The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to answer Question 217219, tabled on 4 December 2014 by the hon. Member for Wolverhampton North East.
Brandon Lewis
Question UIN 217219 and 217220 were answered on 23 January 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
Mr Edward Vaizey
I have made no formal assessment of the effectiveness of the Portable Antiquities Scheme. The Portable Antiquities Scheme, through its network of Finds Liaison Officers, does an outstanding job in encouraging the voluntary recording of archaeological objects found by members of the public. Since 1997 more than one million finds have been recorded in this way and made publicly available online through the Scheme. The Scheme also has an important educational role and allows children and adults alike to learn about archaeology, get involved, and discover the past. The Scheme is managed by the British Museum and funded through DCMS’s grant-in-aid to the British Museum, with local partner contributions. The funding allocation for the Portable Antiquities Scheme for the period between 2011/12 and 2014/15 has been ring-fenced with the funding reduction over this period minimised to less than 5%.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Russian government about its annexation of Crimea.
Mr David Lidington
We have made clear that we will not recognise Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, which remains a part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine. This point is raised as a matter of principle in any high-level level UK/Russia bilateral meetings. I last raised this issue the last time I met the Russian Ambassador in December.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect that the recently announced reductions in staffing levels at the Dudley Group of Hospitals will have on (a) patient care and (b) waiting times.
Dr Daniel Poulter
The Department has made no such assessment.
It is a matter for the local National Health Service to plan its workforce, and to ensure it has the appropriate staff in place to provide high quality care for its patients.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what arrangements she is planning for the publication of indicators relating to her Department’s strategic framework for economic development; and when she plans to publish such indicators.
Justine Greening
Building on initial work, DFID is continuing to develop further results indicators to reflect economic development priorities and an update on progress is due by July 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2015-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had on the ring-fencing of slots for domestic air services to Heathrow Airport in the event of a third runway being opened at that airport with (a) Heathrow Airport, (b) the Airports Commission, (c) ACL and (d) devolved and regional bodies.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Secretary of State for Transport has had no discussions with Heathrow Airport, the Airports Commission, the slot co-ordinator ACL, or devolved or regional bodies concerning the ring-fencing of slots for domestic air services to London Heathrow Airport in the event of a third runway being opened at the airport.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Framlingham on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the incidence of ash dieback in the United Kingdom in the last year as compared with earlier years.
Lord De Mauley
The total aggregate number of sites with confirmed findings of Chalara at the end of calendar year 2014 was 949. This includes wider environment findings, recently planted trees and nursery sites.
This had increased from a total of 615 at the end of calendar year 2013, and 323 at the end of calendar year 2012. The first findings of Chalara in the UK were during 2012.
An interactive map showing the geographical distribution of Chalara in the UK is available on the Forestry Commission website and is updated on a monthly basis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Sandwich on 2015-01-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent humanitarian trade between Iran and the United Kingdom is exempt from sanctions; to what extent the Joint Plan of Action has facilitated this trade, if at all; and what humanitarian and cultural trade is taking place.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
EU sanctions against Iran do not prevent Iran from purchasing humanitarian goods such as food and medicines. The UK issues as a priority licenses for transactions for these goods. Furthermore, the Joint Plan of Action includes provisions to make humanitarian trade with Iran easier. Medicinal and pharmaceutical exports from the UK to Iran in 2014 were £16,551,536.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-01-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the rate and extent of the spread of Lyme disease in (1) the United Kingdom, (2) other parts of the European Union, and (3) other parts of the world.
Earl Howe
Public Health England monitors laboratory-confirmed Lyme disease (also known as Lyme borreliosis) in England and Wales, devolved administrations of Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate local arrangements in place.
The rate of laboratory-confirmed Lyme borreliosis and its regional distribution in England and Wales has not changed significantly in recent years, data for 2013 will be published shortly.
Assessment of Lyme borreliosis in other European Union (EU) countries is co-ordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Reporting systems and criteria are not standardised throughout EU countries and this data is not routinely collected by ECDC. Therefore as an assessment of Lyme borreliosis using routinely collected data across the EU is not available.
Reporting of Lyme borreliosis worldwide is co-ordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO) based on the heterogeneous reporting systems and criteria adopted by individual countries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-01-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what future plans they have to increase the provisions for free training linked to the Employer Skills Fund to eligible small and medium-sized businesses.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The Employer Skills Fund is a project run in the Liverpool City Region under a consortium led by Wirral Metropolitan College co-funded by the Skills Funding Agency and the European Social Fund. Support will come to an end on 31 July 2015 when the current European Structural and Innovation Funds programme expires.
The new European Structural and Innovation Funds programme which will run to 2020 is currently being finalised. The Skills Funding Agency is working with Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership to determine whether any programmes similar to the Employer Skills Fund will be established depending on local priorities.
More generally, we are reforming the skills system so that it is increasingly responsive to local communities and businesses. Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), through initiatives such as City Deals and Local Growth Deals, have increasing influence over the delivery of skills that support the priorities described in their Strategic Economic Plans. This includes LEPs taking the lead role in determining the use of European Social Fund allocations in the next round (2014-2020).