The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish an updated edition of Ministerial Responsibilities.
Ben Gummer
An updated version of the list of Ministerial Responsibilities will be published shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on Hamas’ rearmament in Gaza; and if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the Middle East Peace Process of that rearmament.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are aware of reports of Hamas’ rearmament in Gaza. We remain deeply concerned by Hamas’ attempts to rearm and its efforts to rebuild infrastructure, including the tunnel network in Gaza. We are clear that Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza must permanently end rocket fire and other attacks against Israel. Any Hamas rearmament undermines efforts to improve the situation in Gaza and harms prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Defence ways by which vexatious claims against soldiers who have served on operations overseas can be minimised; and if he will make a statement.
Dominic Raab
As the Prime Minister announced last Friday we cannot have our armed forces being hounded by ambulance chasing lawyers pursuing spurious claims. I will be chairing a working group with the Minister for Armed forces that will look at every aspect of this issue, including conditional fee arrangements, legal aid rules and disciplinary sanctions against lawyers who abuse the system, to prevent malicious litigation being brought against our service personnel.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what guidance his Department has provided to Europe Direct on the information it provides to people in the UK in the period before the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.
Mr David Lidington
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not provided any guidance to Europe Direct on the information it provides.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effect on the security of the electricity supply from the National Grid of the closure of Rugeley Power Station; and if she will make a statement.
Andrea Leadsom
We are clear that delivering energy security for our families and businesses is non-negotiable. We knew some old coal plants would likely be closing and we have already taken steps to protect supply for the coming winters, which took account of the possibility of further closures. Specifically, National Grid took into account the risk of coal plant closures in considering how much capacity to procure for next winter’s Contingency Balancing reserve.
Longer term, the Capacity Market will drive investment in new capacity as well as get the best out of our existing power stations. We will continue to work alongside National Grid and Ofgem to take whatever additional steps are necessary to protect our energy supply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his French counterpart on the Treaty of Le Touquet; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Lidington
The Le Touquet Treaty is crucial to maintaining the UK’s border security. We meet regularly with our French Counterparts to discuss border security issues and look forward to further cementing our close cooperation at the upcoming UK-France summit on 3 March.
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.