The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness King of Bow on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the one-year post-implementation review of the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013, as set out in the Explanatory Memorandum to those Regulations, has been completed, and if so, whether a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
Lord Faulks
Work to review the enforcement reforms introduced in April 2014 is ongoing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Cash on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with the European Commission on EU state aid related to UK interconnector operations.
Amber Rudd
All interconnector projects apply to Ofgem to operate under a regulatory regime. Their regulation is compatible with EU rules and there are no state aid issues
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on Scotland of the UK leaving the EU.
David Mundell
The United Kingdom is fundamentally strong and is well-placed to rise to the challenges we face.
Following the result of the referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union, our focus now needs to be working together as Team UK, to achieve the best deal for both Scotland and the United Kingdom in the negotiations with the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Allen of Kensington on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of the resignation of Mr Simon Kirby as Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd on the delivery of phase 1 of the HS2 project on time and to budget.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government is committed to delivering HS2 which remains absolutely on track with strong cross-Party support. There are no plans to change the project. HS2 is on time and on budget and construction will start next year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect of raising the minimum wage on the capacity of charities to deliver public services.
Mr Rob Wilson
The National Living Wage will benefit low paid workers across all sectors, including charity workers delivering public services on behalf of the state.
Government is taking steps to support employers with the transition. For example, the employer National Insurance Bill for businesses and charities will be cut by £1000 from April 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for trends in the levels of extremism in Pakistan.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK and Pakistan share a commitment to defeating extremism. As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has said, this is one of the greatest threats that we face. Extremist narratives underpin all acts of terrorism, whether the tragic events that took place in Paris last month, or the murder of 132 innocent children in Peshawar in 2014. That is why we strongly support Pakistan’s efforts to tackle terrorism and the extremism that sustains it. As in the UK, this requires effort in a number of areas, including investment in education, tackling poverty and confronting the extremist narrative.
The Government’s Counter-Extremism Strategy sets out our approach to tackling all forms of extremism in the UK. It recognises that the problem is a global one. We are therefore working with international partners, including Pakistan, to reinforce our efforts at home and to build a more robust international response to extremism. As part of this, we continuously assess the threat to the UK and our partners to inform our efforts to combat extremism wherever it emerges. We are also working with Pakistan to deepen our shared understanding of the issue and to develop and implement effective responses.
Extremism is a complex and multi-faceted issue. In assessing the nature of extremism, Her Majesty’s Government captures a broad spectrum of internal and external source material, including working closely with academics, civil society groups and other governments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wes Streeting on 2016-01-22.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings have taken place between officials of his Department and the Financial Conduct Authority since May 2015.
Harriett Baldwin
Treasury Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Financial Conduct Authority to discuss relevant regulatory issues.
As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to eradicate new psychoactive substances across the prison estate; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Selous
We take a zero tolerance approach to drugs in prison and there are already a range of robust measures in place to detect drugs, including the use of search dogs and intelligence-led searches. More than 300 dogs have received specialist training to detect NPS. We recently introduced tough new laws which will see those who smuggle packages over prison walls, including new psychoactive substances, face up to two years in prison. Those who involve themselves in the distribution of drugs in our prisons should know that they will face prosecution and extra time behind bars.
We have begun a pilot to test for the use of psychoactive substances, and in April 2016, we plan to introduce widespread mandatory drug testing of prisoners for psychoactive substances. Those who are found to have used psychoactive substances will face sanctions under prison rules, including by having days added to their time in custody.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-03-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to limiting the proportion of places that schools can allocate using religious admissions criteria, in line with the cap that currently exists for free schools.
Lord Nash
The Government greatly values the contribution that existing church and faith schools play in our education system, including those of free schools, and we have no plans to change their admission arrangements since they are providing places for the communities they serve.
Not all faith schools choose to allocate places by faith. It is for the admission authority of the school to decide whether or not to include faith-based priorities within their oversubscription criteria.
When constructing faith-based oversubscription criteria, including deciding how membership or practice of the faith will be determined, admission authorities must have regard to the guidance of their relevant religious authority and their arrangements must comply with the statutory School Admissions Code.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Leader of the House whether she will encourage Government ministers to provide full answers to Written Questions from members of the House rather than providing references to third-party sources.
Baroness Stowell of Beeston
As Leader of the House, I am responsible for encouraging departments to give timely answers to Questions for Written Answer (QWAs), a duty I take very seriously.
The House has set out clearly (most recently in agreeing the Procedure Committee’s 5th Report on the 2014-5 Session) that all answers to QWAs should be complete and comprehensible, and as such should not rely on references to external documents or webpages. I will continue to make this guidance clear to Ministers. Whilst it is for individual Ministers to account to the House for the content of the answers they provide – with Ministers providing personally signed answers to members as part of this direct accountability – any member is welcome to inform me of any particular concerns about a response they have received.