Tag: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of powdered or vaporised alcohol and its availability.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government is taking action to ensure that alcohol in a powdered or vapourised form is subject to controls under the Licensing Act 2003 through a clause in the Policing and Crime Bill currently before Parliament.

This amends the definition of alcohol to cover its form in any state. We are not aware of powdered alcohol being sold in the UK. Vaporised alcohol is sold as a novelty item and its sale has not been widespread across the UK. Licensing authorities treat it in the same way as liquid alcohol for licensing purposes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to the aviation industry in the UK.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

As announced in the Autumn Statement 2015, the Government is providing £7 million through the Regional Air Connectivity Fund to support new air routes promoting domestic and international connectivity and stimulating jobs and growth. We are also already providing over £5 million in support for two air routes to London via Public Service Obligations.

In addition we are working with partners in aviation and aerospace sectors to develop both the skills and the modern infrastructure they need,

Aviation employers, including British Airways, all the UK’s major airports and the Royal Air Force have formed a Trailblazer group to develop new apprenticeship standards for the sector. Standards currently under development are aviation operations manager level 4, aviation ground specialist level 3, airside operator level 2 and aviation ground operative level 2. These apprenticeships will provide new training routes for the sector, which will attract government funding.

New Anglia LEP is also supporting the development of an Aviation Skills Academy at Norwich Airport through a £3m growth deal.

The Regional Growth Fund has supported the project to divert the A45 in Solihull which has facilitated the extension of the runway at Birmingham Airport to enable direct flights to the west coast of the USA and China. The fund has also provided two awards to GE Aviation to research novel and new technologies to increase aircraft operation and emissions efficiencies, and the development of new manufacturing processes for the aviation industry.

Finally, Gloucestershire LEP is putting in place key infrastructure at Staverton Airport to enable the private sector to develop more aircraft hangars in order to secure the long-term viability of the airport and maximise its contribution to the local economy. The project is seeking to attract aviation-related businesses including aircraft maintenance, flight training and corporate jet management companies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many licensed firearms there are in the UK broken down by police force area.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The table provided contains statistics on the number of licensed firearms and shotguns, by police force area, in England and Wales as at 31 March 2015.

At this time there was a total of 1.34 million licensed shotguns and 0.53 million licensed firearms.The Home Office does not centrally hold any estimates for unlicensed firearms.

Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved administrations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current account deficit in trade.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The current account deficit was 5.1 per cent of GDP in 2014. The trade balance has been broadly stable, while the UK’s net investment income has fallen, as weakness in the euro area has depressed the returns on the UK’s holding of foreign direct investment. Figures for Q2 2015 show that the deficit has narrowed, driven by an improvement in the trade and investment income balances. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts a narrowing of the current account deficit over the forecast period.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of unlicensed firearms in circulation in the UK.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The table provided contains statistics on the number of licensed firearms and shotguns, by police force area, in England and Wales as at 31 March 2015.

At this time there was a total of 1.34 million licensed shotguns and 0.53 million licensed firearms.

The Home Office does not centrally hold any estimates for unlicensed firearms.

Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved administrations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the recommendations of the Cole Commission on UK exports they have implemented.

Lord Maude of Horsham

As ministers take forward plans to reform and improve the UK’s export and investment effort, they will take into consideration recommendations in the Cole report, as well as advice and suggestions from a broad range of stakeholders.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2016-09-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the International Aid budget is spent by departments other than the Department for International Development, and which are those departments and how much they are spending.

Lord Young of Cookham

The estimated proportion of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to be spent by Departments other than the Department for International Development based on the Spending Review 2015 settlement is 18% in 2016/17. The other departments spending ODA (including allocations from cross-Government funds) are: the Department of Health; the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy; the Foreign & Commonwealth Office; the Department for Energy, Food & Rural Affairs; HM Revenue & Customs; HM Treasury; the Office of National Statistics; the Department for Education; the Department for Work and Pensions; Department for Culture, Media & Sport; the Ministry of Defence; the Department for Transport; and the Home Office.

Outturn figures are not yet available, but a detailed breakdown of the 2016 ODA spend by department will be published in April 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the obstacles people will encounter when searching for company statements on supply chains, which are required to be produced by all companies that have a turnover of £36 million or more.

Lord Bates

The Government wants to ensure that ‘slavery and human trafficking statements’ are accessible and easy to find. That is why the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires organisations to place a link to their statement in a prominent place on their website. This should ensure that people do not encounter undue obstacles when searching for company statements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more are ready to comply with the obligations of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (Transparency in Supply Chains) Regulations 2015.

Lord Bates

Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 is now in force. Many businesses called for this provision, we consulted on the turnover threshold, and then involved businesses in drafting associated guidance. Therefore, the Government is confident businesses will be ready.

We have also included a transition provision so that organisations will have time to consider the guidance before the first statements are due on or after 31 March 2016.