The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2015-11-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of the changes proposed in the Housing and Planning Bill on supported housing schemes.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
A full impact assessment of the Housing and Planning Bill has already been published (attached) and can be accessed at: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-010.pdf.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-10-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish full details of the Child Trafficking Protection Fund.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
As announced by the Home Secretary on Thursday 27th October the Child Trafficking Protection Fund is now open for bids and will make available up to £3m over three years to fund innovative projects to protect and support victims of child trafficking.
The Fund will enhance existing provisions to support these particularly vulnerable young people and will be open to both statutory and non-statutory organisations that work with potential victims. We encourage all interested organisations to put forward innovative proposals. More information can be found on the gov.uk contracts finder webpage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2015 to Question 14345, if her Department will publish a position proper on the criteria it uses to ensure aid graduation is sustainable.
Justine Greening
The Department is currently undertaking a Bilateral Aid Review which will determine the countries that we will provide direct bilateral assistance to over the next five years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jessica Morden on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will place in the Library any external advice given to his Department on green reporting to be undertaken by the privatised Green Investment Bank.
Anna Soubry
The Department has not received any external advice on green reporting to be undertaken by the privatised Green Investment Bank.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in which countries aspartame has been banned; and for what reason each such ban has been enacted.
Jane Ellison
We are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that aspartame is permitted in all European Union Member States. It is also permitted in those countries aligned to EU legislation participating in the European Economic Area and European Free Trade Association.
Aspartame has also been evaluated for safety by The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and provisions for its use are included in the international Codex Alimentarius General Standard on Food Additives.
Whilst the FSA is not aware of any countries where aspartame is banned, it is possible there are countries which do not have legislation regulating the use of aspartame or other food additives.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-03-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is any viable evidence that President Anastasiades’ current negotiations with President el-Sisi, with President Putin and with Prime Minister Netanyahu are taking place based on agreement among the current parties participating in the Cyprus peace talks.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
It is for the Republic of Cyprus to decide on its external relations. Given the threats facing the Eastern Mediterranean, the need for improved co-operation across the whole region remains crucial. A Cyprus settlement would provide an important boost for regional stability. The UK commends President Anastasides and Mr Akinci for their positive leadership in the Cyprus settlement talks. As the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), made clear during his visits to Cyprus last year, the UK will continue to do whatever we can to support the efforts of both communities, and their leaders, to seize the historic opportunity that exists to reunite Cyprus.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions her Department has had with EDF on board approval for the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor since 30 March 2016; whether her Department has identified people who oppose that scheme on the board of EDF; and whether EDF has informed her Department of the date on which a meeting will be held to make a final investment decision.
Andrea Leadsom
We are in close contact with EDF regarding the Hinkley Point C project. EDF and the French Government have said that EDF are working towards a Final Investment Decision ‘in the near future, with the full support of the French Government’.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the expected date is for completion of the electrification of the Windermere Branch Line.
Andrew Jones
In Sir Peter Hendy’s review, Network Rail has made clear that the Oxenholme to Windermere electrification scheme will be delivered, with a target of March 2017 for selection of a single option. Work is progressing on this scheme. The programme for delivery will be detailed when the single option is known.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-07-06.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2016 to Question 39321, on Civil Service recruitment, what assessment he has made of the effect of the geographical focus on London of fast stream recruitment on his Department’s plans to diversify the civil service.
Matthew Hancock
Research undertaken within the Civil Service (by the Bridge Group in 2015/16) and externally (e.g. by Trendence in 2015) shows that lower socio-economic applicants are potentially more likely to be less mobile and less willing to move to London.
A dedicated new assessment centre will open in Newcastle in Autumn 2016. From Autumn 2017 we intend to regionalise further, introducing ‘pop up’ centres in support of our fixed assessment locations.
Beyond the assessment process, we also require all centrally managed Fast Streamers to undertake a regional place.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many claims made by young asylum seekers in Calais in the past 12 months are still being processed; and how long is the average process time for such cases.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The number of asylum claims made in France over any given period, and their outcome, is a matter for the French authorities.
The Dublin Regulation is the mechanism for determining responsibility for considering an asylum claim. If accepted for transfer to the UK, the asylum claim is considered in the UK after the individual has been transferred.
The Home Office has accepted responsibility to consider the asylum claims of over 80 unaccompanied minors from France under Dublin since the start of the year and many more are in train.
Dublin transfer requests involving children are now generally processed within 10 days by a dedicated team in the Home Office. Children can then be transferred within weeks and are now arriving in the UK on an almost weekly basis. A senior Home Office official has been seconded to the French Interior Ministry to help speed up the process of identifying children who may qualify for transfer to the UK.