The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2015-12-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many charities registered in Wakefield constituency have claimed back Gift Aid on small cash donations using the Gift Aid Small Donation Scheme since that scheme’s inception.
Mr David Gauke
Since the scheme’s inception in April 2013, 12 charities that fall within Wakefield postcodes have claimed back Gift Aid on their small cash donations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2015 to Question 14774, what data his Department holds on the number of voluntary carers in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Alistair Burt
We take voluntary in this context to mean informal unpaid carers – those volunteering to care in a formal capacity are not included in these statistics which are set out below.
Data on provision of unpaid care from the 2011 Census was published by Office of National Statistics (ONS) on 11 December 2012. This showed that there were 6.5 million carers in the United Kingdom.
On 15 February 2013, the ONS published an article with the results of further analysis of the data, which shows that the overall number of unpaid carers in England and Wales has grown by 600,000 since the 2001 Census (approximately 5.8 million people, representing just over 10% of the population).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with regard to fixed odds betting terminals, what steps are being taken to (a) ensure that the player protection measures introduced from April 2015 are effectively evaluated and (b) independently assess whether the £50 threshold for supervised play is set at an effective level.
Tracey Crouch
The Government, along with the Gambling Commission, is in the process of evaluating the effects of ending unsupervised stakes over £50 and I hope to publish the results early in the new year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people attempting to enter the UK without valid papers were detained at UK border controls at Calais and returned to the French authorities in the last 12-month period for which figures are available.
James Brokenshire
Border Force operates UK immigration controls at the juxtaposed ports in northern France and also operates a multi-layered freight search regime to detect clandestine illegal entry attempts.
The figures for passenger refusals at the juxtaposed controls in northern France are 3,695 in FY 2014/15.
Additionally 39,545 attempts at clandestine illegal entry were successfully intercepted by the UK and French authorities at the juxtaposed controls in northern France in FY 2014/15.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 26 September 2014 to Question 209770 asked by the hon. Member for Moray, how much his Department has spent on studies on whether to refurbish or replace the existing Trident warhead design to date.
Michael Fallon
As of the end of the last financial year (March 2015), the Ministry of Defence had spent £80 million on technology studies to support refurbishment of the current system and explore options for a potential future warhead, and £5.5 million on studies to support the decision whether to refurbish or replace the existing warhead.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to support the eradication of malnutrition.
Grant Shapps
The Government has made a commitment to improve the nutrition of 50 million people by 2020. Those being helped include children under five, breastfeeding women, women of childbearing age and adolescent girls. This builds on an earlier commitment to help children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women, through which 28.5 million people had been reached by mid-2015.
DFID support is focused on the following objectives: greater coverage of nutrition-specific programmes; leverage more nutrition outcomes from other programmes like agriculture, social protection, education, health and water and sanitation; contribute to new solutions to undernutrition; and a more effective international response.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Wiggin on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she intends to meet the hon. Member for North Herefordshire to discuss Brockhampton school.
Nick Gibb
The Secretary of State met the hon. Member for North Herefordshire last Wednesday 9th December. Department for Education officials are investigating the concerns raised about Brockhampton Primary School. We will follow up with options as quickly as possible. We will keep the hon. Member for North Herefordshire informed on developments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister’s letter of 10 November 2015 to the President of the European Council, whether the Government has conducted (a) an environmental impact assessment, (b) a sustainability assessment and (c) a carbon emissions assessment of his proposals for a new settlement for the UK in a reformed EU.
George Eustice
The Prime Minister has written to the President of the European Council setting out the areas where he is seeking reforms to address the concerns of the British people over our membership of the EU. As the Prime Minister said in his letter, reform in these areas would address the UK’s concerns and provide a fresh and lasting settlement for our membership of the European Union.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the efficacy of existing legislation to stop the illegal importation of puppies into the UK.
George Eustice
Pet animals, including puppies entering the UK, must comply with the requirements of the Pet Travel Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 576/2013). This is enforced, in Great Britain, by the Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011. Animals, including puppies, entering the UK for sale or rehoming are subject to the provisions of the Council Directive 92/65/EEC (Balai Directive). This is implemented, in Great Britain, by the Trade in Animal and Related Products Regulations 2011.
Both regulations provide for the Secretary of State to carry out a periodic review. Work on the review of the Trade in Animal and Related Products Regulations 2011 is already underway. The review of the Non Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011 will commence early next year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the procurement contract for the new Hitachi Intercity Express Programme specifies the internal layout and specification of rolling stock.
Claire Perry
The Intercity Express Programme (IEP) specification delivers the priorities of both train operators and passenger groups. The contract also makes provision for variation of the interior layout during the life of IEP to response to changes in passenger demand and priorities.