Tag: Greg Mulholland

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on security of Médecins Sans Frontières clinics in areas of conflict.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

It is essential that there is a rigorous process to determine the circumstances surrounding the airstrike on the Médecins Sans Frontières trauma centre in Kunduz in order to prevent something like this occurring again. We await the conclusions of the investigations currently being undertaken by NATO and by the Governments of the United States and Afghanistan, and any lessons that these offer. The UK Government has high regard for Médecins Sans Frontières and the work they undertake around the world.

We are also aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Yemen by the Saudi Arabia-led Coalition – including alleged airstrikes resulting in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure – and take them very seriously. We have raised our concerns with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and have received repeated assurances that they are complying with IHL. We continue to engage with them on those assurances. We are also concerned by reports of alleged IHL violations by Houthi-Saleh forces, including the use of schools and hospitals for military purposes; and the targeting of aid workers and restrictions on humanitarian access. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL and international human rights law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on responding to correspondence from hon. Members by email rather than by letter.

Justin Tomlinson

We have received representations from a small number of hon. Members and where appropriate the Department obliges with email replies. Where there is sensitive personal information in a reply, it will be posted for security reasons.

The cost differential between sending postal replies and email replies is minimal.

The exact information requested on the method of dispatch is not available other than at a disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-12-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on consumer energy bills of using daylight saving time all year.

Andrea Leadsom

We are constantly reviewing consumer energy bills, however an assessment on the effect of using daylight saving time all year could have on consumer energy bills has not been carried out.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on elderly care providers of the introduction of the National Living Wage.

Alistair Burt

Our analysis of the impact of the National Living Wage for the Spending Review drew on projections and data on pay including information from the Office of Budget Responsibility and Skills for Care.

The settlement gives local government access to the funding it needs to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament, including:

– The introduction of a social care precept, which puts money raising powers into the hands of local areas who understand the need in their area and who are best placed to respond. This could raise up to £2 billion by the end of the Parliament; and

– From 2017/18, additional funds for social care will be made available through the Better Care Fund. This will rise to £1.5 billion by 2019/20.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Dutch government ahead of the publication of the Programme of the Netherlands Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Mr David Lidington

Reflecting the strength of the UK-Netherlands relationships, my Ministerial colleagues and I hold regular meetings with our Dutch counterparts to discuss a range of issues, including their current Presidency of the Council of the EU.

I discussed their Presidency programme with Foreign Minister Bert Koenders and Defence Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plassechaert during my visit to The Hague in November 2015, alongside a number of shared EU priorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work of the Asian Restaurant Skills Board.

Mr Marcus Jones

The Asian Restaurant Skills Board is an independent industry-led initiative set up to promote the opportunities that the Asian cuisine industry offers for exciting and rewarding careers, increasing social mobility and celebrating the importance of Asian cuisine in modern Britain. DCLG has worked closely with the Board, helping it to promote the industry through a publicity campaign and raise funding for four degree-level scholarships in Asian Cuisine at the University of West London.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent representations he has received from charities and families on the effectiveness of the operation of the Fatal Accidents Act 1976.

Caroline Dinenage

One piece of Ministerial correspondence has been received in the last six months concerning the family of a deceased person affected by the 1976 Act.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of weapons confiscated at each UK prison for each of the last five years.

Andrew Selous

Data on the confiscation of all types of weapons for the period requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. I refer the Hon Member to PQ24706, which contains data on firearms, and PQ24558, which contains data on knives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much per capita Arts Council England is spending in each region in 2015-16.

Mr Edward Vaizey

In May, Arts Council England (ACE) announced they will increase the percentage of Lottery funding distributed outside London from 70% to 75% by the end of 2018; and invest over £35 million in the Ambition for Excellence fund – over £31 million of which will be spent outside London. There continues to be a shift in spending on National Portfolio funding away from London. In London, £26.02 is spent per head in 2015/16 – compared with £29.74 in 2009/10, when the Hon Member’s constituents in Yorkshire received £8.00 per head, compared with £10.93 this year.

The table outlines ACE investment by region, and spend per head in 2015/16:

2015-16 YTD	TOTAL	Spend per head
East	£35,558,838	£5.91
East Midlands	£28,393,349	£6.12
London	£222,182,958	£26.02
North East	£34,153,682	£13.04
North West	£65,878,044	£9.24
South East	£45,263,359	£5.10
South West	£45,805,668	£8.45
West Midlands	£70,442,158	£12.33
Yorkshire	£58,586,846	£10.93

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish the actual or potential conflicts of interest declared by the Pubs Code Adjudicator, Mr Paul Newby, prior to his appointment.

Anna Soubry

The appointment panel satisfied itself there were no conflicts of interest when they made recommendations to Ministers. In due course and as is usual practice, the Adjudicator’s office will publish a register of interests.