The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school days have been lost to snow closures in each of the last three years.
Nick Gibb
The Department does not collect information on the number of school days lost due to snow closures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations he has made to his American counterpart on Guantanamo Bay in the last five years.
Dominic Raab
It has been a long standing policy of successive British Governments to seek the release and return of those UK nationals and former legal residents who were held at Guantanamo Bay and, in doing so, assist the US administration in its efforts to close the detention facility.
We remain committed to assisting the US in its aim to close Guantanamo Bay by facilitating engagement with countries that have agreed to accept former detainees, and by sharing experience and advice on managing the return process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Office of the Independent Adjudicator is able to send the complaint outcome to the complainant and member higher education provider within 90 days of the reviewer’s determination that the file is complete.
Joseph Johnson
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator’s Annual Report (2014), which contains the latest published figures available, states that it took an average of 207 days to close a complaint from the time the student first submitted a complaint form. Provisional figures indicate that improvements have been made since then and the 2015 Annual Report is likely to show a significant reduction in this figure.
The European Directive on Alternative Dispute Resolution, which came into force on 9 July 2015, now requires dispute resolution bodies such as the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) to issue complaint outcomes within 90 days of receiving the full complaint file, unless the case is highly complex. The OIA and other alternative dispute resolution bodies are required to report to the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, which is monitoring compliance with the Directive.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Inglewood on 2016-02-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Forestry Commission permits forms of shooting on any of its land in circumstances which fall within its definition of free shooting”.”
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Forestry Commission only associates the term free-shooting with the control of grey squirrels for the protection of red squirrel populations and the reduction of damage to timber crops, not any other wildlife management activity.
There may be occasions where free-shooting takes place by the holders of Game Shooting Leases or by its own wildlife rangers. There may also be free-shooting of grey squirrels carried out where there are retained sporting rights over which the Forestry Commission does not exercise any direct control.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle websites which promote and encourage anorexia; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of making it a criminal offence to publish pro-anorexia material online.
Karen Bradley
The Government is committed to continue working with the internet industry in the United Kingdom to keep young people safe on-line and to promote access to positive support for those children and young people who are vulnerable to suggestion from so called pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites.
The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) brings together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities, parenting groups, and government departments to work in partnership to help to keep children and young people safe online. As part of this work, the UK’s Communications regulator, Ofcom, published good practice guidance in 2015 for providers of social media and interactive services, to encourage businesses to think about “safety by design” and make their platforms safer for children and young people under 18. A wide range of partners contributed to this project, including Twitter, Facebook, Google, Ask.FM, MindCandy and Microsoft.
UKCCIS has also published a guide for parents and carers whose children are using social media. The guide includes practical tips about the use of safety and privacy features on apps and platforms, as well as conversation prompts to help families begin talking about on-line safety. It also contains pointers to further advice and support. The Government is clear that what is illegal off-line is illegal on-line and is not currently considering making it an offence to publish pro-anorexia material on-line.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle serious cases of animal cruelty.
George Eustice
In this country we have one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation anywhere in the world to protect animals. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 it is an offence either to cause any captive animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for its welfare needs. The maximum penalty is 6 months’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. The financial element of the penalty was raised only last year from a maximum fine of £20,000. Courts can also disqualify offenders found guilty of animal cruelty from keeping animals for as long a period as they consider appropriate. The overwhelming majority of people in this country are responsible but in circumstances where cruelty does occur I believe we have the necessary measures for enforcement agencies and courts to take action.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Tugendhat on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of his Department’s properties classified as void.
Penny Mordaunt
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is developing an ambitious programme of estate rationalisation which will provide a plan for a smaller, but significantly better Defence estate to meet the needs of the Armed Forces as set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. This strategic review of the Defence estate will provide a more efficient and better infrastructure laydown in support of military capability for future generations. The MOD expects to announce the final results of this review in the autumn. When the MOD no longer has a requirement for vacant properties they will be disposed of in accordance with the standard disposal procedure.
The MOD is also reducing the number of voids by leasing out vacant properties from directly renting to the general public and through other organisations. A number of properties are also vacant awaiting the return of remaining Army personnel and families from Germany over the next three years who will require accommodation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has responsibility for the public register of beneficial ownership of UK companies.
Margot James
The register of people with significant control will be held at Companies House, which is an agency of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, for what reasons he decided to give evidence on the Wales Bill to the National Assembly for Wales’ Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee; and if he will give evidence to that committee.
Alun Cairns
The Committee Chair declined my offer to meet him to discuss the Wales Bill.
I am giving careful consideration to the report and the Committee’s recommendations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the implications for her policies on support for community-based renewable generation projects are of the proposed changes to the feed-in tariff scheme and HM Treasury’s decision to remove such projects from tax relief.
Andrea Leadsom
Part of the purpose of the feed-in tariff (FIT) review consultation was to gather views on the broader economic impact of the proposed changes. We also sought views on whether the scheme should be focussed towards specific groups or sectors which might, for example, include households or communities. We had a strong response from community energy groups via the consultation and workshops.
The actual impact on the community sector will depend on the options taken forward after all responses to the consultation have been considered. We are currently analysing feedback submitted during the consultation and intend to publish a Government response as soon as possible.
The purpose of the tax-advantaged venture capital schemes is to provide funding to smaller higher-risk companies that would otherwise struggle to access finance to develop and grow. To ensure that the schemes are well targeted and deliver value for money, the government announced at the Autumn Statement the exclusion of all remaining energy generation activities from the schemes. This follows the exclusion of certain types of energy generation in 2012, 2014 and 2015, including most recently the announcement that the provision of reserve energy generating capacity and the generation of renewable energy benefiting from other government support by community energy organisations would be excluded from the schemes with effect from 30th November 2015, as well as from Social Investment Tax Relief when that scheme is expanded. These changes help to ensure that higher risk investments are not crowded out by lower risk investments.
We will continue to work with the community energy sector over the coming months to develop a joint approach that addresses the priorities of the sector and satisfies our overarching objective of cost-effective emissions reductions.