The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish her Department’s new code of practice on the use of fox snares.
Rory Stewart
In 2012 Defra published research on the extent of use and humaneness of snares in England and Wales. Ministers are currently considering options.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2015-12-15.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent members of staff were employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2005.
Mr David Gauke
The number of full-time equivalent members of staff employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2005 is shown in the following table.
|
Year |
Full-time equivalent staff in post |
|
April 2005 |
97,073.36 |
|
April 2006 |
92,888.45 |
|
April 2007 |
88,935.55 |
|
April 2008 |
83,827.84 |
|
April 2009 |
81,159.89 |
|
April 2010 |
70,699.64 |
|
April 2011 |
66,880.89 |
|
April 2012 |
66,466.00 |
|
April 2013 |
64,476.36 |
|
April 2014 |
61,370.12 |
|
April 2015 |
57,138.24 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that men make use of mental health services when they need them; and if he will make a statement.
Alistair Burt
We have committed to achieving parity of esteem for mental and physical health and improving access to mental health services for all people. We are implementing the first waiting times for mental health services to ensure more people have access to care when they need it and we have increased access to talking therapies through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme.
We know that men can sometimes be a hard to reach group for some mental health issues such as reducing the risk of suicide and reducing stigma and encouraging men to seek help for their mental health problems.
We continue to provide financial support to the Time to Change programme which aims to reduce the stigma around mental health and we provide financial support to the National Suicide Prevention Alliance, which involves organisations from across Government, industry and the community, voluntary and charitable sectors to support delivery of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. Men are highlighted as a high risk group within the National Strategy for whom our suicide prevention activities should be prioritised.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to increase the representation of Muslims on elected bodies.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Government believes that democratic institutions make the best decisions when they have a mix of people with different skills, backgrounds and experiences, from right across the country. The Government implemented section 106 of the Equality Act, which makes it possible to require registered political parties to publish anonymised data relating to the diversity of their candidate selection. This is a voluntary approach, which provides greater transparency over candidate selection. It is for political parties to ensure that they have a wide range of candidates to stand for elections.
We have supported and promoted mentoring schemes and internships at local and national Government level to open up political life to black, Asian and minority women and disabled people. Schemes such as the ‘Be a Councillor Campaign’ run by the Local Government Association encourage candidates from all walks of life to come forward and represent their local community.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Thomson on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department no longer publishes accounts of the revenue stream from visa services previously published by the UK Border Agency.
James Brokenshire
This information is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts 2014-15, a copy of which is available in the Vote Office.
Table 6.2 sets out an analysis of income from services provided to external and public sector customers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which weapons were identified in health and safety dangerous occurrences reported by his Department involving an unplanned or faulty discharge in each of the last five years; and how many such incidents there were for each of those weapons in each of those years.
Mark Lancaster
We are investigating the compilation of the requested statistics and I will write to the hon. Member in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive on the Airports Commission: Final report, published July 2015.
Mr Robert Goodwill
There have been no recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the Airports Commission’s Final Report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with UK Border on the effectiveness of the implementation of the pet travel scheme.
George Eustice
Defra is working closely with Border Force to agree a framework for co-operation to ensure the effective enforcement of legislation relating to biosecurity risks, including the illegal importation of animals.
My officials have advised Border Force that we will be seeking their support in planned discussions with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and local authorities to explore ways in which we can improve enforcement of these controls at the border.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-11-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider North Korean citizens and refugees as South Korean citizens.
Lord Bates
The Constitution of Republic of Korea (South Korea) stipulates that all North Koreans are citizens of the Republic of Korea.
As citizens of South Korea, North Korean asylum seekers are able to seek the protection of the South Korean authorities. A person who simply expresses an unwillingness to avail themselves of such protection would not bring them within the scope of the UN Refugee Convention.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the consultation on payment of compensation out of the his Department’s contingency fund for those who have suffered from the contaminated bloods issue will report.
Jane Ellison
Liability has not been established in the majority of cases of individuals infected with hepatitis C and/or HIV through NHS-supplied blood or blood products, so it would not be appropriate to talk about support payments in terms of compensation.
I announced in the House of Commons on 16 December 2015, in response to an Urgent Question, Official Report, columns 1555-1565, that the consultation on reforming the current payment schemes for those infected with hepatitis C and/or HIV through NHS-supplied blood or blood products will be announced later this month.