Blog

  • Dr Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dr Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Julian Huppert on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential of water cannon to cause (a) temporary and (b) permanent injury.

    Damian Green

    The Home Secretary has now received the request to authorise water cannon for use by the police in England and Wales. She is considering this request and will announce her decision in due course and lay the relevant information in the House Library.

  • Dr Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dr Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Julian Huppert on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the efficacy of the existing tactics in place for use of water cannon in Northern Ireland.

    Damian Green

    The Home Secretary has now received the request to authorise water cannon for
    use by the police in England and Wales. She is considering this request and
    will announce her decision in due course and lay the relevant information in
    the House Library.

  • Angela Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Angela Smith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what facilities exist for the retention and care of non-native wildlife species confiscated in the UK; where those facilities are located; and how many times such non-native wildlife species confiscated have been returned to the people or location where they were first confiscated.

    George Eustice

    Non-native wildlife specimens (including plants) may be retained for various reasons by the Police, UK Border Force (UKBF), Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (RBG Kew), local authorities and other organisations such as the RSPCA.

    RBG Kew has a Plant Quarantine Unit and keeps records of all plant material entering its collections but not records of confiscated specimens that are returned to the people or location they were confiscated from.

    UKBF re-homes seized wildlife after having consulted with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the UK’s CITES scientific authority for fauna, on appropriate location. It has not been UK practice to return wildlife to countries of export as there is no guarantee of its return to the wild or that it will not re-enter illegal trade. UKBF does not disclose publically the locations where seized items are held. All seized animals remain the property of the crown.

    No police-run facilities exist for the retention and care of non-native wildlife species confiscated in the UK: each case is dealt with on an ad-hoc basis. Information about returned specimens is not held centrally.

    Defra does not hold information about holding facilities used by local authorities and other organisations.

  • 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 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence his Department has collected on the effect of badger culls conducted in Ireland on levels of bovine TB in that country.

    George Eustice

    The number of bovine TB reactors in the Republic of Ireland fell by over 65% between 1999 and 2013, from 44,903 to 15,612. This represents the lowest level since the eradication programme started in the 1950s. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s wildlife policy statement of April 2013 concludes that it is satisfied that the culling of infected badgers, which is underpinned by research studies and sound science, has led to a significant reduction in the incidence of TB in cattle over the past decade.

    http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/animalhealthwelfare/diseasecontrol/bovinetbbrucellosiseradicationschemes/wildlifepolicybadgers/

    “

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on allowing officials to appear before all-party parliamentary groups.

    Dan Rogerson

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my Rt. Hon. friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, Mr Francis Maude, on 26 March 2014, Official Report, Column 300W.

  • Mrs Cheryl Gillan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Mrs Cheryl Gillan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Cheryl Gillan on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, who has been appointed as a non-executive director of his Department since the publication of information on non-executive directors in his Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13; what the date of each such appointment was; what annual fee is payable to each such person; what expenses and allowances each such person has claimed to date; and what other interests or employment each such person has.

    Gregory Barker

    Since the last annual report Martin Stewart has joined the Department as lead non-executive director on 3rd June 2013; and Tom Kelly joined on 3rd February 2014.

    Martin Stewart is CEO of Eurotaxglass Ltd. He is also a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee on London 2017 Ltd, and Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee of SIS Ltd.

    Tom Kelly is currently the corporate communications director at Network Rail. He moves to become Strategic Communications Adviser for HS2 on 1st April 2014.

    Their fees are £20,000 PA and £15,000 PA respectively. Neither has claimed expenses from the Department since taking up their role.

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what his Department’s policy is on allowing officials to appear before all-party parliamentary groups.

    Gregory Barker

    I refer the hon. Member to answer given by my rt. hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General on 26 March 2014, Official Report, Column 300W.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State of 3 March 2014, Official Report, column 721, on Government levies on energy bills, what assessment he has made of the potential effects of a freeze of the carbon floor price on the number and capacity of projects that will be brought forward under the levy control framework.

    Michael Fallon

    The levy control framework has been designed with the flexibility to be able to respond to policy changes. The government expects to meet its renewable energy ambition as set out in the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan within the Levy Control Framework.

  • Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Greatrex – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Greatrex on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State of 3 March 2014, Official Report, column 725, on Government levies on energy bills, when he plans to present to the House the first annual report on consumer-funded policies, covering actual expenditure and forecast expenditure.

    Michael Fallon

    The first annual report on consumer-funded levies will be published to a timetable consistent with Ofgem’s reporting on the Renewables Obligation for 2013/14, scheduled for March 2015. Officials are currently considering how that date could be brought forward.

  • Sir Greg Knight – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Sir Greg Knight – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Greg Knight on 2014-03-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many old oil and gas wells there are in the UK for which no firm or company is responsible; and how such wells are monitored for leaks.

    Michael Fallon

    A recently published paper by the ReFINE research consortium estimates that there are between fifty and a hundred historic wells in the UK for which no responsible person can be identified.

    Oil and gas wells in the UK which have no further usefulness are treated to ensure the retention of any fluids within the well. The bore is sealed with concrete plugs, while the well head it cut off below ground level and a steel cap welded to the top. The abandonment operations are subject to scrutiny by the HSE and the independent well examiner, and must comply with relevant industry standards. The site will then be restored to the appropriate standard prescribed by planning conditions.

    Wells are not monitored after the completion of the abandonment and site restoration operations. The ReFINE paper confirms that there are no pollution issues associated with historic oil and gas wells in the UK.