The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce the package of compensation schemes for phase 2A of High Speed 2.
Mr Robert Goodwill
We expect to announce the Government’s response to the HS2 Phase Two: West Midlands to Crewe Property (Phase 2a) Consultation 2015 by the summer Recess.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-05-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 23 May (HL174), what steps they are taking in particular to ensure that all employees at British airports with access to aircraft are vetted to ensure that they do not hold Islamist fundamentalist views.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
I would refer my noble friend to my Written Answer of 23 May (HL174) to his earlier question on this issue. Those staff undertaking aviation security duties are subject to additional security vetting following the minimum checks that must be completed. These arrangements, like our overall security regime, are kept under close review in light of all current threats. For security reasons, we would not comment on specific staff vetting arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of welfare reform on health inequalities in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) England.
Nicola Blackwood
The policy responsibility for welfare reform sits with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The Department of Health has not made a separate assessment of the effect of welfare reform on health inequalities in England.
Although no assessment has been made in England, DWP has engaged across government on its proposals for welfare reform. The Department of Health has been involved in discussions on the introduction of Universal Credit and its impact on health inequalities for programmes such as Healthy Start and Help with Health Costs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will estimate the proportion of funding for extended school activities in primary schools in 2015-16 which came from parental contributions in (a) England, (b) the North East and (c) Sunderland.
Nick Gibb
The Department does not collect the information requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2015-11-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with FIFA officials on the candidacy of Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa for FIFA President.
Tracey Crouch
I have had no discussions with FIFA officials regarding candidates standing for the FIFA Presidency.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2015-11-27.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what correspondence the Government has had with the Clydesdale Bank on implementation of the Access to Banking Protocol and the (a) closure of branches and (b) reduction of banking services in the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency.
Harriett Baldwin
The Government welcomed the industry-wide Access to Banking protocol announced in March 2015. From the first of May this year, each participating bank has committed to carry out a number of steps if it is closing a branch. This includes establishing the impact of a branch closure before it takes place; finding suitable alternative provision; and putting in place suitable alternative measures before a branch is closed.
There is a commitment to review the operation of the protocol after one year. In August, the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise and I wrote to the Chief Executive of the British Bankers’ Association and requested an update on progress towards the appointment of an independent reviewer. A copy of the letter was also sent to the Chief Executives of the banks that are signatories to the Access to Banking protocol.
Banks and building societies need to balance customer interests, market competition, and other commercial factors when considering their strategy.
Decisions on the opening and closing of individual bank branches are taken by the management of each bank on a commercial basis without intervention from Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20298, if he will publish the letter the Department wrote to the Office of Rail and Road in connection with the application from Arriva Trains Wales for additional train paths to and from Manchester Airport.
Claire Perry
A copy of the letter is attached. Please note that names and details of officials below the level of Senior Civil Servant, and those of non-government officials, have been redacted.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is part of the remit of the Rural Payments Agency to check the conformity to EU marketing standards of consignments of fresh fruit and vegetables entering UK ports.
George Eustice
All fruit and vegetables must meet the EU marketing standards in Regulation 543/2011. These standards require that fruit and vegetables which are intended to be sold fresh to the consumer, may only be marketed if they are of sound, fair and marketable quality and if the country of origin is indicated. Horticultural Marketing Inspectors are part of the Rural Payments Agency and carry out these inspections for Her Majesty’s Government.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if the Government will contribute emergency aid to Fiji and its surrounding islands following the recent cyclone.
Justine Greening
The UK is assisting Fiji in response to Tropical Cyclone Winston. The UK makes core contributions to the UN Agencies, CERF, ECHO and the Red Cross, all of whom may contribute to the response. We are also contributing technical support to strengthen UNICEF’s capacity and are ready to consider further requests for humanitarian experts should it be required. DFID has also offered to provide support to the UN Disaster & Coordination team and will remain in contact with Agencies in the region.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding has been received from the EU to meet expenditure arising from or in connection with High Speed 2 since 2009.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Department for Transport was awarded €39.2 million for HS2 under the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility. This funding will be provided in stages between 2015 and 2019.