The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the lifetime cost to the public purse of the Royal Air Force Airbus A400M.
Mr Philip Dunne
The forecast costs of the main elements making up the A400M Atlas aircraft programme, including the acquisition, training and in-service support of the aircraft, is £3.6 billion.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times Russian military (a) aircraft and (b) ships have entered British territory in the last 12 months; what the average response time was for the armed forces on each of those occasions; and what the type and model was of the aircraft or ship on each of those occasions.
Penny Mordaunt
I can confirm that there have been no unauthorised incursions by Russian military aircraft into UK sovereign airspace in the last twelve months.
There have been three authorised Treaty inspection flights by Russian military An-30b aircraft in UK airspace under the auspices of the multi-national Open Skies Treaty. On each occasion the UK received advance notice of the aircraft’s arrival and it was hosted for the duration of its mission at RAF Brize Norton.
For information on Russian naval assets entering UK territorial waters I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 March 2015 by the previous Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mark Francois) to Question number 218391.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-03-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in considering the future of the Human Rights Act 1998, what regard they will have to the findings of the Scottish Parliament’s European and External Relations Committee as outlined in the letter of 17 March from the Convener of that Committee to the Lord Chancellor in respect of the relevance of the specific position of Scotland in the devolution settlement and the role of the Sewel Convention.
Lord Faulks
This Government was elected with a mandate to reform and modernise the UK human rights framework. We will consider the devolution implications of our reforms and will continue to engage fully with stakeholders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and with the devolved administrations, as we develop our proposals.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on the future of Channel 4.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The government wants to ensure a strong and secure future for Channel 4 in what is a fast-changing and challenging broadcasting environment. The government is looking at a broad range of options, including those proposed by Channel 4’s leadership.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tommy Sheppard on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the government of Turkey on that government’s proposal to remove parliamentary immunity from opposition members of parliament.
Mr David Lidington
The lifting of parliamentary immunity is a matter for the Turkish parliament. As a modern democracy and candidate for EU accession, we would expect Turkey to undertake any subsequent legal processes transparently and to fully respect the rule of law.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will require Heathrow Airport to accept the recommendation of the Civil Aviation Authority that night flights at that airport be banned between 11.00pm and 6.00am before the Government makes a decision on airport expansion.
Mr John Hayes
The Airports Commission shortlisted three airport expansion schemes, two at Heathrow and one at Gatwick. The Government accepted the Commission’s shortlist in December 2015, and has since been undertaking a programme of further work, including on mitigation, to support a decision on a preferred scheme. We are carefully considering the evidence in relation to all three schemes, including the Commission’s comprehensive evidence base and recommendations. These recommendations included a ban on night flights between 1130 and 0600 for its preferred scheme, the Heathrow Northwest Runway. We are aware of no such recommendation from the Civil Aviation Authority.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2016-10-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the CEOs of the Big Six energy companies on the availability of the cheapest energy tariff for existing customers.
Jesse Norman
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Ministers will be meeting with a number of energy supply companies in due course to discuss a wide range of issues. Government’s focus remains firmly on getting the best deal for consumers and ensuring the market works for everyone.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answers of 8 December 2015 to Question 18144 and 22 December 2015 to Question 19937 on Dupuytren’s contracture, what his Department’s timetable is for considering whether to add that condition to the list of industrial injuries disablement benefit discussions.
Justin Tomlinson
Work began in May 2014 following publication of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Committee’s report on Dupuytren’s Contracture. It is expected that a decision whether or not to add it to the list of prescribed diseases will be made early this year and will take account of the potential costs involved and other relevant factors.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Rural Payments Agency will inform all farmers who are expecting payments of the specific timings that those payments will be expected.
George Eustice
The Rural Payments Agency has already written to farmers whose claims are deemed more complex and who are unlikely to be paid by the end of January, giving an indication of the earliest point at which they will receive payments. As of 25 January the agency has paid around 61,100 farmers and is working on paying the remaining claims as soon as possible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence Review 2015, when he expects to announce further details of the Government’s proposed armed forces families strategy.
Mark Lancaster
The UK Armed Forces Families’ Strategy 2016-2020 was published on 14 January 2016 and is available at the following website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-armed-forces-families-strategy
The Strategy will be supported by an action plan which we plan to publish in spring 2016.