The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2016 to Question 30330, if he will publish examples of the feedback received on the placing of work coaches in foodbanks.
Priti Patel
The Department has shared findings from the food bank initiative with Jobcentre District Managers. There are no plans to publish the Lalley Community Centre findings externally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effects on wider biodiversity of commonly used pesticides; and if she will make a statement.
George Eustice
Strict regulation is in place to reduce the risk of environmental damage by pesticides. A pesticide may only be placed on the market if and when the product has been authorised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Following a thorough risk assessment, HSE imposes conditions on the way pesticides are used, to ensure there is no harm to human health and no unacceptable effect on the environment. Pesticides that pose unacceptable risks are not authorised.
Assessments by Defra and others identify three types of impacts on biodiversity:
General impacts of past agricultural intensification. The 2011 UK National Ecosystem Assessment identified significant biodiversity loss over the last 50 years, with pollution and land use change on farmland as major drivers. Land use change includes the loss of flower-rich habitat, changes to cropping types and timings, drainage, hedge management, and pesticide use. It is not simple to disentangle these impacts;
Direct impacts on non-target organisms, including insects and aquatic species. For example, Defra-commissioned research on the status of UK pollinators identified some correlative evidence of reduced species richness at the landscape-scale associated with more intensive use of pesticides, but concluded that further research on direct empirical evidence of field-scale impacts was required. Further research is ongoing; and,
There is evidence on indirect impacts of pesticides on species such as birds or bats that feed on invertebrates or plants. This is an area of active research in the UK, Europe and North America, with population impacts recorded for some species such as grey partridge.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mandatory reconsiderations of jobseekers’ allowance sanctions there have been in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was of processing such reconsiderations in each of those years.
Priti Patel
Mandatory Reconsiderations were introduced in October 2013. There were 1,100 decisions made from October to the end of 2013; 54,100 in 2014; and 18,500 in 2015.
This is the latest data available. The total cost of processing those reconsiderations is not available at the level of detail requested.
These figures are published here https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stella Creasy on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passenger interviews were undertaken with people of each (a) ethnicity, (b) religion and (c) nationality by UK Border Agency officials at each UK airport in the last five years; and whether each of those passengers was permitted to continue their journey after that interview.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Data on the number of interviews carried out at port is not available centrally. However, there is information already in the public domain on those who are subject to an intervention at the border and refused entry ie not permitted.
This information can found via the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2016/list-of-tables
The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2015-11-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they define the term freedom” for the purposes of the development of policies and legislation
Lord Bridges of Headley
The Government offers no specific separate definition for the purposes of the development of policies and legislation, or for public statements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-12-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they are giving to the call by Save the Children for the UK to stop selling arms to any party involved in the conflict in Yemen while there is a risk that they might be used to violate international humanitarian or human rights law.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen by the Coalition, including alleged airstrikes resulting in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, and take these very seriously. We have regularly raised our concerns with the Saudi-Arabian authorities and received assurances that they are complying with IHL. We continue to engage with Saudi Arabia on those assurances and have offered advice and training to demonstrate best practice and to help ensure continued compliance with IHL.
The UK operates one of the most rigorous and transparent export control regimes in the world. All exports of arms and controlled military goods are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application. Risks around human rights violations are a key part of our assessment against the Consolidated Criteria. A licence will not be issued, for any country, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the UK Licensing Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that it might be used in the commission of a serious violation of IHL.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current waiting time is for a PCV driving examination at Watnall test centre; what steps his Department is taking to reduce that waiting time; and when he expects that waiting time to be reduced.
Andrew Jones
The current waiting time for a vocational, LGV or PCV test at Watnall test centre is 11 weeks.
The Driver and Vehicle and Standards Agency (DVSA) is working hard to reduce waiting times. It is recruiting for driving examiners across the UK and has specifically targeted high-wait areas. Watnall was targeted in a recent recruitment campaign DVSA launched. Once new examiners are in place in Watnall, DVSA is confident waiting times will reduce. In the meantime, DVSA is continuing to monitor waiting times closely, deploying examiners from low-wait centres and offering weekend testing wherever possible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Smith of Hindhead on 2016-02-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many arrests were made in 2015 within establishments that hold a premises licence as defined under Part 3 of the Licensing Act 2003.
Lord Bates
The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of arrests made in establishments operating under a premises licence or under a club premises certificate, or the number of arrests under the Licensing Act 2003.
The Home Office collects data on the number of arrests broken down by offence group and police force area. This data cannot be broken down to the level of detail requested.
The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of times the police were called to attend an incident at establishments operating under a premises licence or under a club premises certificate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 25802, what the source of the data is on outcomes achieved by disabled children that her Department will use.
Edward Timpson
The source of the data published in the statistical first release Level 2 and 3 attainment by young people aged 19 is matched data from the Schools Census, Individualised Learner Record (ILR) data and information provided by awarding bodies. Any other data that is subsequently published will also use these data sources.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the rent review will take place on 1 Victoria Street; and what plans he has to publish the results of that review.
Joseph Johnson
The due date for the rent review is 1st January 2016.
In line with standard commercial practice there are no specific plans to publish the results.