The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2015-12-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had discussions with the Chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission concerning railway links between London and south-west England.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The government has had discussions on a range of topics with the Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission. The commission will examine all forms of economic infrastructure, including rail transport.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian effect of the planning process in Area C of the West Bank.
Mr Desmond Swayne
According to the UN, Palestinians in the OPTs face a range of serious threats including threats to life, destruction of homes and forced displacement. Planning helps stop demolitions and displacement, which have a negative humanitarian impact and continue to undermine development. The UK strongly supports development of Area C and continues to fund the development of Palestinian outline plans to improve communities’ access to services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Leslie on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to introduce legislative proposals related to the agreement reached on the UK’s relationship with the EU at the European Council on 19 February 2016.
Mr David Lidington
At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement giving the UK a special status in a reformed EU.
The Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. The UK does intend to pass domestic legislation where necessary to underpin this settlement, following a vote to remain in the EU in the referendum.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to take steps to introduce more standardised taxi licensing regulations between authorities in close geographical proximity.
Andrew Jones
Local licensing authorities are empowered to set standards for taxi and private hire vehicle services that best meet the needs of their local area. In doing so, the safety of the travelling public must always be the first priority.
Whilst the Department issues Best Practice Guidance to assist local authorities set standards, the Government does not at this time plan to introduce standardised licensing criteria.
Nevertheless, it is prudent for local authorities to consider the standards of neighbouring authorities, and consult those authorities, when setting standards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many take charge requests under each article of the Dublin regulations were (a) received, (b) accepted and (c) rejected by the Government in each month since April 2015.
James Brokenshire
Whilst all asylum claims, including those accepted under Dublin III, are registered on the main immigration database the specifics of each case are not currently available in the form requested as the data is not held in a way that allows it to be reported on automatically.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on the future availability of protected sporting events on free-to-air television; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Ofcom Code on Listed Events ensures that key sporting events are made available for free-to-air channels. Our sport strategy, Sporting Future: A new strategy for an active nation, published December 2015, made clear that the Government does not propose to review this list.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the Government is providing to micro-insurance schemes in developing countries for the protection of livelihoods from the effects of climate change.
Rory Stewart
DFID’s work on climate resilience includes a number of weather-related microinsurance initiatives and a major research programme on scaling up microinsurance in the agricultural sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Lord on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of noise from Heathrow Airport on people living in the Woking constituency; and if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of an increase in such noise as a result of the construction of a third runway.
Mr John Hayes
The Airports Commission shortlisted three airport expansion schemes, two at Heathrow and one at Gatwick. The Government accepted the Commission’s shortlist in December 2015 and is considering all of the evidence, including on noise, very carefully before reaching a view on its preferred scheme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what timetable he proposes for legislative reform of the regulation of health care professionals.
Ben Gummer
This Government is grateful for the work of the Law Commissions of England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in reviewing the regulation of health and (in England) social care professionals.
The Law Commissions made 125 recommendations to reform the existing complex and burdensome regulatory system. The joint four UK country response to the Law Commissions was published on 29 January 2015 which accepted wholly or in part the vast majority of its recommendations.
The Department is currently reviewing how best to take forward the work of the Law Commissions. We hope to be able to provide an update on this work soon.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Truscott on 2015-12-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the current weekly costs of the Chilcot Inquiry.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The Iraq Inquiry, which is independent of Government, publishes its annual costs after the end of each financial year. The Inquiry’s costs for FY 2014/15 were £1,358,500, providing an average weekly cost in the last financial year of £26,125.