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  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his Department’s policy to (a) increase economic support to Tunisia and (b) urge the EU to consider fast-tracking its negotiations for a free trade partnership with that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    UK support for Tunisia has doubled in the last year to nearly £6 million for programmes to support economic reform, governance and security sector capacity building. We will continue this high level of co-operation in the next Financial Year, including £3 million from the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund. We also anticipate significant new programmes to provide economic reform in Tunisia over the next four years, with international partners and are ready to help Tunisia access, and make more use of, existing funds from multilateral organisations. However, it is important that Tunisia sets out its plans for economic development and reform.

    We will continue to urge the EU to take forward negotiations on a deep and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with Tunisia.

  • Stella Creasy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stella Creasy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stella Creasy on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK citizens reported themselves to the British Consulate in Ibiza as victims of crime in each of the last five years; what the nature of those crimes was; whether those crimes involved sexual violence or harassment; and what prosecutions resulted from those reports.

    Mr David Lidington

    Consular staff routinely record all those cases in which we have provided assistance to British nationals oversees. However, our records do not specifically identify whether those requesting assistance were victims of crime.

    Since 2012, the British Consulate in Ibiza recorded the following cases which are those most likely to have involved victims of crime. Where the number of reported cases is less or equal to five, these are annotated as ‘Less than 5’ to avoid the risk of identifying the individuals concerned.

    It is not mandatory for victims to provide information about any potential prosecutions, so we do not hold information on the number of prosecutions that arose from these cases

    Rape & sexual assault
    2011 8
    2012 8
    2013 7
    2014 7
    2015 Less than 5

    Assault – General
    2011 16
    2012 36
    2013 14
    2014 Less than 5
    2015 0

    Domestic Violence
    2011 0
    2012 0
    2013 0
    2014 Less than 5
    2015 5

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Chinese government on the human rights situation in Hong Kong and the alleged abduction of Lee Bo.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave on 4 February 2016 to question number 24423.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to reduce plastic waste; and what assessment she has made of the contribution of the circular economy to reducing that waste.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government has taken a number of steps to reduce plastic waste.

    These include the introduction of a 5p charge on single use carrier bags, which is expected to deliver a reduction of 70-80% in bag usage.

    The UK Producer Responsibility (Packaging Waste) Regulations require producers of packaging to ensure that a proportion of the packaging they handle is recovered and recycled. As recycling targets become more challenging, the incentive on businesses to minimise the packaging they use increases.

    We encourage packaging producers to use a minimum level of packaging through the implementation of the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations which require that packaging should not exceed what is needed to ensure that products are safe, hygienic and acceptable to the consumer.

    The third phase of the Courtauld Commitment aims to further optimise packaging, reduce packaging waste and improve recyclability. It aims to deliver a 3% relative reduction to the amount of packaging generated by signatories.

    Working through the Waste and Resources Action Programme we have developed and delivered a number of activities in support of both the use of recycled materials in new products, and on activities to stimulate its demand.

    For example, the Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan has identified key actions that need to take place across the whole supply chain to ensure that recycling plastics packaging can be done sustainably. This includes design for recyclability, collections and sorting, reprocessing and development of sustainable end markets.

    Developing and securing sustainable end markets for recycled materials is key to delivering a circular economy.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Secretary of State is taking to ensure supermarkets are not breaching the industry code of practice by delaying payments to suppliers and demanding extra fees.

    Anna Soubry

    The Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) is responsible for enforcing the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the Code). The GCA is independent from Government. The current Adjudicator is Christine Tacon.

    The Government fully supports the GCA. We were very pleased to see the recent report of her investigation into Tesco. The GCA found Tesco had breached the Code by delaying payments to its suppliers and she made recommendations to ensure future compliance with the Code.

    The GCA’s investigation and report sent a clear message to all supermarkets subject to the Code that she will accept no less than the principle of fair dealing demanded by the Code. It put the industry on notice that any breach of the Code is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of reduced milk prices on dairy farmers.

