The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to exempt domestic violence refuges from proposals to cap housing benefit.
Caroline Nokes
The Secretary of State has confirmed that the Government expects to make an announcement on the way forward for supported housing in early autumn.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what legislation his Department plans to repeal using the Great Repeal Bill; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Jones
The Government will bring forward legislation in the next session that, when enacted, will repeal the European Communities Act 1972 on the day we leave the EU. This ‘Great Repeal Bill’ will end the authority of EU law and return power to the UK.
The Bill will transpose current EU law into domestic law, while allowing for amendments to take account of the future negotiated UK-EU relationship. Without pre-judging this future relationship or future decisions Parliament may make, it will give consumers, workers and businesses as much certainty as possible by maintaining law wherever practicable and desirable.
The Government will set out the content of the Bill and its implications in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what additional financial support he plans to make available to the NHS to deal with pressure on services in winter 2015-16.
Mr Jeremy Hunt
£400 million in resilience money has been invested in the National Health Service for this winter. Learning from previous years, we have put this money into the NHS baseline for 2015/16 so that the NHS can plan effectively at an earlier stage.
There will be no further additional money for the NHS ahead of winter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2015 to Question 18024, when he plans for the membership of the Institute for Apprenticeships to be announced.
Nick Boles
The Chair and Board Members will be appointed through public appointments. The outcome will be announced as soon as the process allows in 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with her Northern Ireland counterpart about the provision of England-based teaching jobs for unemployed teachers in Northern Ireland.
Nick Gibb
Officials at the Department for Education have regular discussions with their Northern Ireland counterparts. The National College of Teaching and Leadership has worked with a range of partners in Northern Ireland to ensure that teaching opportunities in England are widely promoted. These partners include:
Irish National Teachers’ Organisation
Department for Employment and Learning Employment Service
Department of Education Northern Ireland
General Teaching Council Northern Ireland
Together with these partners, the Department has helped prospective teachers in Northern Ireland find vacancies in England through the Get Into Teaching website. The Teaching School Council and Regional School Commissioners also promoted teaching opportunities in England. Schools in the West Midlands, North West and East of England engaged with and benefited from these initiatives.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been paid in compensation to prison staff in relation to prisoner attacks in each year since 2010.
Andrew Selous
From the data currently held by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) it is not possible to distinguish prison staff compensation claims for prisoner attacks from other similar claims such as other injuries at work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether his Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.
Brandon Lewis
At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Pincher on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the (a) most recent environmental risk assessment for bound use of air pollution control residues in concrete blocks, (b) exposure levels of dioxins and heavy metals in the air when the blocks were cut, drilled or crushed in buildings and (c) scientific methodology used for measuring these levels.
Rory Stewart
In 2012 the Environment Agency’s Definition of Waste panel gave a positive end of waste opinion to the company Carbon8 for the use of air pollution control residues in concrete blocks. The company’s submission included their own risk assessment for safety and environmental impacts. We have not published, and do not intend to publish, information on the risks or the methodology relating to the binding of air pollution control residues in concrete blocks.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of dairy products procured for (a) his Department and (b) 10 Downing Street was sourced from British producers in the latest period for which figures are available.
Matthew Hancock
The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
The Cabinet Office adheres to the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services which are mandatory for central Government and its executive agencies, ALBs, NDPBs etc. This is supported in the DEFRA Business Plan to drive sustainable food procurement by the Government and the public sector.
The Government Buying Standards on Food and Catering can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418072/gbs-food-catering-march2015.pdf
Dairy products in Cabinet Office buildings are supplied by the department’s facilities management providers and they have confirmed that at least 85% were sourced from British producers in 2015/16.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assurances she has received from Natural England that the system of wildlife licences provides adequate protection for red squirrel species.
Rory Stewart
The red squirrel is one of the UK’s most threatened native mammals, predominantly due to the threat posed by non-native grey squirrels, which out-compete red squirrels and spread the squirrel pox virus which is deadly to reds.
It is a priority for Natural England to prevent the release of any such non-native species that might have a negative impact on our native fauna and flora.
Natural England’s policy, therefore, is to not issue licences to release grey squirrels in counties or areas where red squirrels are, or may be, still present. Outside of those areas, licences are currently only issued for the re-release (within 1km of their point of capture) of rehabilitated animals that were originally taken from the wild for tending or treatment, or for immediate release of individuals at the same location from physical entrapment.
A list of species of Union concern, identified under the EU Invasive Alien Species Regulation 1143/2014, will be coming into force later this year and will impose restrictions on the keeping, breeding, sale, transporting and release of 37 listed plants and animals, including the grey squirrel. Once this happens there may be a need to consider changes to the way Natural England licenses the keeping and release of these species. As a consequence Natural England is limiting grey squirrel licences to one year only.