The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 12 September (HL1533), whether work has commenced on the third Offshore Patrol Vessel contracted for in August 2014; and if not, why not.
Earl Howe
Construction of the third Offshore Patrol Vessel, HMS TRENT, began in October 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department plans to ensure it works in partnership with businesses involved with wildlife issues to enhance public and private sector involvement in combating wildlife crime after March 2016.
Rory Stewart
We will continue to engage with all those with an interest in wildlife issues, including in tackling wildlife crime, as part of normal business and particularly through the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which are the 27 sites where successful bids for funding have been made in the first wave of Starter Home projects on brownfield sites; in which local authorities those sites are situated; and in each case, what measures the funding will support, how much is being offered, and whether it is in the form of a grant or a loan.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
£8,063,561 in grant funding has been awarded to 18 local authorities for site preparation, including remediation, demolition, site investigation and/or ecological works on 27 suitable brownfield sites, that will go on to deliver the first wave of Starter Homes. Further detail on the sites, local authorities and amount of funding each will receive are set out in the attached table.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) longest, (b) shortest and (c) average time serving police borough commanders have been in post in London boroughs.
Mike Penning
The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of police borough commanders in each London Borough, or the length of time that they have been in post. This information is likely to the held by the Metropolitan Police Force.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government uses the Food Insecurity Experience Scale survey to monitor UK households’ vulnerability to hunger.
George Eustice
Defra does not use the Food Insecurity Experience Scale survey to monitor UK households’ vulnerability to hunger.
There is no single definition of food insecurity and Defra does not estimate numbers of households experiencing food insecurity. The factors that impact on household food security are complex. There are multiple indicators such as quality, variety and desirability of diet as well as total intake, not all of which are measured consistently. It is therefore very difficult and potentially misleading to develop a single classification of food insecurity.
However Defra does publish statistics annually to show the proportion of household income spent on food by (a) all households and (b) the lowest income 20% of households. The most recent statistics are in the food statistics pocketbook 2015 on the GOV.UK website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce medical experimentation on live animals in England.
Karen Bradley
The Home Office is responsible for regulating the use of live animals in scientific research under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement (the 3Rs) are at the core of project authorisation under this legislation. Furthermore, these principles also extend to breeding, accommodation and care of protected animals.
Animals can only be used where no scientifically satisfactory, non-animal alternative exists which has been suitably validated. The number of animals used must be reduced to the minimum needed to achieve the results sought. For those animals which are used, procedures must be refined as much as possible to cause the minimum pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm.
In addition the Home Office also works with the National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs) who work towards replacing, reducing and refining the use of animals in research. This has included projects such as CRACK IT which to date has invested over £15million with the aims to accelerate the availability of technologies which will deliver i) measurable 3Rs impacts, ii) new marketable products and iii) more efficient business processes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department last reviewed its statutory guidance on post-16 transport to education and training.
Mr Sam Gyimah
The statutory guidance for local authorities on post-16 transport was updated in February 2014 following the implementation of Raising the Participation Age (RPA). It was last reviewed in February 2016 and was found to be still up-to-date; there are no immediate changes planned to the guidance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department’s offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The requested information is not recorded in the format requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
My department follows the Government Buying Standard for food and catering to be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418072/gbs-food-catering-march2015.pdf.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-07-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will review the technical guidance on householder permitted development rights to minimise the visual impact of loft extensions.
Brandon Lewis
Permitted development rights for householders are set out in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. The rights allow for loft extensions to the rear or side of dwellinghouses. To minimise the impact on the amenity of an area there are conditions limiting their size and appearance. These are explained in the Technical Guidance which was reviewed and updated in April 2016. Where the development exceeds the thresholds, or is to the front of a dwellinghouse, an application for planning permission is required.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hughes of Woodside on 2016-09-15.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen on 12 September (HL Deb, col 1308), what are the remit and terms of appointment of the anti-corruption champion, and what staffing and financial support arrangements have been put in place to assist him in carrying out his duties.
Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
The Anti-Corruption Champion, Sir Eric Pickles, is a personal appointment of the Prime Minister. The main elements of the Champion’s role were set out in the UK’s Anti-Corruption Action Plan and include: scrutinising the performance of departments and agencies, as co-chair of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Anti-Corruption; responsibility, along with Home Office Ministers, for approval of the UK’s Anti-Corruption Plan and for parliamentary and public accountability of the Government’s performance against the Plan; responsibility, along with other Ministers, for leading the UK’s push to strengthen the international response to corruption; and a mandate to engage with external stakeholders, including business and civil society organisations. The Champion is supported by the Joint Anti-Corruption Unit.