The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 23 March (HL6982), how much extra money has been added to the budgets of (1) the First Sea Lord, (2) the Chief of the General Staff, and (3) the Chief of the Air Staff, in (a) 2016–17 and (b) 2017–18.
Earl Howe
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 23 March 2016 to Question HL6982.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Ethiopian government on the cases of Tibebu Mekuria, Dawit Jemberu and Belete Tilahun.
James Duddridge
We are aware of the ongoing court case of Tibebu Mekuria, Dawit Jemberu and Belete Tilahun, who were convicted of burning down the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Gulema Iyesus in June 2015. As all three are still pursuing their appeal case through the courts in Ethiopia, with their final appeal hearing set for the 29 June, it would be inappropriate to comment on their case at this time.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-07-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what facilities are available for (a) lactating mothers and (b) baby changing at (i) Richmond House, London, and (ii) Quarry House, Leeds.
Jane Ellison
Richmond House and Quarry House both have a nursing mothers room and no facilities for the changing of babies. The Department also has a Parents’ Network which aims to support staff, both men and women, with their parental responsibilities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-09-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there are sufficient obligations on local authorities to inspect food production companies, and on retailers, to ensure that no food crime or mislabelling is occurring.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Food labelling rules are set at European Union level and provide a framework for mandatory information to be provided on food labels as well as ensuring that food information is not misleading. This Government has pressed for better information for consumers during negotiations relating to food labelling in Europe.
Food businesses are responsible for ensuring their products are safe and accurately labelled. The Government backs this up with risk-based checks carried out by local authorities. In addition, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs develops validated testing methods under its Food Authenticity programme to check for mis-description and fraud. These methods are used by public analysts and local authorities to support food law enforcement.
The majority of food law enforcement is delegated to local authorities throughout the United Kingdom who carry out checks of food businesses in their area to ensure compliance with food safety, traceability and labelling requirements. To support this, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) makes funding available to UK Enforcement Authorities for sampling and surveillance of food to help ensure risk-based, targeted checks on food products throughout the food chain.
The Government has set up the National Food Crime Unit to increase the capacity to identify, disrupt and prevent food crime. It does this in part by developing intelligence packages and passing these either to the police service or to a local authority to take forward the investigation.
Measures to co-ordinate food standards enforcement across Local Authorities are kept under continual review by the FSA to improve effectiveness of delivery, working with local authorities and trading standards professional bodies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the Trident missile renewal programme on international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
Michael Fallon
As set out in the 2006 White Paper "The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent" (Cm 6994) the UK will participate in the US life extension programme for the Trident D5 missile which will extend the life of the missiles until the early 2040s. As a responsible nuclear weapons state and party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), we are committed to trying to achieve a world without nuclear weapons and we recognise our obligations under the NPT. I am entirely satisfied that this life extension programme is fully consistent with our NPT obligations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the Police Innovation Fund was allocated to police forces in financial years (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.
Mike Penning
The Police Innovation Fund 2014/15 allocated £53m to Police and Crime Commissioners (and their equivalents) in 2014/15 and 2015/16. The Police Innovation Fund 2015/16 allocated over £71m to Police and Crime Commissioners (and their equivalents) in 2015/16 and 2016/17.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what outcomes her Department is aiming to achieve at the Supporting Syria and the Refugee Conference in February 2016.
Mr Desmond Swayne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided on 29 January to Question number 23764.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to include additional road surface noise reduction measures, a sound barrier and home noise insulation measures in the contract specifications for the M60 smart motorway extension through Denton.
Andrew Jones
The M60 Smart Motorway project near Denton is currently in its early design stage and the scope and boundaries of the project are still being defined. By the nature, of this type of project, Highways England expect that the scheme will mostly be within the existing motorway footprint. This could include a quiet road surfacing or sound barriers.
However, any compensation arrangements will be the same as for all such improvement schemes. If properties in the nearby area of the scheme qualify for noise insulation under the Noise Insulation Regulations, then appropriate offers will be made.
The environmental impact will be assessed as part of the design and any necessary actions will be considered during the detailed design. One year after the completion of the scheme, local property owners may apply for compensation under Part I of the Land Compensation Act 1973 and such claims will be assessed under the terms of that Act.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Countess of Mar on 2016-03-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the report from the Boston University School of Public Health in Cortex that research clearly and consistently” shows that exposure to pesticides and other toxins caused Gulf War Illness; and what bearing that report will have on the treatment of sick Gulf War veterans.”
Earl Howe
The Government greatly values the service of all 1990-91 Gulf War veterans. We have long accepted that the ill-health of some veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War may be associated with their service in the Gulf. In such cases, and where a link is proven, compensation may be claimed under the War Pensions Scheme, with appropriate medical care provided by the National Health Service across the UK.
The Department has funded extensive research into Gulf War illness including some research into rehabilitative therapies for those veterans with persistent symptoms. Our strategy on research topics and studies has been informed and overseen by independent scientific experts nominated by the Medical Research Council, taking account of published peer-reviewed international literature and international studies. We have no plans to undertake further research on Gulf War issues. We continue to monitor any Gulf War research that is published around the world, including in the United States.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government who is responsible for developing and updating clinical guidance on the treatment of men with erectile dysfunction in England.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has included guidance on erectile dysfunction in the following guidelines:
– Chronic heart failure in adults: management (CG108) published in August 2010;
– Type 1 diabetes in adults: diagnosis and management (NG17) published in August 2015; and
– Type 2 diabetes in adults: management (NG28) published in December 2015.
Copies of these documents are attached.
It is for NHS England to commission NICE to develop a specific clinical guideline on the management and treatment of erectile dysfunction.