Blog

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in the Israeli government about the treatment of Palestinian child detainees in Israel.

    Hugh Robertson

    The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Mr Grayling) raised the treatment of child detainees with the Israeli Supreme Court President during his visit to Israel in May. I wrote to the Israeli Attorney General on this issue on 31 March 2014.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Iranian government about the imprisonment of Pastor Behnam Irani.

    Hugh Robertson

    We are aware of the arrest and imprisonment of Pastor Behnam Irani. We remain deeply concerned about the detention and treatment of all prisoners of conscience in Iran and the ongoing discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups. We have called for the Iranian government to protect the rights of all minority groups in Iran and end the persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith. The UK’s non-resident Chargé d’Affaires raised the issue of freedom of religion with the Iranian authorities during his visit to Iran on 12 March.

  • Nick de Bois – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Nick de Bois – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick de Bois on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Middle East peace process of then-Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh’s statement in April 2014 that kidnapping Israelis was a top priority on the agenda of Hamas and the Palestinian resistance.

    Hugh Robertson

    The statement made by the then-Hamas Prime Minister in April 2014 was deplorable and only serves to perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The new Palestinian interim technocratic government contains no Hamas members, and has signed up to the international community’s principles: non-violence, a negotiated two state solution, and an acceptance of all previous agreements and obligations, including Israel’s legitimate right to exist. We now look to the new government to demonstrate these commitments through its actions as well as its words.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Stewart Jackson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to issue further guidance on ecological focus areas; and if he will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Owen Paterson, made a Statement to the House on 10 June covering a range of Common Agricultural Policy Reform implementation decisions. A number of subsequent decisions have to be made in relation to the greening Ecological Focus Area requirements, and we plan to issue further guidance to claimants within the next two months.

  • Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will assess the viability of limiting the extraction of water from Windermere and Ullswater only when flow levels are high to reduce the risk of over-extraction and flood control.

    Dan Rogerson

    The Environment Agency limits United Utilities to abstracting water from Windermere and Ullswater to periods when there is adequate flow in the downstream rivers. Recent studies of Windermere and Ullswater have concluded that both abstraction licences are sustainable. Current abstraction levels would not have a material impact on flood risk as the total daily abstraction would only equate to approximately 1 percent of the flow during a flood.

  • Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will assess the viability of using Kielder Water as a water source and linking it to the national water grid.

    Dan Rogerson

    We have been working closely with Ofwat and the Environment Agency to consider how we can promote connectivity in our water supply system of which the establishment of a national water grid is only one option. The infrastructure investment needed for a grid is considerable. Water is also heavy, difficult and costly to move. Relatively local connections are likely to be the best options, incrementally building a wider and more integrated network.

    Water companies are already joining up sources of supply to build resilience and are strongly encouraged to consider options for interconnections in their Water Resources Management Plans (WRMP), alongside other options, such as demand management. All water companies have statutory WRMPs, which look ahead at least 25 years. The Water Act 2014 includes provisions that will make it easier for water companies to make bulk supply arrangements between their networks.

    Kielder Water has a very large capacity and offers security of supply to customers in the Northumbrian Water Limited operating area. Other water companies outside the area have investigated ways of using Kielder as part of their 2014 WRMPs. The water companies found that local solutions offered better value for both customers and the environment.

  • Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take in response to falls in beef farm gate prices.

    George Eustice

    With supplies of cattle outstripping demand both at home and abroad, domestic prime cattle prices have been under pressure and have fallen throughout 2014. In May, prices were at their lowest level since mid-2012 and 15-20% lower than the peak reached in 2013. The European Commission (EC) Short Term Outlook expects beef prices to remain firm although below the 2013 record highs.

    On 1 July, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Farming, Food and the Marine Environment will be hosting a senior-level beef industry summit with retailers, meat processors and farmers to discuss falling farm gate beef prices and develop strategies for a sustainable British beef sector.

  • Emma Lewell-Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Emma Lewell-Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Lewell-Buck on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2013-14.

    Dan Rogerson

    Core Defra outcomes for the performance assessment period 2013/14 are currently being analysed.

    The information, which forms part of a wider Performance Management diversity analysis, will be published, no later than January 2015, as part of the annual Workforce Monitoring Report under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

  • Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many herd owners have (a) failed to complete TB surveillance tests on time and (b) received reductions in their Single Payment Scheme payments since the introduction of a revised TB testing regime in January 2014.

    George Eustice

    Owners of cattle herds are given a two or three month window to complete their TB surveillance tests, depending on whether they are subject to annual or four yearly surveillance testing. The enhanced cross compliance rule for overdue surveillance tests applies to cattle keepers with a testing window that started on or after 1 January 2014. In April 2014 (the most recent date for which we have data) 264 herd owners had failed to complete their TB tests on time, which compares to 689 overdue tests in April 2013. All of these herd owners who are Common Agricultural Policy scheme recipients will be liable to reductions in their payments once these become due, unless they can show that the late testing was beyond their control.

  • Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2014-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the causes and effects of falls in beef farm gate prices; and if he will make a statement.

    George Eustice

    With supplies of cattle outstripping demand both at home and abroad, domestic prime cattle prices have been under pressure and have fallen throughout 2014. In May, prices were at their lowest level since mid-2012 and 15-20% lower than the peak reached in 2013. The European Commission (EC) Short Term Outlook expects beef prices to remain firm although below the 2013 record highs.

    On 1 July, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Farming, Food and the Marine Environment will be hosting a senior-level beef industry summit with retailers, meat processors and farmers to discuss falling farm gate beef prices and develop strategies for a sustainable British beef sector.