The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the level of housebuilding.
Brandon Lewis
Housing starts have almost doubled since 2009. Over 608,000 new homes have been built since April 2010 – there are now 795,000 more homes in England than in 2009.
Trends in housebuilding are published in the quarterly House Building Release.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Evans on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, published in November 2015, what assessment he has made of the opportunities available to British industry to participate in the maritime patrol aircraft programme.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Garston and Halewood (Maria Eagle) on 3 December 2015 to question 17838.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-01-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider using airdrops to carry food to relieve the hunger of Syrian communities.
Earl of Courtown
The UK has pledged over £1.1 billion in response to the crisis in Syria and the region, making us the second largest bilateral donor after the US. By the end of June 2015, UK support inside Syria and in the surrounding region had, for example, delivered almost 20 million food rations that feed one person for a month; over 2.5 million medical consultations; and relief items for 4.6 million people. We have provided ongoing support to the UN and international NGOs (INGOs) since the start of the conflict to deliver aid in hard to reach and besieged areas of Syria.
The UK will consider any option compliant with international law that might save lives in Syria. We rule nothing out. However, the use of air drops is high risk and should only be considered as a last resort when all other means have failed.
Attempting air drops without the consent of the parties to the conflict may risk undermining ongoing negotiations on humanitarian access to the 4.5 million people in hard to reach areas across Syria. Even in uncontested space air drops poise significant challenges. There is a requirement to identify clear drop zones, ensure safe access for the intended recipients and to co-ordinate with authorities on the ground. Instead, the UN, the Red Cross Movement and NGO partners are best placed to deliver aid to vulnerable people in besieged and hard to reach areas.
The desperate situation in besieged and hard to reach areas shows why we need the international community to come together at the London Conference for Syria and the Region on 4 February to support immediate needs and identify longer-term solutions to address the needs of those affected by the crisis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what contracts for delivery of IT services have been concluded between the Government and Google in the last five years.
Matthew Hancock
Since January 2011, as part of the Government’s transparency programme, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Since 1 April 2015, wider public sector bodies, including local authorities, have also been required to publish details of contracts above the value of £25,000 on Contracts Finder.
Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: http://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive
Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-24.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times Dorneywood has been redecorated in each of the last five years.
Harriett Baldwin
The Dorneywood estate is the responsibility of the Dorneywood Trust. As such the Government does not hold details of redecoration or repairs to the estate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many diabetes specialist nurses there are in (a) Leicester General Hospital, (b) Leicester Royal Infirmary, (c) Glenfield Hospital and (d) Leicestershire.
Ben Gummer
The Health and Social Care Information Centre provides information on the number of nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed in the National Health Service in England but it does not separately identify diabetes specialist nurses.
It is for local NHS organisations with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local population to invest in training for specialist skills and to deploy specialist nurses.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2016-05-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on Scotland of the UK leaving the EU.
David Mundell
I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon Members for North Ayrshire and Arran, Paisley and Renfrewshire North, Ochil and South Perthshire, Motherwell and Wishaw, Angus and East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer to Lord Ahmad of 7 April 2016 to Question HL7297, if her Department will make it its policy to use in all future documents and legislation a definition of extremism which includes the phrase mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, rather than the phrase mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.
Karen Bradley
The Counter–Extremism Strategy set outs our approach to tackling extremist ideologies. We will challenge all those groups or individuals who vocally or actively oppose our fundamental values, who seek to promote, encourage and spread intolerance of individuals of different faith and beliefs. We are clear that this approach tackles all forms of extremism: violent and non violent, Islamist and neo-Nazi.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions have taken place between the British and Iranian authorities on the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
I am deeply concerned by recent reports that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been sentenced without confirmation of the charges against her. We continue to raise our strong concerns about British prisoners in Iran, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, at the highest levels in both London and Tehran. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), did so in her introductory call with Iranian President Rouhani on 9 August. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), similarly raised this case in his introductory call with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 4 August, and followed up in writing on 29 August. Our Ambassador and embassy staff in Tehran raise this case with their Iranian counterparts at every available opportunity, and will continue to press for further details as well as assurances of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s welfare. I met Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s family on 8 September to reassure them that we will continue to do all we can.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Written Ministerial Statement of 10 October 2016, HCWS174, what proportion of existing (a) support and (b) work related-activity group claimants of employment and support allowance will (i) continue and (ii) cease to be subject to re-assessment.
Penny Mordaunt
We will be working over the coming months with medical professionals and other stakeholders to develop a process and functional criteria that will help us identify those with the most severe health conditions or disabilities, for whom repeat work capability assessments can be stopped. This change will only apply to those placed in the Support Group and Universal Credit equivalent.
No proportion of Support Group claimants can be estimated until the criteria has been agreed. This change will come into effect by the end of 2017.