The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-04-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2014, Official Report, column 650W, on armed forces: disciplinary proceedings, what the (a) number and (b) total sum was of ex gratia or other payments made to armed forces personnel incorrectly doubly punished following a police caution; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
No such ex-gratia payments have been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment HM Revenue and Customs has made of changes in the extent of (a) fuel smuggling and (b) other organised revenue avoidance schemes in Northern Ireland in the last three years.
Nicky Morgan
Estimates of the non UK duty paid market for petrol and diesel fuels in Northern Ireland are published in ‘Measuring Tax Gaps 2012-13′. The non UK duty paid estimate covers both the illicit market and cross border shopping. These estimates cannot be disaggregated into its component parts or by the type of illicit activity e.g. through smuggling or other fraud.
The excise duty losses due to the non-UK duty paid diesel market for 2010-11 were £110m and for 2011-12 were £120m. The excise duty losses due to the petrol non-UK duty paid market for 2010-11 were £30m and for 2011-12 were £30m. Figures for 2012-13 will be published in the autumn.
The information on other organised revenue avoidance schemes in Northern Ireland is not available. The figures cannot be disaggregated by country. UK figures are available from “Measuring Tax Gaps 2012-13”.
The methodologies for producing the estimates are provided in the ‘Methodological Annex for Measuring Tax Gaps 2013′.
Both documents can be accessed via the following page on the HMRC website:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps.htm
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-04-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment has been made by (a) the RIMNET network and (b) other bodies of the possibility that the sand fallout across the British Isles from the Sahara desert has been contaminated by long-lived radioactive fallout from atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted by France in the Algerian Sahara in the 1960s.
Michael Fallon
The Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network (RIMNET) is the UK Government’s radiation monitoring and nuclear emergency response system which is operated on a 24 hour a day, seven days a week basis by the Met Office, on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Data from RIMNET has been inspected and shows no evidence of increased levels of radioactivity across the UK.
The Environment Agency (EA) undertakes a programme of far-field monitoring, away from nuclear sites, of radioactivity in air and rainwater. This programme involves constantly sampling air through filters in High Volume Air Samplers. Filters are changed on a weekly basis and subsequently analysed. Past Saharan dust events have not caused any detectable increase in radioactivity on the filters. Results for the changed filters on 31st March and 7th April should be available in the next few days. The results will be published as consolidated data in the annual Radiation in Food and the Environment (RIFE) report which is published jointly by a number of UK and devolved agencies. Previous RIFE reports are available here:
http://www.sepa.org.uk/radioactive_substances/publications/rife_reports.aspx.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when his Department received the application from Haringey Council for a Compulsory Purchase Order to be issued for the site of 1-3 Paxton Road, London, N17 0PB.
Nick Boles
We are currently considering whether to confirm a Compulsory Purchase Order known as The London Borough of Haringey (Northumberland Development Project) (No 1) submitted by Haringey Council which includes the site of 1-3 Paxton Road. The Order was received in the Department on 5 September 2012.
This is a complex case. After the close of the inquiry there were matters in respect of which further views of the interested parties were sought and considered. This has delayed the decision in this case.
We hope to issue the decision on this shortly. It is not appropriate to comment further as to do so may prejudice the Secretary of State’s decision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Woodcock on 2014-04-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent of persecution of Christians in North Korea; what steps he is taking within the international community to address that issue; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Hugo Swire
I made clear in my response to Oral questions on 8 April that the UN Commission of Inquiry’s report documents a persecution of christians which is truly shocking. The UK played a leading role in ensuring a strong Human Rights Council resolution in response to this report. My Written Ministerial Statement on 31 March 2014 sets out a summary of the concrete measures in the DPRK resolution to ensure the work of the COI continues in order that those responsible for human right violations and crimes against humanity will one day be brought to account.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the people have adequate mobile signal coverage in light of the decision not to proceed with a mast at Fownhope.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Mobile Infrastructure Project can intervene in areas where there is no mobile coverage from any operator, and where the cost of the build of a mast considered alongside the numbers of premises that would benefit from the additional coverage provides value for money. Recent changes in coverage provided by the private sector have proved beneficial to Fownhope, but unfortunately this means that the Mobile Infrastructure Project can no longer go forward with plans for a mast.
The Mobile Infrastructure Project can only intervene in areas where there is no coverage from any operator, and where an intervention achieves good value for money for the taxpayer. Government is looking at what else can be done to extend coverage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2014-04-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many jobs have been transferred from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing by her Department since May 2010.
