The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.
Mike Penning
The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the role of special advisers and describes the range of activities they may undertake. Copies of the Code of Conduct are available in the Library of the House and online at
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-03-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the guidance note on public sector pay and terms published by his Department on 5 February 2016, whether he plans to place that guidance on a statutory footing; and if he will make a statement.
Greg Hands
There are no current plans to place the guidance note on public sector pay and terms on a statutory footing.
The note is a reminder of the rules that are in place and the Government’s expectations on public sector employers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research HS2 Ltd has (a) produced and (b) commissioned since 17 July 2013 on the potential effect of the construction of High Speed 2 on the aquifer in Eddisbury.
Mr Robert Goodwill
HS2 Ltd have not produced any detailed work specifically examining the potential effect of the construction of High Speed Two on the aquifer in Eddisbury.
HS2 Ltd has commissioned desktop studies using existing survey work for the whole of the route from Crewe to Manchester which will examine interactions with landfill and mining and other ground conditions.
Following a route decision in autumn 2016 HS2 Ltd will begin production of a full Environmental Impact Assessment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of legislation for protecting children from in-game selling and promotions when playing games online.
Nick Boles
The Government is committed to ensuring that consumers are properly protected and that children’s vulnerability and inexperience is not exploited by aggressive commercial practices. We welcomed the Office of Fair Trading’s (OFT) investigation into whether children have been unfairly encouraged to spend money in online games and apps, in breach of consumer laws. The OFT’s subsequent Principles for Online and App-based Games, which are based on the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (2008), were published in January 2014. The Competition and Markets Authority subsequently referred 3 games to the Advertising Standards Authority for further enforcement action. The Government continues to take a close interest in this issue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received from police forces in England and Wales on reports of an increase in racist incidents after the EU referendum; and if she will make a statement.
Sarah Newton
The Home Office has been working with the police at national and regional levels to monitor the increase in reported hate crime over the past few weeks and to ensure that local forces have the necessary assistance and guidance to respond.
Police forces are responding robustly to recent incidents, and victims can be reassured that their concerns about hate crime will be taken seriously by the police and courts. Any decisions regarding resourcing of front-line policing are a matter for chief constables in conjunction with their police and crime commissioner.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which agreed EU directives have not yet been transposed directly into UK law; and if she will make a statement.
George Eustice
As of 12 October 2016, there were 11 EU directives awaiting transposition into UK law. These are detailed in the table below.
|
Directive |
Tittle |
|
2013/51/EURATOM |
Directive 2013/51/EURATOM of 22 October 2013 laying down requirements for the protection of the health of the general public with regard to radioactive substances in water intended for human consumption. |
|
2014/97/EU |
Commission Implementing Directive 2014/97/EU of 15 October 2014 implementing Council Directive 2008/90/EC as regards the registration of suppliers and of varieties and the common list of varieties. |
|
2014/96/EU |
Commission Implementing Directive 2014/96/EU of 15 October 2014 on the requirements for the labelling, sealing and packaging of fruit plant propagating material and fruit plants intended for fruit production, falling within the scope of Council Directive 2008/90/EC. |
|
2014/98/EU |
Commission Implementing Directive 2014/98/EU of 15 October 2014 implementing Council Directive 2008/90/EC as regards specific requirements for the genus and species of fruit plants referred to in Annex I thereto, specific requirements to be met by suppliers and detailed rules concerning official inspections. |
|
2015/412/EU |
Commission Directive 2015/412/EU of 11 March 2015 amending Directive 2001/18/EC as regards the possibility for the Member States to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their territory. |
|
2015/996/EU |
Commission Directive (EU) 2015/996 of 19 May 2015 establishing common noise assessment methods according to Directive 2002/49/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. |
|
2015/1480/EU |
Commission Directive (EU) 2015/1480 of 28 August 2015 amending several annexes to Directives 2004/107/EC and 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the rules concerning reference methods, data validation and location of sampling points for the assessment of ambient air quality. |
|
2015/1787/EU |
COMMISSION DIRECTIVE (EU) 2015/1787 of 6 October 2015 amending Annexes II and III to Council Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of water intended for human consumption |
|
2015/2193/EU |
Directive (EU) 2015/2193 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from medium combustion plants |
|
2016/11/EU |
Commission Implementing Directive 2016/11 of 5 January 2016 amending Annex II to Council Directive 2002/57/EC on the marketing of seed oil and fibre plants |
|
2016/317/EU |
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DIRECTIVE (EU) 2016/317 of 3 March 2016 amending Council Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 2002/54/EC, 2002/55/EC, 2002/56/EC and 2002/57/EC as regards the official label of seed packages |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Saudi Arabian government on the UK-Saudi trade relationship.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
Our prosperity relationship with Saudi Arabia is important, but it is only part of the relationship, not the key driver. We have a broad and deep relationship that covers security, culture, health and trade.
Saudi Arabia is one of the UK’s largest trading partners in the Middle East, and the leading Middle Eastern exporter of goods to the UK. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), visited Saudi Arabia most recently in October 2015 and held discussions on a range of bilateral issues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects his Department’s review of the Office of Rail and Road to conclude.
Claire Perry
The Rail Regulation Call for Evidence which was published on GOV.UK on 10 December 2015 stated that the project would be ‘run in parallel with the Shaw Report and conclude by March 2016’.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Prime Minister, how many meetings he has had with UK Trade and Investment trade envoys since May 2015.
Mr David Cameron
I have to-date appointed 24 Trade Envoys who are MPs and Peers from across the political spectrum to represent the UK in 50 countries. They are parliamentarians from a range of backgrounds and I receive regular feedback from them on their work in promoting the UK in trade and investment matters. Further details of the Trade Envoy programme can be found on the gov.uk website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will reconsider its decision to withdraw Volunteer Gliding Squadrons provision for Air Cadets in Wales.
Mr Julian Brazier
No. Cadets from all Welsh cadet units will still have the opportunity to fly gliders.
Volunteer Gliding Squadrons (VGS) due to disband are 634 Squadron currently based at St Athan and 636 Squadron currently based at Swansea. The intention is that these will be offset by an expansion of 1 Air Experience Flight at St Athan and that VGS in the West of England will become regional hubs.
The reduced VGS footprint will allow resources to be focused on the remaining Squadrons. This will enable more suitable infrastructure to be built and maintained that supports the Air Cadet Organisation more fully. The key development across the estate over time will be to provide new overnight accommodation and training facilities that safely allows cadets and adult instructors, over full residential weekends, to carry out gliding alongside flying related ground training including gliding simulators, funded by the RAF Charitable Trust. This should improve access to such activities for those that are located further from VGS sites.
Volunteers at affected Volunteer Gliding Squadrons will be offered opportunities to fill other posts within the Air Cadet Organisation dependent upon their own transferable skills and their personal preferences.