Tag: 2016

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to promote gender equality in the Middle East.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    To ensure compliance with the Gender Equality Act (2014), DFID ensures all programmes consider gender in order to understand and mitigate negative impacts of inequality and maximise opportunities to promote equality. Our strategic vision for women and girls is to unlock their potential to play a critical role in reducing poverty and building peaceful societies. For example, in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank in Jordan, Egypt and the OPTs, the £10m Arab Women’s Enterprise Fund addresses the job market challenges faced by poor women, enabling 150,000 women to work, grow their business and increase their voice, choice and control over economic activities. In the humanitarian context, in response to the Syria crisis, DFID funding is enabling INGOs and UN agencies to provide specialist assistance to those affected by sexual-and gender-based violence through clinical care, case management, counselling, reproductive health care and cash assistance to vulnerable households.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department made of the applicability of the requirements of school food standards as part of the development of the Government’s Eatwell guide.

    Jane Ellison

    The Eatwell Guide is suitable for everyone over the age of five years to follow and intends to assist the population in choosing a varied and balanced diet to meet Government dietary recommendations.

    The School Food Standards aim to assist school aged children in achieving Government dietary recommendations, tying in with the aims of the Eatwell Guide. Common themes include the encouragement of fruits, vegetables and wholegrain starchy carbohydrates, as well as promoting the contribution of water and lower fat milks.

  • Lord Lexden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Lexden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to respond to the Constitution Committee’s report, Inter-governmental relations in the United Kingdom, published on 27 March 2015.

    Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

    I would like to thank the Constitution Committee for their report ‘Intergovernmental relations in the UK’ which was published in March 2015. As the former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster noted in his initial response to the Committee, the report was timely as it followed the launch of a joint review of intergovernmental relations in the United Kingdom which was commissioned by the Prime Minister and heads of the Devolved Administrations at the Joint Ministerial Committee Plenary JMC(P) meeting in December 2014.

    The review was undertaken by senior officials within each of the four administrations and the recommendations have been considered. It is anticipated that the review’s findings will be considered at the next Plenary meeting of the JMC later this year. The Committee has agreed that the Government issue a full response to its report following the JMC(P) meeting.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to assist with the implementation of the recommendations put forward to the Human Rights Council by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Government shares the concerns of the UN Commission of Inquiry regarding human rights in Eritrea, in particular shortcomings in the rule of law and indefinite national service.

    We have made clear to the Eritrean Government the tangible improvements we want to see, including amending its national service system and fully implementing its own constitution. We are also urging the Government of Eritrea to increase further its engagement with international human rights bodies, such as the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which recently visited Eritrea and was allowed access for the first time to a place of detention. We are supporting UN and EU programmes set up to address recommendations made by the Universal Periodic Review on human rights, and are funding a programme on strengthening the rule of law implemented by the Slynn Foundation.

    The mechanism of the Special Rapporteur is an important tool for the international community to strengthen its engagement with Eritrea. The UK Statement to the Human Rights Council on 21 June called on both the Special Rapporteur and the Government of Eritrea to consider ways that they might work together constructively to enhance the progress Eritrea has begun to make in its human rights observance.

  • Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Antoinette Sandbach – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage the grocery code adjudicator to investigate milk prices paid by Meadow Foods.

    George Eustice

    The GCA is responsible for enforcing the Groceries Supply Code of Practice and was formed by the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013. The Code governs the commercial relationships between the ten largest UK supermarkets and their direct suppliers, and reflects the findings of the Competition Commission’s market investigation into the supermarket sector conducted between 2006 and 2008. The Code does not cover the relationship between milk processors, such as Meadow Foods, and its farmers.

    I have written to Meadow Foods to ask how it manages its relationship with farmers and to encourage it to sign up to the dairy industry code of best practice on contractual arrangements.

  • Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gavin Shuker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Shuker on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value is of awards made to each route from the Regional Air Connectivity Fund.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    In December 2015 Government announced that 11 new air routes would be supported with start-up aid funding through the Regional Air Connectivity Fund for three financial years. The amount of funding provided to support individual routes will be paid in arrears and will be determined once routes begin operations and will depend on factors such as the number of passengers carried.

  • Graham Stringer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Graham Stringer – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Stringer on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Chief Medical Officer’s new alcohol consumption guidelines on future levels of heavy alcohol consumption.

    Jane Ellison

    No assessment has been made of the potential effect of the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ alcohol guidelines on future levels of heavy alcohol consumption.

    The guidelines have been developed to provide accurate information and clear advice about alcohol and its health risks to enable people to make informed choices.

  • Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Germany’s Anti-Doping Law passed on 13 November 2015 and what plans they have either to use the Fraud Act 2006, or to introduce primary legislation, to enable the prosecution of those who conduct sports fraud through the use of banned performance-enhancing drugs.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The case for legislation including criminal powers is currently being reviewed by the Department.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will publish Government plans to enable officers of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary to attend incidents requiring an armed response in support of territorial police forces.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Civil Nuclear Constabulary and territorial police forces offer mutual support through individual agreements. It would not be appropriate to comment further on operational plans.

  • Karen Lumley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Karen Lumley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Lumley on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds statistics on the prosecution of motorists for (a) speeding and (b) other motoring offences in supermarket car parks.

    Mike Penning

    The Home Office does not collect data on prosecutions for motoring offences. Data on prosecutions for motoring offences are held by the Ministry of Justice and are published in their quarterly Criminal Justice Statistics publication. However it is not possible to separately identify motoring offences committed in supermarket car parks. This information can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The publication can be accessed at the link below:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly