The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what provision the Government has made for the long-term future of the Joint Work and Health Unit.
Penny Mordaunt
Both the Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions continue to jointly sponsor the Work and Health Unit as an important part of this Government’s agenda to deliver long-term change to the work and health systems.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheryll Murray on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what changes she proposes to introduce to the regulation of recreational sea anglers who capture sea bass for the period from 1 July to 31 December 2016.
George Eustice
The European Commission has issued proposals[1] on fishing opportunities to be agreed for 2016, which includes EU bass management measures for the commercial fishing and recreational sea angling sectors consisting of a moratorium on fishing for bass in the first six months, and reduced catch limits for the latter half of the year. The UK response to these proposals is being considered in advance of negotiations at the December Fisheries Council.
The latest available assessment of the bass stock, from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, was published in June this year before the full set of EU bass management measures for 2015 was finalised in September. Its next assessment is due in June 2016.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moonie on 2015-12-16.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will release details of each weapons release over Syria so that they can be correlated against any reports of civilian casualties.
Earl Howe
As at 18 December 2015, the UK had released 21 weapons against targets in Syria since the vote on airstrikes. There have been no reports of civilian casualties as a result.
The weapons have all been Paveway IV guided bombs from RAF Tornado GR4 and Typhoon aircraft. The UK released six Paveway IV on 2 December, one on 3 December, eight on 4 December and six on 6 December. These have all been against targets in the Daesh-controlled Omar oilfield in eastern Syria.
We will not release the exact location and timing of each strike as this could compromise our operational capabilities. All UK airstrikes are conducted in accordance with Rules of Engagement and International Humanitarian Law. Targets are selected with the utmost care; the risks of collateral damage or civilian casualties are assessed and mitigated based on intelligence and the use of precision guided weapons.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the merits of refunding money lost by farmers under the modulation scheme to farmers who are taking part in the trial badger cull scheme.
George Eustice
The Government decided to transfer 12% of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Direct Payments (Pillar 1) budget to the Rural Development (Pillar 2) budget in England with effect from the 2014 Scheme year. The transfer is irreversible. Farmers in England are also able to apply for Rural Development Programme environmental schemes or for grants to help improve their competitiveness or grow their business.
Delivery of the badger control policy is led and funded by farmers and landowners. Defra has published details of the resultant costs it incurred in 2013 and 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hain on 2016-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Welsh Government about the (1) the Trade Union Bill in general, and (2) the Trade Union Bill’s application in Wales.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Ministers have engaged with the Devolved Administrations on the Trade Union Bill.
As part of our engagement, Nick Boles, the lead Minister for the Trade Union Bill, has received four letters from Leighton Andrews, Minister for Public Services in the Welsh Government on 20 November 2015, 18 January 2016, 27 January 2016, and 9 February 2016. These letters related to specific aspects of the Bill and on the Welsh Government position on their applicability in Wales. On 5th February 2016 Nick Boles had a telephone conversation with Leighton Andrews on the Bill; and on 4 March, he replied to the letters and has placed a copy of the correspondence in the Library.
The Trade Union Bill relates to employment rights, duties and industrial relations, all of which are reserved.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Anne Main on 2016-03-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to UK businesses of implementing EU harmonised legislation.
Anna Soubry
The Government produces Impact Assessments that set out the impacts to business of legislation. These are published on the LEGISLATION.GOV.UK website.
The UK has one of the lightest regulatory regimes in the OECD. The Netherlands, also in the EU, has the lightest. The European Commission has already reformed its approach to regulation, reducing the number of new initiatives proposed in its annual work programmes by over 80 per cent since 2014.
As part of the UK’s settlement with the EU, the European Commission is now committed to reviewing the burden of regulation each year, looking in particular at cutting red tape for small businesses. For the first time ever, specific targets to reduce costs for businesses will be introduced in the most burdensome areas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to encourage enlistment from people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Penny Mordaunt
The Ministry of Defence is committed to achieving a more diverse workforce and is developing plans to meet the Government’s commitment to increase the number of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) recruits into the Armed Forces to 10% by 2020 and have allocated resources for this purpose.
Planning is ongoing to ensure that new activity is evidence-based and resources are allocated in the best way to deliver the step change that is required.
Whilst this plan is being finalised, examples of steps already taken include increased engagement with ethnic minority communities, using communications to improve understanding on careers in the Armed Forces and offering support throughout the application process where it is needed.
The Armed Forces recently won two awards in October 2015 at the Race for Opportunity Awards. The Armed Forces Muslim Association won the Public Sector Employee Network Award and the Royal Air Force won the Future Workforce Award for their Employability Skills Programme. The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force have also been recognised as two of the Top 10 public sector organisations for race diversity and inclusion by Race for Opportunity.
Statistics on the diversity declaration and representation of minority groups of
Service Personnel employed by the Ministry of Defence are published biannually. The most recent data can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-biannual-diversity-statistics-2015
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether HMS Queen Elizabeth remains on schedule to be handed over and commissioned into the Royal Navy in 2017.
Mr Philip Dunne
The approved cost of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers is £6.2 billion, as announced by the previous Defence Secretary on 6 November 2013 (Official Report, column 251). Whilst there are cost pressures, the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with Industry to drive the programme to remain within the approved cost.
We expect the First of Class, HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, to be accepted from the Aircraft Carrier Alliance in 2017 and, as reported in the NAO’s Major Project Report 2015, the ship remains on schedule to enter service with the Royal Navy in February 2018. We remain on course to undertake Platform Sea Trials in 2017, commence Fixed Wing Flying Trials with the F35B Lightning II in 2018 and deliver Initial Operating Capability (Carrier Strike) in 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of Syrian children in Lebanon in education.
Rory Stewart
At the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, the UK committed to double education funding for Lebanon, to up to £40 million per year. This supports the Conference goal of getting all refugee children from Syria and vulnerable children in host communities into quality education by the end of the 2016/17 school year. DFID is aligning its funding behind the Government of Lebanon’s national education plans to expand access to educational opportunity; both through formal education, and through quality and regulated non-formal education for the most vulnerable out of school children.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Department for Education on reskilling in the energy industry.
Mr Nick Hurd
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a number of issues.