Tag: Michael Fabricant

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to encourage young people to join local Air Training Corps; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Julian Brazier

The Air Training Corps actively promotes itself through local, national and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Air Cadets website gets 1.8 million hits per year. Local Squadrons also regularly set up recruitment stands in town centres to encourage word of mouth recommendation.

The most important thing is getting Cadets gliding again. This is ramping up this year and will be fully in place in 2018.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-04-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) cost of labour and (b) other expenses incurred by his Department was in producing its analysis of costs if the UK were to leave the EU; and how many man hours were required to produce that analysis.

Mr David Gauke

The British people are asking for the facts before they decide whether to vote Remain or Leave in the EU referendum. The Treasury’s analysis shows that if the UK leaves the EU, the UK would be permanently poorer and it estimates an annual loss of 6.2% of GDP after 15 years, which is equivalent to £4,300 per UK household.

The Treasury is appropriately resourced to support the Government’s priorities in Europe. However, it is not practical to identify full-time equivalent staff numbers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials in his Department are working on research relating to the EU Referendum; and what estimate he has made of the total (a) number of man-hours and (b) cost of that work up to 23 June 2016.

John Penrose

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Harwich and North Essex on 13 January 2016 to UIN: 21072.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to publicise the hygiene ratings of restaurants and other food outlets in England; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has responsibility for the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. Ratings are published on the FSA’s website (and are available via smart phone apps), and there is open access to the data so that others may use it. Food businesses are also given stickers and are encouraged to display these at their premises where consumers can easily see them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the likely effect on (a) passenger and (b) freight traffic on the West Coast Mainline following completion of Phase 1 of High Speed 2; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The construction of High Speed 2 (HS2) will release capacity on the existing network, including the West Coast Mainline, reducing crowding, improving resilience and reliability across the network, and improving journey opportunities for passengers. This released capacity could also provide space for at least an extra 20 West Coast Main Line freight paths helping to meet forecast freight demand and taking lorries off the road network. Phase One of HS2 will also bring substantial benefits in its own right, providing additional capacity and improved connectivity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the total expenditure by HS2 to date; and how much has been spent on (a) land, (b) property, (c) compensation and (d) salaries.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Under the Government’s commitment to transparency, the data that is recorded by departments for projects such as HS2 in its Major Projects Portfolio is published by departments alongside the publication of the Annual Report of the Infrastructure & Projects Authority. This data includes financial statistics such as whole life costs of each project as well as total in-year budget, forecast spend and variance. This information is available from GOV.UK.

Since 2009/10 the Government has spent £1.4bn on the HS2 programme. This includes the costs incurred by HS2 Ltd and Land & Property expenditure. In relation to (a), (b) and (c), as of March 2016, £434.4m has been spent on land and property with a further £11.2m in compensation payments associated with the statutory blight regime. Please note that 2015/16 figures have not been audited yet.

With regards to (d), the information on HS2 Ltd salaries is published in the company’s Annual Accounts, which are available from Gov.UK. As of March 2016, the total salaries for HS2 Ltd stand at £80.4m.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department’s response of 16 December 2015, reference DE000001003266, to the Freedom of Information request made by the hon. Member for Lichfield on 18 November 2014 regarding that Member’s meeting with the Minister for Public Health at the Department of Health at 2pm on 1 December 2014, for how long the notes taken by officials at that meeting were retained.

Jane Ellison

Notes of ministerial meetings are retained as long as business needs require. It is not known how long any notes taken at the meeting in question were retained. However, a previous Freedom of Information request asked for the note of this meeting and was answered on the 23 June 2015 and that any notes taken were not available by that date.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Rt. hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will take steps to ensure that the Union flag is regularly flown from the existing flag pole on the premises at 14 Tothill Street.

Tom Brake

Parliament flies three union flags on a permanent basis, on the Victoria Tower, and at 1 Parliament Street and Portcullis House. There are currently no plans to fly a flag at 14 Tothill Street.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make it her policy to provide aid to Barbados; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Barbados does not qualify for Official Development Assistance (ODA) by the Department for International Development under internationally agreed ODA criteria.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how he plans to ensure that former sex workers and ex-intravenous drug users will be involved in the SaBTO blood donations review group; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) is carrying out a review of blood donor selection criteria. Representatives of health charities that work with sex workers and those with a history of intravenous drug use are members of the review group. A public meeting was held on 11 April 2016, which provided an opportunity for anyone with an interest in the review to participate in information exchange.

The terms of reference for the review, and membership, together with questions and answers from the public meeting will shortly be available on the SaBTO website. The review will be holistic and evidence relating to the risks of blood-borne infections in people who have previously injected drugs or received money or drugs for sex will be included. The review will be incremental, with published progress reports and any intermediate advice.