Tag: 2016

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what protections the Government has put in place to ensure that historic towns are not adversely affected by shale gas extraction.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government has been clear that shale development must be safe and environmentally sound, maintaining the very highest safety and environmental standards.

    Any impacts of shale gas exploration proposals on the historic environment are fully taken into account through the planning system. The National Planning Policy Framework explains that when considering the impact of a proposed development on the significance of a designated heritage asset, great weight should be given to the asset’s conservation. Designated heritage assets include World Heritage Sites, scheduled monuments, listed buildings and conservation areas.

    In addition, the Government has consulted on measures to ensure that hydraulic fracturing cannot be conducted from wells that are drilled at the surface of our most valuable areas, including World Heritage Sites, and we will publish our response to the consultation shortly.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding the demolition by Israeli forces on 16 May of seven donor-funded residential containers and the confiscation of materials for another three in the Palestinian Bedouin community of Jabal al Baba.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We condemn the demolition of Bedouin homes at Jabal Al-Baba, which is a particularly vulnerable community in East Jerusalem. We have not specifically raised this issue, but we are extremely concerned at the large increase in demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since the start of 2016, compared to the monthly average in 2015. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv raises our concerns about demolitions regularly with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 15 May. We call on Israel to provide a legal route for Palestinians to obtain building permits.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to upgrade the Skynet A5 satellite system.

    Harriett Baldwin

    We currently have no plans to upgrade the specific SKYNET 5A satellite. The Ministry of Defence is currently examining options to sustain the capability currently provided by the Skynet constellation.

  • Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drones have been intercepted operating over prisons in England and Wales (a) in 2015 and (b) from January 2016 to date.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    There were 33 incidents relating to drones reported by prisons in 2015. This includes finds, interceptions and sightings of drones in and around prisons in England and Wales. The Ministry of Justice intends to routinely publish information on prison drone incidents in the future and 2016 data will be provided in due course as part of the publication schedule.

    We remain vigilant to all incidents involving drones and take the threat they pose to prison security very seriously. A range of methods to counter the threat posed by drones are being trialled and evaluated for their effectiveness across the prison estate. We have already introduced new legislation to further strengthen our powers, making it illegal to land a drone in prison or to use a drone to drop in contraband. Anyone found using a drone in an attempt to get contraband into prisons can be punished with a sentence of up to two years imprisonment. We take a zero tolerance approach to smuggling of contraband into prisons and work closely with the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ensure those caught are prosecuted.

    Note: All figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-01-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the longest a patient waited for discharge from hospital after being declared fit to leave was in (a) England and Wales, (b) London and (c) each health trust in London in (i) the last month for which figures are available and (ii) that month in each year from 2010 to 2014.

    Alistair Burt

    This information is not available in the format requested.

    Official statistics for National Health Service trusts in England are published by NHS England on the number of patients delayed on the last Thursday of each month and the total delayed days during the month for all patients delayed throughout the month.

    It is not possible to calculate the longest wait from these data.

    Health is a devolved matter in Wales.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Topical Transport Question to him on 10 December 2015, Official Report, column 1129, on traffic noise on the M60 effecting the residents of Thompson Close, Denton, whether he will meet with the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish to discuss this case.

    Andrew Jones

    Highways England representatives met with the Hon. Member on 22 January 2016 to discuss the possibility of mitigating the effect of noise from traffic using the M60 Motorway adjacent to Thompson Close. As Roads Minister I am happy to meet with the Hon. Member to discuss the position further.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many disabled students allowance awards were made by the Student Loans Company to students (a) studying at higher education institutions, (b) with a term-time residence and (c) with a vacation time residence in Hampstead and Kilburn constituency in the most recent academic year for which figures are available.

    Joseph Johnson

    Statistics showing the number of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) payments to English students are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’.

    http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx

    Data provided by the SLC indicates that there were: (a) 120 DSA recipients studying at an institution within the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency and (c) 168 DSA recipients who registered their home address as being in the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency in the academic year 2014/15.

    Information on DSA recipients with a term-time address in the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency is not available.

    “

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-16.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the notional value is of derivatives held by banks regulated by the UK authorities.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England publishes the growth in the notional value of derivatives (see link below).

    http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Documents/fsr/2015/scrdec15.xlsx

    This indicates that notional derivatives growth was -25.9% as of 20 November 2015.

    The Financial Policy’s Committee’s indicator includes all major UK banks.

    Individual bank derivatives exposures may also be found in their published annual reports.

    “

  • Tommy Sheppard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tommy Sheppard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with G4S on that company’s adherence to the terms of the (a) Fourth Geneva Convention and (b) UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights related to the detention of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK considers Palestinians arrested in the OPTs and detained in Israel as contrary to Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The UK Government encourages British companies to show respect for human rights in their operations in the UK and internationally and we have made this clear in meetings with G4S.

  • Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2016-05-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of increased malnutrition and starvation in Yemen.

    Baroness Verma

    The United Nations report that 14.4 million people in Yemen are facing food insecurity, of which 7.6 million are facing severe food shortages, as cited in the UN’s 2016 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan. The UK government uses this UN report as one if its primary data sources. A number of humanitarian organisations have recently highlighted the acute food security and livelihood needs in Yemen, and the fact that food insecurity is likely to continue at a critical level in the coming months.

    The security situation in Yemen is impacting the ability of humanitarian organisations to access populations to deliver assistance, and to make assessments of their needs. The UK continues to remind all parties to the conflict to take all reasonable steps to facilitate rapid and safe access for humanitarian agencies to all people in need in Yemen. This is essential to ensure that the international community has an accurate understanding of the levels of need in the country, including food insecurity.

    The UK is the 4th largest donor to the crisis in Yemen and has more than doubled its humanitarian support over the last year to £85 million for 2015/16. We work through UN agencies and NGOs, including the World Food Programme who provide emergency food support to over 570,000 people, through direct delivery of food or the provision of cash or food vouchers. We have also provided £21.7 million in 2015/16 to UNICEF for the provision of health and nutrition services through hospitals and mobile clinics. We are also funding the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism to improve the supply of essential commercial goods, including food, into Yemen.