The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wes Streeting on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is providing to Sri Lanka.
Sir Desmond Swayne
DFID’s bilateral aid to Sri Lanka ended in 2006 when middle income status was achieved. We continue to support them through multilateral organisations and through centrally managed DFID programmes. In 2014 these amounted to at least £28m.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what his policy is on the export of UK arms to Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement.
Mark Garnier
The Government’s policy has always been to rigorously assess all licence applications on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria. A licence would not be granted if to do so would be a breach of the Criteria, including if there was a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law.
The framework for arms export licensing remains as set out in the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, known as the Consolidated Criteria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of fraudulent compensation claims against Armed Forces personnel in Iraq.
Penny Mordaunt
The Government is committed to action to bear down on unmeritorious litigation of all kinds against the Armed Forces, and will be announcing its proposed course of action in due course. Accusations must be investigated, but where they are found to be fraudulent, or where relevant information is withheld, we will robustly defend the reputation of the Armed Forces and the interests of the taxpayer. We welcome the decision of the Solicitors Regulation Authority to refer one firm of solicitors heavily involved in bringing claims from Iraq to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will commission a study into the effect on bird and marine life of off-shore windfarms; and if she will make a statement.
George Eustice
The Planning Inspectorate is responsible for examining development consent applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects, including offshore renewable energy installations over 100MW in English and Welsh waters and their adjacent offshore waters, and then making a recommendation to the Secretary of State at Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) for the final decision.
As part of the planning process, the environmental impacts of offshore renewable energy installations are considered through the requirement to undertake project level Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Habitats Regulations Assessments (HRAs). In order to improve the evidence on the extent of the environmental impacts of offshore renewable energy installations, the Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Programme (ORJIP) was initiated by DECC, Marine Scotland and The Crown Estate. ORJIP includes a longer-term project to improve empirical evidence on the impacts of offshore renewables on marine species, such as birds and marine mammals. Further information is available at http://www.carbontrust.com/client-services/technology/innovation/offshore-renewables-joint-industry-programme-orjip/.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions a UK port was not manned by Border Force officials in 2015; and if she will make a statement.
James Brokenshire
There was 1 instance where a port with scheduled arrivals was unmanned by Border Force in 2015. In July 2015, Border Force Officers failed to meet a regular charter plane in Cambridge due to a road traffic accident preventing access to the airport. Checks on passengers were completed on the arrival of Border Force Officers.
In exercising their functions, Border Force officers are mandated to carry out full checks on all individuals entering the UK. Border Force has an established intelligence led approach and risk assessments regarding non-scheduled arrivals. This allows Border Force to provide effective border controls throughout the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of new free schools’ capacity to meet pupil place demand in 2016-17.
Edward Timpson
Data reported at May 2015 showed that local authorities (LAs) already had plans in place to deliver more than 80,000 new places in 2016/17, and we know many more will have been planned and delivered since then, including through central programmes.
Free schools can play an important part in helping LAs meet place pressures, and every free school has been opened in response to either the need to provide extra school places, the need to provide parents with greater choice or the need to provide more high quality school places. 85% of mainstream free schools approved since January 2014 are in areas where there was a basic need for additional school places. An additional group of schools were approved on the basis of more up-to-date LA data on future need for places and where section 106 agreements suggest need related to new housing developments. There are currently 117 mainstream free schools in the pipeline.
Many local authorities are recognising the opportunity that the free schools programme provides and are encouraging new and existing high quality education providers to apply to set up a new school in their area. We encourage all local authorities to do likewise.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many social workers are working in Lancashire.
Alistair Burt
This information is not collected centrally.
Skills for Care, the partner in the sector skills council for social care, in England, collects information on the number social worker jobs in England.
Skills for Care estimates shows that there were a total of 390 social worker jobs in Lancashire in local authorities and the independent sector as at September 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on whether the cost of degree apprenticeships are supported from the proceeds of the apprenticeship levy.
Nick Boles
The apprenticeship levy will fund growth in apprenticeships at all levels, including Degree Apprenticeships. Degree Apprenticeships are widening access to the professions and providing higher level technical skills employers need.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-09-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer to Question 44728, how many (a) amended and (b) cancelled tax credit claims account for the savings in annually managed expenditure identified.
Jane Ellison
Since the contract with Concentrix began in November 2014, Concentrix have amended around 103,000 tax credit claims up to and including 11 September 2016. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Concentrix, acting on HMRC’s behalf, do not separate out the number of awards that are either partially amended or stopped.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on (a) how much methane gas an average shale gas drilling site releases into the atmosphere and (b) what technology reduces the amount of methane gas so released.
Andrea Leadsom
Research has shown that the carbon footprint of shale gas extraction and use is likely to be comparable to conventional sources of gas and lower than the carbon footprint of imported Liquefied Natural Gas. [1]
In order to make sure emissions are minimised, the Environment Agency has made ‘Green Completions’ to capture emissions from operations a requirement for Environmental Permits for shale gas production.
Additionally, operators must develop a Waste Management Plan setting out how waste gases including fugitive methane emissions will be minimised, managed and monitored, which is submitted to the Environment Agency with permit applications. The Environment Agency will also consider an enclosed flare to provide the best environmental performance for treatment of waste gases from onshore oil and gas operations during exploration.
We have one of the most robust regulatory regimes in the world for shale gas and we insist on high standards of health safety and environmental protection.
[1] Mackay-Stone report (requested by DECC), Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Shale Gas Extraction and Use, Sept 2013 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237330/MacKay_Stone_shale_study_report_09092013.pdf
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