The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department received from the European Social Fund (a) between 2007 and 2014 and (b) from 2014 to the last month for which data is available.
Mr Edward Vaizey
DCMS received no funding from the European Social Fund (ESF) programme during the period specified.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the contribution of the UK’s membership of the EU to the protection of the UK’s critical national information infrastructure from cyber-attack.
Matthew Hancock
Cyber threats transcend borders and so international cooperation is crucial to keep the UK safe. Whilst protection of the UK’s critical national infrastructure is a national security issue, and therefore outside the authority of the European Commission, we work closely with the EU to promote the UK’s vision of a free, open, peaceful and secure cyber space internationally. Our partnership with EU countries help improve our ability to manage cyber security risks, through initiatives likes CERT-CERT cooperation and the work of the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security, which promotes best practice and knowledge on cyber security. As a result, we are safer, stronger, and a better off as a member of the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which humanitarian aid operations the Government has been involved in that (a) have involved other EU member states and (b) have been EU-led.
Mr Nick Hurd
To increase transparency and accountability, EU Member States are required to input details of all humanitarian aid allocations on to the European Emergency and Disaster Response Information System (EDRIS). Information on all humanitarian assistance provided by EU Member States globally can be found on EDRIS.
Response to Humanitarian Emergency is led and co-ordinated by the affected country. This is the case for humanitarian emergencies that occur in EU Member States and globally. We would not expect any humanitarian response to be EU-led.
Individual EU Member States lead on humanitarian operations within their sovereign territories but can seek EU assistance through the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism and international assistance through the UN.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to ensure consumers are placed on the cheapest tariff available by their energy supplier.
Andrea Leadsom
Strong competition in the retail energy market is the best way to ensure that customers are on the cheapest tariff that meets their particular circumstances. The Government and Ofgem have been working to improve competition and there are now 39 companies supplying energy to households across Great Britain.
The Government supports the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation into the retail energy market and we will take forward appropriate implementation of its final recommendations which are due to be published shortly.
We recognise that vulnerable consumers may need support to engage in the market and that is why we have provided £3 million over the last three years to community organisations through the Big Energy Saving Network.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the effect of the introduction of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.
Mike Penning
We are committed to monitoring the impact of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 which commenced on the 26 May.
Section 58 of the Act commits the Secretary of State to review the operation of the Act, prepare a report of the review, and lay a copy of the report before Parliament 30 months after the commencement of the Act. This review will therefore report its findings in late 2018.
Since commencement, the police have made arrests across the country of those involved in the supply of psychoactive substances; a number of head-shops have ceased trading and many more have handed in their remaining stock to be destroyed; and action by the National Crime Agency has resulted in the removal of psychoactive substances from sale by United Kingdom based websites.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposed boundary changes on the potential number of female hon. Members in the next Parliament.
Chris Skidmore
We do not believe there is an inherent or structural reason why female representation in the House of Commons should be affected by updating Parliamentary boundaries. Each constituent part of the United Kingdom will be treated equally. The appointment of candidates to contest these new seats will be a matter for political parties. We consider that it is primarily for political parties to ensure more diverse representation (including that of women) in the House of Commons through their selection of candidates.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of suicides by young men.
Alistair Burt
We know that men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide. The cross-government suicide prevention strategy, Preventing Suicide in England, identifies young men as a high risk group to prioritise suicide prevention activities.
The strategy also recognises that schools, social care and the youth justice system have an important contribution to make in suicide prevention by promoting mental wellbeing and identifying underlying issues such as bullying, poor self-image and lack of self-esteem.
We provide financial support for the National Suicide Prevention Alliance and work with a range of experts and partner organisations to deliver suicide prevention activities across all age groups, including young men. I will be meeting experts again shortly to advance the strategy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-17.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to encourage investment in improvement of the environment as part of the Northern Powerhouse initiative.
Greg Hands
The Chancellor will set out the next steps in his plans for the Northern Powerhouse and investment in the environment in the combined Autumn Statement and Spending Review on 25 November.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the inquiry announced by her Department on 20 January 2016 into the housing of asylum seekers in the north-east of England to report its findings.
James Brokenshire
Home Office officials are working closely with our housing providers to ensure that asylum seeker accommodation is not easily identifiable. I am not aware of a uniform door colour being the practice in any other region. My officials have also spoken to our housing providers to tell them that such a practice is not acceptable.
I was first made aware of this issue when The Times contacted the Home Office in mid-January. G4S has investigated correspondence and discussions on the issue of external door colour in the North East and has confirmed that it was raised in 2012 by a Middlesbrough local councillor and was considered by the G4S audit and assurance team, no complaints from asylum seekers relating to this matter were found and a response was issued.
As I said to the House on 20 January, I instructed officials to look into this issue as a matter of urgency and I expect that the audit will be concluded on the Home Office side very shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many meetings she has had on increasing the number of women receiving public appointments since May 2015.
Caroline Dinenage
I am working closely with the Cabinet Office to modernise recruitment practices and attract a more diverse field of candidates from an ever-wider range of social and professional backgrounds.
This includes engaging with government departments, the private sector and a range of different diversity networks and groups. We have engaged with them through online advertising, social media and at events to promote and raise awareness of public appointments and better understand the barriers or concerns for those considering a public appointment.
The most recent figures published show that we are making real, consistent, progress in increasing the number of public appointments going to women. Last financial year 44% of new appointments were made to women.