UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2014

  • David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children at primary and secondary schools have access to a healthy and balanced dinner each day.

    Mr David Laws

    The independent School Food Plan, published in July 2013, is designed to increase the quality and take-up of school meals in England and ensure that the food available conforms to healthy standards. As part of the School Food Plan, we are introducing new statutory food-based standards for schools in England from January 2015 and funding three organisations to increase take-up in junior and secondary schools.

    From September 2014 we are introducing free school meals for every child in reception, year 1 and year 2 in state-funded schools in England, to ensure that every child in those year groups has access to a nutritious lunch. We are targeting infants in order to help establish good eating patterns early. Our intention is that by providing a meal when children start at school, they and their parents will see the benefits of school meals and continue to choose them throughout their education.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of which countries in Africa (a) have the highest incidence of illegal killing of wildlife and (b) have the largest illegal trade in wildlife with China.

    George Eustice

    As a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the UK supports work to monitor the illegal killing of wildlife. My Department has provided £270,000 since 2009 to support the CITES Secretariat to undertake such work, including the MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) project and ETIS (Elephant Trade Information System).

    In response to assessments made of illegal killing, the CITES Secretariat has identified the following African counties as primary source countries for ivory: Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Republic of Tanzania. Assessments have also shown that illegal killing poses a significant threat to rhinoceros populations, particularly in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

    These countries are taking action under CITES, such as producing National Ivory Action Plans, but many are going beyond this. For example,Botswana, Chad, Ethiopia, Gabon and Tanzania announced the Elephant Protection Initiative at the London Conference in February. This initiative aims to secure new funding from private and public sources for the implementation of the African Elephant Action Plan. Other recent developments include Gabon announcing plans to impose new penalties for poachers and traffickers, and Ethiopia committing to destroying its ivory stockpiles.

    Further knowledge is needed about the trafficking of the products of poaching of wildlife from source countries to consumer countries, particularly in Asia. The Declaration adopted at the recent London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade took an important step forward in relation to this, with over 40 countries agreeing to undertake further assessment, initially over the next twelve months, of the markets and dynamics of the illegal wildlife trade, and the progress made in combatting it.

  • Robert Syms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Robert Syms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Syms on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much of mean electricity generation in the UK will be represented by the proposed development at Navitus Bay over its lifetime.

    Gregory Barker

    The Department does not undertake analysis or hold information of this nature relating to specific developments. Provisional data for 2013 is that total UK electricity generation was 356,649 Gigawatt hours (GWh). Based on the average 5 year offshore wind load factor from 2008 to 2012 inclusive of 33.1% a wind farm of 1 Gigawatt (GW) of installed capacity is expected to produce 2.9GWh of electricity generation. The Department publishes estimated energy and emissions projections to 2030, the latest update can be accessed at this link:-

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-energy-and-emissions-projections-2013

    “

  • Mr Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mr Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Andy Slaughter on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his article published in the Daily Mail on 6 September 2013, what the evidential basis was for his statement that countless left-wing campaigners are using the judicial review system as a promotional tool.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The rationale for the Government’s reforms is set out in ‘Judicial review: further proposals for reform – the Government response’ (https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/judicial-review). The Government is determined to improve the judicial review process so that it is not open to abuse and arguable cases can proceed quickly to final resolution.

    Most of the Government’s reforms to judicial review are being taken forward through the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill which will be subject to the full and proper scrutiny of Parliament.

    “

  • Robin Walker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Robin Walker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robin Walker on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on co-ordinating efforts to secure the release from prison of Meriam Ibrahim.

    Mark Simmonds

    Through our Embassy in Khartoum, the UK has been coordinating international efforts, including EU, Troika and others, to secure the release of Meriam Ibrahim from prison. We are also working with EU partners in Brussels to ensure an effective EU response.

    My Ministerial colleagues and I will continue to lobby forcefully, bilaterally and with other partners, for Meriam’s release.

  • Dr William McCrea – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Dr William McCrea – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr William McCrea on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the expanded Air Development Fund announced in the Budget Statement 2014 will apply throughout the UK: and how that fund will operate in the devolved jurisdictions.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Chancellor announced in this year’s Budget that funding to maintain existing air connectivity to London – first announced in the 2013 Spending Round last June – will increase from £10million to £20million per year, and would be expanded to include provision for start-up aid for new air routes from UK regional airports, including those in the devolved administrations, which handle fewer than five million passengers per year.

    The Department for Transport is working with the Treasury to develop guidance that will clarify how the Government will ordinarily expect to interpret the European Union State aid guidelines on start-up aid for new air routes, and explain how the funding process will operate across the UK.

  • Liam Fox – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Liam Fox – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the threat ISIS and other Islamist groups in Syria pose to (a) the wider Middle East and (b) other areas.

    Hugh Robertson

    The UK is deeply concerned by the growth of terrorism in Syria and Iraq. ISIL are a brutal terrorist group who want to impose rule on people using their extremist ideology, violence and extortion.

    ISIL’s advance in Iraq shows that they are a serious threat. It shows clearly the importance of taking a strong stand against extremists, and that is why we are giving our full backing to the moderate groups in Syria who are fighting them. It is not yet clear what the recent developments in Iraq mean in the longer term, but clearly ISIL’s ability to operate in both Syria and Iraq is a cause of concern for the international community.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures he has in place to establish the extent to which work programme providers have assisted participants to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.

    Esther McVey

    The Work Programme is designed to be flexible and tailored to each individual, with some participants requiring more support than others which may include assistance in improving their literacy and numeracy skills. The Department has a robust performance management regime which includes assurance of service delivery at individual participant level

  • Crispin Blunt – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Crispin Blunt – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Crispin Blunt on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what restrictions apply to the discretion of clinical commissioning groups to commission immunisation services.

    Jane Ellison

    Policy on what national immunisation programmes should be implemented and how best to implement them is the responsibility of the Department working with Public Health England and NHS England.

    Responsibility and funding for national immunisation programmes rests with NHS England. Clinical commissioning groups are free to consider the need and resourcing for local immunisation activity with their partners in local authorities, who are responsible for taking appropriate steps to improve local public health.

  • Mr Michael Meacher – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mr Michael Meacher – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Michael Meacher on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claimants have been sanctioned for (a) four weeks, (b) three months and (c) three years (i) nationally and (ii) in Oldham in the last year.

    Esther McVey

    The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.