The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on reviewing sentencing for crimes which involve violence or cruelty against animals.
George Eustice
My officials are in regular dialogue with Ministry of Justice colleagues in relation to sentencing policy with respect to animal cruelty offences including animal fighting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock on 2016-10-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the composition of the government of St Helena, and by whom each member of that government is appointed or elected.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The St Helena Government comprises of:
A Governor appointed by the Foreign Secretary of behalf of the Queen.
An Executive Council of twelve elected members and three members of St Helena Government who are appointed by the Governor.
A Legislative Council of five elected members and three senior members of the St Helena Government who are appointed by the Governor.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2015-11-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2015 to Question 15131, what discussions the Government has had with Heathrow Airport on the mitigation measures proposed for Heathrow expansion in the Airport Commission’s final report; what information the Government has received from Heathrow Airport in response to those discussions; and what account the Government will take of the response from Heathrow Airport in reaching a final decision.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Airports Commission’s final report proposed a package of potential mitigation measures for all major UK airports as well as specific ones for Heathrow. Separately from its consideration of the evidence set out in the Airports Commission’s Final Report, the Government is also engaging in discussions with all three of the scheme promoters shortlisted in the Airports Commission’s Interim Report in order to understand the likely timescales, risks and dependencies associated with delivering each of the three schemes. The Government has yet to decide on the need for additional airport capacity and will not make any decisions on the next steps until it has considered the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of making penalties for data breaches a criminal act in which negligence is involved.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Government keeps the sanctions available for breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) periodically under review. The Information Commissioner alreadyhas the power to serve a Civil Monetary Penalty of up to £500,000 for‘serious’ contraventions of the DPA.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects to reply to the letters to him from the hon. Member for Tewkesbury dated 20 July 2015 and 21 October 2015 on the treatment of veterans and the terms of the Military Covenant.
Michael Fallon
The case that the hon. Member refers to is complicated and sensitive and is still being reviewed by officials. I will write to him as soon as this review concludes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the recommendation in the Chief Schools Adjudicator for England’s Annual Report, published in December 2015, that her Department should clarify what is expected in guidance produced by relevant religious authorities for schools which give priority on the grounds of religion in their admission arrangements.
Nick Gibb
Admission authorities for all state-funded schools, including schools with a religious character, are required to comply with the School Admissions Code. This includes a requirement that ‘parents should be able to look at a set of arrangements and understand easily how places for that school will be allocated’.
We support the right of schools with a religious designation to prioritise children of their faith. The code requires such schools, as a minimum, to prioritise looked after and previously looked after children of their faith ahead of other children. We have no plans to change this requirement.
The code can only be applied to bodies within the education sector. It cannot place requirements upon religious bodies. It does, however, require that when schools with a religious designation adopt admission criteria which prioritise children based on their faith, the schools must take account of religious activities as laid out by their religious authority.
Compliance with the code is enforced by the Schools Adjudicator. Where an objection is made and the adjudicator finds that the arrangements are unclear, unfair, or that they otherwise fail to comply with the code, the admission authority is required by law to change the policy.
The Government will shortly consult on a package of changes to the code which will both respond to the findings within the Chief Adjudicator’s Annual Reports and concerns raised by parents. That package will include measures to improve fairness and transparency.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the British armed forces are currently stationed in each of the UK’s overseas territories.
Penny Mordaunt
There are 2,570 British Service personnel permanently based in British Overseas Territories. This figure includes those based in the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus, Gibraltar, the South Atlantic Islands and British Indian Ocean Territory (including Diego Garcia). It excludes those deployed on operations. The breakdown of these figures is shown below. The Ministry of Defence regularly publishes the location figures for both military and civilian personnel, which can be accessed on the GOV.UK website.
|
UK Overseas Territory |
Number of Armed Forces Personnel Stationed |
|
Cyprus (SBA) |
2,290 |
|
Gibraltar |
160 |
|
South Atlantic Islands |
80 |
|
British Indian Ocean Territory (including Diego Garcia) |
40 |
|
TOTAL |
2,570 |
(Location of UK regular service and civilian personnel quarterly statistics – 1 January 2016)
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his policy is on publication of the registers of gifts and hospitality for civil servants.
Matthew Hancock
We publish details of gifts and hospitality received by the most senior civil servants on a quarterly basis.
The rules for civil servants, including special advisers, on the acceptance of gifts and hospitality are set out in the Civil Service Code, Civil Service Management Code and departmental staff handbooks.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy McDonald on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how frequent the partnership meetings between his Department and Rail North are; and who represents his Department at those meetings.
Andrew Jones
The Rail North Partnership Strategic Board currently meets on a monthly basis to oversee the work of the Partnership Management Team.
The Department’s representatives on this Board are the Markets Director, Passenger Services; the Deputy Director Midlands, North & Wales, Passenger Services; and the Programme Director, Network Services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-07-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress the UK–German initiative for Bosnia–Herzegovina, announced in November 2014, has made; what recent discussions they have had with the government of Germany regarding that initiative; and what plans there are for continued UK engagement in that initiative.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK-German initiative was adopted by the EU at the December 2014 Foreign Affairs Council. Since then, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) party leaders have signed a written commitment to implement a package of reforms (Reform Agenda); BiH’s Stabilisation and Association Agreement has come into force (1 June 2015); and BiH submitted its application for EU membership on 15 February 2016. Whilst some progress has been made in implementing the Reform Agenda, more needs to be done. The Government is in regular contact with Germany, other Member States and the EU institutions to encourage BiH’s leaders to maintain progress on reform. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed implementation of the Reform Agenda with the Chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers, Denis Zvizdić, when they met on 11 July.