The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the total (a) cost of monitoring and (b) number of full-time equivalent officials of her Department supporting the emergency authorisation period for neonicotinoid pesticides which expired on 20 November 2015.
George Eustice
Defra has not made any such estimates.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve the standard of housing for service personnel.
Mark Lancaster
The Ministry of Defence is committed to improving the quality of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) provided to our Service personnel. 88% of SFA currently meet or exceed the decent homes standard. If a property fails to meet the standard, it will either be upgraded or disposed of.
Since financial year 2010-11 investment in housing has resulted in:
The separate installation of some 12,000 kitchens, bathrooms, or central heating systems and the insulation of 16,692 lofts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people affected by the closure of SSI Redcar have been supported back into employment through the Rapid Response Service.
Damian Hinds
Around 9 in 10 (1,990) of the 2,150 SSI and other workers who made an initial claim for benefits have since ended that claim.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what position the UK’s representatives at the (a) Trade Policy Committee and (b) Foreign Affairs Council have taken on the replacement of the Investor State Dispute Settlements mechanism with an Investment Court System in the negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
Anna Soubry
On 16 September, the European Commission published a draft of its proposed text for the investment protection provisions in the EU-US free trade agreement, also known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
In discussions on these proposals with the European Commission and Member States, UK representatives have expressed support for the European Commission’s ongoing initiative to reform the investment provisions used in its trade and investment agreements. UK representatives have also raised questions of detail on how the proposed text will continue to safeguard governments’ right to regulate lawfully and in the public interest, while ensuring that UK investors are treated fairly overseas by foreign governments.
The final content of the investment protection provisions in the EU-US free trade agreement will be subject to the outcome of negotiations between the EU and the US. The inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will not threaten the right of the UK or Devolved Administrations to regulate or determine public policy. The Commission has published a proposal for reforms to investment protections in this agreement, which includes a clause setting out governments’ right to regulate.
The UK will work with the Commission on this proposal to ensure that UK investors are treated fairly overseas by foreign governments while allowing governments to regulate lawfully and in the public interest.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2015-12-07.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) households and (b) people are in receipt of tax credits in Dundee; and how many children are in each such household.
Damian Hinds
The latest information on the number of tax credit recipients in the Dundee City local authority can be found in table 3 of the April 2015 Personal Tax Credits provisional awards geographical analyses published statistics, found here:
These statistics are published in April and December each year.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the implications of the proposed extension of the Business Impact Target as set out in the Enterprise Bill for the work of (a) the Environment Agency, (b) the Forestry Commission, (c) the Marine Management Organisation, (d) Natural England, (e) the Water Services Regulation Authority and (f) the Farriers Registration Council; and what such discussions she has had on (i) the Food Standards Agency, (ii) the Gangmasters’ Licensing Authority and (iii) the Groceries Code Adjudicator insofar as those bodies relate to her Department’s responsibilities.
George Eustice
My Rt. Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Business, will shortly issue a public consultation seeking views on the statutory regulators proposed to be brought within scope of the Business Impact Target, with a view to introducing the necessary secondary legislation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the closure of walk-in centres on patient waiting times in local A&E departments.
Jane Ellison
Decisions about the provision of urgent care centres, including walk-in centres and minor injuries units, are a matter for local commissioners.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 27610, for what reasons the technical solution offered by VW was accepted in the EU but not in the US.
Andrew Jones
Manufacturers are required to comply with different technical standards between the EU market and the USA market. The engineering solution proposed by VW will bring its diesel cars into compliance with the EU emissions limits and testing is underway to confirm that this solution works for all model types. We do not have information regarding VW’s technical solutions in the USA.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-04-08.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.249 of the Budget 2016, when and how the Government plans to consult on the priorities and delivery models of the Shale Wealth Fund; and how much of that fund he expects to be allocated to (a) Lancashire and (b) Burnley.
Damian Hinds
The Government will be consulting on the priorities and delivery models for the Shale Wealth Fund later this year. Details on how the government plans to consult on the Shale Wealth Fund will be announced in due course.
The Shale Wealth Fund is projected to deliver up to £1 billion of investment in the North and other shale producing areas over the next 25 years. This will provide additional funds over and above industry schemes and other sources of government funding. Further detail on how these funds will be allocated will be addressed when the government consults on the priorities and delivery models of the Shale Wealth Fund.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many students in Lancashire studying a clinical pharmacy diploma are in receipt of a bursary.
Ben Gummer
Students undertaking clinical pharmacy diplomas are not eligible for NHS Bursary funding.
Health Education England (HEE), North West, provides a range of education support primarily focused around the required pre-registration year through the provision of salary support for hospital based trainees. HEE (North West) also supports access to funded continuing professional development for clinical pharmacists. The clinical pharmacy diploma, which is not a requirement in order to practice independently, is not funded in the North West by HEE in terms of either fees or bursaries.