Tag: 2016

  • Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the Burmese government on repealing or amending provisions of that country’s (a) penal code, (b) Peaceful Assembly Act, (c) Unlawful Associations Act 1908, (d) Telecommunications Act 2013, (e) Official Secrets Act 1923 and (f) other laws that affect the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Burma’s new Government have made rule of law a priority of their administration. It is clear that this will entail significant legislative reform and the, newly formed, Legal Affairs and Special Cases Assessment Commission has identified 142 priority laws for repeal or amendment. Both The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) have offered Aung San Suu Kyi whatever assistance her Government requires as they set about the process of democratic reform.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy to reduce the number of military planes flying over Hull particularly at night.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence takes its responsibilities to the general public very seriously indeed and would prefer not to cause any disturbance to the general public, including to those in Hull. However, there are no uninhabited areas of the UK large enough to cater for essential training needs.

    Flying operations in the UK Military Low Flying System are avoided within major built-up areas (generally those with a population of over 10,000), although it is not always possible to avoid flying over the outskirts of towns and villages. A range of measures are in place to provide a balance between military training requirements and the need to avoid excessive noise on the ground. These include restrictions placed on the height, speeds and operating procedures of military aircraft in the UK Military Low Flying System.

    Realistic training at night is essential to ensure aircrew are proficient in the necessary skills and to exploit our technological edge. The amount of night low flying remains proportional to the operational requirement.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what meetings he has had with manufacturers in the North East on the (a) immediate effect of the outcome of the EU referendum and (b) short- and long-term effect of the UK leaving the EU.

    Mr David Jones

    We are determined to hear from all sectors as we work to build a national consensus around our negotiating position. As part of this we will listen and talk to as many organisations, companies and institutions as possible – all over the country – alongside a series of roundtables with key sectors. This will ensure that all views and specific regional considerations are reflected in our analysis of the options for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.

  • Bob Stewart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Bob Stewart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Stewart on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, through what means his Department communicates with and receives communications from Christian communities in Syria; and how he assesses the quality of information received otherwise by his Department on the situation of such communities in that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Foreign and Commonwealth Office representatives meet Church leaders and Non-Governmental Organisations representing Christian communities in Syria on a regular basis in London, through our Embassy to the Holy See and at our Syria Offices in Beirut and Istanbul. We also receive regular correspondence from groups highlighting the situation of Christians in Syria. These sources provide us with valuable insights into the situation facing Christians in Syria and the region. We recognise the contribution that recognised religious leaders can make on the Syria political track. They and other leading members of civil society will need a strong voice in the debate on Syria’s future.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what types of evidence he plans will be considered for assessment for the Teaching Excellence Framework.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Higher Education Green Paper proposed that judgements about teaching excellence will be made by a panel of independent experts, considering both a common set of core metrics and additional contextual data, both quantitative and qualitative, submitted by the provider. The core metrics proposed in the Green Paper are derived from quality assured national datasets and would measure employment outcomes, retention and student satisfaction.

    We are considering the responses to the consultation and intend to publish a further technical consultation which will explore how the evidence should be used.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how he plans to respond to the recent request from the Leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council for a transitional sum of £1 million in lieu of raising the adult social care precept.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Spending Review recognised that demographic changes are leading to increased demand for adult social care. To support those most in need, we provided a social care package of up to £3.5 billion by 2019-20. This package includes giving all councils with responsibility for adult social care the option of an extra 2% council tax precept, as long as the precept is spent on adult social care. It is for Redcar and Cleveland to decide if they wish to take up this flexibility.

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-03-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the situation of the Rohingya.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    UK officials frequently visit Rakhine State and receive regular reports about the situation of the Rohingya, which remains of grave concern. The Rohingya continue to suffer from severe restrictions on their freedom of movement, on their access to livelihoods, schools, healthcare and places of worship. The disenfranchisement of the community in the November election and removal of white card identity documents have further compounded the denial of the most basic rights of the community.

    Addressing Rakhine and the persecution of the Rohingya community will be a pressing challenge for the incoming government in Burma. We will continue to work with the new administration on addressing the human rights violations carried out against the Rohingya. The UK is one of the largest bilateral donors to Rakhine providing over £18 million in humanitarian aid since 2012, including an additional £6.2 million in 2015/16.

  • Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering on 2016-04-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cyclists have been successfully prosecuted in each of the last three years for a breach of the Highway Code; and how many have been issued with a fixed penalty notice for (1) a summary offence, and (2) a more serious offence.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Enforcement of cycling offences and collection of data on such offences is a matter for the Ministry of Justice and Home Office.

    Based on information provided to the Department for Transport, the number of defendants proceeded against at Magistrates’ courts and found guilty and sentenced for some cycling (non- motoring) offences in England and Wales from 2012 to 2014 (latest available) can be viewed in the attached table. This includes the average fine given at all courts for the specific offences listed in the table.

    The Home Office collects data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for motoring offences only and these data are published by the Home Office in the annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ publication. Data on fixed penalty notices issued to cyclists are not held centrally.

    We are not able to provide an overall average financial penalty figure for all cycling offences. Many of these cycling offences are recorded under a miscellaneous offence grouping. The information required to split this miscellaneous grouping at offence level is held in individual court files, which can only be inspected at disproportionate cost.

  • Wendy Morton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Wendy Morton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wendy Morton on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of Ehlers-Danios Syndrome have been diagnosed in each of the last five years.

    George Freeman

    These data are not held centrally by the Department.

    Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a complex group of heritable disorders of connective tissue with an estimated prevalence of one in 20,000. As EDS appears in a variety of forms rates of diagnosis can be underestimated.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that dairy farmers receive a greater proportion of the profits of their produce compared to other elements of the supply chain.

    George Eustice

    The voluntary Code of Practice on contractual relationships has been extremely important for improving relationships across the dairy industry through greater transparency and predictability in milk pricing arrangements. It is for the industry to review it and check that it is working. The Code was last independently reviewed in 2014 which showed that it has been effective, but the review made some recommendations which its signatories (Dairy UK, NFU Scotland and the NFU) are taking forward.

    The Groceries Code Adjudicator also has an important role to play in changing behaviours and the overall culture of the sector. A review of the Grocery Code Adjudicator is due this year and we will look at how this can help the farming industry.

    The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has established a Volatility Forum which brings together government, the farming industry and wider supply chain to catalyse knowledge exchange and long-term engagement with new risk management tools. It is exploring options such as forward contracts and use of futures markets, which could give farmers more certainty over price and share risk throughout the supply chain.

    Retailers have also shown their support for the British dairy industry. For example, Tesco has pledged that all own-brand yoghurt will now be made with British milk, Morrisons has launched the ‘Milk for Farmers’ brand that allows customers to pay more if they want to support British farmers and Arla has launched ‘Arla Farmers Milk’ where an additional 25p of the retail price of a four pint carton is paid to its farmers.