The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans the Government has to move the design and manufacture of specialised steel casks used to store nuclear fuels during transport to China.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government has no plans to move to China the design and manufacture of specialised steel casks used in the transport of nuclear fuels in relation to the sites for which it is responsible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make it his policy that access to EU science and research funding programmes is maintained as part of the UK’s negotiations on leaving the EU.
Mr Robin Walker
The Government recognises the importance of our research base, which is why we have protected the science budget in real terms from its current level of £4.7 bn for the rest of the parliament. The referendum result has no immediate effect on the right of researchers to apply to or participate in EU research programmes and the future of UK access to these programmes is an important issue which we will address during our negotiation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent to date of the £1.25 million committed to the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme.
George Eustice
Defra Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme projects in England were funded on the basis of actual work done by the grant beneficiaries with no specific total amount committed to the Scheme. Defra spent just over £92,000 on these projects in the 2015/16 financial year, with additional in-kind support in the form of free loans of equipment, supply of the Badger BGC vaccine and advice from field experts.
Although no vaccination of badgers under the Scheme is possible in 2016, we have awarded grant funding to three of the former beneficiaries for other vaccination-related work. The amounts payable to each will depend on the work that they do in the current financial year
The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the decision of China to land civilian planes on Fiery Cross reef in the disputed South China Sea on regional relationships.
Mr Hugo Swire
The landings of Chinese civilian aircraft on Fiery Cross Reef have prompted diplomatic protests in the region and widespread expressions of concern about heightened tensions. The UK opposes any actions likely to increase tensions in the South China Sea and threaten regional stability. We continue to call on all parties to exercise restraint.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where his Department plans for work to take place on rectifying the electrical and propulsion faults on the Daring Class Type 45 Destroyers.
Mr Philip Dunne
A number of measures to improve the reliability of the Type 45 Power and Propulsion systems have been identified and the ongoing programme to implement these changes continues to deliver positive results, with the majority of work undertaken so far being at Her Majesty’s Naval Base, Portsmouth.
In addition, and as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, we are committed to improving system resilience by adding upgraded diesel generators to provide further electrical generation capacity. Alternative technical options and a variety of delivery models are currently being explored with several competing industrial partners. The total cost and timetable for implementing the diesel generator upgrade will be determined at the main investment decision. I am withholding details of our current time and cost estimates as premature disclosure of this information could prejudice the commercial interests of the Department.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether his Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.
Mr David Lidington
At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with staff at his Department’s office at 2 St Paul’s Place, Sheffield, since the announcement of the proposed closure of that office.
Joseph Johnson
The responsibility for running the Department, including personnel issues lies with the Permanent Secretary and the BIS Executive Board. The Permanent Secretary went to Sheffield in January to inform staff of the intention to close the Sheffield office and to answer questions. Since then, many of the Department’s Directors and Directors-General have visited the Sheffield office to discuss the proposals, answer questions and provide support to affected staff.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to reduce UK reliance on fossil fuels from Eastern Europe.
Andrea Leadsom
Fossil fuels are widely traded internationally, and the UK imports fossil fuels from a variety of different countries to supplement our domestic production. This diversity of supply reduces our reliance on fossil fuels from any single region, including Eastern Europe.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Twigg on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support the immediate establishment of an international, impartial investigation into repeated international humanitarian law violations by all parties to the conflict in Yemen.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK Government has been clear that we want to see thorough and conclusive investigations where allegations have been made against parties to the conflict in Yemen regarding international humanitarian law. The Saudi Arabian government has its own internal procedures for investigations and they announced more detail on how they investigate such incidents earlier this year and that any lessons learned would be acted upon. We continue to call on all parties to the conflict in Yemen to comply with international humanitarian law, including to take all feasible precautions to minimise harm to civilians and civilian objects.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answers of 25 July 2016 to Questions 43380 and 43381, what proportion of that £12 billion was spent on (a) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) winning contracts directly from government and (b) large companies winning contracts directly from government and then outsourcing parts of those contracts to SMEs.
Ben Gummer
In 2014-15, Central Government spent over £12 billion with small and medium sized businesses, of which £4.88 billion was direct spend and £7.27 billion through our supply chains.
A full breakdown of the data can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/central-government-spend-with-smes-2014-to-2015
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