The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport.
Tracey Crouch
Both my Department and UK Anti-Doping engage regularly with international counterparts to discuss a range of sporting matters, including tackling doping in sport.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Damian Green on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time was between the date of final submission of papers for an immigration appeal and the date of the hearing in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Shailesh Vara
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not collect information on the average time between the date of final submission of papers for an immigration appeal and the date of the hearing.
The average time between the date of receipt of an appeal and the date of the hearing in the 12 months up to 30 September 2015 was 23 weeks.
HMCTS has allocated additional court time between December 2015 and March 2016 to ensure current waiting times for hearings are maintained.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-01-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many residences classified as social housing (a) do not have access to superfast broadband, (b) have connections slower than 10 Mbit/s and (c) have connections slower than 2Mbit/s; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Government is on target to deliver access to superfast broadband for 95% of all UK premises – including social housing – by December 2017, and to extend coverage beyond that as far as possible. We do not hold a breakdown of this information by housing tenure centrally, however this investment is benefiting all types of housing, as well as businesses, and we are proud to be delivering on this critical piece of infrastructure as set out in our manifesto.
Currently, superfast broadband is available to almost 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the UK – up from 45 per cent in 2010. Around 5 per cent of UK homes and business are currently experiencing connection speeds below 10 Mbit/s.
Having reduced the proportion of all UK premises with speeds less than 2 Mbit/s substantially from 11% in 2010 to around 1% in December last year, we have now implemented our commitment of having at least 2 Mbit/s per second basic broadband available to all homes and businesses.
All premises which are not currently scheduled to get an increase in speed to at least this level are eligible for a subsidised satellite broadband service that can deliver speeds of 10Mbps or more.
The Prime Minister has also announced the Government’s intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) which is set at 10 Mbit/s. This new broadband USO will give people the legal right to request an affordable broadband connection, at a reasonable cost threshold, no matter where they live. We will be consulting on these proposals shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the proportion of five-year olds eligible for free school meals with severe or extensive tooth decay.
Jane Ellison
Public Health England (PHE) has produced guidance to support local authorities in their responsibility to improve dental health and reduce inequalities among children in their area. PHE has also developed guidance for dental teams on preventing dental disease in their patients. Advice has recently been published by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.
The Department will be launching the Childhood Obesity Strategy in the summer. It will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese, including sugar which is a cause of tooth decay.
Overall, children’s access to National Health Service dentistry remains consistently high, with the number of children seen in the 24 months to December 2015 by an NHS dentist standing at 8.1 million or 69.5% of the population. 104,000 more children saw an NHS dentist in England in the 24 month period ending 31 December 2015, compared with the same period ending 31 December 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Clegg on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many personal importation licences have been granted to EU citizens travelling to the UK with cannabis-based medication in each of the last five years.
Karen Bradley
No personal import licences for cannabis based medication or any other schedule 1 substances have been granted in the last five years for either EU or non-EU citizens. Cannabis and preparations of cannabis are controlled Class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and listed in Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs 2001 Regulations (MDR).
The Home Office operates a policy of issuing personal import licenses, in limited circumstances, to those travelling with controlled drugs listed in Schedule 2 – 4 (Part I) of the MDR and which are prescribed for personal use. This policy does not apply to Schedule 1 substances.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of when the ban on the export of Welsh beef and lamb to the US is likely to be lifted.
George Eustice
Defra has recently submitted detailed evidence required by the US authorities. My Right Honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was recently in Washington DC to raise the importance of this agreement. We continue to press for expeditious consideration of the UK application to allow exports of UK beef and lamb to commence as soon as possible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2016-05-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the percentage of claims management companies that have faced some sort of intervention from the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) works closely with the Claims Management Regulator (CMR) and they regularly share intelligence and information about issues of mutual concern involving claims management companies (CMCs).
There are a total of 1,752 authorised CMCs, of which 21 CMCs were placed under investigation by the ICO during 2015-2016, amounting to 1.2% of the total. Some of which resulted in formal enforcement action.
Further information can be found in the attached Claims Management Regulation Annual Report. Details of all the ICO’s enforcement action are published on its website at: https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/enforcement/“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received of allegations that UK funding through the UN to MINURSO is being misused and that UN personnel are being overcharged by hotels at which they stay; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has received no representations on this issue. The UK contributes towards the UN Peacekeeping funds, and FCO officials have raised the alleged fraud with the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The Special Representative of the Secretary General for Western Sahara and the local authorities have investigated the allegations and taken the necessary steps to address the situation and prevent a recurrence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which agreed EU directives have not yet been transposed directly into UK law; and if she will make a statement.
Matt Hancock
Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation.
One directive within the jurisdiction of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not been transposed yet.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-11-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to prevent British multinational companies avoiding tax in developing countries.
Mr David Gauke
The Government takes tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning extremely seriously, and has taken action both domestically and through working with other countries to prevent this.
The UK has led global efforts to tackle aggressive tax planning by multinational companies through the OECD-G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. The project represents an unprecedented international effort that involved over 60 countries, including developing countries, working together to better align the taxation of profits with economic activity and value creation.
The Government is also committed to supporting developing countries to collect the tax they are due. Through the G20 Development Working Group, and with the supporting of international organisations, it is working to produce practical toolkits that will assist developing countries in implementing the BEPS recommendations.
In addition, the UK contributes considerable human and financial resources to help developing countries build robust tax administrations. Earlier this year, the Government committed to doubling our funding for tax projects in developing countries.