The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November to Question 14627, what estimate her Department has made of the total funding that will be available to the Waste and Resources Action Programme in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.
Rory Stewart
Future funding of WRAP will depend on the outcome of the current spending review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress has been made in (a) reviewing the effectiveness of her Department’s Code of Practice on the use of snares and (b) improving operator compliance with that Code.
Rory Stewart
In 2012 Defra published research on the extent of use and humaneness of snares in England and Wales. Following publication of the report, officials worked with stakeholders to explore options to improve the humaneness of snaring. Ministers are currently considering these options, including the issue of improved guidance on snaring.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by building a strong economy and maintaining a strong United Kingdom. Anglesey’s Energy Island can help ensure that north Wales plays a key part in this vision” on 2016-01-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the press release issued by the Welsh Office on 30 December 2015 entitled Wylfa a terrific success story” for Wales and key part of Northern Powerhouse vision
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
This Government has presided over a fundamental shift of power from Westminster to the people and communities of this country by promoting unprecedented decentralisation. North Wales is an integral part of the Government’s Northern Powerhouse vision. Businesses and Local Authorities in North Wales who Wales Office Ministers speak to are clear that North East Wales and North West England form one single economic entity and are best placed to drive economic development and deliver public services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2016-02-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) primary and (b) secondary policy purposes are of stamp duty exemption for transfers under schemes of company reconstruction and similar arrangements.
Mr David Gauke
Relief from stamp duty is available for company reconstructions where the same people hold the same proportion of shares before and after the reconstruction. The relief ensures that stamp duty does not apply where there is no real change in ownership of a company. The relief also recognises that reconstructions of companies often occur for genuine commercial reasons unrelated to tax, so in strictly defined circumstances should be able to take place in a tax neutral way. All claims are adjudicated by HM Revenue and Customs to ensure the strict conditions for relief are met.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations his Department has made to the NHS England consultation on the future of mental health support for veterans of the armed forces.
Mark Lancaster
The Ministry of Defence takes the mental health of our veterans very seriously. The Department has made no representations in response to the NHS England consultation on the future of mental health support for veterans of the Armed Forces. The consultation is aimed at veterans who have used NHS veterans’ mental health services, their family members and carers, and staff and organisations that are providing mental health care, treatment and support for veterans and their families.
https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/survey/veterans-mental-health-services
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to keep coal plants open.
Andrea Leadsom
Decisions on plant closures are commercial matters for the plant owners. However, we recently consulted on changes to the Capacity Market, which included proposals for an early Capacity Market auction for the 2017/18 delivery year to mitigate the security of supply impact of potential early plant closures. If we go ahead with this proposal, coal plants will be eligible to participate.
On 18 November we announced plans to close all unabated coal-fired power stations by 2025. Achieving this goal would make the UK one of the first developed countries to deliver on a commitment to take coal off the system. However, we have been clear that we would only proceed with these plans if we are confident that the shift to new gas generation can be achieved within these timescales.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has extended to the British Overseas Territories of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha the (a) International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage 1969, (b) 1992 Protocol to the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, (c) 2010 Protocol to the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea, (d) International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage 2001, (e) International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation 1990 and (f) 1997 Protocol to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973.
James Duddridge
Only the 1992 Protocol to the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage has been extended to St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. Information on all treaties that have been extended to the UK Overseas Territories can be found at: http://treaties.fco.gov.uk/
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of excluding Scotland from the scope of the net migration target.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Our immigration system is designed to work for the whole of the UK and surveys show that people in Scotland want to see net migration reduced. We have a Scotland-specific Shortage Occupation List to accommodate skills shortages which are specific to Scotland. Applying substantially different immigration rules to different parts of the UK would complicate the immigration system, harming its integrity, and cause confusion for applicants and difficulties for employers who need the flexibility to deploy their staff to other parts of the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the response to the Government’s consultation on section 75 employer debt in pension funds, published in March 2015.
Richard Harrington
My Department is currently considering further changes to employer debt legislation, following a Call for Evidence about section 75 employer debt in non-associated multi-employer schemes last year with a view to consulting on any specific proposals in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that providers of care are funded at a sustainable rate; and if he will make it his policy to implement the recommendations relating to care funding in the report by the Homecare Association, entitled the Homecare Deficit, published in March 2015.
Alistair Burt
The Government recognises the importance of maintaining a sustainable pool of independent social care providers to give people a choice of quality services.
The Government welcomes the United Kingdom Home Care Association’s report that was published earlier in the year which made an important contribution to our understanding of pressures in the adult social care system.
The overall allocation of funds to local government for adult social care that is funded by the state is being considered as part of the current spending review, and the Chancellor will make an announcement later in the month. The Government has taken into consideration demand and inflationary pressures. The Better Care Fund continues to provide additional funding to support integration between health and social care.
More broadly, the Department is enhancing its market stewardship activity, and will develop a national Market Position Statement to set government’s ambition for the market, and will also continue to work to make the market more effective, in particular, working with the smaller businesses that typify the sector.