Tag: 2016

Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which cases of people detained in China were raised during the state visit of President Xi Jinping in October 2015; and what assurances and undertakings were given in respect of those cases.

Mr Hugo Swire

During the State Visit, we made clear the importance that the UK attaches to frank exchanges with China on human rights. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt. Hon Friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) raised our concerns at the ongoing detention of Chinese human rights lawyers with the Chinese Foreign Minister and the President of China’s Supreme People’s Court (in January and June 2016). We will continue to make representations on a wide range of cases during the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.

01/01/2023
Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ask the Foods Standards Agency to review the licence granted for BHM Food Group Ltd to operate an abattoir in Boosbeck.

Nicola Blackwood

BHM Food Group Ltd are no longer approved to operate as a slaughterhouse. They remain conditionally approved as a cutting plant and minced meat establishment. A third and final approval assessment will be conducted by 11 November 2016 to check their compliance against all relevant requirements of food law. If they have not met all these requirements their application for full approval will be refused.

The Food Standards Agency is aware of concerns raised by local residents regarding the environmental impact of a slaughterhouse sited within the village of Boosbeck. However, the Agency is not the competent authority for environmental hygiene matters which inform planning consent. Both of these roles (Environmental Health and Planning) are fulfilled by the local authority.

01/01/2023

Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the budget for schools renovation was in each year from 2010 to 2016.

Nick Gibb

The Education Funding Agency (EFA) does not hold a breakdown of funding information, in the format requested, in relation to the removal of asbestos or renovation of school buildings.

Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, the primary responsibility for managing asbestos lies with the person or persons responsible for the maintenance or repair of a building. For schools, this will be the local authority, school governors or academy trust.

The table below summarises the capital budgets from 2011-12 to 2016-17 that were provided for school maintenance, refurbishment and rebuilding, including where appropriate the removal and/or safe containment of asbestos-containing materials. As these works are covered by the capital funding programmes listed below, the Department does not allocate a separate budget for this purpose; and there are no plans to do so in future years.

The Department does not hold directly comparable allocation or expenditure data on prior years.

(All values £m)	2011-12 Budget	2012-13 Budget	2013-14 Budget	2014-15 Budget	2015-16 Budget	2016-17 Budget
School Condition Allocations (funding provided to local authorities and voluntary-aided schools)	1,054	861	749	699	690	661
Devolved Formula Capital (funding provided direct to schools)	185	162	149	138	134	130
Funding for academies, multi-academy trusts, state-funded special schools and other specialist providers for state-funded pupils (including DFC).	161	376	504	562	576	617
Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP) (delivered by central government)	0	0	90	603	999	1,050
Total	1,400	1,399	1,492	2,002	2,399	2,458

01/01/2023

Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-01-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they intend to take in response to the Lord Chief Justice’s Review of the Administration of Justice in the Courts of 2015, which found that our system of justice has become unaffordable to most” and that “no satisfactory means of funding the provision of our system of justice has yet been achieved”.”

Lord Faulks

The Government has put in place measures to support people in resolving their disputes by means of more informal and less costly remedies, and we have made sure that legal aid remains available for the highest priority cases. There is, however, more to do if we are to achieve our vision of one nation justice.

As the Lord Chief Justice made clear in his annual report, the investment the Government is making to modernise our courts and tribunals is a significant step, and one which will enable us to tackle many of the issues he identified.

We will continue to work closely with the judiciary to make sure that our justice system delivers faster and fairer justice for all.

01/01/2023
Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-02-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what metrics his Department uses to measure the effectiveness of deposit protection schemes.

Brandon Lewis

The Tenancy Deposit Schemes provide monthly reports on service performance and six monthly statistical returns covering deposits accepted, the number of complaints received and the number of cases adjudicated upon. These reports are discussed quarterly with the Department.

The Tenancy Deposit Schemes in England are currently protecting over 3 million deposits on behalf of tenants, helping to raise standards in the private rented sector and ensuring that tenants are treated fairly at the end of the tenancy.

01/01/2023
Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2016-03-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average length of sentence of offenders sentenced after having been returned to the UK under a European Arrest Warrant.

Lord Faulks

This information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The National Crime Agency publishes statistics on the operation of the European Arrest Warrant. These can be found on their website.

01/01/2023
Gavin Newlands – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Newlands on 2016-04-08.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on its review of the treatment of VAT in airside retail shops.

Mr David Gauke

On 31 December 2015, the Chancellor announced a review of the tax treatment of airside retail sales, with a view to identifying options for passengers to receive more of the direct benefits. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has completed its initial fact finding.

The Government is keen to identify options that provide overall best value for travellers. This means fully understanding the potential impacts of possible changes on travellers, retailers and airports, and I have asked HMRC to explore these thoroughly. Once this work has been completed, decisions on the best way forward will be made in the autumn.

01/01/2023
Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise the murder of the Korean-Chinese pastor Han Choong Yeol on 30 April 2016 in China with his Chinese counterpart; and if he will request that his Chinese counterpart investigate whether the North Korean security services were involved in that murder.

Mr Hugo Swire

I have no plans to raise this case with the Chinese Government. We have a regular dialogue with the Chinese about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which covers the effective implementation of UN sanctions to prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons, and encouraging China to confront human rights violations by the North Korean regime, most notably the important principle of non-refoulement. I raised both points with Chinese Vice Minister Chen Fengxiang in December.

01/01/2023
Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has carried out of the effect of the closure of the emergency department at Chase Farm Hospital in 2013 on other hospital emergency departments in (a) Enfield and (b) North London.

Ben Gummer

This is a matter for the local National Health Service.

The closure of the emergency department at Chase Farm Hospital was informed by the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey (BEH) Clinical Strategy, which took full account of the likely effects and implications of that closure.

The BEH Clinical Strategy has been through a rigorous due process, including a thorough planning and development phase, a public consultation and a number of gateway reviews and checkpoints.

01/01/2023
Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2016 to Question 42107, on Islamic State, what factors would need to change for a referral to the International Criminal Court to be considered practical; what discussions the Government has had with (a) Russia, (b) China and (c) other permanent members of the UN Security Council on securing their vote for a referral; and what the Government’s latest assessment is of (i) Russia’s and (ii) China’s policy on that issue.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We expect that any Security Council resolution at this time seeking to refer the situations in Iraq or Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) would be blocked, as it was when efforts were made to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC in 2014. We continue to work with our international partners, including other permanent members of the UN Security Council, to look at every available option to assist the victims of Daesh and bring those responsible for crimes to justice.

01/01/2023