The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-06-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he last met the Scottish Government to discuss air passenger duty.
Nicky Morgan
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-04-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what forecast he has made of the impact of capacity contracted under the Supplemental Balancing Reserve to the Loss of Load Expectation in the winter of (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.
Michael Fallon
The Government has not made any forecast of the impact of capacity contracted under the Supplemental Balancing Reserve (SBR) on the Loss of Load Expectation for winter 2014-15 or 2015-16.SBR is one of National Grid’s two new balancing services, approved by Ofgem in December 2013. SBR and the Demand Side Balancing Reserve (DSBR) will address potential capacity shortfalls in the middle of the decade. National Grid is currently developing a methodology to determine how much capacity should be contracted via SBR. Once this is approved by Ofgem, National Grid will proceed with the procurement process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average length of time is taken by his Department to issue a Compulsory Purchase Order to a local authority.
Nick Boles
Since May 2012 (when the National Planning Casework Unit took responsibility for this area of work) the average length of time to make a decision on opposed planning Compulsory Purchase Orders is 10-11 weeks.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2014-04-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many jobs have been transferred from the public to the private sector as a result of privatisations or outsourcing by his Department since May 2010.
Hugh Robertson
Comprehensive information on all outsourcing activities and the number of jobs involved is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to hold further D-Day commemorations.
Anna Soubry
Following the very successful commemorations to mark this year’s 70th anniversary of D Day we will be discussing with the Normandy Veterans Association how we might approach future commemorations once the Association disbands later this year. We are sure that veterans will continue to return annually as long as they are able and that particular plans will again be made as the 75th anniversary, another significant milestone, approaches.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-04-07.
To ask the Attorney General, how many domestic violence cases have led to prosecutions for non-injurious behaviours.
Oliver Heald
The CPS flags all cases identified as domestic violence according to the revised Government definition implemented in March 2013. This includes the elements of coercive control, and behaviours which do not display visible injuries such as psychological abuse which were introduced in the revised definition. However the records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) cannot separately identify the number of people prosecuted for each of these elements. Such information could only be obtained through a manual search of records which would incur a disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with Dominic Cummings since Mr Cummings left his Department; and what the purpose of those meetings was.
Matthew Hancock
Mr Cummings is an ex-employee of the Department for Education. It is not uncommon for ex-employees to be in contact with Ministers and the Department. As the Secretary of State for Education explained to the House on Monday 16 June, many people seek to visit and contact the Department for Education to exchange ideas with old friends and colleagues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent meetings she has had on First World War centenary commemorations in Northern Ireland.
Mrs Theresa Villiers
The Northern Ireland Office plays a co-ordination role with the aim of ensuring that First World War commemorations are implemented in Northern Ireland in a manner which promotes reconciliation and enhances prospects for a peaceful, shared future.
Officials from my Department sit on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Programme Board for First World War Centenary Commemorations. They also have regular contact with officials in the British Embassy Dublin, the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, and sit on the Northern Ireland First World War Centenary Committee chaired by Jeffrey Donaldson MP.
I receive regular updates on this work and will attend a number of events being planned to mark this important centenary over the course of the coming months. These events will take place in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and France.
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 phyto-sanitary and plant-disease expertise from the UK has been involved in helping to address the shortcomings identified by the EU Commissioner necessitating the recent ban on importation of mangoes from India.
Dan Rogerson
Defra’s Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) has offered to deliver a technical training programme for Indian Plant Health Inspectors to help address some of the issues raised in the previous European Commission’s Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) audits of the Indian plant health export certification systems. A Plant Health and Seeds Inspector from Fera will be also be assisting the FVO when it undertakes its audit visit to India in September.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the amount of (a) net franchise payment and (b) revenue support is for the extension of the Greater Anglia franchise from July 2014 to October 2016.
Stephen Hammond
The Net franchise premium payment contracted for the Greater Anglia Direct Award from July 2014 to October 2016 is c. £266m payment to the Department for Transport. Premium is quoted in January 2014 price.
There will be no Revenue support for the Greater Anglia Direct Award from July 2014 to October 2016.