The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8120, what the range is of the RAF Sea King helicopter resource in its coverage of Atlantic waters.
Mr Philip Dunne
The operational range of RAF Sea King helicopters is some 210-240 nautical miles.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 80 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what the 170 investments to sustain and enhance defence capabilities are.
Mr Philip Dunne
The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 (Cm 9161) set out the range of capabilities that, taken together, will sustain and enhance our ability to fulfil Defence’s contribution to UK National Security.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in excess winter mortality rates in North East England in the winter of 2014-15.
Jane Ellison
The increased excess deaths in 2014-15 coincided with the circulation of a strain of flu, A(H3N2), that particularly affects older people. Cold snaps and other respiratory infections may also have contributed to an increase in excess mortality. There was evidence also that the flu vaccine provided reduced protection due to some drift of the circulating A(H3N2) virus.
These observations were not unique to the United Kingdom, with 14 other European countries also reporting an increase in excess mortality. Throughout the last decade, there has generally been a good match between the strains of flu in the vaccine and those that subsequently circulate, highlighting the importance of flu vaccination for at risk groups, including older people and also the childhood flu vaccine programme, which when rolled out, aims to provide protection for both children, but also the general population.
Public Health England has no such data available for North East England.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he expects to have body scanners to help detect illicit substances installed in prisons.
Andrew Selous
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) deploys a comprehensive range of robust searching and security measures to detect items of contraband both at the point of entry to the prison and concealed within the prison. NOMS continues to explore new methods of preventing drugs coming into prisons and body scanners are seen as a valuable part of this strategy.
An independent expert panel is assessing the use of a body scanner at HMP Wandsworth, as required by the Justification of Practices Involving lionising Radiation Regulations 2004.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Framlingham on 2016-02-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the dangers posed to trees and shrubs by Xylella fastidiosa, and the experiences of France and Italy in tackling that disease, what steps they are taking (1) to prevent it entering this country, and (2) to deal with any incursion should it occur.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Xylella fastidiosa is a regulated pathogen in the EU under the Plant Health Directive, with strengthened requirements now in place in response to the risk posed by this organism. This includes measures to protect against its introduction from countries outside the EU, as well as requirements to prevent infected material being moved from areas within the EU where it is present.
Xylella fastidiosa is currently not present in the UK and we are taking robust action to protect against its introduction, including restricting high-risk imports, inspecting host material from outside the EU and raising awareness, through publicity and direct interaction with growers and trade associations.
Our aim is to prevent further introductions into the EU as a whole (thereby protecting the UK) and to prevent spread from areas of the EU where it is present. This includes engaging actively with our EU partners and the European Commission on ensuring we have the best possible protective measures in place.
Imports of host plants from outside the EU can now only take place where the pest status of the country or origin has been confirmed and when stringent import conditions have been met. All such imports are inspected at points of entry. Plant species which have been confirmed as a host in the EU must now be accompanied by a Plant Passport, meaning they can only be moved into and within the UK by officially authorised businesses. Additional requirements apply to areas where the pathogen is present to prevent the movement of potentially infected plants from such areas.
Through our delivery bodies we are applying the EU-wide provisions as well as carrying out surveillance visits of premises growing and trading host plants. In the event of an incursion, a full investigation would take place to determine the circumstances and the actions required. Should an outbreak occur, the requirements of the EU Decision would apply, including destruction of infected and potentially infected plants and demarcation of the outbreak area with restrictions imposed in line with the Decision. We are working closely with industry bodies to raise awareness and encourage good practice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of replacing final consumption levies on energy storage devices with a net charging levy to ensure that energy storage devices are not charged twice.
Andrea Leadsom
We have identified the issue raised and are actively working on what actions can be taken to ensure policy levies are not overpaid by storage providers. Net charging is just one of the proposed solutions, and we are discussing a range of options with stakeholders. We expect to set out our views in the coming months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the 10 largest grants to fund research into the use of laser treatment for cancers made from the science budget were in the last five years; and when the results of such research will be published.
Joseph Johnson
Research into cancer involving proton therapy and laser treatment falls within the remit of the Research Councils.
I have asked the Chair of the Research Councils UK Strategic Executive to write to the hon. Member and I will place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-03.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that postal votes and ballot papers are sent only to eligible voters for the forthcoming EU referendum.
John Penrose
The referendum will be overseen by the Chief Counting Officer, chair of the independent Electoral Commission, who is responsible for making sure the referendum is held in accordance with the legislation. The Electoral Commission made a statement on "non-eligible EU citizen voters" on the 2 June 2016 which can be found at http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the value of the video games industry to the UK economy.
Matt Hancock
Latest estimates from the DCMS Creative Industries Economic Estimates (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/creative-industries-economic-estimates-january-2016 ) show that Gross Value Added for the computer games industry in the UK was £426m in 2014.
Research by Nesta and trade association Ukie (http://www.nesta.org.uk/publications/map-uk-games-industry ) seeks to include the contribution of micro-businesses together with official statistics and this suggested that the contribution of video games could be substantially higher. We look forward to seeing the next iteration of this research which is due to be revealed this month and aims to further reflect the fast growing nature of the UK’s digital businesses.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that social media activity by terrorist groups both within the UK and abroad is effectively monitored.
Mr Ben Wallace
This Government takes extremely seriously the threat from those that post online terrorist and extremist material.
In the UK, our dedicated police Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) proactively identifies and refers online terrorist and extremist content to communication service providers for removal. Since its inception in February 2010, CTIRU has secured the removal of more than 220,000 pieces of terrorist-related content. Its work has a global impact as content is removed by industry from their social media platforms world-wide.
Internationally, the UK assisted in the establishment of the European Internet Referrals Unit (EUIRU) which replicates the UK model at European level and services all Member States. The Unit went live on 1 July 2015 and has focused on a broad range of non-English language content, including Arabic, French and German. Since its creation, the EUIRU has secured the removal of over 12,000 pieces of terrorist-related content.