Tag: 2016

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the RAF has spent on the design and management of www.londonvipairport.com; how many hits the site generates each month; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The total cost of www.londonvipairport.com since the domain name was purchased in 2011 is £428.76 (including VAT). The website is maintained by RAF Northolt’s military IT hub using irreducible spare capacity from that section’s other military roles. The number of hits to this site is not recorded.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has held with the cosmetics industry on the voluntary phasing out of micro-plastics in personal care and cosmetic products.

    George Eustice

    Defra has been working with other countries in the Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR) to secure the voluntary phasing out of micro-plastics in personal care and cosmetic products. As part of this, discussions have been held with the British Cosmetics Association, the European trade association Cosmetics Europe, and the British Plastics Federation. In response to these discussions, Cosmetics Europe has recommended that micro-beads should not be used in cosmetics. In addition, many UK cosmetics brands have publically committed to removing micro-beads from their products. Discussions between OSPAR and the industry to achieve the phase out are ongoing.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent their fiscal strategy is influenced by Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was established to introduce independence, greater transparency and credibility to the economic and fiscal forecasts on which the government’s fiscal policy is based. Since 2010, the government has used the OBR’s economic and fiscal forecasts as the official forecasts. The government sets its fiscal strategy independently of the OBR but the forecasts are used to inform decisions on fiscal policy.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of microplastics entering the sea on protected species in UK waters.

    George Eustice

    Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of microplastics in the marine environment. The study did not specifically cover protected species. The project studied whether chemical pollutants stick to plastic particles, whether marine organisms ingest plastic particles and pass them along the food chain, and whether the plastics themselves, or associated chemical pollutants, could cause harm to those organisms. The final report for this project is expected to be published shortly.

  • Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when and where the next community engagement event for High Speed 2 Phase One in Chesham and Amersham constituency will take place.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    HS2 Ltd’s most recent engagement with the Amersham and Chesham community took place at the Amersham Town Carnival on Saturday 9th July, and was part of the project’s more localised approach to community engagement. The HS2 stall presented local information on the project, and was attended by around 180 residents from the Amersham / Chesham community.

    HS2 Ltd plans to attend similar existing community events across the Phase One route during the summer months, and is also drawing up a schedule of HS2 Ltd run community events, expected to be delivered in the autumn. Amersham and Chesham will be included as part of this exercise. Further details will be made available once the next event is confirmed.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-09-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the Kurdistan Region Government about the proposed closing of schools and institutions linked to the Gülen Movement, as a result of discussions between the government of Turkey and that government.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of reports that all Gulen schools in the Kurdistan Region will come under the management of the Kurdistan Regional Government ‘s Ministry of Education, although we do not yet fully understand the rationale behind this decision. Officials at our Consulate General in Erbil will discuss this issue with representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Government at the earliest opportunity. Delivering a quality education remains an ongoing challenge for the government of Iraq. Reports suggest that almost one in five schools across Iraq is out of use due to conflict, which has left millions of Iraqi children of school-age outside of the education system. We continue to work with the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to promote education, particularly through the work of the British Council and our Chevening programme.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will undertake an inquiry into the value for money of the PFI deal which funded the building of Calderdale Royal Hospital.

    Alistair Burt

    We have no plans to undertake such an inquiry. This Government launched an initiative in 2011 to extract savings and optimise value for money in operational private finance initiative (PFI) contracts. This included a pilot exercise at a major NHS PFI scheme which resulted in guidance with appropriate methodology and lessons learned being issued to all relevant NHS trusts in 2012. The Department has specialist officials to assist trusts in implementing the guidance.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what she expects the pass mark to be for each one to nine grade in the new GCSE grading system in (a) English, (b) science, (c) mathematics and (d) a modern foreign language in 2017.

    Nick Gibb

    This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey, to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to introduce inflammatory arthritis clinics across the UK.

    Jane Ellison

    The configuration of services, including decisions to establish inflammatory arthritis clinics, is a matter for the local National Health Service.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the 0.4 per cent fall in February in the volume of goods sold in UK shops.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Individual month on month changes can be volatile. Although the latest ONS Retail Sales Index reports a fall of 0.4 per cent in the volume of goods sold on a seasonally adjusted basis in February, it follows on from a strong monthly rise in January (2.3 per cent). It is also a 3.8 per cent increase on February of last year.

    This monthly decline in sales volumes was seen across all the headline categories of retail (with the exception of household goods stores). However, for almost all categories the decline was substantially smaller than the growth seen in the previous month.

    The latest Retail Sales Index publication and supplementary data is attached and can be found here:-

    https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/retailindustry/bulletins/retailsales/february2016

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