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 Fiona Bruce on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to increase the flow of impartial information into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea following the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in that country.
Mr Hugo Swire
The British Embassy in Pyongyang has arranged for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) officials to attend education programmes in the UK with a human rights element, and also to attend economics workshops in Pyongyang aiming to deepen their understanding of international standards and norms. The British Council English language teaching programme in Pyongyang provides another area of extensive engagement. The Embassy also delivers strong messages directly to DPRK interlocutors about the UK’s human rights concerns, including concerns arising from the UN Commission of Inquiry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the UN on the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Mr Hugo Swire
In October 2013, I met members of the Commission of Inquiry team on a visit we organised for them to the UK. I travelled to the Human Rights Council in Geneva in March to urge action following their report, and I was pleased with the strong resolution which passed later that month.
In April the UK raised the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) human rights concerns during closed consultations between the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Security Council. The same month the UK’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in New York met with members of the Commission of Inquiry and expressed our strong support for the work of the Commission. The UK also took part in a public ‘Arria’ briefing with other Security Council members to consider DPRK human rights. In May, we raised the need for continued focus on the situation during a UN Security Council Sanctions Committee meeting. I will travel to the UN in Geneva this week in order to meet the DPRK Special Rapporteur, Marzuki Darusman, and to set out the UK’s concerns to the Council. The meeting of the UN General Assembly in September presents a further opportunity to hold discussions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to implement the recommendations on supporting the broadcasting of accessible information in to the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea in paragraph 1224 of the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in that country.
Mr Hugo Swire
We have taken note of the UN Commission of Inquiry recommendation that civil society be supported to broadcast accessible information. We have helped to facilitate contact between BBC Worldwide and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) broadcasting authorities, to explore the possibility of the BBC supplying a range of programmes to the DPRK.
Through our Embassy in Pyongyang, the UK is also one of the few countries which is able to engage directly with the DPRK. This complements the efforts of others who are already broadcasting into North Korea. The recent report of the UN Commission of Inquiry into human rights in North Korea recognised the importance of both approaches.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent UK companies profiting from North Korean labour; and what steps he is taking to ensure that UK companies are compliant with international law on human trafficking, slavery and forced labour in their contracts in North Korea.
Mr Hugo Swire
The UK is the first country to publish the Implementation Plan of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which states the Government’s expectation of business behaviour both in the UK and overseas. In October 2013, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills amended the Companies Act 2006 to introduce mandatory reporting requirements for all UK listed companies to publish information on human rights issues. At the EU level, the UK in April this year secured agreement to impose further reporting requirements on companies across Europe. In particular, all large listed and public interest undertakings will be required to disclose policies, outcomes and risks relating to areas such as respect for human rights and, if relevant, linked to their supply and subcontracting chain.
Current trade between the UK and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is minimal and covered by an overarching provision that any activities should satisfy existing UN and EU sanctions. These refer to restriction in the export of goods and financial assistance, which may contribute to the development of the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. There are currently no plans to introduce a general restriction on trade, as such a broad measure could adversely affect ordinary North Koreans.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which (a) Sri Lankan government representatives and (b) Sri Lankan non-governmental organisations and civil society organisations (i) were invited to and (ii) attended the Global summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Mr Hugo Swire
The Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict that the Foreign Secretary is co-hosting with the Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from 10-13 June 2014 will turn the political commitments contained in the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict into practical action. All governments that have endorsed the declaration have been invited. We have invited the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to London to attend as an observer, as Sri Lanka has not yet endorsed the Declaration. We have invited a range of Sri Lankan civil society representatives and hope that their expertise of the situation on the ground will contribute to the discussion of the issues at hand.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thérèse Coffey on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the performance of Public Health England in reducing inequalities of health outcomes by making improvements in (a) housing conditions and (b) employment capability.
Jane Ellison
Housing and work are two areas that influence health outcomes. In his strategic review of health inequalities, Professor Sir Michael Marmot reminded us all of the link between people’s health and “the conditions in which they are born, grow, live, work and age”.
Public Health England (PHE) has a key role in highlighting the health impact of these issues on health outcomes and health inequalities. It is undertaking a range of work on housing, homelessness and health issues to support and inform national and local stakeholders, including its National Conversation on Health Inequalities, which will help focus future work in this area.
PHE also launched the Healthy People, Healthy Places programme in November 2013 – helping to improve the nation’s health through better planning and design to reduce the impact of a poor physical and natural environment is a PHE priority.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adrian Sanders on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has held with the Russian government on the right to self-determination of people in the North Caucasus.
Mr David Lidington
I have not specifically discussed the right to self-determination of people in the North Caucasus with the Russian government. However, this Government regularly raises concerns about the human rights situation in Russia with the Russian government. Concerns about the human rights situation in the North Caucasus were included in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s 2013 Annual Human Rights Report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, by what date he plans to announce whether the Rushden Lakes/Skew Bridge planning application has been accepted.
Nick Boles
The Secretary of State issued his decision on this case on 11 June. He has decided to grant planning permission for this development. A copy of the decision letter and the Inspector’s report has been sent to my hon. friend and to other interested parties, and these documents are available on the GOV.UK website at:
https://www.gov.uk/planning-applications-called-in-decisions-and-recovered-appeals
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many current suitably qualified and experienced personnel positions are (a) required and (b) vacant in (i) Type 23 and (ii) Type 45 ship crews.
Anna Soubry
The information requested, as at 1 May 2014, is shown in the table:
| Required Positions | Vacant Positions | |
| Type 23 | 2,060 | 180 |
| Type 45 | 1.010 | 80 |
Note: All figures are rounded in accordance with the Defence Statistics rounding policy. All numbers over 100 are rounded to the nearest 10 with numbers ending in 5 rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid bias. Numbers under 100 are rounded to the nearest 5.
None of the existing vacancies is in a post categorised as safety critical and no ship would go to sea without the minimum required complement of suitably qualified and experienced personnel.