The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-09-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to require manufacturers of household appliances to make publicly available the risk assessments they carry out on their appliances.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
We have no plans to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Government has spent in England on (a) cattle testing for TB, (b) compensation as a result of a test for bovine TB, (c) surveillance activity associated with bovine TB by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and Animal Plant Health Agency, (d) Tuberculin supply and (e) research connected to bovine TB in each year since 2010-11; and what the total expenditure was on measures to prevent bovine TB in each such year.
George Eustice
The costs of TB testing are included in the overall sum delegated to the Animal and Plant Health Agency for the delivery of bovine TB controls in England which is given in the table below.
|
TB Expenditure |
£/million |
£/million |
£/million |
£/million |
|
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
|
|
APHA expenditure, including field operations and TB testing |
64.1 |
67.1 |
58.3 |
67.9 |
|
APHA TB surveillance: laboratory and science costs |
3.9 |
3.1 |
3.0 |
3.3 |
|
TB Cattle compensation (net of salvage receipts) |
24.3 |
23.5 |
23.9 |
22.6 |
|
Cost of tuberculin purchase |
2.2 |
2.6 |
2.8 |
2.5 |
|
TB R&D |
6.9 |
7.9 |
8.0 |
8.9 |
Foot note: – This data was extracted from the Defra Oracle Financial system on 11 November 2015 and does not take account of EU receipts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of green belt land in Mid Dorset and North Poole has been redesignated in the last five years.
Brandon Lewis
The Department does not hold information centrally on the amount or type of land held by community land trusts.
The Department’s annual Green Belt statistics monitor the amount of land designated as Green Belt in England and any changes to the designated area since the previous year. The statistics record the change by local planning authority.
Of the local planning authorities for which information was requested, the following have made changes to the Green Belt in the last five years:
East Dorset reduced the area of designated Green Belt in 2014-15 by 160 hectares to 16,720 hectares, a reduction of 1 per cent; and
Purbeck increased the area of designated Green Belt in 2012-13 by 460 hectares to 8,200 hectares, an increase of 6 per cent.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2016-01-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of buses, taxis, and other public transport road vehicles are wholly electrically powered.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We do not have detailed numbers on the information requested.
According to Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) statistics some 133 public transport buses, coaches and minibuses are wholly electrically powered. There are no purpose built electric taxis recorded on the DVLA records, although electric cars are used as minicabs and private hire vehicles, and a number of plug-in hybrid purpose built taxis are in development.
This Government has a comprehensive £600 million package of measures over the course of this parliament to keep Britain at the forefront of the ultra-low emission vehicle technology. This includes grants encouraging low emission buses and taxis.
The proportion of wholly electric vehicles operated by central Government is not recorded by the DVLA. However, the total number of central government electric vehicles that have been purchased via the Crown Commercial Service framework is 20. Just over 300 ultra-low emission vehicles are being integrated into public sector fleets under the ULEV readiness project; with over 70% being fully electric.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he intends to make a decision on the closure of the Risk Sharing Scheme; and what provisions his Department plans to put in place for people who are currently accessing drugs via that Scheme.
George Freeman
The Department is currently discussing with key stakeholders the arrangements for formally bringing the Multiple Sclerosis Risk Sharing Scheme to an end. Patients currently receiving drugs as part of the Scheme will continue to do so for as long as this is clinically appropriate for them.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will take steps to protect and improve the security of women human rights defenders in Honduras to take account of the implications of the recent murder of Berta Cáceres.
Mr Hugo Swire
I am deeply concerned by the murder on 3 March of Honduran human rights and environmental activist Berta Cáceres. As one of the most prominent activists in Honduras, Berta Cáceres worked tirelessly over many years to promote the rights of indigenous communities. Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. the Baroness of Anelay of St John’s, condemned the murder in the clearest terms on 4 March and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. These points, and a wider call for a commitment to human rights and those who defend them, were also set out in an EU statement which the UK has strongly supported. The Honduran authorities are now taking forward an investigation into what happened. We welcome their swift action to initiate an investigation.
Cáceres’ death – and the injuries sustained by Gustavo Castro Soto, a human rights defender who was also a victim in the attack – are clear evidence of the risks activists face in Honduras every day. We continue to call on the Honduran Government to take steps to improve the security situation, and we discuss our human rights concerns with them regularly – as I did during a visit to the UK by a Honduran parliamentary delegation in September 2015. Our Ambassador to Honduras regularly discusses human rights issues with the Honduran authorities. We seek to improve the situation on the ground through a range of Embassy-sponsored projects, for example with Oxfam and the Tribunal for Women against Femicide. We also maintain a close dialogue with non-government organisations and others with an interest in Honduras.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2016 to Question 29659, how many UK citizens have been prosecuted by the Financial Action Task Force for money laundering abroad since 2010.
Mr John Hayes
The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK has a robust anti-money laundering regime, and strongly supports the work of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in developing and implementing effective anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing regimes. FATF does not have any law enforcement or prosecutorial role.
The Government established the National Crime Agency in 2013 to lead the law enforcement response to this threat. This has since been augmented with a new International Corruption Unit to provide a single centre of excellence in this field.
The National Risk Assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing was published on 15 October 2015. This identified the threats and vulnerabilities we face in these areas, and an action plan will be published shortly, setting out the steps that we will take to address them.
The number of people prosecuted, convicted and given a custodial sentence for money laundering offences, in England and Wales, from 2004 to 2014 (the latest data available), can be viewed on the Ministry of Justice website at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014 under “Criminal justice statistics outcomes by offence data tool” by selecting the offence: 38 Money laundering.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the Saudi Arabian government on the progress of that country’s national commission to investigate violations of international humanitarian law in the conflict in Yemen.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
As announced by the Saudis on 29 February, British and other foreign advisors will provide advice to the independent committee that will assess Saudi Arabian military activity in Yemen. We are standing by to assist this activity as required.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-06-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to prevent the dumping of Chinese steel in the event of the UK leaving the EU.
Anna Soubry
The UK remains a full member of the EU until we formally exit and all rights and obligations under the EU, including trade defence measures, still apply.
We will continue to support the EU’s trade agenda, including tackling unfair trade and continue to do all we can to support a sustainable UK steel industry.
The Cabinet Office has established a new unit to oversee arrangements for the UK’s exit from the EU and they will consider issues such as the UK establishing its own trade defence measures on exit from the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-09-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 4 April (HL7139), whether they have published their vision and business case for improved recycling, and if so, what action they are now taking to follow it up with a plan to deliver simplified and consistent recycling collection systems.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The framework for greater consistency in household recycling in England, devised by Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and an Advisory Group was published on 13 September. The framework, along with the supporting evidence and case studies, is available on WRAP’s website.
There are various work streams continuing under the framework WRAP is also working with a number of councils that would like to explore the business case and introduce service changes in line with the consistency framework.