Tag: 2016

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding she plans to make available to replace payments made under the Common Agricultural Policy.

    George Eustice

    On 13 August the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the agricultural sector will receive the same level of funding that it would have received under Pillar 1 of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) until 2020.

    The Government will also guarantee funding for CAP Pillar 2 projects, including agri-environment agreements, signed after the Autumn Statement and which continue after the UK has left the EU, so long as they meet the conditions that they are good value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities.

    This provides crucial certainty and continuity to our rural communities while we develop a new approach to supporting agriculture and protecting our precious countryside.

  • Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to improve employment and careers advice.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Government has introduced a number of measures to improve employment and careers advice. We have established The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to strengthen links between employers, schools and colleges, and careers and enterprise organisations to inspire young people and help them take control of their own futures. The CEC is rolling out the Enterprise Adviser Network, which connects employees from firms of all sizes to schools through a network of volunteer enterprise advisers. The Company has also launched its £5m Careers & Enterprise Fund to scale up good ideas and fill gaps in provision.

    The Prime Minister recently announced a new campaign to encourage a new generation of high quality mentors. The campaign, which will be led by the CEC, will aim to increase the number of business and professional mentors working with teenagers who are under-achieving or at risk of dropping out of education.

    The Government is also introducing a new initiative which will see Jobcentre Plus staff offer support, where schools request it, to supplement careers guidance and to help schools deliver their statutory duty to provide high quality, independent and impartial careers advice. Jobcentre Plus staff will focus support on those students at risk of not participating in education, employment or training. The scheme will be aligned with the CEC’s Enterprise Adviser network and will be rolled out later this academic year.

    Building on these measures, we want to go further to improve careers education and guidance for all young people. We will launch a careers strategy in the spring of 2016, which will set out the government’s vision for careers education and how we will get there by 2020.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of non-resident parents within the live caseload of the (a) Child Support Agency and (b) Child Maintenance Service are self-employed.

    Priti Patel

    For cases administered by the Child Support Agency, as at December 2015, the number of cases within the live caseload where the non-resident parent is self employed was 97,700. This was 7.7% of the live caseload.

    For the CMS 2012 Scheme, information on employment could currently only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Child Maintenance Service is in the process of assuring employment data and this will be available at a future date.

    Note

    1. Figured rounded to nearest 100.
    2. Figures include 1993 and 2003 Schemes.
    3. As at December 2015, the live caseload stood at 1,268,900.
    4. Employment status is not available for cases managed off system.
  • David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to put in place a blue belt to protect marine habitats and species.

    George Eustice

    Since 2013, we have designated 50 Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), which protect a range of habitats and species. A third tranche of MCZs will be designated in 2018.

    We are currently undertaking work to identify a complete network of Special Protection Areas for seabirds, and consulting on five Special Areas of Conservation for harbour porpoise.

    Over 17% of UK waters and almost a third of English inshore waters are now within Marine Protected Areas.

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the rising default rate of companies in the oil and gas sector on their high-yield loans on wider stability of the financial sector.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Chancellor has set out the government’s view on the challenges facing the UK economy at budget on 16 March 2016. The transcript of the speech is available from:

    www.gov.uk/government/speeches/budget-2016-george-osbornes-speech

    In addition, the Bank of England’s December 2015 Financial Stability Report sets out analysis on the exposures of UK banks to commodity sectors. The full report can be found here:

    www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Pages/fsr/2015/dec.aspx

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Prime Minister, which leaders in civil society, business and government were invited to attend the anti-corruption conference, Tackling Corruption Together, which he hosted in London on 11 May 2016.

    Mr David Cameron

    The Tackling Corruption Together conference was organised by civil society organisations, businesses and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

  • Mrs Flick Drummond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mrs Flick Drummond – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Flick Drummond on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that access to a timely autism diagnosis is included in the next Clinical Commissioning Group Investment and Assessment Framework.

    David Mowat

    To support local areas in addressing long waits, NHS England, supported by the Department and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, initiated a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups and local authorities. These visits aimed to develop a better idea of the challenges in securing timely autism diagnosis across all ages, looking at the variability in diagnosis times and sharing good practice to help areas to improve their service. NHS England submitted a report on the visits to the 16 June meeting of the Cross Government Autism Programme Board, which includes representatives of autism third sector organisations and people who have autism. NHS England will have further discussions with relevant organisations over the summer about actions in their report, including on the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework, before reporting back to the Autism Programme Board.

    In parallel, as recommended by the independent Mental Health Taskforce, the Department is undertaking a five year plan for the development of mental health data to be published by the end of the year. The plan will set out future requirements and timings for developing data to inform pathways of care, which will include requirements for autism in the Health and Social Care Information Centre Mental Health Services Data Set. Data on referrals or appointments for an autism diagnostic assessment are not currently captured in published mental health data.

  • David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been invested in the protection of honey bees in the UK in each of the last five years.

    George Eustice

    Defra has spent between £1.5 million and £2 million on protecting honey bees in England in each of the last five years.

    Our programme aims to protect honey bees from pests and diseases, including tackling disease outbreaks and monitoring for exotic pests such as the Asian hornet.

    Defra also contributed an additional £2.5 million to the £10 million Insect Pollinator Initiative carried out between 2010 and 2015. This was a joint initiative to look at different aspects of pollinator declines. Of the nine projects funded, two were specifically about honey bees and six were aimed at benefiting both honey bees and bumble bees.

  • Fabian Hamilton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Fabian Hamilton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fabian Hamilton on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11026, whether the Inter-Ministerial Group on International Animal Welfare has met; when that group’s next meeting will be; and who will be chairing that group.

    George Eustice

    The IMG has yet to formally reconvene and therefor membership of the group is yet to be finalised. However, I have had discussions with Ministerial colleagues about reconvening the group.

  • Lord Boateng – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Boateng – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Boateng on 2016-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions in each of the last three years the Ambassador of Burundi to the UK has been (1) called to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to discuss events in Burundi, and (2) met a minister.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Mr Deo Sindayihebura became the first Burundian Ambassador to the UK in May 2014. Until then the position was based in Paris. The most recent meeting between the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), and the Burundian Ambassador was on Wednesday 3 February.

    Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have regular contact with Ambassadors and High Commissioners during their normal diplomatic duties. We do not hold central records of all such meetings.