The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of train operators or Network Rail taking over the operation of train ticket offices previously operated by local authorities.
Claire Perry
No local authorities operate train ticket offices, therefore no such assessment has been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many businesses in (a) Cumbria, (b) Lancashire and (c) Yorkshire have accessed the Environment Agency’s Climate Ready Support Service in each year since it was set up.
Rory Stewart
The Environment Agency does not have figures for the number of businesses accessing the Climate Ready Support Service. The Service has, however, enabled hundreds of organisations across England to understand their climate risk and take action to reduce it through a wide range of different initiatives. For example, the Climate Ready Business Resilience Health Check tool has been accessed online by 8000 businesses.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-05-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British Ambassadors based in the Middle East and North Africa (1) speak Arabic, and (2) are able to conduct official business in Arabic.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to the noble Viscount Waverley on 28 April 2016 (HL7839), namely that, in the Middle East and North Africa region approximately 95 per cent of our Heads of Mission speak Arabic or other local languages (e.g. French or Hebrew).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-06-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent guidelines he has issued to members of the armed forces on registering with a doctor.
Mark Lancaster
Primary healthcare for serving Armed Forces personnel is provided by the Defence Medical Services (DMS).
Leaflet 1-3-4 of Joint Service Publication 950 (the Defence medical policy document) explains the healthcare transition arrangements for personnel leaving the Services and DMS care. This includes information on registering with an NHS General Practitioner.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support an end to the conflict in Yemen.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Peace talks remain the top priority. The UK continues to strongly support the work of UN Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, and his tireless efforts in working with all parties to bring about peace in Yemen. We deeply regret the failure of the parties to reach an agreement in Kuwait and urge them to find the compromises that will end the current conflict. The secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) hosted the Foreign Ministers of the US, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in London on 19 July to discuss the situation in Yemen, including the deteriorating humanitarian and economic situation and to encourage commitment from the Yemeni parties to the political process. I represented the UK at a subsequent meeting in Jeddah on 25 August. It is critical that all parties to the conflict renew their commitment to the Cessation of Hostilities for the sake of the people of Yemen.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2016 to Question 21464, what progress his Department has made on looking into reports of Saudi Arabia bombing the Iranian Embassy in Sana’a; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Hammond
From the evidence we have seen, it does not appear that a Saudi airstrike hit the Iranian Embassy in Sana’a. We continue to urge calm and are speaking with all sides to de-escalate tensions in regional affairs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-02-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23906, if the Government will make it its policy to provide formal advice to banks or building societies offering second charge mortgages in territories outside the UK which are illegal under international law on potential financial risks of such products.
Harriett Baldwin
The Government has no plans to provide formal advice to banks or building societies offering second charge mortgages in territories outside the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to upgrade the (a) welfare services and (b) leisure facilities at the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus; and what the timetable is for each such upgrade.
Mark Lancaster
Within the military areas of the Sovereign Base Areas there are a variety of welfare and leisure facilities provided as part of the overall estate, ranging from swimming pools to bars and shopping facilities. The continued development of the Cyprus estate is being planned as part of Project Apollo, which will seek to ensure a sustainable future estate over the next 10-15 years. For those deployed on Operation SHADER in Cyprus, a deployed welfare package is available and includes Wi-Fi, social areas, gymnasium equipment and pre-paid telephone calls home. Leisure facilities are delivered as part of Soft Facilities Management contract with Sodexho, who in concert with the Ministry of Defence, provides many of the outlets for personnel to relax when off duty.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the Government of National Accord in securing the (a) maritime and (b) land borders of Libya.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Helping the Government of National Accord (GNA) to secure its borders will be crucial to achieve our objectives on counter-Daesh and counter-migration in Libya. That is why we and international partners stand ready to respond to requests for support from the GNA to help them restore stability in Libya.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-05-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Financial Conduct Authority authorisation of insolvency practitioners on the size of the debt advice market.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The government consulted extensively on its reforms to the consumer credit market prior to the transfer of regulation from the Office of Fair Trading to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in April 2014. The result of that consultation included the exclusion for insolvency practitioners when acting in reasonable contemplation of being appointed as an insolvency practitioner (IP).
It remains the government’s view that when an insolvency practitioner is no longer acting in reasonable contemplation of being appointed as an IP, they must be authorised by the FCA if they wish to continue providing debt advice. There are no immediate plans to review this exclusion. However, the government does maintain an interest in the impact of regulation on the debt advice market.
The FCA is thoroughly assessing every debt management firm’s fitness to trade as part of the authorisation process. The size of the debt advice market will not be known until this process is complete. The government will stay in contact with the FCA throughout the authorisation process to monitor the impact on customer journeys and capacity.
For IPs concerned about the potential burden of FCA authorisation, the FCA has been clear that it takes a proportionate approach to setting fees. This includes imposing tiered fees based on the income a firm generates from its credit activities, ensuring that the smallest firms pay the lowest fees. There also remain other options for smaller firms to consider, including the appointed representative regime.