Tag: Alex Chalk

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions have taken place between the British and Iranian authorities on the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

I am deeply concerned by recent reports that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been sentenced without confirmation of the charges against her. We continue to raise our strong concerns about British prisoners in Iran, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, at the highest levels in both London and Tehran. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), did so in her introductory call with Iranian President Rouhani on 9 August. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), similarly raised this case in his introductory call with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 4 August, and followed up in writing on 29 August. Our Ambassador and embassy staff in Tehran raise this case with their Iranian counterparts at every available opportunity, and will continue to press for further details as well as assurances of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s welfare. I met Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s family on 8 September to reassure them that we will continue to do all we can.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make a public statement of support for (a) survivors of stalking and (b) National Stalking Awareness Week.

Karen Bradley

Stalking is a deeply disturbing crime which can leave its victims living in fear for years. That is why we introduced new legislation in 2012 which made stalking an offence in its own right.

The latest published figures on stalking show that this legislation is taking effect. In 2014-15, over 1,100 prosecutions were commenced under the new offences, a rise of nearly 50% from the previous year. The number of referrals by the police to the CPS, the number of convictions and the number of custodial sentences have also risen. However, legislation is not always enough and we are determined to provide all victims of stalking with the protection and support that they need.

The Home Office is currently considering the results of a public consultation on the possible introduction of a Stalking Protection Order aimed at providing immediate and earlier protection for victims.

We welcome National Stalking Awareness Week and the opportunity to bring attention to these crimes. As part of the dedicated funding to tackle violence against women and girls we provide support to the Suzy Lamplugh Trust for its National Stalking Helpline.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to increase participation in cycling by women.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government remains committed to its manifesto target to double the number of journeys made by bicycle. In order to achieve this, all potential cyclists’ needs must be considered.

The Government recently reaffirmed its commitment to cycling and walking, with SR2015 announcing funding support of over £300m. In addition, Highways England has committed to provide a safer, integrated and more accessible strategic road network for cyclists and other vulnerable road users.

The draft Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which is currently being consulted on and is due to be published in summer 2016, fully explains the Government’s ambitions for increasing cycling activity and sets out the funding resources available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will amend the eligibility criteria for bereavement benefits to enable unmarried couples who have cohabited for many years to claim the same bereavement benefits as married couples and civil partners.

Caroline Nokes

A key principle of the National Insurance system is that all rights to benefits derived from another person’s contributions are based on the concept of legal marriage or civil partnership. This is a long-standing position in bereavement benefits and will continue under the new Bereavement Support Payment, the provisions of which were debated during the passage of the Pensions Act 2014.

Marriage and civil partnerships are legal contracts that are associated with certain rights, including inheritance, recognition in the tax system and entitlement to certain benefits. Given this legal position, the Government has no plans to extend eligibility for bereavement benefits to cohabitees.

However, cohabitees do have access to income-related benefits. They may also qualify for help with funeral costs from the Social Fund and may of course choose to provide security for their families by way of private pension or life insurance arrangements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on the rollout of superfast broadband (a) in Cheltenham and (b) across the South West.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Herefordshire and Gloucestershire local broadband project team are currently not operating in the Cheltenham constituency. Based on DCMS modelled estimates and current delivery plans, it is estimated that 94% of premises in the Cheltenham constituency will have access to superfast broadband as a result of commercial coverage. In addition all premises which cannot currently get 2Mbps will be able take advantage of a subsidised satellite broadband service which can deliver speeds of 10Mbps or more.

DCMS has also placed estimates of superfast coverage at constituency level at the end of the current broadband programme in the House of Commons library, reference DEP2015-0163:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?fd=2015-02-01&td=2015-04-01&house=1&search_term=Department+for+Culture%2c+Media+and+Sport&itemId=122028#toggle-163

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what programmes are in place to increase the numbers of children cycling to school.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government would like to see an increase in the number of children cycling to school. We believe that cycle safety training can give children the skills and confidence they need to cycle on local roads.

