Tag: John Mc Nally

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation for religious minorities in Burma.

Mr Hugo Swire

Burma remains a country of concern in our annual Human Rights report. We, therefore, produce biannual updates on the human rights situation, the latest can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/burma-in-year-update-july-2015/burma-in-year-update-july-2015.

We have been concerned by the increase in religious intolerance in Burma and the treatment of minority groups, particularly religious miniorities. This has been evidenced starkly in the four discriminatory race and religion laws as well as in the appalling treatment of the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, their disenfranchisement from the 8 November elections, and the rise of Buddhist nationalism, hate speech and anti-Muslim violence. We have raised our concerns about this in detail with the Burmese authorities, both bilaterally, in company with our partners in the EU and in international fora like the UN. We will continue to raise this important issue facing Burma with any incoming government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will commit the UK to voting in support of the closure of domestic ivory markets at forthcoming international conferences.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

At the Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) that took place from 24 September to 5 October, proposals on the closure of domestic ivory markets where they contribute to poaching or illegal trade were agreed by all Parties by consensus. The UK supported this outcome, negotiating on the basis of a common EU and Member State position.

The agreement at CITES should form a strong basis for a global position on this important issue, which the UK will continue to support. It will not be revisited in the CITES context before the next Conference of Parties, which will take place in 2019. The UK will continue to comply with our EU treaty obligations, including our duty of sincere cooperation, until we formally leave the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the government of Bangladesh on the murder of Faisal Arefin Dipon.

Mr Hugo Swire

The British Government has been unequivocal in its condemnation of the murder of Faisal Arefin Dipon and in calling for the Bangladesh government to protect those who face threats to their lives because of the views they have expressed. My noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns, our High Commissioner in Dhaka and myself have all expressed our shock at the appalling murder and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice and free speech protected.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to close the UK ivory market; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

The Government is deeply concerned by the continued poaching of elephants for their ivory, which is why we are committed to maintaining the current global ban on any international trade in new ivory. The UK has made no formal assessment of the impact of other countries’ additional measures to restrict trade in ivory. However, as a further step in delivering the Government’s manifesto commitment to press for a total ban on ivory sales, on 21 September the Secretary of State announced plans for a ban on sales of items containing ivory dated between 1947 and the present day, putting UK rules on ivory sales among the world’s toughest. We will consult on plans for the ban early next year. This will complement the existing UK approach not to permit the trade of raw ivory tusks.

The Government also successfully lobbied for the EU-wide adoption of the existing UK ban on sales of raw ivory tusks, which was advocated through the EU Council Conclusions on an EU Action Plan on Wildlife Trafficking and adopted in June. This urged EU Member States not to issue export or re-export documents under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) for raw, pre-Convention ivory (pre-1990) and to consider further measures to put a halt to commercial trade in ivory from elephants.

At the CITES Conference that took place from 24 September to 5 October the UK was involved in negotiations that successfully secured a strong agreement calling for the closure of domestic ivory markets where they contribute to poaching or illegal trade. This was agreed by all 183 Parties to CITES.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people are employed as practitioners within the UK hair industry.

Anna Soubry

In Official Statistics types of business are subdivided by internationally agreed Standard Industrial Classification codes. These do not have sufficient detail to separately identify the hair industry but group this under SIC 96.02 – Hairdressing and other beauty treatment, which also includes facial, nail care and other make-up and beauty services. According to the latest Annual Business Survey (ONS) this industry accounted for 139,000 jobs in 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the value of the hair industry to the economy.

Anna Soubry

In Official Statistics types of business are subdivided by internationally agreed Standard Industrial Classification codes. These do not have sufficient detail to separately identify the hair industry but group this under SIC 96.02 – Hairdressing and other beauty treatment, which also includes facial, nail care and other make-up and beauty services. According to the latest ONS Annual Business Survey this industry contributed nearly £2.7bn in gross value added to the UK economy in 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her policy is on the development of Compressed Air Energy Storage as a means of cost effectively delivering large-scale electricity storage.

Andrea Leadsom

The Department recognises the potential role that cost effective energy storage could play in contributing to a resilient, affordable and low carbon energy system in the UK, alongside other forms of flexibility such as interconnection and demand-side response. As such, we are investigating the potential barriers to the deployment of energy storage, including Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES). Our approach to storage policy is technology neutral; however, we recognise the potential for CAES in the UK, and we are in regular dialogue with prospective developers of new CAES projects.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans the Government has to (a) provide financial support and (b) conclude and sign long-term contracts prior to construction in order to achieve the capital investment in energy storage technology necessary to reach the 27.4 gigawatts identified in the Technology Innovation Needs Assessment.

Andrea Leadsom

The Technology Innovation Needs Assessment Summary Report on Electricity Networks and Storage, published by the Low Carbon Innovation Coordination Group in 2012, included an estimated range of 7 – 59GW for the potential level of energy storage which might be deployed in the UK by 2050.

The Government recognises the potential for storage to help use energy more flexibly and to decarbonise the UK energy system cost effectively, alongside other flexible solutions such as interconnection and demand-side response (DSR). In light of this, more than £80m public sector controlled support has been committed to energy storage research, development and demonstration activities since 2012. Innovation is expected to help drive storage costs down further.

DECC is investigating the potential barriers to deployment of energy storage and possible mitigating actions, focussing in the first instance on removing regulatory barriers but also considering whether more needs to be done to stimulate investment in energy storage. DECC will be publishing a call for evidence on this area shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reasons the remit of the proposed Small Business Commissioner does not include businesses in the construction industry; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

The Small Business Commissioner (SBC) will not consider a complaint which is covered by a statutory right to adjudication; or is within scope of an ombudsman, regulator or another public body.

We do not want the SBC to duplicate existing dispute resolution bodies or schemes, particularly where these are sector specific. Certain disputes arising under a construction contract are covered by a statutory right to adjudication under the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (the “Construction Act”).

The Government has announced its plans for taking forward a Post Implementation Review of the effectiveness of the “Construction Act” following amendments introduced in 2011 – alongside the review of the practice of cash retention in construction, and is very pleased that the Construction Leadership Council has agreed to oversee this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mc Nally on 2016-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to tackle part payment in the construction industry; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles

Late payment remains an important issue. The Government is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts.

The Government promotes fair payment practices in construction through legislation (the “Construction Act”), the use of public procurement (promoting prompt payment to Tier 3 and the use of Project Bank Accounts), and by working with the industry through voluntary measures (such as the Prompt Payment Code and the Construction Leadership Council’s Payment Charter).

The Government has legislated for new transparency measures in the public and private sectors. This will allow full public scrutiny of payment performance.

The Payment Charter includes a commitment of zero retentions by 2025. To support this work, the Government recently announced a review of the practice of cash retentions under construction contracts in England.

Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour.

The Government believes that taken together these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK’s payment culture.