The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to assure the future funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit for the next five years.
Rory Stewart
The Government remains committed to tackling wildlife crime. We are currently allocating our Spending Review settlement. Future funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit will be decided as part of that process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Questions 20212, 20253, 20254 and 20256, how many age disputes were (a) raised, (b) resolved when the person was under 18 when first raised and (c) resolved when the person was over 18 when first raised in each local authority area in each year since 2006.
James Brokenshire
The Home Office publishes quarterly data on the number of Age disputes raised and resolved for asylum applicants, by country of nationality.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/501990/asylum3-q4-2015-tabs.ods
Historic data regarding the locations of age disputed asylum applicants cannot be provided at local authority level as to do so would incur disproportionate costs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31078, on immigration officers, whether (a) her Department, (b) the Interception of Communications Commissioner and (c) any other body has reviewed the use of the power of immigration officers to carry out property interference since 2013.
James Brokenshire
The Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) provides independent oversight of the use of property interference powers by law enforcement, including immigration officers. The Police Act 1997 was amended in 2013 to enable immigration officers to carry out property interference. The OSC regularly inspects law enforcement use of the power and scrutinises all individual property interference authorisations. A statutory code of practice for covert surveillance and property interference which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/384975/Covert_Surveillance_Property_Interrefernce_web__2_.pdf
applies to all agencies with property interference powers.
The Investigatory Powers Bill will provide enhanced safeguards for the use of equipment interference, including the requirement that equipment interference warrants are subject to the double-lock authorisation safeguard. The Bill will also create a new and more powerful Investigatory Powers Commissioner who will keep the use of this important power under close and regular review. A new Equipment Interference Code of Practice was published in draft alongside the Investigatory Powers Bill. This Code will provide further guidance on the use of equipment interference powers to all relevant agencies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Marie Rimmer on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to maintain the current level of tariff applied to Greater London when the planned devolution of business rates to London takes place in April 2017.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Government is taking the opportunity to pilot approaches to 100% business rates retention in Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region and London. This will help us for example to develop the mechanisms that will be needed to manage risk and reward under 100% rates retention.
Government officials are currently working with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region and London to develop the detail around these pilots.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many full-time equivalent officials of his Department are working on the invitation to tender for the West Midlands rail franchise; and if he will make a statement.
Claire Perry
There are 15.5 full time equivalent officials of the Department working on the invitation to tender for the West Midlands rail franchise. This count includes two full time secondments within the team but does not include advisers contracted to work on the invitation to tender.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-09-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what warnings they are giving to prospective UK visitors to the USA about the dangers of contracting Zika virus, and whether they will highlight the most dangerous areas in the USA.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Public Health England (PHE) and the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) introduced a risk-based approach for countries reporting Zika infection ahead of cases reported from Florida in the United States of America. PHE and NaTHNaC issued travel guidance about Florida as soon as cases were announced. A copy of this guidance is attached. The first locally acquired cases of Zika were reported from Florida on 29 July 2016. The guidance advised pregnant women to consider postponing non-essential travel to Florida. Links to NaTHNaC’s detailed, site-specific advice allowed clinicians to have in-depth discussions of the transmission risks in Florida with potential travellers.
A high risk alert was issued as more information became available stating: “The risk in Miami-Dade county is considered high and pregnant women are advised to postpone non-essential travel to Miami-Dade county until after their pregnancy.” Advice on reducing the risk of sexual transmission of Zika infection was also issued, which is included within the attached guidance.
The situation is constantly under review and assessment, and travel and sexual transmission guidance is updated regularly as new information emerges from Florida.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-10-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many apprenticeships have been provided to date by HS2 Ltd.
Andrew Jones
HS2, through both HS2 Ltd and its supply chain, has a target of creating 2,000 apprenticeship opportunities over the lifetime of the project, from a forecast average annual workforce of 11,000 (with a peak of 25,000).
HS2 Ltd itself has to date provided five apprenticeships, though this is in the context that HS2 does not yet have Royal Assent and construction hasn’t yet started. Looking forward, it is anticipated that HS2 Ltd will bring in 36 apprentices a year based on an average workforce of 1,500.
For the companies that will design and construct HS2 there will be requirements to deliver Skills, Employment and Education outcomes, including apprenticeships. In each of the major HS2 Ltd contracts, all bidders are assessed on their ability to deliver on these outcomes through the procurement process. Therefore, as HS2 enters its construction stage in 2017, apprenticeships are expected to increase rapidly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what impact assessment the Government has undertaken on its decision to privatise the Green Investment Bank.
Anna Soubry
The Government is moving UK Green Investment Bank plc (GIB) into private ownership so it can continue operating in the same way it does now only funded with private capital rather than relying on taxpayers’ support. The detailed background and supporting case for this move was set out in the policy statement we published on 18 November. Decisions on the proposed sale are being taken in accordance with best practice to ensure all available options are properly examined in a detailed business case and that a robust valuation process is followed. The process does not involve preparation of an impact assessment as there are no regulatory or significant cost impacts of a majority sale of GIB, or changes to pre-existing policy goals for GIB.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her EU counterparts during the renegotiation of the terms of the UK’s membership of the EU on the Common Agricultural Policy; and if she will take steps to secure a better outcome for the British farmers within that policy.
George Eustice
The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership which can cause so much frustration in the UK. The Prime Minister has set out the UK’s priorities that will deliver a better deal for the UK and secure our future. The Government is focused on driving forward a successful renegotiation; it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU.
Separately, the UK continues to make the case in Europe for improvements to the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) so that it is simpler and more effective. Reducing the administrative burden of the CAP on farmers is a necessary part of increasing the competitiveness of our food and farming industries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the female genital mutilation reporting duties under Section 5B of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 apply to professionals who (a) are members of any of the professional bodies on the Accredited Voluntary Register and (b) work in sectors where there is no statutory requirement to be members of a professional body and who themselves are not members of professional bodies.
Karen Bradley
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse.
The new FGM mandatory reporting duty requires specified professionals to report known cases of FGM in under 18s to the police. It applies to teachers and health and social care professionals regulated by a body which is overseen by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (with the exception of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland) in England and Wales.
The duty does not apply to non-regulated professionals. This includes non-regulated professionals who are members of bodies on the Accredited Voluntary Register. However, our guidance on the duty is clear that such professionals also have a responsibility to take appropriate action in relation to any identified or suspected case of FGM, in line with wider safeguarding frameworks and guidance, including the multi-agency guidance on FGM which we are putting on a statutory footing.
Where professionals fail to comply with the duty, this should be dealt with in accordance with professional bodies’ existing disciplinary procedures.