The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people in full-time employment earn below the living wage.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which trades union groups have received (a) funding and (b) other support from her Department in each of the last five years.
Mr Nick Hurd
DFID has funded the following trade union groups in the last five years:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he had considered the interim findings of the report of Professor Walton on the insolvency litigation landscapes, published on 10 December 2015, before making the announcement on 17 December 2015 to end the insolvency exemption from the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
Dominic Raab
Since the passage of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) 2012, it has always been the government’s stated intention that the exemption for insolvency cases would be temporary. Commencement of Part 2 of LASPO’s conditional fee (or ‘no win no fee’) arrangement reforms for insolvency, was announced in December and will apply from April this year. The aim of LASPO’s reforms was to control the cost of civil litigation.
Ministry of Justice Officials discussed Professor Walton’s report with him, but the Ministry of Justice did not agree with his conclusions. Officials have also met representatives of insolvency practitioners who use no win no fee arrangements to fund these cases, as well as those who fund them in other ways.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel on the placing of razor wire by Israeli forces on a route taken by school children in Toqou’ village south of Bethlehem.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We have not had discussions with the Israeli authorities on this specific issue. However, we have raised concerns on several occasions with the relevant Israeli authorities about the route of the barrier.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the percentage change in high street footfall figures was in each UK region in the last two years for which figures are available.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold figures for UK footfall, however there are external sources that do collect these statistics.
The British Retail Consortium/Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor publishes a monthly roundup of national changes in UK footfall.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to her Department was of providing information to the EU’s Education and Training Monitor in each of the last three years.
Nick Gibb
The Department for Education provides information to the EU’s Education and Training Monitor through the provision of data submitted as part of the UK’s joint UNESCO, OECD, and EUROSTAT (UOE) annual data return. This work is managed by the Department’s International Statistics Team and is a small part of wider work on the collection and use of international statistics. We estimate the annual staff cost to the Department of providing the UOE data at 0.5 of one full time equivalent post. We do not disaggregate the EU-specific element of this work as the data provided is common to all three international organisations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-05-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for International Development will support the Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 2016–2021 at the forthcoming World Health Assembly.
Baroness Verma
The UK Government welcomes the development of this strategy for preventing, diagnosing and treating viral hepatitis. DFID works very closely with the Department of Health and we have a joint delegation to the World Health Assembly.
DFID supports improving the access to clean and safe water and hygiene promotion to reduce the risk of transmission of hepatitis A and E. We are the largest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which increases access to immunisation in low income countries. This includes protection against hepatitis B. The UK supports UNITAID, which is working to improve access to better diagnostics for Hepatits C and we are supporting the Clinton Health Access Initiative to reduce prices and increase access to new treatments. In addition DFID supports comprehensive harm reduction programmes and strategies through its support to the Global Fund, which help reduce transmission of both HIV and Hepatitis C.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Calum Kerr on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will establish a 5G venture fund for 5G technology start-ups.
Matt Hancock
We are sponsoring the Future Communications Challenge Group (FCCG) of senior academics, industry experts and funders, chaired by the President of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, which is considering how we should drive forward our commitment to ensure that UK has a leading role in 5G development.
In parallel the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) is conducting a study, launched in Budget 2016, into how UK can achieve early deployment of 5G networks.
Both of these will report by the end of the year and the results will feed into a comprehensive 5G strategy for the UK, to be published in 2017.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to tackle illegitimate and fraudulent activity by claims handling companies.
Sir Oliver Heald
Tackling bad practices by claims management companies (CMCs) is a priority for the Government. Action already taken includes the removal of over a thousand CMC licenses since 2010 and the issuing of over £2 million in fines.
Collaborative work between the Claims Management Regulation Unit and other regulators has resulted in the successful disruption and prosecution of criminal operations by CMCs engaged in fraudulent and illegitimate claims.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to raise the welfare standards of animals in battery cages.
George Eustice
All animals are protected by comprehensive animal welfare legislation, including the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal. The UK also has species specific legal requirements which protect the welfare of all farm animals in whatever system they are kept. Battery cages for laying hens were banned in 2012 as there was clear evidence that these cages were detrimental to laying hen welfare. A statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sport Shooting provides rearers of gamebirds with information on how to meet the welfare needs of their livestock as required by the Animal Welfare Act including in cage rearing systems.