The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many members of staff his Department has recruited since it was established.
Mr David Jones
The department now has over 180 staff in London. The Department has recruited the brightest and the best from across the civil service and brings together policy expertise from across the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Foreign Office and the wider Civil Service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce food waste in government departments and publicly funded bodies; and if she will make a statement.
Dr Thérèse Coffey
Defra is one of the signatories to the Courtauld Commitment 2025. This is a commitment by stakeholders across the UK food and drink system – from producer to consumer – to work together to respond to pressures on increasingly scarce resources. All the food waste from Defra’s London canteen is recycled.
Reducing waste from Government departments is a key focus of the Greening Government Commitments. In 2014-15, Government departments collectively recorded a 22% reduction in overall waste compared to a 2009-10 baseline. The Greening Government target for waste has focused on the top of the waste hierarchy – that is, reducing overall waste, allowing individual departments to take action on different waste streams as appropriate to their specific operations and material impacts.
A new framework of Greening Government targets covering the period to 2020 will be announced soon.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pauline Latham on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that any agreement on a central registry of beneficial ownership in Bermuda includes access for the public with legitimate reason.
James Duddridge
In March the Financial Secretary to the Treasury and I wrote to the Premier of Bermuda asking him to set out plans and a timetable for the implementation of a central register of company beneficial ownership, or similarly effective system, to meet three criteria, including law enforcement access. Bermuda has had a central registry of company and trust beneficiaries since 1939. It includes all shareholdings above 10% compared to the 25% which is the threshold for the UK’s register. The information is updated in real time and is already shared with law enforcement and tax authorities on request. We remain of the view that a public central register is the best approach to improve company transparency.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-11-25.
To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, how many graves in each church yard in each diocese in England were vandalised in 2014.
Mrs Caroline Spelman
The information requested is not retained at the national level and would incur a disproportionate cost to produce.
Wilful damage and theft of monumental stonework causes much emotional and financial distress. The Church is continuing to work with local Dioceses, police, insurers and local communities to improve security and awareness.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 January 2016 to Question 15523, when he last reviewed alleged violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen.
Mr Philip Hammond
The UK keeps adherence to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) under constant review. The Ministry of Defence monitors alleged IHL violations, using available information, which in turn informs our overall assessment of IHL compliance in Yemen. We consider a range of information from government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations. The UK government has regularly raised with the Saudi Government the need to comply with IHL in Yemen and we continue to engage with them on this. I raised the issue of compliance with IHL during my October visit to Saudi Arabia. We have also raised our concerns with the Houthis on the importance of compliance with IHL. It is important that open and transparent investigations are conducted into all incidents where it is alleged that IHL has been breached. We welcome the public announcement by Saudi Arabia to establish a fact finding committee into the alleged airstrike on MSF mobile clinic in Taiz on 2 December.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that out-of-hours GP services have access to patients’ medical records.
Alistair Burt
Summary Care Records are being introduced to improve the safety and quality of patient care. The Summary Care Record is a single electronic record held centrally so will give healthcare staff faster, easier access to essential information and help to give patients safe treatment during an emergency or when their general practitioner (GP) surgery is closed.
55.06 million people have had a Summary Care Record created and the Summary Care Record is currently enabled in 102 out of 154 Out of Hours GP Services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Neill on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to reduce the time taken for London applicants to receive a response from Disclosure and Barring Service checks.
Karen Bradley
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to help MPS meet its Service Level Agreement targets. The performance of police disclosure units is an operational issue for individual police forces and the Disclosure and Barring Service.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has established a Gold Group, on which DBS is represented, to oversee the recovery plan in place to reduce the time taken for applicants awaiting a response to Disclosure and Barring checks. I have made clear to the MPS that its current delays must be addressed as a matter of priority and I continue to maintain close oversight of the progress being made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 24859, what funding options for Channel 4 the Government is considering.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The government is looking at a broad range of options for the future of Channel 4, including those proposed by Channel 4’s leadership. We want to ensure a strong and secure future for the broadcaster in what is a fast-changing and challenging environment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Whitehead on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what guidance she plans to provide to the oil and gas industry on the definition of satisfactory commercial return used in her Department’s report, Maximising economic recovery strategy for the UK, published in January 2016.
Andrea Leadsom
The published MER UK Strategy included, in its annex, a definition of “satisfactory expected commercial return”. Any guidance for industry would be an Oil and Gas Authority matter and they will work with industry to support effective implementation of the MER UK Strategy. The Secretary of State does not intend to issue further guidance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Evans on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to accelerate the rollout of broadband in (a) rural and (b) urban areas.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The BDUK programme continues to work with BT and other suppliers to bring forward delivery of superfast broadband across the UK. 9 out of 10 homes and businesses can now receive superfast speeds and we remain on track to reach 95% by end of 2017.