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Tag: 2015

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of whether ending her Department’s funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit would affect the UK’s Commitment to Action on the illegal wildlife trade.

    Rory Stewart

    An assessment of the effect of future funding decisions regarding the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit on the UK’s Commitment to Action on the Illegal Wildlife Trade has not yet been made.

    Decisions on future funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit beyond March 2016 will be made as part of the current Spending Review process.

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

    Lord Empey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the employment projections for electoral offices in Northern Ireland in 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2018–19.

    Lord Dunlop

    The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is currently considering a range of options for reforming his Office. This includes capitalising on new technology by introducing on-line registration.

    The Chief Electoral Officer will have regard to the continued effective delivery of elections in Northern Ireland and ensuring that his Office remains on a sustainable financial footing. The Northern Ireland Office fully supports him in this approach. I understand that work on some options is at an early stage.

    The Representation of the People Act 1983 makes provision for the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland to delegate returning officer functions to the clerk of a district council.

    Detailed questions on headcount and budget are operational matters for the Chief Electoral Officer who is independent of Government. The Chief Electoral Officer publishes all such information in his annual report which is presented to Parliament and copies are made available in the Library of the House.

    The headline budgets allocated to the Chief Electoral Office are:

    Financial Year

    Operational Funding

    Capital Funding

    2013/14

    £5.452m *

    £100k

    2014/15

    £2.336m

    £56.2k

    2015/16

    £2.296m

    £25k

    * includes £3m for the 2013 canvass

    The Northern Ireland Office has not agreed any budgets with the Chief Electoral Officer for future years pending receipt of the Department’s detailed Spending Review 2015 settlement letter from HM Treasury.

  • Iain Wright – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Iain Wright – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ensure that adequate funding is provided to North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust to maintain a full range of services during the winter period.

    Jane Ellison

    Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees Clinical Commissioning Group received an additional £1,994,000 in its baseline in 2015/16 with the specific purpose of ensuring resilience throughout the year, of this funding around two-thirds was allocated to North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what input businesses make to the national strategy of the National Crime Agency.

    Lord Bates

    The National Crime Agency’s (NCA’s) Annual Plan sets out its priorities and how it plans to exercise its functions in leading the fight to cut serious and organised crime. The NCA also produces on behalf of UK law enforcement the National Strategic Assessment (NSA) which draws together a single picture of the threat from serious and organised crime and is produced in consultation with a broad range of partners.

    In discharging its functions, the NCA maintains close, collaborative and productive relationships with the police and other law enforcement agencies, Police and Crime Commissioners, the intelligence and security agencies, government departments (in particular with the Home Office), local government and the private and voluntary sectors, and Devolved Administrations.

  • Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anne Marie Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Marie Morris on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will change the criteria for primary and acute care provision better benefit rural communities.

    George Freeman

    All new care model vanguards, which include multispecialty community providers, integrated primary and acute care systems, enhanced health in care homes, urgent and emergency care and acute care collaborations have now been selected.

    Selection of the 50 vanguards followed an open and rigorous process, with participating organizations being selected from urban and rural areas.

    While NHS England is only able to have a limited number of vanguards as part of its national programme, it aims to support all local areas with an ambition to deliver care in new ways that improve patient experience and outcomes.

  • Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the effectiveness of UK soil protection policies, such as those contained in their cross compliance guidance, is evaluated, and what improvements have been seen as a result of such policies.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The 2007 Countryside Survey measured changes in soil organic matter content of soils in Great Britain. It also measured bulk density and a number of other physical and chemical characteristics of soil. A new baseline survey for soil carbon was carried out in 2009 as part of the EU Land Cover and Land Use Statistics (LUCAS) exercise. The 2015 LUCAS soil samples are currently being analysed.

    Defra does not routinely monitor national rates of soil loss (erosion), but we are funding research to pilot a national soil erosion monitoring framework for monitoring soil erosion in England and Wales.

    Defra also funded a survey of soil compaction levels in grasslands in England and Wales in 2011.

    No formal assessment has been made of the sufficiency of the baseline data from which to measure changes in soil quality.

    The Government recognises that soil is essential for underpinning a range of benefits, including food production, but also biodiversity, carbon storage and flood protection.

    While the future direction of soils policy will be considered as part of the development of the 25 year plans for Food and Farming, and Environment, government is already taking action to improve soil quality.

    This includes new rules underpinning cross compliance which anyone claiming Common Agricultural Policy payments must comply with. The rules require a minimum level of soil cover, prevention of erosion and measures to protect the organic matter levels of soil. The new rules take an outcome based approach, instead of the previous paper-based system, thereby focussing on environmental improvements while reducing burdens for farmers. The Government will continue to monitor the implementation of the new rules.

    No single body or institution has responsibility for measuring and analysing soils in the UK. Soil testing is carried out by a mix of commercial laboratories and Public Analyst labs. Typically laboratories are accredited and adhere to British Standards on testing procedures. However, there are no regulations governing soil testing procedures themselves.

    There are existing soil maps for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which use different soil classifications. There are currently no plans to produce a new UK soil map, and we have not explored options for private sector investment.

  • David Davis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Davis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Davis on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost of reimbursing communication service providers under the provisions of the draft Investigatory Powers Bill in the first 10 years in which an Act arising from that draft bill is in force.

    Mr John Hayes

    The draft Bill requires the retention of additional data, known as internet connection records, by domestic CSPs who are under a data retention notice, to ensure that those responsible for law enforcement continue to have the powers they need to acquire communications data as technology develops and threats change.

    The Government published an estimate of the additional cost of this provision of £174.2m over the 10 year period in the Communications Data Impact Assessment, alongside the draft Bill on 4 November.

  • – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Altmann on 4 December (HL3783) that the Personal Independence Payment assessment criteria were designed in close collaboration with disabled people and disability groups”

    Baroness Altmann

    The full public consultation on the ‘Moving around’ activity of the mobility component closed on 5 August 2013. We received more than 1,100 responses. We carefully considered all the responses received, including the suggestions for alternative approaches. We published our response to the consultation on 21 October 2013.

    We believe the assessment criteria, including the 20 metres distance, are the best way of identifying those whose physical mobility is most limited, so we did not make any changes. However, we have strengthened the measures around the reliability criteria – we recognise these are a key protection for claimants.

    Our response to the consultation is annexed to this answer.

  • Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Nic Dakin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to embed the Family Test into its policy making.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Officials in my Department have liaised with the Department for Work and Pensions as the lead Department for the Family Test on cross government activity to embed the Test into the policy process. This has included training officials on applying the Test, disseminating relevant learning materials and best practice.

  • Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top on 2015-12-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many kinship care households they estimate will be affected by the combined impact of the proposals in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill to limit child tax credit to two children and to reduce the benefit cap in each year between 2016 and 2021; what is their estimate of the cost of exempting kinship care households from those measures; and what impact assessment has been carried out as to how many potential kinship carers may be unable to afford to take on the children as a result of those measures and any consequential cost to the state of such children remaining in the care system.

    Lord Freud

    It is fair that families on benefits have to make the same financial decisions as families supporting themselves solely through work. These measures are being actively discussed in the Committee stage of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill (as the Minister informed the House) and there will be further discussion at the Report stage.