Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on the number of coal-fired powered stations which have been built in Germany since 2010; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Department commissioned an independent study[1] published in April 2013 looking at new coal-fired power stations in Germany. This study found 10 coal plants (a total of 8GW) were under construction at the time and would be ready to be commissioned by 2015.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/194335/Poyry_Report_-_Coal_fired_power_generation_in_Germany.pdf

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  • Lord Luce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Luce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Luce on 2016-04-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of which Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories, if any, fall short of the required standards for the regulation of their financial services.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The regulation of financial services are domestic responsibilities of the governments of the Crown Dependencies and the Overseas Territories. The Crown Dependencies and other British Overseas Territories are encouraged by the UK to meet internationally agreed standards and assessed according to the relevant international practice.

  • Nigel Mills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nigel Mills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Mills on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures his Department is implementing to emphasise the importance of hand hygiene in the prevention of infection in hospitals.

    Ben Gummer

    Tackling healthcare associated infections is complex and requires a strong patient safety system that integrates cleanliness, infection prevention and control and antibiotic use. Hand hygiene is an important component and we continuously review and enhance national measures, systems and guidance. For example hand hygiene references in The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice for prevention and control of infections and related guidance, were strengthened when it was revised in 2015. It will also form part of forthcoming guidance on reducing Gram negative infections such as E. coli.

    Auditing of hand hygiene is a local responsibility and information on hand hygiene compliance is not collected centrally. Therefore, no national assessment has been made of the potential links between hand hygiene compliance levels and the above infections.

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to protect the access of UK farmers to European markets.

    George Eustice

    Until we leave the EU, current arrangements for farming, food and drink and our environment remain in place.

    We are now preparing to negotiate our exit. Defra will be working with the Department for Exiting the EU on the UK’s withdrawal and future relationship, liaising closely with other key departments on future support for farmers, the food and drink industry and the environment. The Government will work with industry and the public to develop these new arrangements.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Pakistani counterpart on the death penalty in that country.

    Alok Sharma

    The UK remains firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. Abolitionist work is high on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) agenda and is part of the day-to-day work of all diplomatic missions to countries that retain the death penalty. The FCO human rights and democracy report 2015 makes clear our views on the death penalty and the resumption of executions in Pakistan.

    The former Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Philip Hammond), raised the issue of the death penalty with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2015, and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Tobias Ellwood), wrote subsequently to the Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK expressing deep concern about ongoing executions. Together with our EU partners, we continue to raise our concerns about the death penalty with the Government of Pakistan and urge compliance with its international obligations.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he intends to implement a single consolidated legislative framework for taxis throughout England and Wales.

    Andrew Jones

    A single legislative framework for taxis and private hire vehicles throughout England and Wales was one of the recommendations of the Law Commission following their comprehensive review of taxi and private hire legislation.

    The Government is continuing to consider the Law Commission’s report in its entirety and in line with the protocol that exists between the Government and the Law Commission, the Government will formally respond to the Law Commission and announce its intentions in due course.

  • Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Tonge – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-12-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel following a report by Rabbis for Human Rights that young Jewish settlers from Yitzhar were calling for Palestinians to be burned alive.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Whilst we have not specifically raised this issue, we are deeply concerned by the recent violence across the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel. We strongly condemn all acts of violence and all incitement to commit acts of violence. Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, urging them to use their influence to de-escalate the tensions. The most recent discussion with the Israeli government was on 19 November when our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns with Gilad Erdan, Israel Minister for Strategic Affairs, Public Security and Information.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government has taken to prevent predatory high-frequency trading.

    Harriett Baldwin

    It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on any ongoing investigations. This is an operational matter for the FCA which is an independent regulator. I have transferred this question across to them and they will respond fully in due course.

    The Government is clear that any attempted manipulation of any financial market is completely unacceptable. The integrity of the City matters to the economy of Britain, and that is why the Government is taking action at home, in Europe, and globally, to ensure that this behaviour is punished and that similar scandals cannot occur again.

    The Government has taken a number of steps to strengthen financial regulation in the UK. These include introducing the Senior Managers and Certification Regime to provide for effective regulation of individual conduct and accountability in the banking sector. The Bank of England and Financial Services Bill, now before the House of Commons, will extend this regime to cover all authorised financial services firms, including dealers in securities and other non-banks which may engage in high-frequency trading (HFT).

    The Government has supported the European Union (EU) Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 2 (MiFID 2), which from 2017 will alter the regulatory landscape in relation to automated trading including HFT. As part of this, HFT firms will be required to disclose information concerning their trading activities to their regulator in order to increase the regulatory supervision of these markets.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport of 28 January 2016, Official Report, column 523, on trains running over tracks from the 1930s, which sections of track on which routes carrying Southeastern services date from the 1930s.

    Claire Perry

    I would like to clarify that, in my contribution to the debate in Parliament on 28 January 2016, column 523, I was making a statement about how certain areas of the network in the South East have not been substantially changed or enhanced in keeping with the modern demands being placed upon them since the 1930’s, though evidently renewals will have happened over time.

  • Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Christopher Chope – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what automatic access (a) the UK would have to the markets of other WTO members and (b) other WTO members would have to the markets of the UK if the UK leaves the EU.

    Anna Soubry

    The paper published on 2nd March entitled “Alternatives to membership: possible models for the United Kingdom outside the European Union” makes clear that if the UK were to leave the EU, then unless we were able to negotiate a preferential trade deal under WTO rules neither the UK nor the EU could offer each other better market access than that offered to all other WTO members. Furthermore, our privileged access to 53 markets outside the EU through the EU’s Free Trade Agreements would be terminated. We could seek to negotiate new agreements, but this would take many years. It would be difficult to replicate the terms that we currently enjoy.

    A WTO-only arrangement would create a particularly difficult dilemma for the UK over trade tariffs. We could extend the tariffs that the EU currently applies to all WTO members to UK imports from the EU, but this would make those imports more expensive. Conversely, lowering UK tariffs would make imports cheaper, but there is no guarantee that this would be reciprocated. In addition, our guaranteed access to global services markets, including within the EU, would revert to the basic level of access that WTO members offer through the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).