Tag: 2016

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment of need for (a) additional school places, (b) a new academy or (c) a new free school she plans to carry out in connection with applications to dispose for development of the former Two Trees High School site in Denton.

    Edward Timpson

    The Education Act 2011 requires that the Secretary of State must give consent prior to the disposal of land which has been used for any school or academy in the last eight years. A key consideration for the government is whether the land proposed for disposal could be suitable for use by a new academy or free school.

    School playing fields are also protected by Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Schools and local authorities must obtain the Secretary of State’s approval before they can dispose of their land. Applications to dispose of school playing fields are first considered by the school playing fields advisory panel, who make a recommendation to the Secretary of State, before she then makes her final decision.

    At this time I am not aware of an application by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council to seek approval to dispose of the former Two Trees Sports College, including the playing fields.

    Should an application be submitted, the Secretary of State would take into account any groups or organisations with permission to use the playing fields and what suitable alternative provision they may have been offered. Local schools, which are deficient in playing field land, should also be offered the opportunity to use the playing field before any application is presented. She will also take into account local school place needs and any academy requirement.

  • Scott Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Scott Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Scott Mann on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made in his talks with the German government on compensation for British citizens affected by Thalidomide.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The UK Government has not been involved in talks with the German Government on compensation for British survivors of Thalidomide. We have been assisting the Thalidomide Trust in making their own representations directly to the German Government.

    At the request of representatives of the Thalidomide Trust the then Minister for Europe (Rt Hon David Lidington MP) wrote on 4 February to the German Ambassador to London, setting out the Trust’s desire for further discussions with the German Government and requesting his support in raising the matter within Germany. The Ambassador passed this request to the German Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. The FCO received a response from the Families Ministry on 1 June. In this response the German Government sets out that UK survivors of Thalidomide are able to apply for compensation from the Contergan Foundation For Disabled People.

    The Contergan Foundation was established by the German Government to help disabled people whose deformities can be linked to their mothers taking medicinal products during pregnancy which contained thalidomide. While funded in part by the German Government, the Contergan Foundation is independent of the German Government who do not control or influence the awards made. As such the Families Ministry declined to meet the Thalidomide Trust for further discussions and reiterated their belief that British survivors should contact the Contergan Foundation.

    The UK Government remains in contact with the Thalidomide Trust to discuss all aspects of this case.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will estimate the total amount his Department has spent to date.

    Greg Hands

    The newly created Department for International Trade (DIT) has been forged out of the forerunner (non-ministerial) Departments UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), UK Export Finance (UKEF) and has assumed Trade Policy Unit responsibilities previously held by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).

    Until such time as a transfer of functions order establishes the Secretary of State as a corporation sole, DIT remains a unified Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department for accounting purposes.

  • Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Grahame Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the quality and nutritional value of food served to the Armed Forces.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    All food procured for Ministry of Defence (MOD) personnel must comply with MOD food quality standards. These standards comply with all UK and EU production standards, Farm Assurance or equivalent. The Defence Food Quality Standards (DFQS) establishes the minimum quality criteria that the Department requires a supplier to deliver. It sets the standard of what food and ingredients should be provided as part of the contracts to provide nutritious and balanced meals to Service Personnel. The DFQS publication is available online through the gov.uk website at:

    (www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479299/20151006-DFQS-V12-U.pdf).

    The MOD requires all of its food suppliers to comply with both EU and National legislation whilst operating to industry standards and monitors the suppliers’ compliance with the DFQS through a combination of product testing and conducting inspections of their premises/production facilities.

  • John Redwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    John Redwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was raised from VAT on (a) renovating empty buildings, (b) building conversions, (c) children’s car seats, (d) carry cots and (e) mobility aids for the elderly in each of the last five years.

    Mr David Gauke

    This level of detail is not requested on VAT returns and therefore data is not available on how much VAT was raised on (a) renovating empty buildings, (b) building conversions, (c) children’s car seats, (d) carry cots and (e) mobility aids for the elderly in each of the last five years.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the value of the content of the new P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft will be sourced from UK suppliers.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle) on 3 December 2015 in response to Question 17838.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Cashman on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support the key objectives of the Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference that will take place in Uruguay from 13 to 15 July, which include the protection and promotion of LGBTI rights around the world.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    As I set out to the House on the 21 March, and in my answers of 5 April, and the noble Baroness Verma’s answer of 31 March, the British Government will send a delegation to the Global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and/or Intersex (LGBTI) Human Rights Conference taking place in Montevideo in July.

    The Government is clear in its belief that human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people everywhere. We are opposed to all forms of discrimination and work to uphold the rights and freedoms of LGBTI people in all circumstances. We support the key objectives of the conference: to provide an important opportunity to share information, best practice and lessons learned with partners and to discuss how to better coordinate international efforts to support the promotion and protection of the rights of LGBTI people worldwide. We are committed to working with those countries that will be represented at the conference, and others, to better coordinate work to combat discrimination and violence against LGBTI people. This forms an important part of our wider international human rights work.

    Precise composition of the UK delegation to the conference remains to be confirmed. With the exception of the co-hosts, the Governments of the Netherlands and Uruguay, we judge it likely that countries will be represented at official level.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department will implement the recommendations made by the Committee on Climate Change in its report of November 2015, The fifth carbon budget – The next step towards a low-carbon economy.

    Andrea Leadsom

    This Government remains firmly committed to meeting our climate change target of an at least 80% emissions reduction by 2050. The fifth carbon budget, which covers the period 2028-2032, is an important step on the way to 2050.

    Discussions on this budget are continuing and we will make an announcement as soon as those discussions conclude.

  • Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Natalie McGarry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of welfare reform on health inequalities in (a) Glasgow, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The policy responsibility for welfare reform sits with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The Department of Health (DH) has not made a separate assessment of the effect of welfare reform on health inequalities in England or Scotland. It is for the Scottish Government to assess the impact of welfare reform in Scotland.

    Although no assessment has been made in England, DWP has engaged across government on its proposals for welfare reform. DH has been involved in discussions on the introduction of Universal Credit and its impact on health inequalities for programmes such as Healthy Start and Help with Health Costs.

    Healthy Start is a United Kingdom-wide statutory benefit, funded by DH, which aims to provide additional support to improve the diets of low income pregnant women and families with children under the age of four years. Currently, regulations are being put in place which will enable the scheme to function under Universal Credit. An equality analysis, which will include a consideration of the impact on health inequalities, will be published shortly.

    Help with Health Costs is a set of arrangements which provide help with the cost of a range of National Health Services for example free NHS prescriptions or NHS dental treatment. On 1 November 2015, DH put in place criteria to determine entitlement to Help with Health Costs to those in receipt of Universal Credit. An equality analysis was produced to inform these changes, outlining the potential impact, including on health inequalities, on groups affected by the change from the previous benefits and tax credits exemption arrangements to the new criteria for Universal Credit exemption. A copy of the equality analysis is attached.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the use in Florida of the organophosphate insecticide Naled, which is banned in the EU, what advice they are giving to British citizens intending to visit Florida; and what steps they are taking to place that advice on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The method of mosquito control in other countries is not a matter routinely covered by FCO travel advice. Currently, specific UK health travel advice for Florida and the wider US is supplied by the National Travel Health Network and Centre, to which the FCO website country pages have links.