    George Eustice

    The latest forecast of Farm Business Incomes for 2015-16 indicates that average incomes are expected to fall on dairy farms to £46,500. This reflects the impact of lower milk prices which started to fall in March 2014. It is important to note the wide variation in milk prices with some farmers receiving considerably more or less than the average. Reductions in milk price have been offset slightly by increased milk production together with reduced input costs, particularly feed.

    We understand the pressures facing dairy farmers and have taken action to ease their cash flow problems. The £26.2 million aid package we secured for the UK from the European Commission and paid out in November and December provided some relief to hard-pressed farmers.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of a lack of bovine TB vaccine on the spread of bovine TB in the areas that border Wales.

    George Eustice

    Following advice from Public Health England on the need to prioritise available stocks for humans, the Government has taken the decision to suspend attempts to source BCG vaccine for the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme and other private badger vaccination deployment projects in England until the supply situation is resolved. This follows the decision of the Welsh Government to do the same. Our long-term research to develop an oral TB vaccine for badgers and an effective TB vaccine for cattle is not expected to be affected by the current supply issue.

    The Government is continuing to take strong action to deliver a long-term plan to eradicate the disease and protect the future of the UK’s dairy and beef industries. The comprehensive strategy includes strengthening cattle testing and movement controls, improving biosecurity on farm and when trading, and badger control in areas where TB is rife. Bovine TB policy is a devolved matter but my department liaises closely with the Welsh Government on matters of common interest, including the impact of the current hiatus in badger vaccination in both England and Wales.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the volume of (a) office equipment and (b) printer cartridges sent to landfill sites in the UK in each of the last three years.

    Rory Stewart

    Neither Defra nor the Environment Agency hold any specific data on waste office equipment. The data on waste tonnages accepted in disposal and recovery facilities is based on standard European Waste Classification (EWC) codes. These codes do not map directly to waste office equipment. Therefore, the data provided is based on the most relevant codes. These relate to ‘wastes from electrical and electronic equipment’, ‘separately collected fractions from municipal wastes’ for discarded electrical equipment and ‘wastes from the manufacture, formulation, supply and use of printing inks’. Figures for discarded equipment will not include office equipment only.

    Waste electrical and electronic equipment and waste printer cartridges accepted at landfill sites in England (tonnes):

    2012

    2013

    2014

    Discarded waste electrical & electronic equipment*

    101.03

    99.64

    134.92

    Waste printer cartridges**

    134.15

    159.30

    136.57

    * based on EWC code 160213.160214, 200135, 200136.

    ** based on EWC code 080317, 08318.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) increase the share of remanufacturing in public procurement and (b) reduce the volume of office equipment currently going to landfill.

    Rory Stewart

    Defra encourages Departments’ efforts to take account of sustainability in public procurement and to reduce waste through its role in developing, co-ordinating and reporting on the Greening Government Commitments. The commitments for 2010 to 2015 included to reduce the amount of waste generated and to buy more sustainable and efficient products. A new set of Greening Government Commitments for the period to 2020 is currently being developed.

    Defra and the Environment Agency are also among the Government Departments and agencies planning to participate in a pilot programme being run by HM Revenue and Customs in 2016-17 to promote reuse and recycling of Government assets.

    The 2014-15 Annual Report on the Greening Government shows that between 2009-10 and 2014-15 the Government reduced the amount of waste, including office equipment, it sent to landfill from 37% of its total waste to 17%.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the reduction in single-use plastic carrier bag usage in England since the carrier bag charge was introduced.

    Rory Stewart

    Retailers are required to provide data for the first reporting period ending 6 April 2016 by 31 May 2016. Any assessment the department makes on the reduction of single use carrier bags will be after that point.

    In December, Tesco reported a 78% reduction in the number of single-use carrier bags distributed since the introduction of the charge. They also reported an increase of nearly 50% in the number of online shoppers selecting ‘bagless’ deliveries.