Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Mims Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Mims Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mims Davies on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the drugs advice provided by FRANK in tackling use of illegal drugs.

    Mike Penning

    FRANK, the Government’s drugs information and advice service, is run by Public Health England. It provides impartial, reliable and confidential information and advice about drugs. It can be used in both specific drug prevention activities and in general health and wellbeing activities which are designed to help individuals to build and develop the skills they need to be able to actively choose not to use drugs.

    The last assessment of the website was run by the Home Office through the website user survey between 20 February – 11 March 2013. Key findings included:

    • 85% said they are very/fairly likely to visit the FRANK website in the future if needed

    • in total, 69% claimed that their visit to the FRANK website had a positive effect on their attitudes and/or behaviours in at least one way

    FRANK continues to be updated to reflect new and emerging patterns of drug use, remain in line with young people’s media habits and strengthen situational advice and support. FRANK is just one part of our approach to reducing the demand for drugs. For example, Public Health England has launched a new online resilience building resource, ‘Rise Above’, aimed at 11- to 16-year-olds, which provides tools to help develop skills to make positive choices for their health, including avoiding drug use.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.

    David Mundell

    The Scotland Office manages two buildings. Dover House in London and Melville Crescent in Edinburgh. There is one defibrillator at Melville Crescent. There is no defibrillator at Dover House.

  • Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Warner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Warner on 2016-02-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the finding of the report by the Fair Admissions Campaign and the British Humanist Association last year An Unholy Mess that a significant number of religiously selective schools are asking parents for information they do not need, and are not allowed to ask for, such as whether they are UK nationals or speak English as an additional language.

    Lord Nash

    Admission authorities for all state-funded schools, including schools with a religious designation, are required to comply with the mandatory provisions of the School Admissions Code and other admissions law.

    Where an objection is made to the Schools Adjudicator, if the arrangements are found to be unfair or fail to comply with the Code, the admission authority must make changes to ensure their arrangements are compliant without undue delay. Where an admission authority fails to implement decisions of the adjudicator, the Secretary of State may direct the admission authority to do so.

    We continue to keep the Code under review, and, where we consider any changes are necessary to make the admissions system work more effectively for parents, these will be subject to a full public consultation.

  • Brendan O’Hara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Brendan O’Hara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for permission to be given to use the Vertical Launching System at Benbecula as a commercial launch pad.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The current facilities at the Ministry of Defence Hebrides Range near Benbecula do not have vertical launch capability. The Department has not investigated whether the site could be used as a commercial launch pad.

  • Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Daniel Kawczynski – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Serbian counterpart on the financial consequences of the EU sanctions on Russia on Serbia.

    Mr David Lidington

    The EU imposed sanctions on Russia in response to the annexation of Crimea and the crisis in Eastern Ukraine. Serbia has not currently imposed sanctions on Russia. No assessment on the financial consequences of EU sanctons on Russia has been made.

    Neither I, nor the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), have had any disucssions with our Serbian counterparts on the financial consequences to Serbia of EU sanctions on Russia, but the UK Government has regularly encouraged Serbia, as an accession country, to align itself fully with EU foreign policy. The UK Government has not received any represenations from the Serbian government about the impact of EU sanctions on Russia on the Serbian economy.

  • Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the progress of the EU Solidarity Fund application to help people affected by flooding.

    James Wharton

    The Government submitted an initial UK application to the EU Solidarity Fund on Friday 26 February. The Department for Communities and Local Government is in regular discussions with the devolved administrations, local authorities and other government departments including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as we work to refine our cost estimates and figures.

  • Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the implications for her policies are of the report from the Committee on Development of the European Parliament on the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (NAFSN), published on 3 May 2016, on the Government’s support for the NAFSN.

    Justine Greening

    The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition is a multi-stakeholder platform that aims to accelerate responsible investment in African agriculture. At the continental level, it is led by the African Union Commission. We support their aims through our policy engagement and programme work.

    The report makes some useful recommendations which we are considering and will discuss with the wider AU-led initiative. Many of the report’s recommendations have already been the focus of DFID policy and programme work.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been spent under each cost heading by UK defence attachés in each year since 2005.

    Mike Penning

    The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Financial data older than six years is not retained by the Department.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with insurance companies on dealing with accidents caused by driverless cars.

    Mr John Hayes

    My officials in the Department for Transport, and the cross-Whitehall Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, are meeting regularly with leading insurance companies and industry organisations, such as the Motor Insurers’ Bureau and the Association of British Insurers. These discussions include considering how the ongoing introduction of connectivity and automated technologies in vehicles will change the way that motor insurance works in the short, medium and long term, and how the industry will need to adapt when dealing with accidents. We have subsequently consulted on insurance proposals for automated vehicles, as announced in the Queen’s Speech earlier this year and will publish our summary of responses shortly.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated value of Network Rail was on the most recent date for which figures are available.

    Claire Perry

    As at 31 March 2015 Network Rail’s Net Assets totalled £6,391 million.