment. The UK is fully committed to the principle that there must be no impunity for the most serious international crimes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-10-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much time pupils will spend at each site of Weald of Kent Grammar School when its new site is open; by what mode of transport they will move and how that will be funded; what estimate she has made of the amount of time that it will take pupils to move between sites; and whether the school day will be extended to make up that time.
Edward Timpson
The Weald of Kent School has set out its plans in expansion proposals. Pupils at the Sevenoaks annexe will attend the Tonbridge site at least once a week to attend a whole school assembly and additional lessons. The school will also operate a house system across the expanded school, regularly bringing students together on a range of curriculum projects. The length of the school day is a matter for the academy trust.
The newly expanded school will better meet the needs of parents in the community that the school currently serves. Over 41% of pupils at the Tonbridge site already travel from the Sevenoaks area. The travel arrangements between the sites will use existing bus companies to transport pupils who live in Sevenoaks to the Tonbridge site. The proposal indicates that the journey time is approximately 17 minutes and no additional funding is being provided to the academy to cover the costs.
The decision issued on 15 October 2015 was in respect of a proposal received on 14 September 2015. The Department can comment on the costs of external legal advice once we have the final costs bill.
The school would not have the required capital funding to expand on this scale at the existing site.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crathorne on 2015-11-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to build bicycle tracks when new roads are constructed in the UK.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Management of roads is a devolved issue so I can only respond in respect of roads in England.
Highways England have committed to provide a safer, integrated and more accessible strategic road network for cyclists and other vulnerable road users, and will play a key role in ensuring that the ambition set for growth in cycling is fully supported by a dedicated programme of work to improve cycle facilities on or near our strategic road network.To support this, The Government has outlined a commitment to invest £100m between 2015/16 and 2020/21 to improve provision for cyclists on the strategic road network.
On a local level, provision of cycling infrastructure is for local traffic authorities as they are responsible for managing their road networks. The Department encourages them to ensure cycling is considered as part of the process of planning new development.The Department for Transport’s Cycle Infrastructure Design guidance supports local authorities on providing cycle-safe infrastructure for cyclists. The Government will continue to support sustainable transport with a new £580 million ‘Access’ fund, with £80 million revenue and £500 million capital. This will build on the legacy of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and support growth in both cycling and walking.