The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kilclooney on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HE Dan Mulhall is the Irish Ambassador to Great Britain or to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
All Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary accredited to the Court of St James’s are Ambassadors to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Kaufman on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he intends to answer the letter to him dated 19 November 2015 with regard to Mr R Short.
Alistair Burt
I responded to the hon. Member’s letter of 19 November 2015 on 21 January 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make applications for EU structural funds for the purposes of alleviating pressure on school places caused by migration from other EU countries.
Mr Sam Gyimah
The Government has no plans to make applications for EU structural funds to support investment in additional school places.
We have committed £23 billion to create 600,000 new school places, open 500 new free schools and address essential maintenance needs between 2016 and 2021. This includes sufficient funding to create the places required between now and the 2021/22 academic year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Care Quality Commission has conducted an impact assessment of the proposed changes to the contract of Experts by Experience.
Ben Gummer
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and adult social care. The CQC is responsible for its own staffing requirements, including any decisions on contracts around the supplying of experts by experience for its inspections of providers.
In line with Cabinet Office approvals processes, the Department:
– gave approval for the CQC to invite tenders for the Experts by Experience programme; and
– having sought and received clarification of the business case from the CQC, the department approved the business case, to enable the CQC to proceed with finalising new contracts for Experts by Experience.
Regulatory impact assessments for the Experts by Experience programme were carried out by the CQC as part of the development of the new regulatory framework in 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to help revive the UK’s oil industry.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
At the Budget, my rt. hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a radical £1bn package to support the North Sea Oil and Gas industry, including reductions to the headline rates of tax and targeted measures to encourage investment in exploration, infrastructure and late-life assets.
This package will ensure the UK has one of the most competitive tax regimes for oil and gas in the world, safeguarding jobs and investment.
The Budget measures build on the action plan the Prime Minister set out in January to help build a bridge to the future for the industry, which included:
A £20m package of new investment in exploration, innovation and skills;
A new Inter-Ministerial Group on Oil and Gas to coordinate the UK’s response to the oil price crash and focus on vital issues such as exports, skills and investment, and;
Funding for the £250m City Deal Package for Aberdeen, which includes a new energy innovation centre to support exploiting remaining reserves.
In addition, we have established the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) and it is already helping industry to drive down costs and improve efficiencies. Subject to the will of parliament, the OGA will transition to a fully empowered, strong, independent regulator in summer 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other EU countries and the EU Commission on the demolition of EU-funded structures by Israeli authorities in Jabal al Baba on 16 May 2016; and what steps he plans to take (a) independently and (b) with those counterparts to ensure that any further such planned demolitions are halted.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK and the EU continue to raise concerns about demolitions with the Government of Israel. These demolitions cause significant human suffering, undermine chances of progress towards a two-state solution, and are contrary to international humanitarian law in all but the most exceptional cases. Within the EU, we are considering how to respond to demolitions, including the demolition and confiscation of EU-funded structures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-07-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Ministerial colleagues and (b) US counterparts on cooperation and assistance on counter-drone technology.
Mr Philip Dunne
I have regular discussions with both Ministerial Colleagues and US counterparts on a range of issues, including counter-drone technologies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the impact of falling long-term gilt yields on the deficits of UK defined benefit pension schemes.
Lord Freud
Recent movement in gilt yields could have a material impact on the funding position of defined benefit pension schemes in the short term.
However, the precise effect on deficits will depend on a number of factors including how assets are allocated, the approach to hedging and the demographics of the scheme. We continue to monitor the position.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children have registered as transgender in each of the last five years.
James Brokenshire
Children born in England or Wales are registered in the birth register as being either male or female. Transgender is not a term used to describe the sex of a child at birth registration.
The Gender Recognition Act 2004 enables transgender people aged 18 or over to apply to the Gender Recognition Panel to obtain a gender recognition certificate – legal recognition of their acquired gender. That certificate is used to create an entry in the Gender Recognition Register, maintained by the Registrar General, from which a new birth certificate can be issued. There are, therefore, no records of children (under the age of 18) in this register.
Gender Recognition Registers are also held in respect of births in Northern Ireland and Scotland by the relevant Registrars General.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the number of jobs that will be created by the construction phase of (a) the new nuclear build at Moorside and (b) Solway Firth Tidal Lagoon project in West Cumbria.
Andrea Leadsom
Nugen is proposing to build three AP1000 reactors at Moorside in Cumbria. Nugen have indicated that Moorside would bring at least £10 billion of investment into the UK with estimated peak on-site employment of up to 6,000 during construction.
Regarding the Solway Firth Tidal Lagoon, the proposed project is in the early stages of development. It is too early to say how many jobs could be created.