The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Israeli government on that country’s use of the courts to obtain information on the identities of soldiers who have served in Operation Protective Edge and testified about their experience with Breaking the Silence.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-09-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate how much fuel duty was collected by filling stations in Greater Manchester in each year since 2011.
Jane Ellison
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not collect fuel duty from filling stations. Fuel duty is paid on hydrocarbon oil when it is released for consumption in the UK, either from a UK refinery or an excise warehouse. HMRC therefore does not collect the data to produce a reliable estimate.
Fuel duty receipts for the whole of the UK are published by HMRC, and are available in the Hydrocarbon Oils Bulletin:
https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the potential UK liability for EU disallowance penalties in relation to late payment by the Rural Payments Agency of Basic Payments in the 2015-16 CAP round.
George Eustice
Following the announcement made by the European Commission on 8 June, the UK will not be subject to late-payment penalties in relation to 2015 Basic Payment Scheme payments made by the Rural Payments Agency during the period 1 July to 15 October 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-11-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made, if any, of who was responsible for the recent heavy missile attack on Camp Liberty.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We strongly condemn the shameful attack against the civilian residents of Camp Liberty in Iraq on Thursday 29 October. Officials from our Embassy in Baghdad raised the attack with the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office on Friday 30 October and made clear the importance of an urgent and comprehensive investigation into the incident and ensuring that all those responsible are brought to justice.
It is not clear at this stage who carried out the attack. Iraqi militia, the al-Mukhtar Army, has claimed responsibility, but we are unable to verify this claim.
In all of our engagement with the Government of Iraq on this issue, including at Ministerial level and in our Statements, we have emphasised the importance of the Iraqi government doing everything possible to ensure the safety of the residents of Camp Liberty. We support UN calls for more to be done to protect the residents.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Vaccine Damage Payment scheme.
Jane Ellison
Policy responsibility for the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme transferred to the Department of Health from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in May 2014 although DWP continues to administer this scheme. The scheme was last revised in 2007 and no assessment of effectiveness has been made since that date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Greenwood on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2015 to Question 21125, what estimate he has made of the remaining track that will be electrified in connection with the programmes and projects that will go ahead for delivery by 2019 and were referred to in that Answer.
Claire Perry
Pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 21125, the Department for Transport remains fully committed to our modernisation programme of over 850 miles of electrification. Over 50 miles have already been completed since 2010 compared to just 10 miles electrified in the 13 years of Labour Government from 1997.
Some schemes are more immature in their development and, whilst schemes in this category will have significant delivery within Control Period 5, these schemes will span more than one control period.
It will be for Network Rail to determine the exact mileage to be electrified in Control Period 5 once the development of all the projects and programmes to be delivered by 2019 has reached a sufficient level of maturity.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to reduce plastic waste; and what assessment she has made of the contribution of the circular economy to reducing that waste.
Rory Stewart
The Government has taken a number of steps to reduce plastic waste.
These include the introduction of a 5p charge on single use carrier bags, which is expected to deliver a reduction of 70-80% in bag usage.
The UK Producer Responsibility (Packaging Waste) Regulations require producers of packaging to ensure that a proportion of the packaging they handle is recovered and recycled. As recycling targets become more challenging, the incentive on businesses to minimise the packaging they use increases.
We encourage packaging producers to use a minimum level of packaging through the implementation of the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations which require that packaging should not exceed what is needed to ensure that products are safe, hygienic and acceptable to the consumer.
The third phase of the Courtauld Commitment aims to further optimise packaging, reduce packaging waste and improve recyclability. It aims to deliver a 3% relative reduction to the amount of packaging generated by signatories.
Working through the Waste and Resources Action Programme we have developed and delivered a number of activities in support of both the use of recycled materials in new products, and on activities to stimulate its demand.
For example, the Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan has identified key actions that need to take place across the whole supply chain to ensure that recycling plastics packaging can be done sustainably. This includes design for recyclability, collections and sorting, reprocessing and development of sustainable end markets.
Developing and securing sustainable end markets for recycled materials is key to delivering a circular economy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has paid to staff in overtime in each of the last 24 months.
Mr Desmond Swayne
Overtime is only payable to staff below the Senior Civil Service and is used as a last resort to help deal with exceptional or seasonal pressures of work. The values for overtime paid in each of the last 24 months are recorded below.
|
Month |
Overtime Paid |
|
Mar-14 |
£ 47,739 |
|
Apr-14 |
£ 51,400 |
|
May-14 |
£ 22,598 |
|
Jun-14 |
£ 33,375 |
|
Jul-14 |
£ 29,992 |
|
Aug-14 |
£ 54,954 |
|
Sep-14 |
£ 26,462 |
|
Oct-14 |
£ 52,607 |
|
Nov-14 |
£ 41,797 |
|
Dec-14 |
£ 46,161 |
|
Jan-15 |
£ 34,508 |
|
Feb-15 |
£ 35,047 |
|
Mar-15 |
£ 49,281 |
|
Apr-15 |
£ 25,623 |
|
May-15 |
£ 29,731 |
|
Jun-15 |
£ 38,273 |
|
Jul-15 |
£ 38,207 |
|
Aug-15 |
£ 28,062 |
|
Sep-15 |
£ 19,252 |
|
Oct-15 |
£ 33,338 |
|
Nov-15 |
£ 27,689 |
|
Dec-15 |
£ 37,385 |
|
Jan-16 |
£ 13,732 |
|
Feb-16 |
£ 33,638 |
|
Total |
£ 850,851 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of elections due to take place in November 2016 on political stability in Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mr Philip Hammond
The Government is concerned that elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) may not take place by the Constitutional deadline in November 2016. We believe that it is still technically possible to hold the elections on time and remain committed to doing what we can to support this process.
On 4 March 2016 the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, my Hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), announced in Kinshasa that the UK was prepared to make available £11.4 million to support the elections provided that certain conditions were met. These conditions include the production of a credible timetable and budget for the elections.
We have called upon the Government of the DRC to ensure that political freedoms, freedom of media and speech and human rights are respected to ensure a peaceful and fair environment for the elections. We have also called upon all actors to respect the law and avoid inciting violence and disorder.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-05-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to support the efforts to find a cure for the Zika virus.
Mr Nick Hurd
The UK is supporting and commissioning research to better understand Zika virus, its epidemiology and impacts, with a particular focus on the risk to developing countries, and research into interventions to address this virus. This includes: