Tag: 2016

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make it his policy to ensure reciprocity of student access to higher education funding systems with other EU countries as part of negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

    Mr David Jones

    The rights of EU nationals here and British citizens in other EU states to access higher education funding systems once the UK has left the European Union will be agreed during the course of negotiations.

    There has been no change to date to current reciprocal rights as a result of the referendum.

    The Student Loans Company (SLC) has already published reassurance to current students and the ’16/17 cohort that they will be able to obtain finance for the full duration of their course.

  • Alasdair McDonnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Alasdair McDonnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alasdair McDonnell on 2016-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to respond formally to the Soil Association’s Save Our Anti-Biotic campaign.

    George Eustice

    No formal response will be made. On 16 September 2016 the Government published its response to the final report and recommendations of the Independent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance. The response outlines future plans and ambitions to reduce the need for antibiotics and tackle antibiotic resistance.

    We continue to work with a wide-range of stakeholders and use emerging, scientifically sound evidence to develop policy.

  • George Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    George Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of China on its recent decision to land civilian planes on Fiery Cross reef in the disputed South China Sea.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) expressed our concerns about the situation in the South China Sea during his visit to Beijing on 5 January. He stressed the need to avoid raising tensions and underlined the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what work will be required on each of the Daring Class Type 45 Destroyers in the fleet due to electrical and propulsion faults; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such work.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    A number of measures to improve the reliability of the Type 45 Power and Propulsion systems have been identified and the ongoing programme to implement these changes continues to deliver positive results. In addition, and as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, we are committed to improving system resilience by adding upgraded diesel generators to provide further electrical generation capacity. Alternative technical options and a variety of delivery models are currently being explored with several competing industrial partners.

    A number of early modifications were implemented under the Type 45 Destroyer Contract for Availability arrangement with BAE Systems at no additional cost to the Ministry of Defence. The total cost and timetable for implementing the diesel generator upgrade will be determined at the main investment decision. I am withholding details of our current time and cost estimates as premature disclosure of this information could prejudice the commercial interests of the Department.

  • David Nuttall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Nuttall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Nuttall on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Decision of the Heads of State or Government, meeting within the European Council, on 18 and 19 February 2016, is an international Treaty to which the procedures of sections 20 and 25 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 will apply.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Decision of the Heads of State or Government, meeting within the European Council, on 18 and 19 February 2016 is a treaty as defined in section 25(1) of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. Given that no ratification procedures apply to the Decision, the obligations in section 20 of the Act do not apply.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the rent review will take place on 1 Victoria Street; and what plans he has to publish the results of that review.

    Joseph Johnson

    The due date for the rent review is 1st January 2016.

    In line with standard commercial practice there are no specific plans to publish the results.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking in Romford to encourage the use of local shopping centres.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government is committed to helping our high streets and town centres, including shopping centres, thrive and is supporting them through a £1 billion package of investment, which includes:

    • targeted tax breaks;
    • the doubling of small business rate relief;
    • sensible planning changes to allow businesses to respond flexibly to changing market conditions;
    • and taking action to tackle over-zealous parking practices.

    As a result, we have seen some very positive signs this that our local centres are fighting back. Vacancy rates, including those in shopping centres, are in decline, retail sales are up for the 35th consecutive month, the longest period of sustained growth since 2008.

    The Future High Street Forum is a joint partnership between government and the retail, leisure and property industries. It is leading an ambitious programme of work, including looking at town centre restructuring and the digital high street, to support town centres to meet the changing needs of today’s consumer. The broader retail sector can thrive if it adapts to these changing needs.

    We have also run the Great British High Street Awards since 2014, which has championed the hard work of local businesses and communities around the country. With nearly 200,000 votes cast in the public voting element in the 2015 Awards, the competition proves how much local people cherish our high streets and town centres. I hope Romford will consider entering in the 2016 Awards when it opens later this year.

  • Stephen Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Twigg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will suspend arms export licences and reject new applications for arms exports to Saudi Arabia while there is a risk that they could be used in contravention of international humanitarian and human rights law.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application.

    Risks around human rights violations are a key part of our assessment against the Consolidated Criteria. A licence will not be issued for any country, including Saudi Arabia, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that the items might be used for internal repression or in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law.

    Our export licensing system allows us to respond quickly to changed circumstances, with the option to suspend or revoke any export licence, where we consider that this is a necessary step. The Government is confident in its robust case-by-case assessment and is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licensing criteria.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2016 to Question 43378, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of people by (i) region, (ii) county and (iii) parliamentary constituency are paid less than the Living Wage Foundation’s living wage.

    Chris Skidmore

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Matthew Pennycook – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on demolitions that took place on 9 October 2016 in the community of Khan al-Ahmar in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    While we have not had any discussions with the Israeli authorities on this specific issue, on 7 September, during a meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Lieberman in London, I raised our concerns about demolitions. The UK’s positions on demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is clear: such demolitions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; are harmful to the peace process; and are, in all but the most exceptional of cases, contrary to international law.