The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department retains any formal interest in the site of the Royal Hospital Haslar.
Mr Julian Brazier
The Haslar Hospital site in Gosport was sold in November 2009 to Our Enterprise (Haslar) Ltd for £3 million. The Department retains no formal interest in the site.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to maintain Maritime Patrol Aircraft capabilities during the period before the first Poseidon P-8 is planned to enter service in 2019-20.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 December 2015 to Question number 17839 from the hon. Member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Sharon Hodgson on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2015 to Question 13930, how many key stage one children receiving universal infant free school meals would not be eligible for such meals through a benefit-related claim.
Mr Sam Gyimah
This information is published in Table 3d of the National Tables in the statistical first release available at
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2015.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Whitehead on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she plans to produce an updated version of her Department’s carbon capture and storage roadmap.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government continues to view Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as having a potential role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK’s power and industrial sectors. The detailed design and implementation of CCS policy changes are currently being assessed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that school (a) staff and (b) pupils are protected from violence in schools.
Edward Timpson
Any violence in schools is deplorable. The Department issues health and safety advice designed to help schools meet their statutory obligations. The employer in a school has the overall responsibility of ensuring that reasonable steps are taken to ensure staff and pupils are not being exposed to risks to their health and safety, including making the school secure.
We have appointed Tom Bennett, an expert in behaviour, to look at improving training for new teachers, to deal with school disruption and more widely at what needs to be done to improve behaviour in schools.
Schools should be safe and secure environments. Combined figures relating to the number of exclusions for physical assault against pupils and adults and verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against pupils and adults show a decrease for fixed period exclusions in recent years. We have given powers to schools to search pupils and confiscate inappropriate items. Schools continue to be vigilant and I expect that they will take all the necessary steps to ensure staff and pupils are appropriately protected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to control the number of polecats.
Rory Stewart
Wildlife management is a devolved matter, so I can only respond on behalf of England.
Defra’s general policy is that individuals should be free to manage wildlife within the law. In the first instance controlling polecats is the responsibility of the owner or occupier of the property where the problem occurs.
Polecats are protected by the Bern Convention, which means the UK is obliged to protect their populations from unsustainable management and methods of control which are indiscriminate or capable of causing their local disappearance or serious disturbance. We meet our obligations through the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Whilst polecats are not protected from killing or taking, those who wish to kill or take polecats may not use methods prohibited by those pieces of legislation (for example poisons, traps, snares or nets), unless they acquire a licence from Natural England permitting them to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she expects to make a decision to proceed with an order for a European pressurised reactor at Sizewell C.
Andrea Leadsom
EDF have announced they intend to deploy two EPR reactors at Sizewell C but have not yet confirmed a timescale for the project. It is therefore too soon to indicate a timescale for the planning and regulatory consents which such a project would need, although the EPR has already successfully completed the Generic Design Assessment process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote women’s participation in Afghan democracy and civil society.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Women’s participation in democracy and civil society is a top human rights priority for both the UK and the Government of Afghanistan. We contributed £20 million over the 2014/2015 election cycle. Our election support provided assistance to the Independent Election Commission’s (IEC’s) Gender Unit to improve voter education amongst women and the development of early warning systems at voting centres to reduce the barriers for women voters. In addition, funding was provided to the Asia Foundation, who oversaw training for 300 female provincial council candidates and public outreach work to help broaden support for women’s political participation. I also met with women human rights defenders during my visit to Afghanistan on 10 December.
We are also supporting women in civil society through programming on education, women’s economic empowerment, and women’s political participation as well as access to justice and tackling gender-based violence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2014 to Question 219424, what financial support the Government has (a) provided since 1 January 2015 and (b) budgeted to provide in the future to support local governance in opposition-controlled areas.
Mr Philip Hammond
We do not have figures for spend since the start of the calendar year, but the UK has delivered over £85m in non-humanitarian support to Syria, Jordan and Lebanon since the start of the crisis in 2011. A significant amount of this has supported work in moderate opposition-controlled areas, helping to save lives, bolster civil society, build resilience against extremists, promote human rights and accountability, deliver basic governance and help lay the foundations for a more peaceful and inclusive future for Syria.
The UK is committed to helping the Syrian people, and will continue its non-humanitarian support next financial year, although a final budget has not yet been allocated.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on ensuring that drug dosages for stroke patients on the basis of the weight of the patient are calculated appropriately.
Jane Ellison
The Secretary of State has a wide range of discussions with a number of clinical bodies.
We understand that this is a matter which will be considered in the review of evidence for the 5th edition of the Intercollegiate Stroke Working Party National Clinical Guidelines for stroke, which are due to be published next year.