The below Parliamentary question was asked by Susan Elan Jones on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department has made an assessment of whether tariff free trade between the UK and EU member states would be possible under World Trade Organisation rules.
Mr Robin Walker
A World Trade Organisation member can enter into a preferential trade deal, such as a Free Trade Agreement, with another member.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-10-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to increase the frequency of train services to north-east Essex along the Great Eastern Main Line.
Claire Perry
As with all competitions, after running a public consultation to help specify services, we have published the Invitation To Tender which sets out the minimum service specifications for the next East Anglia franchise. This asks bidders to set out detailed proposals on what improvements for passengers they will deliver. This approach allowsbidders the flexibility to design the best way of delivering or exceeding the specifications.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Departmental Settlement within the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what proportion of his Department’s resource DEL is allocated to the Government Digital Service and related projects in each year to 2019-20.
Matthew Hancock
The Spending Review settlement has shown Government’s continued commitment to digital delivery of services to recast the relationship between the citizen and the state. £1.8 billion investment in digital technology was announced by the Government in the Spending Review, plus a £450m allocation for GDS.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Autumn Statement and Summer Budget 2015, paragraph 2.172, what estimate he has made of the rent that the Cabinet Office will need to pay to the Government Property Unit for its own buildings.
Matthew Hancock
The Government Property Unit is working with departments to agree a detailed timeline for the transfer of assets and on the detail of implementation, including the finance and charging regime.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, within what timescale she expects the Common Fisheries Policy objectives to be met.
George Eustice
On the Common Fisheries Policy’s principal objectives with deadlines, the UK is committed to implementing the landing obligation on all quota species by 2019, and to be fishing all stocks at Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) by 2020 at the latest.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lady Hermon on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 25652, whether people resident in Northern Ireland are able to apply for apprenticeships in England.
Nick Boles
The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) funds apprenticeships training in England. The devolved administrations of Northern Ireland (NI), Wales, and Scotland have their own funding arrangements for apprenticeships. Employers and training providers must not actively recruit learners who live or work outside of England.
Residents in NI can apply for English Apprenticeships provided they want to live in, or travel to, England to work and study. The SFA will only apply funding under these circumstances.
The SFA will not fund individuals whose main employment or normal place of work is not in England.
Skills is a devolved matter to NI and are funded by the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) in NI.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what evidence he has received to demonstrate that the construction of Phase One of High Speed 2 will not breach the requirements of Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Environmental Statement and Supplementary Environmental Statements for the Phase One hybrid Bill fully assessed the impact on air quality from HS2 construction. The method of assessment is specifically directed at the limit values set out in Annex II of Directive 2008/50/EC, and identifies whether the limit values are currently breached, anticipated to be breached in the future, and to what extent any breaches are affected by the construction of Phase One of HS2.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the new holding company to be created to give effect to the proposed takeover of the London Stock Exchange by Deutsche Bourse will have to make its whole capital available to support a default by one of the two central clearing houses it will control, and which of those two clearing houses will receive capital priority in the event of a simultaneous or proximate failure of them both.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
I refer the noble Lord to my written answer of 26 April (HL7583, HL7584, HL7585, and HL7586).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Challenger 2 Battle Tanks are maintained in Germany; and what the state of readiness is of such tanks.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Challenger 2 is a highly capable Main Battle Tank and sits at the heart of the Army’s war fighting Armoured Infantry Brigades and is a key part of the UK’s capability. The current Challenger 2 fleet consists of 227 main battle tanks all of which would be available for operational use if required.
The following Regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps are equipped with Challenger 2: The King’s Royal Hussars, Tidworth; The Queen’s Royal Hussars, Germany and The Royal Tank Regiment, Tidworth. We do not routinely comment on specific levels of readiness and locations for individual capabilities as to do so would compromise operational security, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
As at May 2016 the Challenger 2 fleet was assessed to meet 100% of the fleet size and deployability requirements as set out in the 2015-16 Army Readiness Order.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department will commit to maintaining or increasing funding that is allocated to eradicating violence against women in armed conflict, facilitating universal access to reproductive healthcare and supporting equal rights and opportunities for women and girls.
Rory Stewart
The UK has put the empowerment of women and girls at the heart of our international development work, and is delivering significant results for women and girls. We played an instrumental role in influencing the global agreement for Sustainable Development Goal 5 ‘to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’. We also made firm commitments to support women and girls in the 2015 UK Aid strategy, underpinned by the 2014 International Development (Gender Equality) Act legislation, which ensures that UK Aid development and humanitarian work considers gender issues as a core part of everything they deliver. The UK is a global leader in promoting, protecting and supporting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including neglected and difficult issues. The 2012 London Summit on Family Planning put the issue firmly back on the international agenda, and the UK is a core convenor of the FP2020 movement established at the Summit to drive forward progress.
Full attainment of political, social and economic rights for women and girls is a UK priority, recognising its centrality to greater peace and stability. Violence against women and girls is one of the most systematic, widespread human rights violations worldwide. Globally, 1 in 3 women is beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. DFID has made significant progress in scaling up efforts to address violence against women and girls, nearly doubling our programming from 64 programmes in 2012 to 127 in 2016 (including the £25 million ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’ programme). The UK and the new Secretary of State will continue to lead the global effort to improve the lives of women and girls, promoting gender equality and women and girls empowerment in all contexts.