Bikeability is the Government’s long-standing programme of cycle training for school children, with over 1.7 million children trained since 2010. It is available to every local body in England (London has separate funding arrangements for Bikeability). Funding of £12 million a year has been confirmed for the next four years. This will provide a range of cycling activities to schools including on-road cycle training and Bikeability Plus, a new suite of training modules focussed on increasing levels of cycling school and cycle safety.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when funding bands for apprenticeships starting after April 2017 will be published.

Robert Halfon

Details of proposed funding bands for existing apprenticeship frameworks and standards were published on 12 August: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeships-proposals-for-funding-from-may-2017. The proposals were supported by a short employer survey which closed on 5 September.

We aim to publish final funding bands for apprenticeship frameworks and standards in October for those that start on or after 1 May 2017.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what further steps she plans to take under the National Litter Strategy to reduce the number of bottles on beaches.

Rory Stewart

The National Litter Strategy will promote concerted, coordinated and effective actions to reduce litter and littering on land, which in turn should lead to a reduction in the amount of litter reaching local areas, including our beaches. To develop the National Litter Strategy we are working with a range of interested stakeholders, including representatives of the packaging industry.

The Scottish Government is taking forward further work on the specific issue of a deposit return system for single-use drinks containers such as plastic bottles, and we will review any new evidence arising from this in the course of developing our own National Litter Strategy for England. However, in the meantime, we will continue to focus on improving existing waste collection and recycling systems for these items.

In the UK, packaging producers who put more than 50 tonnes of packaging materials on the market a year, and have an annual turnover of more than £2 million, are required to recover and recycle a proportion of their packaging waste. As a result, most major bottle manufacturers and retailers who sell bottles pick up a financial obligation to recycle their packaging waste. More stringent recycling and recovery targets across the years led to a decrease in the proportion of bottles ending up in landfill and in litter. We will continue to focus on improving this system in future years.

The UK Marine Strategy Part Three, published in December last year, sets out the actions we are taking to improve the marine environment. It covers measures that contribute to reducing sources of litter, including sources of beach litter, and to remove what has already reached our beaches. Actions related specifically to UK beaches include Defra-funded beach cleaning schemes on priority beaches.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 1.330 of Budget 2016, how much of the £14.5 million in grants for extending the coverage of ultrafast broadband in the South West will be spent on tackling broadband blackspots in Cheltenham.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Gloucestershire and Herefordshire County Councils (Fastershire broadband partnership) has been allocated £2 million from the South West ultrafast broadband fund. Fastershire are responsible for setting local coverage priorities and spending funds in line with procurement rules, and are undertaking new procurements with uncommitted funding from the Phase 2 Superfast Broadband Programme to address as many as the remaining non-served areas within the two counties as possible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the invasion of fungi and insects into the UK which can threaten British trees; and what assistance is available to landowners to tackle such diseases locally.

George Eustice

Upholding plant biosecurity is a key priority for my department and we have taken a number of measures to reduce the risk of introduction of pests and diseases.

We have invested over £26 million into tree health research. Our long-term national strategy to tackle tree and plant disease is based on science, international best practice and advice of the UK Chief Plant Health Officer. We have also invested more than any other country in research on Ash Dieback and are conducting the world’s largest screening trials to identify a disease-tolerant tree.

We are promoting biosecurity internationally, at UK borders, and inland targeted inspections at the border to intercept high risk trades.

There are regulations on importing plants and products from outside the UK where it is known that certain pests or pathogens are present. These are updated regularly, in response to new evidence. We are working collaboratively with the international community, industry, NGOs, landowners and the public to reduce the risks of pests and diseases entering the country, and mitigate the impact of newly established pests.

Our approach to tackling plant and tree pests and diseases also includes:

• Identifying and assessing new threats using the UK Plant Health Risk Register; and
• Targeted import inspections at ports and airports combined with inland surveillance.

The Forestry Commission provides advice to woodland managers about how best to manage and adapt to tree pests and diseases. The Animal and Plant Health Agency provide similar advice for the nursery sector, including how to build resilience to pests and diseases.

Support is available for some landowners on specific tree diseases through the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, subject to grant conditions.