The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on who took the decision to request the use of a helicopter to winch passengers off the bus in Dailley, Ayrshire, during the floods of December 2015.
Rory Stewart
These decisions would have been taken by the Scottish Government, as flooding is a devolved matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Maynard on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason his Department decided not to renew funding of the extension of the Number 14 bus service to Peel Park.
Justin Tomlinson
The commitment at the time of the relocation of staff to Peel Park was to provide a bus service for three years. The cost of the current contract to provide the bus service is £216,955.50 per year and the actual usage of the service is low.
Blackpool Transport have made it clear any new contract will be at an increased amount and a decision was made that it was not possible to justify public expenditure and subsidy on this scale.
We are exploring alternatives which would offer better value for money, but no decision has yet been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-03-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Prime Minister, on 7 March in Brussels, described those fleeing across the Aegean Sea as illegally crossing, in the light of the fact that Turkey is not a party to the UN Convention on Refugees, which Greece and other EU member states are.
Lord Bates
Migrants travelling across the Aegean Sea may be referred to as illegally crossing if they have no permission (such as a visa) to enter Greece or another Member State. The same would apply if someone applied for asylum in the UK: if they have entered the UK illegally, then they would be treated as an illegal entrant, irrespective of whether they make a claim for asylum or not.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has held with football associations and police forces on ensuring security and protection for fans travelling abroad for the European Championships.
David Evennett
My Department has regular discussions with both the Home Office and the FCO on a range of matters in relation to the 2016 UEFA European Football Championships taking place in France this summer. Departments are in contact with the relevant football associations, and fans attending the tournament will be encouraged to follow the Government’s official travel advice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will confirm that any funding received as a result of the application for EU Solidarity Fund Assistance will be distributed to those communities affected by recent flooding.
James Wharton
We are determined to do all we can to support flood-affected areas, which is why we have already paid out over £250 million to ensure that communities and businesses can get back on their feet as soon as possible. Once our application to the EU Solidarity Fund has been finalised, and approved by the Commission, we will consider how any additional funding should be used.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of noise caused by the training of military aircraft pilots on local communities; and what steps his Department is taking to minimise such noise disturbance.
Mark Lancaster
The Ministry of Defence takes its responsibilities to the general public very seriously indeed and would prefer not to cause any disturbance to the general public. Unfortunately, there are no uninhabited areas of the UK large enough to cater for essential training needs. Restrictions are placed on the height, speeds and operating procedures of military aircraft in the UK Military Low Flying System.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-15.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the length of time between the publication of his Department’s planned consultation on a proposed secondary market for annuities and the planned introduction of that market for the pensions industry to prepare for that introduction; and if he will make an assessment of the effect of that period on the effective introduction of that market.
Simon Kirby
To date, the Government has published the following consultation documents in relation to the secondary market in annuities policy:
Creating a secondary annuity market – March 2015
Creating a secondary annuity market: response to the call for evidence – December 2015
Creating a secondary annuity market: tax framework – April 2016
Creating a secondary market for annuities – secondary legislation – April 2016
These consultations have now closed. The Government will respond shortly.
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 proposed measures are being introduced for the fishing of sea bass by commercial fishermen in 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 what evaluation they have carried out of the potential cost savings from centralised procurement of common generic drugs in the light of evidence from other countries using high volume contracts.
Lord Prior of Brampton
On behalf of National Health Service secondary care establishments (hospitals) in England the Department’s Commercial Medicines Unit undertakes a long established centralised tender programme for framework agreements for generic medicines. This is in compliance with European Union procurement regulations.
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, what government funding is available to pay farmers to allow parts of their land to flood to avoid flooding elsewhere.
Rory Stewart
If land is flooded as part of a deliberate and managed scheme to avoid flooding elsewhere the authority responsible would need to buy a right to flood or make a similar binding agreement with the landowner. The prices paid for that agreement would be subject to negotiation between the authority and the landowner and take into consideration such matters as any loss of value caused by flooding and debris in fields