The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations his Department has (a) received and (b) made on guidance on volume controls of mobile phones and other devices using headphones.
Anna Soubry
The Department has received no representations nor made any guidance regarding the volume controls of mobile phones and other devices using headphones.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of immigration from (a) EEA member states and (b) states from outside the EEA on the level of demand for children’s services in each year from 2016 to 2030.
Edward Timpson
The Department uses population projections published by the Office for National Statistics, which include migration, to plan for future demand on children’s services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual cost is of safeguarding the Trident nuclear deterrent.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Department does not cost the safeguarding and security of individual capabilities. Given the multi-layered make up of security arrangements protecting the deterrent, overlapping with those of wider defence personnel and capabilities, identifying accurate costs could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
The in-service costs of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, including the costs of safeguarding, is estimated to be around six per cent of the annual defence budget.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lyn Brown on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will take steps to reduce the number of non-recyclable paper coffee cups used in the UK.
Dr Thérèse Coffey
Paper coffee cups are covered by the Packaging Waste Regulations. The UK meets its packaging waste recovery and recycling targets through a market-based approach. These targets are reviewed periodically to encourage more recycling of packaging, including paper and cardboard. Packaging producers who put more than 50 tonnes a year of packaging materials on the market and have an annual turnover of more than £2 million are required to recover and recycle a proportion of their packaging waste. As a result, major coffee chains pick up a financial obligation to recycle their packaging waste, including paper coffee cups, through this mechanism.
We are aware of many major chains who are taking their own action to incentivise environmentally friendly behaviour, for example, offering a reusable cup discount on drinks if people bring their own cups.
Industry has also put in place the Paper Cup Recycling and Recovery Group (PCRRG). As part of this, a manifesto signed by over 40 companies was launched on 27 June this year, with the aim of “significantly increasing paper cup recovery and recycling rates by 2020”.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-10-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has received representations from Northern Ireland authorities on potential human rights, reputational implications and other concerns for the Northern Ireland Co-operation Overseas Ltd undertaking a contract to work for the Bahraini prison system.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK Government continues to assist Bahrain in their reform agenda including by working with the Northern Ireland Co-operation Overseas programme whose aims are to assist the Government of Bahrain to bring its justice system into compliance with international standards. We enjoy a close relationship with the Devolved Administrations and would certainly work with the Northern Ireland authorities on any issue.
The UK Government continues to have frank discussions with the Government of Bahrain at all levels about our concerns on some cases brought against political opposition members and human rights activists.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase the level of competition among milk processors.
George Eustice
The Government is committed to championing a thriving and competitive British food and farming sector. We worked closely with the dairy industry to produce the ‘Leading the Way’ Growth Plan, which aims to improve long-term efficiency and competitiveness, and encourage processors to invest.
We are taking forward a series of measures to help farming businesses grow and thrive. Based on 2012 data, there are approximately 400 dairy processors in the UK, including farmer co-operatives, private dairy companies and public limited companies, with considerable variety and diversity, particularly in the cheese sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what he weight he plans to give to the views of people living close to the proposed shale gas well at Roseacre and Preston New Road in the process for considering planning appeals by Cuadrilla Resources to build wells at those sites.
James Wharton
A planning appeal is a quasi-judicial process, and every application needs to be considered on its individual merits, with due process, in light of the relevant material considerations. To avoid prejudicing the decisions, I should not comment further but can reassure my hon. Friend that all relevant issues identified by local people in the current appeals by Cuadrilla Resources will be given very careful consideration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Prime Minister, how many mental health services he has visited since May 2010; and what the (a) date and (b) location was of each such visit.
Mr David Cameron
Details of my visits within the United Kingdom are published on the gov.uk website.
Most recently, on 11 January I visited Family Action in London where I announced £290 million of new investment over the next 5 years to provide mental healthcare for new mums, £247 million to invest in liaison mental health services in emergency departments, over £400 million to enable 24/7 treatment in communities as a safe and effective alternative to hospital and expanded services to help teenagers with eating disorders. This builds on previous government funding commitments for mental health over the last 12 months, including £150 million for young people with eating disorders and £1.25 billion for perinatal and children and young people’s mental health.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Turnberg on 2016-02-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of benefit payments to EU immigrants during the last two years for which data are available.
Lord Freud
The information on benefit receipt by nationality is not available.
The Department has published statistics on working age benefit recipients claiming within 6 months of National Insurance Number (NINO) registration. This information is known as “Nationality at point of National Insurance number registration of DWP benefit claimants” and is included in the “Statistical Bulletin on National Insurance Number Allocations to Adult Overseas Nationals”.
The Government is looking at ways to reform the current administrative system under Universal Credit so that it will systematically record nationality and immigration status of migrants who make a claim.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February 2016 to Question 26010, when he expects to establish a reading room for hon. Members to access TTIP consolidated texts.
Anna Soubry
The reading room for classified documents, including consolidated texts, relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is not yet open. Members of both Houses will be informed of the process and details of how to access the room shortly, once these have been finalised.