Tag: 2016

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 10 December 2015 to Questions 18458 and 18543, what assessment he has made of the compatibility with the conditions applicable to grants awarded to Action on Smoking and Health of its the provision of secretariat assistance to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health; if he will review the conditions set out in the award letters for such grants; and if he will investigate any breaches in such conditions.

    Jane Ellison

    The conditions applicable to grants awarded to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) are set out in the grant award letters. The Department has made clear that none of this funding is to be used for lobbying purposes.

    The Section 64 grant must be spent in delivering the agreed project outputs set out in the grant award letter and it does not fund secretariat support for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health.

    ASH’s compliance with the conditions of the grant is assessed at the grant monitoring meetings held between the Deputy Director of tobacco control and representatives from ASH as well as in the final full year grant monitoring and governance reports.

  • Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government is doing to encourage supermarkets to act responsibly when sourcing and purchasing fish products.

    George Eustice

    Such matters fall primarily to the Non-Departmental Public Body Seafish, which is funded by an industry levy. Seafish has developed a ‘Risk Assessment for Sourcing Seafood’ (RASS), an online seafood sourcing tool, to help retailers assess the potential reputational risks of sourcing particular types of seafood. The primary objective is to support commercial seafood buyers by presenting up-to-date information on a comprehensive range of fisheries whose products are in the UK supply-chain, covering four components: stock, management, bycatch, and habitat. This year, RASS will be expanded through the addition of seafood social responsibility factors including crew welfare, human rights and slavery.

    Seafish has also developed, and recently launched at the Houses of Parliament, the Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS). The RFS is a voluntary vessel-based programme certifying high standards of crew welfare and responsible catching practices on fishing vessels. It is the only programme certifying crew welfare and responsible catching practices on vessels, and complements other fishery-based sustainability certifications. Such assurances are being increasingly sought by the UK market.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 33 of the Budget, how much of the £520 million estimated to be raised by the new sugar levy she expects to be allocated to sporting initiatives through her Department’s budget in each of the next four years.

    Edward Timpson

    As announced in Budget 2016, a new soft drinks industry levy is expected to raise £520 million in the first year.

    In England, revenue from the soft drinks industry levy will be used to double the Physical Education (PE) and sport premium for primary schools from £160 million a year to £320 million from September 2017. Primary schools will be able to make further improvements to the quality and breadth of PE and sport they offer, including introducing new activities, after school clubs and hiring specialist coaches to work alongside teachers.

    Revenue generated from the levy will also be used to provide up to £285 million a year to give 25% of secondary schools increased opportunity to extend their school day to offer a wider range of activities for pupils. This can include sports clubs.

  • Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to support National Stalking Awareness Week.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government has committed £80 million to support victims of violence against women and girls, including, stalking, between 2016 and 2020. This includes funding for the National Stalking Helpline run by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

    We have strengthened the law by introducing new offences of stalking in 2012. In 2014-15, there were 1,103 prosecutions commenced under the new stalking offences, an increase of 50% over the previous year (2013-14).

    To mark National Stalking Awareness Week, we are raising awareness of the increases in prosecutions and convictions for these crimes to help improve victim confidence in the criminal justice system.

    Additionally, we have consulted on the introduction of a new civil Stalking Protection Order to tackle perpetrators at an early stage to help prevent victims becoming targets of a prolonged campaign of abuse. Our response to this consultation will be published in due course. Through the Police Innovation Fund, we are supporting the police to identify ways to manage the significant volume of online material in abuse, harassment and stalking cases, so that evidence can be collected more easily and a strong case built to bring a prosecution.

  • Tom Tugendhat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Tugendhat – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Tugendhat on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s target is for the proportion of its properties that are classified as void.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) target for the proportion of Service Family Accommodation properties classified as void is 10 per cent which allows the MOD to facilitate moves in and out of each area, support short notice requirements and allow for upgrades to take place.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many UK companies have reported information on people with significant control to Companies House since 30 June 2016.

    Margot James

    As at 13.50 on 20 July 2016, there were 96,857 companies on the live register (excluding dissolved companies) that had reported information on people with significant control to Companies House since 30 June 2016.

    The information provided forms part of Companies House Management Information and has not undergone any formal audit. This information has been extracted from the live database, which is being continually updated and it is subject to change. The number above is therefore a snapshot of the register.

    Since 30 June, companies have been required to provide information on their PSCs to Companies House on incorporation or as their Confirmation Statement (formerly the annual return) becomes due. The register will therefore build up over time and be complete from 29 June 2017.

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues about proposals for a North Wales Growth Deal.

    Alun Cairns

    The door is open to a growth deal for North Wales. The Government is looking carefully at proposals which have been developed by local partners in North Wales which could help to strengthen the region’s economy and make the most of its connections to the Northern Powerhouse.

  • Jessica Morden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jessica Morden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jessica Morden on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles were identified and impounded solely on the basis of non-payment of vehicle excise duty as part of the pilot enforcement action using automatic number plate recognition of illegal foreign-registered vehicles in the UK.

    Andrew Jones

    The pilot took place between 3 November 2014 and 8 February 2015. It was a joint initiative between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Central Motorway Police Group and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The police forces involved were West Midlands, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Northamptonshire, Thames Valley and Hampshire.

    A total of 703 foreign registered vehicles were identified and impounded for non-payment of vehicle excise duty as part of the pilot.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many websites encouraging recruitment to Daesh or al Qaeda her Department has helped close down in the last six months.

    Mr John Hayes

    Extremist and terrorist organisations are exploiting the internet to disseminate propaganda and recruit individuals to their groups or to support their aims. Some vulnerable individuals, including young people are being misled by this damaging propaganda through its use of social media sites.

    Since 2010, over 130,000 pieces of terrorist-related material have been removed by industry from various online platforms at the request of the dedicated police Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU). Approximately 31,000 removals were made in the last 6 months alone. Removal requests are now at over 1,000 a week and approximately 70% of CTIRU’s caseload is Daesh related.

    The Counter Extremism Strategy, published in October 2015, sets out further work to uplift efforts to outmatch the scale and pace of terrorist and extremist use of the internet. As part of this we are pressing industry to take a lead in tackling the abuse of their services by terrorist and extremist groups.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether UK-owned tour companies that operate in North Korea contribute financially to that country’s nuclear and missile programmes or to elements of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea government responsible for human rights violations.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We are aware of UK tour companies who operate in the North Korea. Given the closed nature of the regime there is very limited financial information from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) government on how their nuclear and ballistic missile programme or elements of the regime responsible for human rights violations are funded.