The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefit to sport of the introduction of a Sport Betting Right; and if he will make a statement.
Tracey Crouch
The government has no plans to introduce a sport betting right.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which Ministers of his Department attended events to celebrate Chanukah in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.
Mr Edward Vaizey
I attended the Reception for Festival of Chanukah – Mr Speaker’s annual celebration to mark the Festival of Chanukah, on Wednesday 17th December 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) Grade I listed buildings, (b) Grade II* listed buildings, (c) Grade II listed buildings and (d) scheduled monuments his Department owns; under which top level budget those buildings and monuments fall; and what plans he has for their disposal.
Mark Lancaster
Details of all Grade I listed buildings, Grade II* listed buildings, Grade II listed buildings and scheduled monuments the Department owns, including those which are located on sites that are currently in disposal are shown in the attached tables.
Details of the top level budget for these Monuments and Buildings could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual cost is of the veterans badge.
Mark Lancaster
The annual cost of Armed Forces Veterans’ Badges from November 2014 to October 2015 was £44,655.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to respond to its call for evidence on the cost of providing childcare published on 15 June 2015.
Mr Sam Gyimah
The call for evidence is part of the government review on the cost of providing childcare and is one of the sources of evidence that will inform its outcome. The review will inform decisions on funding for early years which will be made as part of the Spending Review on 25 November. The Department published the analysis of the responses to the call for evidence on GOV.UK on 8 October and the report is available online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/childcare-bill-policy-statement
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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 carbon capture and storage plants that become operational with the assistance of support not provided by her Department will be eligible to receive contracts for difference.
Andrea Leadsom
Contracts for Difference may be awarded to generators who meet the requirements of eligibility set out in the Contracts for Difference (Definition of Eligible Generator) Regulations 2014. A generating station connected to a complete CCS system is an eligible technology under those Regulations. Contracts for Difference for CCS are awarded on direction of the Secretary of State and would be subject to the circumstances at the time, including factors such as the value for money and affordability of a project and competing demands on available budgets.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will discuss with the Treasury the introduction of three-year funding plans for colleges to align with the period of the Spending Review.
Mr Sam Gyimah
16-19 funding is based on the level of recruitment institutions delivered in the previous year. That means institutions’ funding keeps pace with changing student numbers with the minimum delay. The Government has no plans to change the 16-19 funding system.
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 incentives her Department provides to farmers to increase bee habitats.
George Eustice
This is a devolved matter, so I can only answer for England. Defra has made £900 million available for the new Countryside Stewardship scheme, launched in July 2015. For the first time ever this includes a dedicated Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife package. We are pleased that over half of mid–tier applications for agreements contain this package of options. The package has been developed by Natural England working in close partnership with wildlife organisations, the farming community and national pollinator scientists. This ensures it is based upon the best available evidence.
Countryside Stewardship plays a key role in supporting the National Pollinator Strategy, which demonstrates the Government’s commitment to improving the status of the country’s 1,500 or so pollinating insect species. This is a programme of collaborative action and cooperation that contains a wide range of specific actions to supporthabitats for bees on farmland. In November 2015 Defra published the implementation plan for the strategy, which highlights the progress made to date, including guidance and training to farmers on supporting pollinators from the Campaign for the Farmed Environment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the cost per megawatt hour of electricity is from the (a) Hunterston B, (b) Heysham 1&2, (c) Torness, (d) Hatlepool, (e) Sizewell, (f) Dungeness B and (g) Hinkley Point C power stations.
Andrea Leadsom
As EDF own Hunterston B, Heysham 1 and 2, Torness, Hartlepool, Sizewell and Dungeness, the cost per megawatt hour is a matter for them. Under the proposed Contract for Difference for Hinkley Point C, the Strike Price (in 2012 figures) is £92.50/MWh fully indexed to the Consumer Price Index.If Sizewell C receives a CFD (or equivalent), or advances to first nuclear island concrete pour for the project, prior to the commissioning of the first reactor at Hinkley point C, the Strike Price for Hinkley Point C will be reduced to £89.50/MWh. This reduction is provided for on the assumption that EDF will be able to share ‘first of a kind’ costs of EPR reactors across Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C sites.
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 UK embassies are taking to promote religious freedoms.
Mr David Lidington
Through our network of Embassies and High Commissions, the Government regularly urges governments across the world to protect the right of all individuals to practise their religion or belief free from persecution or discrimination.
We promote this freedom bilaterally by raising individual cases with governments and by seeking to influence them to remove discriminatory legislation or practices. We also promote religious freedom in multilateral fora by working together with our international partners
For example, in Burma, we have raised our deep concern at the rise of hate speech and religious intolerance with the Burmese authorities and will continue to do so, both publicly and in private. We have supported a number of projects, including developing relationships between Burmese youth and different religious communities, and arranging exchanges between activists on religious freedom in Burma and Indonesia. In Iraq, we are funding a project to prevent intolerance and violence towards religious communities by strengthening the ability of youth and civil society to advocate the right to freedom of religion or belief.
Promoting freedom of religion or belief is a priority for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Human Rights and Democracy Programme. Since 2011, 35 projects have been funded in 12 countries.