The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he or other Ministers of his Department have visited a foodbank in order to assess the contribution of foodbanks to public health and nutrition.
Dr Daniel Poulter
No Departmental Ministers have made a visit to a food bank since May 2010 on official Departmental business, but this does not preclude visits in their personal capacities or as constituency MPs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the newly-elected Ukranian President about the support the UK can offer to stabilise the situation in that country.
Mr William Hague
The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) spoke to President Petro Poroshenko on 29 May, when he congratulated him on his election victory and praised the Ukrainian people for their determination to hold elections in such difficult circumstances and choose their own future. I also did so when I met him on 6 June. The Prime Minister praised Mr Poroshenko’s clear messages on democracy, as well as financial and political reform, and offered his continued support in helping him to build a secure and prosperous Ukraine, through an inclusive national dialogue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the Exchequer was of statutory maternity pay in the last year for which figures are available.
Steve Webb
The amount of Statutory Maternity Pay in the last year for which figures are available was £2,303 million for 2012/13 (nominal terms). Figures are subject to change due to more information becoming available through employers’ returns to HM Revenue and Customs.
The figure is for Great Britain only. Northern Ireland figures are the responsibility of the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland.
Source:
Original source is expenditure data from employer returns to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and is the amount recovered by employers rather than the amount received by claimants. This information is shown in DWP’s expenditure tables found on the Gov.uk website at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/benefit-expenditure-tables
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs were injured as a result of (a) dog fighting, (b) dog baiting and (c) unprovoked attacks by other dogs in each region of the UK in each of the last five years.
George Eustice
The data requested is not collected or held by Defra.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Teather on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of average household earnings in 2014-15.
Mr Nick Hurd
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations she has received on the issuing of passports; and if she will make a statement.
James Brokenshire
Numerous representations have been made both about the general passport issuing
process as well as on behalf of individual applicants. They have been received
from Members of Parliament and the public. Those with concerns about imminent
travel plans for individuals will be prioritised. All will receive a reply. On
12 June my Rt. Hon. Friend the Home Secretary, made a statement in the
House where she announced the arrangements we are putting in place to
deal with the current level of demand for passports.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Prime Minister, how many members of staff of his Office worked on the review by the Cabinet Secretary of the release of correspondence between Ministers relating to prevention of extremism.
Mr David Cameron
The Cabinet Secretary will respond to the hon. Member on this matter shortly. I will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport examining officers were employed by HM Passport Office in each year since 2010.
James Brokenshire
The table below shows the number of Her Majesty’s Passport Office full-time
equivalents working within the passport operational Directorates.
The formal record for workforce data is made on the last day of each calendar
month. We have therefore provided the data as of 31 March of each year.
(a) 2011- 2,586
(b) 2012- 2,216
(c) 2013- 2,389
(d) 2014-2,593
Due to the limitations of the HR management system used prior to Dec 2010, it
is not possible to provide reliable management information below top level for
any periods prior to that date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to improve the habitat and increase the number of (a) hedgehogs and (b) owls.
George Eustice
Agri-environment schemes, such as Environmental Stewardship, are the principal means of improving habitats and the wider environment on farmland in England. Farmers receive funding to manage the cropped environment and provide additional habitats on their farms for birds and other wildlife. Under work to develop the implementation plan for Biodiversity 2020 (the Government’s strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services) Natural England has commissioned work to review all Section 41 species. This is to identify priorities for action and to determine what those actions should be. The hedgehog is being considered within this context by the Mammal Taxon Group, which comprises specialist organisations, led by Natural England.
Activities of benefit to owls, currently funded by Environmental Stewardship, include the establishment of grassy margins and buffer strips, and the management of field corners. These can provide additional habitat for prey species such as small mammals. The restoration of traditional farm buildings can also provide both shelter and nesting sites along with the provision of nest boxes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 178W, from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health, on air pollution, for what reasons an assessment has not been made of the deaths caused by short-term exposures to elevated levels of air pollutants in the years since 2010.
Jane Ellison
Estimates of deaths attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution in United Kingdom local authorities in 2010 were published by Public Health England in April 2014. The mortality burden for the UK was estimated as an effect equivalent to nearly 29,000 deaths.
Public Health England does not routinely estimate the deaths associated with short-term exposure to elevated levels of air pollutants, as these effects are thought to overlap with the mortality effects of long-term exposure to air pollution. Long-term exposure to air pollution is understood to be a contributory factor to deaths from respiratory and, particularly, cardiovascular disease, for example, unlikely to be the sole cause of deaths of individuals. This means that it is likely that air pollution contributes a smaller amount to the deaths of a larger number of exposed individuals rather than being solely responsible for a number of deaths equivalent to the calculated figure of ‘attributable deaths’.