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  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to make a final decision about airport expansion in the South East.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    On 10 December, the Government accepted the Airports Commission’s case for expansion in the South East. We agree with the Commission’s shortlist of three options, all of which it concluded were viable. The Government will now conclude a package of further work by the summer, and will ensure that the timetable for delivering additional capacity set out by the Commission does not alter.

  • Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2015-12-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the official opening of the airport on St Helena.

    Baroness Verma

    The St Helena Government is responsible for planning the official opening of the airport on St Helena.

  • Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Jones of Cheltenham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2015-12-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will announce the new opening date for the airport on St Helena in order to bring certainty to investors in the island and to enable potential visitors to make appropriate travel plans from January 2016.

    Baroness Verma

    St Helena Government recently announced that subject to final certification and operational readiness, St Helena Airport is expected to be accepting commercial flights before the planned official opening of the Airport in May 2016. They plan to issue further information at the end of January 2016.

  • Mrs Sheryll Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mrs Sheryll Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Sheryll Murray on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote local food and drink.

    George Eustice

    The Government recognises the value that high-quality, locally produced food has to consumers, communities and the economy. The Great British Food Campaign will celebrate the achievements of British food and drink.

    2016 will be the Year of British Food. It will celebrate the quality and creativity of Britain’s producers, manufacturers, retailers and restaurateurs allowing everyone to benefit from the UK’s culinary heritage.

  • Jo Churchill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jo Churchill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Churchill on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of her visit to China in November 2015 on opening up new markets to British farmers and producers.

    Elizabeth Truss

    During my visit to China I concluded deals to open the Chinese market to British barley and pigs trotters, together worth up to £190m over the next five years.

    I also presented the Chinese inspection authorities with a forward plan to open market access to UK poultry meat and beef and lamb.

  • Scott Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Scott Mann – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Scott Mann on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to change the distribution of Common Fisheries Policy quotas for inshore fishing fleets.

    George Eustice

    Defra is in the final stages of a permanent quota realignment exercise which will represent a 14% uplift in the amount of quota the inshore fleet currently receives.

    We have also announced that the inshore fleet will be the principal beneficiaries of any quota uplift received as a result of the introduction of the demersal landing obligation.

    For species subject to the discard ban from January 2016, we have announced that the non-sector pools will receive the first 100 tonnes of any quota uplift received and 10% of any remaining uplift. For 2016 this represents more than 1,000 tonnes of uplift to support the non-sector in their adaptation to the landing obligation and includes key stocks such as haddock, whiting and plaice.

    In the Celtic Sea there will be an estimated additional 126 tonnes of whiting and 142 tonnes of hake to support the non-sector.

  • Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Tania Mathias – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what budget his Department has allocated for cycling-related road improvements in each of the next five years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, to be published in summer 2016, will set out the Government’s plans for investing in cycling and walking.

    The Government recently reaffirmed its commitment to cycling and walking, with SR2015 announcing funding support ofover £300m. This includes delivering the £114m Cycle City Ambition programme in full, which includes improved cycling infrastructure on roads, and a new ‘Access’ fund for sustainable travel building on the legacy of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. In addition, the Road Investment Strategy for 2015-20 includes plans to improve 200 sections of the roads network for cyclists. All other funding streams will be considered as part of the process for developing the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

    It is also worth noting that from within the record £6 billion to be allocated to local highways authorities between 2015 and 2021 for road maintenance, from 2018/19 the plan is to change the formula used to allocate local highways maintenance capital funding so that it also takes into account footways and cycleways as well as the roads, bridges and street lighting, which it is currently based on. Once implemented, around 9% of the funding will be based on footway and cycleway lengths.

    SR2015 also announced an additional £250m for a potholes action fund, which will benefits both motorists and cyclists.

  • Derek Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Derek Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will offer military resources to assist with the refugee crisis (a) in Lesbos and (b) elsewhere.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Ministry of Defence is already supporting the Home Office in its work with refugees. In the Mediterranean, Royal Navy medics and a Royal Marine force protection team are deployed on board the Border Force chartered vessel MV VOS Grace currently in the Aegean Sea, supporting the EU’s FRONTEX-led search and rescue operation. The Ministry of Defence has also supported HM Government’s Syrian Resettlement Programme through the provision of medical escorts on board some of the charter flights that recently brought Syrian refugees to the UK.

    HMS ENTERPRISE is also deployed to the EU Naval Force operation in the Mediterranean tackling the migrant smugglers who profit from the perilous journeys made by migrants across the Central Mediterranean. Royal Navy assets operating in this operation and the earlier search and rescue operation in the summer, have rescued over 7,500 persons in the Mediterranean since May.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will place in the Library the impact assessment for NHS England’s consultation on proposals for a new Cancer Drugs Fund operating model from 1 April 2016 which was published on 19 November 2015.

    George Freeman

    NHS England has advised that its impact assessment will not be completed until the outcomes from the current consultation on the future of the Cancer Drugs Fund are known

  • Heidi Alexander – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many residents of care homes had an emergency admission to a hospital in 2014-15.

    Alistair Burt

    The information is not available in the format requested.

    The number of emergency admissions[1] from care homes to a hospital for 2014-15 was 22,682.

    However, we cannot provide a count of how many residents of care homes had an emergency admission, because data within the Hospital Episode Statistics database is not recorded at patient level. It is possible for a single person to have more than one admission in any given time period.

    [1] These are finished admission episodes (FAEs). A FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.