Tag: David Simpson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the sale of UK produce to new global markets.

George Eustice

In October 2013 we launched the ‘Food and Drink – International Action Plan’. This has resulted in over 4,000 companies receiving Government support and contributed to securing nearly £1bn of business for these companies. We have opened over 100 new markets for exports of animal and animal products to non-EU markets and created a faster, more efficient electronic health certification process. We are in the process of developing a new Exports Action Plan with the industry, which is due to be launched early next year.

Defra Ministers continue to champion our excellent food and drink overseas. I visited Anuga (the world’s largest food and drink trade show) earlier this year and the Secretary of State has recently been to China to further market access discussions and support the launch of the ‘Food is GREAT’ campaign there. Earlier this month she also set out our plans for Great British Food, which will celebrate the wonderful food and drink the UK has to offer.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost has been of provision of free school meals by region in each of the last three years.

Mr Sam Gyimah

Schools in England fund free school meals out of the overall resources available to them. Since September 2014, all infant pupils in maintained schools in England have been entitled to free school meals, regardless of parental income. The government does provide specific funding to schools to pay for meals for infant pupils who are not eligible for benefits-related FSM. The breakdown of this funding is available at school level for financial year 2014-15 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-provisional-funding-allocations-2014-to-2015; and for financial year 2015-16 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-funding-allocations-2015-to-2016.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government plans to take to (a) reduce the number of patients receiving an incorrect initial heart diagnosis and (b) provide the correct diagnosis and treatment for those patients.

David Mowat

Swift diagnosis and treatment of heart attack are key to ensuring the best outcomes for patients. Action being taken by NHS England includes:

― increasing awareness of the signs and symptoms of heart attack amongst the public and healthcare professionals as this will help speed up diagnosis;

― prioritisation of rapid treatment for heart attack by the urgent and emergency care networks, which are responsible for providing urgent care and emergency care across England; and

― improving tests for more accurately diagnosing heart attack so that correct treatment can be given as quickly as possible.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has also published guidance on diagnosing heart attacks.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a financial assessment and analysis of the effectiveness of badger culling in the first three quarters of 2015.

George Eustice

The expected benefits of the policy remain in line with those in the ‘Measures to address bovine tuberculosis in badgers’ impact assessment published in 2011.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many events hosted by newspaper proprietors (a) the Prime Minister has and (b) members of the Cabinet have attended in each of the last three years.

Matthew Hancock

Details of Ministerial meetings with proprietors, editors and media executives are published routinely, and can be found on Gov.uk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made on meeting the target of committing 0.7 per cent of national income to international aid.

Rory Stewart

The UK has met the international commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on Official Development Assistance in recent years and we will continue to do so

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to support the Russian government since the crash of Airbus 321 in Egypt.

Mr David Lidington

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on the day of the Sinai air crash to express the UK Government’s deepest condolences for the tragic loss of life. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has spoken to President Putin on two occasions to offer his condolences and any assistance the UK might be able to provide, and to set out our assessment of the cause of the crash and the steps we have taken to ensure the safety of our citizens. The Prime Minister and President Putin also met in the margins of the G20 Summit in Antalya. We have also followed up at senior official level with further details and to offer practical cooperation and coordination in Sharm el-Sheikh.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on part two of the Leveson Inquiry.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Criminal proceedings connected to the subject matter of the Leveson Inquiry, including the appeals process, have not yet completed. We‎ have always been clear that these cases must conclude before we consider Part 2 of the Inquiry.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has to encourage and support graduates in finding a job.

Damian Hinds

Jobcentre Plus is committed to providing a high quality service to all jobseekers and this includes graduates looking for employment in high level sectors.

Jobcentre Plus work coaches personalise the support they provide to claimants to help them find work, based on their individual need and circumstances. They have access to a menu of specialist support designed to assist graduates and professional executives.

From April 2017 we are introducing a new Youth Obligation to ensure that young people aged 18–21 are either earning or learning and are given the support, skills and experience they need to move into and get on in work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Prime Minister, whether he raised the issue of persecution and human rights abuse of Christians living in China during the recent state visit by President Xi Jinping.

Mr David Cameron

I was clear during my wide-ranging discussions with President Xi Jinping of the importance that the UK attaches to human rights as part of our wider relationship with China. The joint statement reconfirmed our commitment to the Human Rights Dialogue, an important part of our engagement.

We raise the range of our human rights concerns directly with China, including during the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, most recently in April 2015. We also highlight them publicly in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights. We will continue to pursue our concerns both privately and in public fora.

We believe that freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right. I remain concerned by the restrictions placed on Christianity in China. We are aware of reports of the closure or demolition of churches, the removal of crosses from buildings, and that individuals are being harassed or detained for their beliefs.