The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what (a) meetings and (b) discussions he has had with Didier Seeuws, Head of the Brexit Taskforce at the European Council.
Mr Robin Walker
The Prime Minister has been clear we will not give a running commentary on Brexit negotiations. We will ensure that we engage closely with all relevant interlocutors.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role Ofqual has in the setting of the requirements for special needs access to examinations specified by the Joint Council for Qualifications.
Nick Gibb
This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the UN and the International Criminal Court to ensure they take action in cases in which civilian populations are besieged and deprived of food and medicines as a method of waging war.
James Duddridge
The United Kingdom has co-sponsored resolutions at the United Nations Security Council that call for an end to indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including illegal siege tactics and obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid. The International Criminal Court can take action when a war crime or crime against humanity is suspected to have been committed in or by a country which is party to the Rome Statute, or when a situation is referred to them by the UN Security Council. The starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited in international and internal conflicts. We will continue to work with our international partners to look at every available option to ensure all State and non-state actors engaged in armed conflict respect International Humanitarian Law and act in accordance with their obligations there under.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 24141, what categories of security incident were classed as other security breach in that answer.
Mark Lancaster
Other security breaches include incidents which represented a failure of a control but did not result in the loss of any information. Such breaches would be the contravention of security policy, damage, denial of service, malicious software and personal security.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the compatibility with international law of the arrest and transfer of children from the Occupied Palestinian Territories to Israel.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are clear that Israel has legal obligations as an Occupying Power with respect to the Occupied Palestinian Territories under the Fourth of the Geneva Conventions of 1949. This includes Article 49, which prohibits deportation of protected persons from the occupied territory and Article 76, providing that protected persons convicted of offenses shall be detained and serve their sentences within the occupied territory. We regularly talk to the Government of Israel with regard to the implementation of those obligations and raise our serious concerns, including about the treatment of Palestinian children that are arrested and detained in Israeli prisons. We have been clear with Israel that forcible transfer would be a breach of international humanitarian law and would have serious ramifications on Israel’s international standing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, to which location he plans to relocate his Department’s functions out of London.
Joseph Johnson
The Department has not yet made final decisions on its future estate. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise has already informed the House, the current plans for the Department’s future estate are for:
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of how much local authorities will be able to collect through business rates under the Government’s devolution proposals in (a) East Yorkshire, (b) North Lincolnshire and (c) elsewhere.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Government intends to move to 100% business rates retention in England by the end of this Parliament. We have confirmed that as part of the new system there will continue to be redistribution of local tax revenue between authorities and protections in place for authorities that see their business rates income fall significantly. Over the coming months we will be working with local government on the details of the scheme.
Ahead of final decisions, it is too early to assess what the impact will be on individual areas or authorities. However, based on their own estimates, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and North Lincolnshire Council expect to collect £106.9 million and £89.2 million in business rates respectively in 2016-17.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the threats to the Tristan albatross and Gough bunting from invasive plants and mice; and if his Department will support the proposed initiative by the Tristan da Cunha council to protect those birds through mouse and invasive plant eradication projects.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Government is aware of the threat to the seabirds of Gough Island posed by invasive mice and plants. We are reviewing the options for addressing this problem and will take necessary actions to ensure the protection of these rare and endangered species and to protect the World Heritage Site status of Gough Island.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answers of 25 July 2016 to Questions 43380 and 43381, for what reasons his Department does not hold information on the number of public sector contracts won by small businesses or on the number of companies bidding; and if he will take steps to collate that information.
Ben Gummer
The Government has a target of awarding one third of direct and indirect central government spend to SMEs by the end of this Parliament. Consequently, we track the value of spend with SMEs through information supplied by departments, but not the number of contracts or the number of bids they have made.
We have no plans to collect information on the number of public sector contracts won by small businesses or on the number of companies bidding, as the cost of collecting such information would be disproportionate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the press statement issued by the Minister for the Middle East and Africa on 5 October 2016, entitled Minister for the Middle East statement on plans to construct a new settlement in the West Bank, what discussions he has had with the government of Israel on preventing illegal settlement activity in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign Secretary, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), raised our concerns over new settlements with the Israeli Prime Minister when he met him in Jerusalem on 30 September. On 7 September, during a meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Lieberman in London, I also raised our concerns about settlements. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv also regularly raises our concerns with the Israeli authorities on the continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank.