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Tag: 2015

  • Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-11-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 27 October (HL2714) concerning activity under the 1998 Belfast Agreement, whether any representatives of the government of the Republic of Ireland were present at the most recent talks under Section 1 of the Belfast Agreement.

    Lord Dunlop

    I refer the Noble Lord to my previous answers on this subject. The involvement of the Irish Government is in accordance with the established three-stranded approach to Northern Ireland affairs and the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to recover from Fifa the costs of England’s 2018 World Cup bid.

    Tracey Crouch

    It is a matter for the FA and local authorities to decide whether they havegrounds to claim backany investment they made towards the cost of bidding for the Fifa 2018 World Cup.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 28 October (HL2659) stating that there was no intention to seek a derogation from the technical specifications for interoperability in respect of dimensions of the GC structure gauge for new high-speed lines for station platforms, whether HS2 have withdrawn their letter to the European Commission dated 21 July that seeks such a derogation.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Department for Transport with HS2 Ltd are discussing with the Commission compliance requirements with the technical specification for infrastructure dealing with platform heights. These discussions are ongoing. The intention is, irrespective of the outcome of discussions on platform height, to meet the GC gauge requirements.

  • John Pugh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    John Pugh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Pugh on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the attainment gap is between pupils receiving free school meals achieving five or more GCSEs including English and mathematics and their peers (a) nationally and (b) in the South West region.

    Nick Gibb

    Information on the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals, and all other pupils, who achieve five or more GCSEs including English and mathematics is published at national and regional level as part of the “GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics: 2014” statistical first release. [1]

    [1] 2013/14 revised regions level tables can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/402634/SFR06_2015_National_and_LA.xls. (Table 1 and Table 5 for national and regional figures respectively)

    “

  • Alan Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alan Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Campbell on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to amend the licensing schedule under the Pet Animals Act 1951 to make it species specific.

    George Eustice

    Defra is reviewing the Pet Animals Act 1951 as part of a wider review of some of the animal related licensing schemes. We are aiming to consult on a set of proposals shortly.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect bird species which are red-listed on the endangered species list.

    Rory Stewart

    Defra has classified 85 sites as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in England under the EU Birds Directive to protect rare and vulnerable wild birds and regularly occurring migratory species. The UK is currently undertaking a review of the terrestrial and coastal network of UK SPAs, which will inform the need for any further SPA provision. The UK is also making good progress in identifying a number of SPAs in the marine environment to complete our UK network.These will be in addition to the existing 108 SPAs with marine components currently in place in the UK, providing protection for just over 11,500km2 of seabird habitat.

    Terrestrial SPAs are underpinned by Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). SSSIs are the country’s very best wildlife and geological sites and many benefit birds. There are over 4,000 SSSIs in England covering around 8% of the country’s land area.Over 95% of our SSSIs are in favourable or recovering condition. Duties on public bodies in relation to wild bird habitat are also relevant, as set out in regulation 9A of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010.

    In addition, Natural England is working with partner organisations through its Species Recovery Programme to secure the long term recovery of endangered birds and other species in England. Projects are in place for a range of birds on the red list including the turtle dove, corn bunting, curlew, corncrake, twite, willow tit, hawfinch and ring ouzel.

    We are investing more than £3 billion in environmental outcomes as part of the Rural Development Programme for England (2014-2020). Biodiversity is one of the main objectives in our agri-environment schemes, such as the new Countryside Stewardship scheme, to be funded under the Programme. The Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package options within the new scheme will be of particular benefit for farmland birds in the wider countryside, providing winter feeding, nesting sites and food for chicks through appropriate management of farmland habitats. Our schemes also target specific red-listed species such as the corn bunting, black grouse and turtle dove.

    The UK Government is a signatory to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds, which aims to achieve coordinated conservation and management for migratory waterbirds. The UK, with other Parties, has developed action plans for endangered migratory waterbirds such as the curlew and long tailed duck.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prisons provide naloxone for prisoners upon release in England; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    There is no national programme that provides naloxone for at-risk prisoners on their release. The decision of whether or not to provide naloxone to prisoners on release is the responsibility of Health and Justice commissioning teams within NHS England’s area teams and other local stakeholders, including local authorities and clinical commissioning groups. The information on how many prisons provide naloxone for prisoners upon release in England is not held centrally.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the rate of transmission of sexually transmitted infections among (a) men and (b) women over 50.

    Jane Ellison

    The Government’s Framework for Sexual Health Improvement (2013) set out the ambition for improving sexual health and wellbeing of the population including continuing to reduce the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Since 2013, local authorities have been mandated to provide genitourinary medicine (GUM) and integrated services for the early diagnosis and treatment of STIs; these services are open-access with no upper age limit. STI prevention programmes are the responsibility of local authorities, and there are a wide variety of local initiatives underway across England. Public Health England commissions a number of national HIV prevention activities and specialised sexual health information resources to provide educational and health resources to reduce the incidence of STIs including HIV in all age groups.

    In 2014, there were 11,126 cases of new STIs including HIV in men aged over 50, and 4,103 cases of STIs including HIV in women aged over 50 years of age.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which countries’ citizens (a) may and (b) may not enter the UK without a visa.

    James Brokenshire

    Appendix 2 to Appendix V of the Immigration Rules – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-v-visitor-rules – sets out those countries or territorial entities whose nationals or citizens need a visa in advance of travel to the UK for any purpose. Nationals or citizens of countries or territories that are not included in paragraph 1(a) of Appendix 2 do not need a visa in advance of travel to the UK as a visitor or for any other purpose for less than six months.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the increased spending on the NHS is being used to reduce the £2 billion budget shortfall forecast by the NHS Trust Development Authority for NHS trusts in 2015-16.

    Alistair Burt

    The National Health Service budget is entrusted to NHS England, which shares with the Secretary of State for Health the legal duty to promote a comprehensive health service. The Government sets out its priorities for NHS England in “The Mandate: A mandate from the Government to NHS England: April 2015 to March 2016”, and within that document a clear commitment is made to make £2 billion of extra funding available for front line spending.

    Progress against this commitment and details of spending on front line services by type of provider and type of service will be made available at the end of 2015-16, in NHS England’s Annual Report and Accounts 2015-16.

    The Government is committed to the NHS and will invest an additional £10 billion by the end of this parliament, to fund the NHS’s own plan for the future. Next year, in 2016-17 the NHS will receive an extra £3.8 billion allocated in the Spending Review, a first step towards an extra £8 billion by the end of this Parliament.