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  • David Hanson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    David Hanson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with UNESCO on ensuring that world heritage sites (a) are protected from development by extraction industries and (b) encourage eco-tourism.

    Tracey Crouch

    Officials from DCMS regularly meet with UNESCO, and discuss a range of issues covered in the Department’s portfolio.This Government is committed to theprotectionofCulturalHeritage here and abroad.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on security of Médecins Sans Frontières clinics in areas of conflict.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    It is essential that there is a rigorous process to determine the circumstances surrounding the airstrike on the Médecins Sans Frontières trauma centre in Kunduz in order to prevent something like this occurring again. We await the conclusions of the investigations currently being undertaken by NATO and by the Governments of the United States and Afghanistan, and any lessons that these offer. The UK Government has high regard for Médecins Sans Frontières and the work they undertake around the world.

    We are also aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen by the Saudi Arabia-led Coalition – including alleged airstrikes resulting in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure – and take them very seriously. We have raised our concerns with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and have received repeated assurances that they are complying with IHL. We continue to engage with them on those assurances. We are also concerned by reports of alleged IHL violations by Houthi-Saleh forces, including the use of schools and hospitals for military purposes; and the targeting of aid workers and restrictions on humanitarian access. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL and international human rights law.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on creating a North-South water pipeline to bring water to London.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government is currently not considering any specific proposals to create a North-South water pipeline. Though we do recognise that increasing interconnection in our water supply system to allow water to be traded and moved will help improve long-term resilience, water is heavy and expensive to move over long distances and its transfer can also have adverse environmental impacts. In the short-term, the transfers that are most likely to be beneficial are strategic interconnection projects to join up water supply zones within, and between, water company networks.

    In the longer-term, greater join-up between these networks could allow for the more strategic management of water transfers over a wider area. With the industry, we are exploring ways to increase cross-company collaboration over the next water resources planning period.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of the EU Water Framework Directive on the level of water available in London.

    Rory Stewart

    The Water Framework Directive aims to protect and improve surface waters and groundwater and promote sustainable water use so that we have a sufficient supply of good quality water for people and the environment. Actions to achieve this are set out in river basin management plans every 6 years.

    On the 30th October, the Environment Agency published proposed updated plans which they submitted to the Secretary of State for approval, including the Thames plan which covers London. The preparation of the proposed plan has involved an assessment of current and future water availability in the Thames river basin.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to control the number of badgers in the next 12 months.

    George Eustice

    We are committed to our strategy to make England free of bovine TB, of which culling badgers in areas where the disease is rife is a key element.

  • David Hanson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Hanson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department spent on tackling the illegal wildlife trade in each of the last five years.

    Rory Stewart

    Over the past five years, the total amount of funding committed by Defra to tackling the illegal wildlife trade is as follows:

    Financial Year

    Total committed

    2010/11

    £224,535

    2011/12

    £226,000

    2012/13

    £162,000

    2013/14

    £2,089,773

    2014/15

    £5,278,744

    In December 2013, Defra and DFID announced that £10m of funding would be made available over the period 2014/15 – 2017/18 to help developing countries tackle the illegal wildlife trade, to be administered by Defra. In March 2015, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development announced that an additional £3m would be made available for this purpose.

    The DFID funding is largely distributed through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, for which I announced the opening of a second round of applications in August 2015. In addition, Defra has supported projects which will help tackle the illegal wildlife trade through the Darwin Initiative and through direct awards to organisations such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). We also supported the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in February 2014 and the Kasane Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in March this year.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has made to the European Commission on difficulties faced by milk farmers because of the low price of milk.

    George Eustice

    UK Ministers and officials have regularly drawn the Commission’s attention to the difficulties facing UK dairy farmers. The Commission has listened to the concerns raised by the UK and other Member States and has introduced a €500m package of targeted support for EU farmers. The UK has been allocated the equivalent of £26.2m as part of this aid package and this will be shared between dairy farmers on the basis of their milk production. Northern Irish farmers will receive a boosted payment in recognition of the very low prices in Northern Ireland. Payments are expected to be made in December 2015.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants in her Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to her Department.

    George Eustice

    The number of civil servants in the Core-Department, who are members of a trade union, is matter for the unions.

    The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to the Civil Service facility on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 and is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time

    “

  • Julie Elliott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Julie Elliott – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Elliott on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent steps she has taken to support carbon capture and storage technology to achieve commercial deployment; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) play an important role in meeting our 2050 emissions reduction target.

    The CCS Commercialisation Programme could provide capital and operating support for up to two commercial scale projects, subject to value for money. As part of our support for CCS, we are investing up to £100 million to support detailed engineering studies at the proposed Peterhead and White Rose CCS projects to enable Final Investment Decisions.

    Together with the Scottish Government we have committed, in principle, to provide £4.2 million to support Summit Power to undertake industrial research and development at their proposed CCS Caledonia Clean Energy Plant in Grangemouth, Scotland.

    We have also invested over £130 million since 2011 to support research and development and innovation to foster the next generation of CCS technologies.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many civil servants in her Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to her Department.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) recognises three Trade Unions for the purposes of collective bargaining: the First Division Association (FDA), the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and Prospect. As not all Trade Union members pay their subscriptions through payroll it is not possible to provide accurate data on the number of employees who are trade union members.

    Local union representatives are elected by the employees who are members of the union in accordance with each union’s rules for filling these posts. In order to fulfil their trade union duties the unions also elect representatives to the roles of Departmental Trade Union Side (DTUS) Chair and Secretary. The DTUS Chair and Secretary are allocated re-approved facility time up to 50% of their working hours. All other representatives must request time off from their line manager.

    Details of the working time claimed by unions representatives in DECC and the cost of the facility time to the Department is provided to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis. The details provided in the latest return covering the period 1 April to 30 June 2015 are as follows:

    Total number of Trade Union representatives

    Total facility time (in working hours)

    Total cost of facility time to the Department

    15

    315.25

    £16,710