The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Corston on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research has been, or is being, conducted into whether there is a causal link between the use of growth-promoting oestrogens in poultry production and declining levels of male fertility in humans.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department has not funded, and is not currently funding research on this specific topic.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Corston on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Chairman of Committees how much has been spent by the House of Lords on floristry services on the Parliamentary estate for each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Lord Laming
The cost of flowers for the House of Lords is set out in the table below. These costs relate primarily to flowers in catering and retail outlets, and ceremonial events, such as state visits. The cost of flowers in the House of Commons portion of the Parliamentary estate is a matter for the House of Commons Commission.
|
Financial year |
Amount (£) |
|
2011/12 |
23,185 |
|
2012/13 |
13,956 |
|
2013/14 |
11,656 |
|
2014/15 |
13,459 |
|
2015/16 (to December 2015) |
9,276 |
These figures do not include flowers for banqueting functions and other income generating business as these costs are paid for by the customer or revenue from the event.
Catering and Retail Services keeps its expenditure on flowers under review, to ensure that it is delivering best value to the taxpayer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Corston on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Chairman of Committees when the current contract for floristry services is due for renewal.
Lord Laming
The floristry services contract is due for re-tender ahead of the expiration of the current contract, in September 2017.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Corston on 2015-12-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many owners of Community Rehabilitation Companies have hired public relations companies or consultants since February.
Lord Faulks
The MoJ robustly manages and monitors the performance of Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs), in line with Government standards, to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to maintain service delivery, reduce reoffending and deliver value for money to the taxpayer. CRCs are contracted to deliver services for a fixed fee. We are aware that some of the CRCs have contracted with Public Relations Agencies. However, we would not normally monitor information on how many owners hire PR companies or consultants.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Corston on 2015-12-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a policy on the use of public relations companies by private organisations delivering public services under government contracts.
Lord Bridges of Headley
We do not currently have a specific policy on the use of public relations companies by private organisations delivering public services under government contracts, but we expect the very highest value for money in all things.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Corston on 2014-06-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the implementation of the Prison Service Instruction 30/2013, which prohibits prisoners from receiving parcels from relatives, whether any prisons have introduced measures to help women who no longer have access to sufficient underwear.
Lord Faulks
In order to ensure that women have access to sufficient underwear, there is now no restriction on the number of pairs of underwear women in prison can have in their cells (subject to standard overarching volumetric limits on property held in possession).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Corston on 2014-06-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a full range of sanitary products is provided to female prisoners, or whether they have to be purchased.
Lord Faulks
All prisons across the female custodial estate provide Interlude tampons and sanitary towels to women free of charge. Other brands of sanitary products are available for women to buy via the National Product list.