The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-04-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual budget was for food procured for his Department in each of the last three years; and what proportion of such food was sourced from British producers in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Mr Philip Dunne
The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.
Jane Ellison
All civil servants employed by the core Department are paid via its payroll system.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there is provision to ensure that both parents in a separated couple receive financial assistance for their children when joint custody has been approved.
Damian Hinds
Where a separated couple have joint custody for their children, only one of them will receive financial assistance for those children through Universal Credit. The separated couple may jointly nominate which of them that will be. The parent who receives financial support is the one whom the child normally lives with, but if the child normally lives with both, then it is the parent who has main responsibility for the child. This is to be decided by the parents, or failing that, the Secretary of State if the parents cannot agree or if the Secretary of State does not think that the nomination accurately reflects the arrangement. HM Revenue & Customs administer Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit and the rules similarly require that payment is directed towards the person who is mainly responsible for the child, so that at any one time, only one person can be entitled to receive payments in respect of a particular child.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what correspondence he has received from English Heritage on Duchy of Lancaster properties under the guardianship of English Heritage in the last 12 months.
Sir Patrick McLoughlin
The Minister for the Cabinet Office has received no correspondence from English Heritage on Duchy of Lancaster properties under the guardianship of English Heritage in the last 12 months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Elliott on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to increase public awareness of the need for holidaymakers to take out travel insurance.
James Duddridge
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 12 January 2016 to Parliamentary Question 21029. Encouraging the take-up of adequate travel insurance through our ‘Know Before You Go’ communications campaign which will remain a priority in 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to safeguard 16 and 17 year olds from child sexual exploitation.
Karen Bradley
Tackling child sexual exploitation is a top priority for this Government. We have prioritised child sexual abuse as a national threat in the Strategic Policing Requirement, setting a clear expectation on police forces to collaborate across force boundaries, to safeguard children, to share intelligence and to share best practice.
The Government has overhauled the legislative options available to the police in tackling child sexual exploitation. Most importantly we have introduced new Sexual Risk Orders (SRO) and Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPO) which the police can now use to manage an individual who presents a risk of sexual harm to a child, including a young person aged 16 and 17. The Government has also removed all references to the misleading and unhelpful terms ‘child prostitution’ and ‘child pornography’ from statute via the Serious Crime Act 2015. The law now explicitly recognises these harmful activities for what they are: child sexual exploitation.
This Government is committed to supporting victims of sexual exploitation, in December 2014 the Government announced a £7 million uplift to services supporting survivors of sexual abuse, including child sexual exploitation. This was in addition to the £1.72 million a year the Home Office provides to part fund 87 Independent Sexual Violence Advisors to work with and support victims. In January 2016, the Ministry of Justice announced that Government will continue the £7 million uplift to support survivors and victims of sexual abuse, including child sexual exploitation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to ensure that local authorities meet their obligation under the National Planning Policy Framework to meet the housing needs of disabled people requiring wheelchair accessible homes.
Brandon Lewis
Local authorities are best placed to understand the housing needs in their area. We expect them to work closely with key partners and their local communities in deciding what type of housing is needed.
National policy sets out clearly the need for local authorities to plan for the housing needs of all members of the community and that planning should encourage accessibility. The introduction of optional requirements for accessibility in the Building Regulations provides local authorities with the tools needed to ensure that new homes are accessible and that in particular the needs of disabled people are met.
Local authorities are held accountable for their housing delivery via their Local Plans which are tested by local independent planning inspectors and are scrutinised via yearly Authority Monitoring reports which set out progress on delivery against Local Plan targets. In addition local authorities must determine individual decisions in line with the development plan and other material considerations, such as the National Planning Policy Framework and having regard to viability considerations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-03-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2016 to Question 27886, if he will publish a list of the planning appeals which were recovered in the last 12 months.
Brandon Lewis
Attached is a table which shows all planning appeals which have been recovered in the last 12 months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-04-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish to discuss the use of pupil premium funding by Audenshaw School Academy Trust.
Edward Timpson
I understand that the Hon. Member for Denton and Reddish has met the Regional Schools Commissioner, Vicky Beer, to discuss his concerns about Audenshaw School Academy Trust. I can assure him that she is fully aware of the issues and is holding the trust to account for underperformance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many carrier liability charges were issued to commercial transport firms, airlines, ferry companies and other operators for transporting illegal immigrants into the UK in total by (a) port and (b) firm in each of the last seven years.
James Brokenshire
Penalties are issued for inadequately documented arrivals and it would not be known at that stage whether the passenger was an illegal immigrant.