Karen Bradley
Since May 2010, 77 posts have transferred from the Home Department to the private sector as a result of outsourcing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will estimate the cost of sending a copy of the Magna Carta to every school.
Elizabeth Truss
Magna Carta and the emergence of Parliament are included within the new history curriculum, to be taught in maintained secondary schools from September 2014.
To support teachers to commemorate the 800th anniversary, a range of projects and resources are being provided by Parliament and others for primary and secondary school pupils.
We have no plans to send a copy of the Magna Carta to every school and therefore have not made an estimate of what this might cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to her Department remained unanswered (a) after 20 days and (b) after 90 days at 1 April 2014; and (i) how many and (ii) what the subject matter is of any such requests that remained unanswered after 180 days at that date.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
At 1 April 2014, there was one request remaining unanswered after 20 days and one request remaining unanswered after 90 days. There were no requests remaining unanswered after 180 days at 1 April 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any alternatives to a full ban on the importation of Indian mangoes were (a) considered by his Department’s officials and (b) put forward to European Commissioners.
Dan Rogerson
The ban was imposed following persistent interceptions of plant pestson imports of Indian produce into the European Union (EU) and critical reports from the European Commission’s Food and Veterinary Office audits in 2010 and 2013. Despite assurances from India in response to these reports the level of interceptions remained high. The EU’s decision to introduce a ban was therefore fully justified and supported by all Member States including the UK, in line with our policy of strengthening plant health controls. Therefore, no alternatives to a ban were considered by Defra.
Protecting plant health is a key Defra objective. Plant pests and diseases such as those intercepted from India in recent years can cause serious damage to the UK glasshouse industry which is worth over £300 million per annum. However, I am aware of the importance of the mango trade and Defra officials are liaising with the Indian High Commission on what support the UK can offer to India to help it ensure compliance with EU import requirements.
The following table shows the number of consignments of mangoes imported into the UK in the last five years which were infested with Tephriditae (and therefore rejected) by country of origin. The European Commission is considering similar measures to those taken against India for other countries with high levels of interceptions of plant pests. Such consideration takes account of findings from all Member States, and covers all plant commodities and all pests identified.
|
Year |
Country of origin |
No. of consignments imported into the UK |
No. of consignments infected with Tephritidae |
|
2010 |
Dominican Republic |
351 |
1 |
|
|
India |
1977 |
1 |
|
|
Jamaica |
228 |
3 |
|
|
Pakistan |
3302 |
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2011 |
Dominican Republic |
417 |
2 |
|
|
India |
1836 |
11 |
|
|
Jamaica |
262 |
3 |
|
|
Pakistan |
3690 |
19 |
|
|
Puerto Rico |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Sri Lanka |
144 |
1 |
|
|
Uganda |
138 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2012 |
Bangladesh |
146 |
1 |
|
|
Brazil |
445 |
1 |
|
|
Costa Rica |
70 |
2 |
|
|
Dominican Republic |
606 |
18 |
|
|
Ghana |
628 |
15 |
|
|
India |
3448 |
23 |
|
|
Jamaica |
332 |
24 |
|
|
Kenya |
2044 |
4 |
|
|
Pakistan |
5128 |
81 |
|
|
Philippines |
12 |
2 |
|
|
Sri Lanka |
189 |
10 |
|
|
St Lucia |
50 |
1 |
|
|
Thailand |
1050 |
3 |
|
|
Uganda |
104 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2013 |
Brazil |
316 |
3 |
|
|
Dominican Republic |
756 |
16 |
|
|
Ghana |
357 |
4 |
|
|
Guinea |
7 |
1 |
|
|
India |
3563 |
13 |
|
|
Jamaica |
516 |
17 |
|
|
Kenya |
1654 |
17 |
|
|
Pakistan |
5910 |
47 |
|
|
Puerto Rico |
104 |
1 |
|
|
Sri Lanka |
111 |
3 |
|
|
U A E |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Vietnam |
77 |
1 |
|
|
|
||
|
2014 (to 18/06/14) |
|
||
|
|
Brazil |
106 |
1 |
|
|
Dominican Republic |
420 |
3 |
|
|
Ghana |
271 |
1 |
|
|
India |
401 |
1 |
|
|
Jamaica |
464 |
9 |
|
|
Kenya |
698 |
7 |
|
|
Mexico |
61 |
1 |
|
|
Senegal |
4 |
1 |
|
|
Sri Lanka |
69 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
Source: Fera and Europhyt