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Tag: 2016

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 28 April 2016 to Question 35059, how many requests to meet with hon. Members she has received from each of the political parties represented in the House since 1 February 2016.

    Nick Gibb

    My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Education frequently meets Hon Members from across the political spectrum in the performance of her duties.

    Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy that the Natura 2000 network of protected conservation areas in the UK will (a) continue to have the same level or stronger protection than they now have under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives and (b) remain part of the Emerald Network under the Bern Convention regardless of the outcome of the UK’s negotiations to leave the EU.

    Rory Stewart

    Until we leave the EU, current arrangements for our environment remain in place.

    Defra will continue to ensure the right policies are in place for a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone.

    The Government will wish to consider the Impacts of the decision to leave the EU, including for the UK’s Natura 2000 and other protected sites, We have a manifesto commitment to produce a 25 Year Plan for the Environment. We all now have an opportunity to consider our long-term vision for the environment following the referendum vote.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 45149, how many climate change experts are employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The Department’s activity to tackle climate change cuts across the work of various teams and is undertaken by officials across a number of professions, including policy advisors, scientists, engineers and economists. In addition the Department has access to a range of experts from outside the Department including academia and organisations such as the Met Office Hadley Centre. Consequently, it is not possible to provide an exact number of officials who could be called climate change experts.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment (a) his Department and (b) Ofcom have made of the effectiveness of the gaining provider-led notification of transfer process for broadband since its introduction.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    A Government call to evidence on switching principles has recently closed. We have committed to legislating for easier switching in the Communications markets, and we are now working with Ofcom to progress this.

    Ofcom’s assessment of the costs and benefits of implementing the enhanced process are set out in Chapter 9 athttp://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/consumer-switching-review/.

    “

  • David Burrowes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    David Burrowes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Burrowes on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of Sunday trading devolution on the premium pay of shopworkers.

    Nick Boles

    In view of the will of the House of Commons, we are no longer proposing to give local authorities the ability to extend the Sunday trading hours of large shops.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what effect recent reductions in fuel duty have had on economic growth.

    Damian Hinds

    The government recognises the link between low fuel prices and economic growth, which is why we have frozen fuel duty for the sixth year in a row.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they consider the impact to be of the displacement of people within Darfur on the legitimacy of the referendum taking place between 11 and 13 April.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We remain concerned by the timing of the Darfur referendum due to ongoing violence and the absence of a peace agreement. The continued fighting and level of civilian displacement in Jebel Marra is particularly troubling, and brings in to question the viability of holding the referendum at this time. We have raised such concerns with the Government of Sudan. We have also pressed for full humanitarian access to be granted, including at the UN Security Council and bilaterally as part our recent strategic dialogue with the Government of Sudan, led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Africa Director. Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum are monitoring the situation closely.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications from academy trusts to use land for purposes other than education have been (a) approved and (b) refused in each year since 2011.

    Edward Timpson

    The data is not held in the format requested. Any academy wishing to dispose or permanently change the use of its land must obtain the Secretary of State’s consent. However, whilst continuing to hold their land for educational purposes in accordance with their charitable status, academies may allow others to make occasional or limited use of their land, for example, by using this flexibility to play an important role in supporting their local communities.

    Only a minority of academies hold the freehold to their sites; the majority lease the land from local authorities and only the freeholder authority would have the power to request the Secretary of State’s consent to either dispose of or permanently change the use of land. The local authority, as the land owner, would also need to seek consent from the Secretary of State should the land be appropriated for other non-educational purposes.

  • Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department takes to monitor the levels of acetaldehyde that workers are exposed to in the chemical industry; and what steps he is taking to reduce routine exposure to acetaldehyde in that industry.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has no plans to commission an assessment of the levels of acetaldehyde that workers are exposed to in the UK chemical industry.

    Acetaldehyde has been assigned a Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL). WELs are concentrations of hazardous substances in the air, averaged over a specified period of time, referred to as a time-weighted average (TWA). Two time periods are used; long-term (8 hours) and short-term (15 minutes). For acetaldehyde these are concentrations of 37 milligrams per cubic meter (mg.m-3) and 92mg.m-3 respectively.

    Substances that have been assigned a WEL are subject to the requirements of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH). COSHH requires employers to prevent or control exposure to hazardous substances. Under COSHH, control is defined as adequate only if a) the principles of good control practice are applied; b) any WEL is not exceeded; and c) exposure to asthmagens, carcinogens and mutagens are reduced as low as is reasonably practicable. As part of the assessment required under regulation 6 of COSHH, employers should determine their own working practices and in-house standards for control of exposure.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September to Question 45236, to which destinations (a) ministers and (b) officials have taken flights as part of their official duties since his Department was established.

    Greg Hands

    Since the inception of the department, as part of their official duties Ministers and accompanying officials have visited:

    Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade (Liam Fox) – USA, India, Switzerland, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Northern Ireland, Scotland.

    Rt. Hon Friend the Minister of State (Greg Hands) – USA, Germany, Taiwan, Korea.

    Hon Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mark Garnier) – Burma, Thailand, Israel, France.

    Noble Friend the Minister of State (Lord Price CVO) – China, South Korea, USA, Germany, Brazil, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia.