The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received from local authorities in Yorkshire about stone theft.
Mike Penning
We have received no recent representations from local authorities in Yorkshire on this issue.
Existing legislation provides the police and courts with sufficient powers to respond to stone theft.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2015-10-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what prison training his Department has provided to prison services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Andrew Selous
Details are fully documented in the NAO’s report into JSi, available here: https://www.nao.org.uk/report/investigation-into-just-solutions-international/
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2015-10-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department provides to the London Borough of Barnet for the upkeep of local roads.
Andrew Jones
This Department does not provide direct funding to the London Borough of Barnet for the upkeep of local roads. We do, however, provide funding to Transport for London (TfL) each year, which for 2015/16 we have provided a grant of £1.5bn, part of which TfL in turn passes to the boroughs for spending on road maintenance and improvement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Graham on 2015-10-21.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of tax incentives for savings and pensions.
Mr David Gauke
The government is committed to supporting savers at all stages of life and has taken a number of steps to support saving through the tax system, including making ISAs more generous and flexible and introducing a new Personal Savings Allowance from next April. We are also reviewing pension tax relief to make sure it provides the right incentives to save for retirement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they plan to make to the recent article published in the Journal of Public Health reporting on the costs and benefits of health checks for 40 to 74 year olds.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Public Health England (PHE) provided a response to Capewell et al’s article on NHS Health Check, which appeared in the same issue of the Journal of Public Health.PHE’s Chief Executive also responded in letters published in the Guardian and the British Medical Journal (BMJ), and through a special e-bulletin to NHS Health Check stakeholders. Copies of the article and responses have been placed in the Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what changes they intend to make to evaluation metrics at both farm and regional and landscape levels to take account of natural capital in policy-making decisions.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government formally launched the development phase of its 25 year environment plan on 14 October 2015. This process will run through 2016 and capture all aspects of natural capital. We will draw on the Natural Capital Committee to help develop it. A key part of it will be to ensure we have the right tools to improve decision-making at all scales so that we can get the most from our resources in order to deliver on our goal of having the best environment possible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Dublin Regulation, in the light of recent events in Syria, and the need to protect vulnerable refugees.
Lord Bates
As set out in my Written Answer HL1907 on 21 September, the Government has no plans to change the way in which we apply the Dublin Regulation. The Dublin Regulation is a vital tool in our ability to manage asylum claims, including repeated claims.
The European Commission has proposed a review of the Dublin Regulation with a view to bringing forward a new measure for negotiation next March. We will cooperate fully with that review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2015-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace since 1995 in relation to the promotion of diesel engine cars.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
There have been numerous contacts between government departments and both Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth since 1995. The information on representations made is not readily available and it would be disproportionate to fully retrieve it.
I can however confirm that in the last month representations to more than one government department have been made by the organisations raising concerns regarding the possible promotion of diesel engine cars.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2015-10-20.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department will make available the first draft of the Cabinet Office’s Welsh Language Scheme as required by the Welsh Language Act 1993.
Matthew Hancock
The Welsh Language Act does not require government departments to prepare Welsh Language Schemes.
The Government Digital Service works closely with the Wales Office to ensure that that the Welsh language content on GOV.UK is underpinned by high quality user research that provides a simpler, clearer and faster service for users. It also gives government departments and other organisations which publish material on GOV.UK the ability to publish Welsh-language content in line with the requirements of their individual Welsh Language Schemes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Hammond on 2015-10-20.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support his Department is providing to the UK spirits industry.
Damian Hinds
The government is committed to supporting the UK spirits industry. The duty on spirits was cut by 2% at March Budget 2015, building on the duty freeze at Budget 2014.