The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timescale is for closing the 1993 and 2003 child support allowance IT systems before they reach end of usable life.
Caroline Nokes
The Department’s timetable for the closure of the 1993 and 2003 child support allowance IT systems is currently under consideration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the prevalence of livestock-associated MRSA in live breeder pigs and meat products imported from (a) Denmark and (b) other European countries; what proportion of such imports are voluntarily tested for livestock-associated MRSA; and what analysis her Department has undertaken of the costs and benefits of making it mandatory to test such imports for MRSA.
George Eustice
Livestock associated meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) is not a notifiable organism. There is no mandatory requirement to test imports of live breeding pigs or pig meat for the presence of LA-MRSA.
The National Pig Association recommends in its Import Protocol that imported pigs be screened for the presence of MRSA. Such testing is done on a voluntary and private basis.
Any controls or testing introduced for an organism must be proportionate to the risk posed by it. Current advice from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Public Health England (PHE) is that LA-MRSA poses a low risk to human health.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2015-11-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the occupations most at risk from mesothelioma.
Baroness Altmann
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) maintains a register of all death certificates in Great Britain which mention mesothelioma within the cause of death. Analyses of the occupations recorded on such death certificates show that former construction workers, including carpenters, plumbers and electricians, and those who worked in shipbuilding are those most at risk of developing mesothelioma today.
A research study to look in more detail at the sources of mesothelioma risk in Britain carried out by Professor Julian Peto supported these conclusions, and estimated that nearly half of male mesothelioma deaths were attributed to building-related jobs including carpenters, plumbers and electricians. These risks are a result of high past asbestos exposures during the period when asbestos was being very widely used within the building industry.
Workers today who are potentially at higher risk of mesothelioma in the future – and who are now the focus of strict control measures – are those most likely to come across asbestos during their work, including building maintenance and asbestos removal workers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-15.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the reasons for increases in the trade deficit in UK goods and services in the three months to October 2015.
Harriett Baldwin
The information requested can be obtained from the latest UK Trade publication which is available here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/uktrade/uk-trade/october-2015/stb-uk-trade–october-2015.html
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what projection his Department has made of the annual spend on the contracted-out element of back to work support for the forthcoming Work and Health Programme; and how that spend compares with the annual spend on the current Work Programme and Work Choice.
Priti Patel
We are currently working on the design of the new Work and Health programme and we will publish the design and funding in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what happens to gifts that ministers receive in their official capacity; where they are kept; and how they are eventually disposed of.
Lord Bridges of Headley
Gifts may be accepted in line with the provisions of the Ministerial Code
Retention and disposal arrangements are a matter for individual Departments. Departments may dispose of gifts after a suitable period of time has elapsed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 29325, how much of the 0.6GW diesel generating capacity is (a) privately owned and (b) owned by the Government; and which companies are involved in providing that capacity.
Andrea Leadsom
I am not aware of any HM Government Departments or agencies which provide Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) services to National Grid. Short Term Operating Reserve is procured by National Grid, and is subject to commercial confidentiality. DECC does not hold figures on contracts entered into by other Government departments or agencies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many payments under the Basic Payments Scheme 2015 had not been made to farmers in Stafford constituency by the Rural Payments Agency by 31 March 2016.
George Eustice
As of 31 March 2016, the Rural Payments Agency had paid 168 (80%) of the 211 eligible Basic Payment Scheme 2015 claims received in Stafford constituency. To date 191 had been paid and the agency has announced that those customers who do not receive a claim payment in April will be provided a bridging payment. Bridging payments will be around half of their claim value.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jopling on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Price on 10 May (HL8062), whether that answer assumes that the United States Congress will accept a fast-track” procedure for ratifying the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; and what assessment they have made of the likelihood of such a procedure being either endorsed or withdrawn by the new Congress in 2017.”
Lord Price
Legislation to re-authorise Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) – sometimes called “fast track” – the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015, was signed into law by President Obama on 29 June 2015. It will apply to certain international trade agreements – including the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership – if agreement is reached before 1 July 2018.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-07-12.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority are employed on temporary contracts.
Ben Gummer
The infrastructure and Projects Authority currently has 37 people within the business on Fixed Term Appointments.