The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 24110, whether he plans to publish the terms of reference for the Reaper User Group before the Group meeting on 14 to 18 March 2016.
Penny Mordaunt
The release of the Terms of Reference for the Reaper User Group will be discussed at the next meeting from 14 to 18 March 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Poulter on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the building of the proposed Sizewell C nuclear plant is contingent on future decisions on the Hinkley Point C plant.
Andrea Leadsom
No application for development consent to build a new nuclear power station at Sizewell has yet been made. EDF have completed the first stage of local public consultation which is necessary before an application for development consent can be made, and have said they will make available more information on the next consultation stage once they have made a final investment decision on Hinkley.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will outline the decision-making process following their expected announcement on airport expansion in the South East, and at what stage in that process there will be a vote in Parliament.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
On 14 December 2015, the Government formally announced that it accepted the Airports Commission’s case for new runway capacity in the South East, as well as the Commission’s three shortlisted schemes. At the same time, it was also announced that the Department for Transport would undertake a package of further work which it anticipates will conclude over the summer. Alongside this, they would prepare an airports national policy statement as the framework for implementing decisions on airport capacity in line with the Planning Act 2008. National policy statements are designated in Parliament, at which point there can be a vote.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-06-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 12 May (HL8031), how many times in (1) 2014, and (2) 2015, HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) specialist embassy team carried out risk assessment activities and identified individuals who had not notified their employment to HMRC, and subsequently took action to ensure they paid the tax that was due.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The Embassy team in 2014 and 2015 didn’t undertake any specific risk assessment activities with regards to individuals who had not notified their employment. However the team arranged for one of our Central Compliance Teams to undertake a project to review the National Insurance Contributions (NICs) position of various embassies employees using our Risk Profiling system. We reviewed 697 cases and opened checks into 258 of these. Of these 150 were found to be compliant. The checks covered the tax years 2009/10 to 2014/15.
In the current year we are expecting to open further checks in relation to both tax and NICs on a number of employees.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to continue its participation in the negotiations towards the 2030 EU Climate Framework; and whether the UK plans to commit to meeting the requirements of that framework after the UK leaves the EU.
Mr Nick Hurd
The UK’s commitment to tackling global climate change remains firm. We are committed to the UK Climate Change Act and the Paris Agreement, and have accepted the recommendation of the Committee on Climate Change on the fifth carbon budget.
Until we leave the EU, the UK remains a Member State, with all of the rights and obligations this entails. We will therefore continue to participate in EU negotiations, including those on the EU’s climate framework up to 2030.
It is not appropriate at this point to speculate about arrangements for after the UK ceases to be a Member State.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if the Government will take steps to ensure that UK aid to Malawi funds long-term transport infrastructure, irrigation, diversification of farming and food products projects.
James Wharton
The UK’s development programme in Malawi works to grow the economy and eradicate extreme poverty. Improvements in the agriculture sector are essential for Malawi’s growth. DFID prosperity programmes aim to deliver increased agricultural production and productivity, including through the expansion of land under irrigation; a diversified economic base and increased investment in inclusive agri-business. DFID has also provided some support to rehabilitating rural roads, and undertaken feasibility work for rail and road corridors.
We will continue to make transformative investments to help Malawi to move up the agricultural supply chain, improve regional trade and create more jobs. This will contribute to increased food security and agricultural production, helping to boost growth and create off-farm jobs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent in legal costs on the Information Rights Tribunal case on the Reducing Regulation Sub-Committee Freedom of Information request.
Mr Oliver Letwin
Litigation and Counsel’scostswill be accounted for at the end of the process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2015-12-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the end of the Advice Services Transition Fund in December 2015.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The fund is a Big Lottery Fund programme, to which Government contributed 50% of the budget. As the fund comes to a close, the Big Lottery Fund will be monitoring how organisations have met their agreed outcomes and will be supporting the dissemination of learning amongst the ASTF partnerships and beyond.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government has given to the government of Nepal on the conduct of elections.
Mr Hugo Swire
The UK provided £14 million to support the 2013 Constituent Assembly elections in Nepal. This consisted of support to provide an environment conducive to free, fair and inclusive elections and technical support.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2016 to Question 23620, what steps his Department has taken to implement new Government guidelines to help UK steel suppliers compete effectively for future defence projects; and what processes or policies have been changed as a result of those guidelines.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has issued new policy outlining the steps that should be taken to meet the Government’s aim of levelling the playing field for UK steel producers. This policy emphasises the importance of pre-market engagement, including through industry days, and signalling future requirements for steel. The MOD has also written to its largest defence contractors to highlight the new guidelines.