Tag: Melanie Onn

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government is doing to encourage supermarkets to act responsibly when sourcing and purchasing fish products.

George Eustice

Such matters fall primarily to the Non-Departmental Public Body Seafish, which is funded by an industry levy. Seafish has developed a ‘Risk Assessment for Sourcing Seafood’ (RASS), an online seafood sourcing tool, to help retailers assess the potential reputational risks of sourcing particular types of seafood. The primary objective is to support commercial seafood buyers by presenting up-to-date information on a comprehensive range of fisheries whose products are in the UK supply-chain, covering four components: stock, management, bycatch, and habitat. This year, RASS will be expanded through the addition of seafood social responsibility factors including crew welfare, human rights and slavery.

Seafish has also developed, and recently launched at the Houses of Parliament, the Responsible Fishing Scheme (RFS). The RFS is a voluntary vessel-based programme certifying high standards of crew welfare and responsible catching practices on fishing vessels. It is the only programme certifying crew welfare and responsible catching practices on vessels, and complements other fishery-based sustainability certifications. Such assurances are being increasingly sought by the UK market.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs in Great Grimsby constituency have retired in the last 12 months.

Alistair Burt

This information is not collected centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-01-15.

To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what the average salary is for employees of the House of Commons.

Tom Brake

The average salary (basic pay) of staff employed by the House of Commons was £36,784 as at 31 December 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to encourage young people to take up a career in the fishing industry.

George Eustice

Such matters fall primarily to the Non-Departmental Public Body Seafish, which is funded by an industry levy. Seafish launched a three-week ‘Introduction to Commercial Fishing’ course in September 2011 to help recruit and train new entrants to the fishing industry. Drawing on funding from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), Seafish has delivered 84 courses throughout the UK and trained 741 new entrants.

Seafish has also developed a one-year (minimum) ‘Apprenticeship in Sea Fishing’ programme to attract new entrants looking for a career in commercial fishing. It has been delivered in England by the Whitby & District Fishing Industry School, and is now being offered as a Modern Apprenticeship in Scotland by the NAFC Marine Centre in Shetland and the North East Scotland College in Peterhead. Between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2015 51 apprentices registered for, and 44 completed, the programme. Moreover, Seafish has developed ‘Fish and Shellfish Apprenticeships’ to help the onshore sectors of the seafood industry recruit new high-calibre entrants.

In addition, Seafish created ‘The World is Your Oyster’, a recruitment campaign designed to showcase the diverse employment opportunities and career prospects in the seafood and fishing industries. The campaign launched in November last year, and is targeted at school leavers, youngsters and those considering a career change. Further information can be found on the Seafish website.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has provided financial support via the EFF to Fisheries Local Action Groups for schemes which include apprenticeships and training for the fishing industry. Funds paid for such schemes under EFF with MMO matched funding are in the region of £208,829. Support for training programmes and apprenticeships will continue to be available under the European Maritime Fisheries Fund, replacing the EFF, which opened on 18 January.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he holds on the number of GPs in Great Grimsby constituency who have given notice of their retirement.

Alistair Burt

This information is not collected centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-01-15.

To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker’s Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the average salary is for employees of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

Mr Charles Walker

The average basic salary for IPSA employees in £36,625 and the median figure is £29,652, as at December 2015. IPSA publishes details of salary bands paid to its employees on its website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote seafood as a healthy British food.

George Eustice

Such matters fall primarily to the Non-Departmental Public Body Seafish, which is funded by an industry levy. Seafish has developed ‘Fish is the Dish’, an online campaign which encourages UK consumers to eat more seafood for a healthier diet. The campaign’s digital channels target consumers with health messaging about the nutritional benefits of seafood, including zinc, selenium, iron, omega-3 and vitamin D. The campaign highlights how more seafood can easily be incorporated into the diet.

Seafish’s ‘#superfishoil’ campaign champions seafood as the best source of omega-3, using innovative and creative communications to raise awareness of seafood’s unique nutritional benefits. This work is supported by Heart Research UK, as well as the wider seafood industry, which has access to a marketing toolkit to help promote the health benefits of eating seafood.

Health also plays an important part in the annual ‘Seafood Week’ campaign, which generates extensive cross-supply chain support. A new Seafish project looking at the nutritional make-up of fish and chips will help further inform healthy eating choices.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-04-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have had their tax credit payments stopped as a result of in-year adjustments in the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds

The latest published National Statistics for 2013/14 can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/430537/cwtc_Finalised_annual_awards_2013-14_SupplementPayments.pdf

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the overall effect of changes to housing legislation and housing-related benefits which have come into force since 2010.

Brandon Lewis

Government interventions are reinvigorating the housing market. The number of new homes delivered last year was up by 25 per cent on the previous year, the highest year on year rise for 28 years. Completions are up and housing starts at their highest annual level since 2007, with more than 277,000 affordable homes delivered since April 2010 .

We have announced a doubling of the housing budget to more than £20 billion over the next five years to support the largest housing programme by any Government since the 1970’s

Between 2000/01 and 2012/13, the Housing Benefit bill more than doubled to £24 billion and the cost to the taxpayer increased 50%.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-02-23.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether a five per cent VAT rate could continue to apply to solar PV and solar thermal within the terms of the EU’s VAT directive and the judgment of the European Court of Justice on that matter.

Mr David Gauke

The Government has recently consulted on this matter, the results of which will be announced shortly.