The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he is taking to promote the use of credit unions in the work of his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Stephen Crabb
I refer the hon Member to the answer given by my hon Friend, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Harriett Baldwin) on 2 November 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Antoinette Sandbach on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to extend the Independent Police Complaint Commission’s remit to oversee complaints against private security companies performing outsourced policing functions.
Mike Penning
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (Complaints and Misconduct) (Contrac-tor) Regulations 2015, provides the IPCC with the power to deal with complaints, conduct matters and matters relating to deaths and serious injury (DSI) involving those who have entered into a contract with a local policing body or a chief officer to provide services to a chief officer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on preventing the practice of capturing and breaking young elephants in India for use in the tourism industry.
Mr Hugo Swire
We are aware of reports that some elephants in use in the tourist industry in India have been captured as calves and then beaten and mistreated. This practice is illegal in India. Officials in London have discussed this issue with Save The Asian Elephant (STAE), an organisation that works to stop this cruel treatment.
The UK is committed to conserving Asian elephants and recognises the growing threats to their populations, particularly from poaching and cross-border, illegal trade in live animals to feed the demand by the tourist and entertainment industries. The UK has been working internationally through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in discussion with elephant range states, including India, to increase protection for Asian elephants. We secured agreement from the Indian government in 2014 for elephant range states to put in place measures to prevent illegal trade in live elephants.
It is not for the Government to make British citizens aware of this practice. However, we will continue to work together with the Indian authorities, as well as STAE and other non-governmental organisations, on protecting elephants.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for the replacement of radar capable of distinguishing between wind turbines and missiles at its Hebridean range.
Mr Philip Dunne
Air space management and missile tracking activity at the Hebrides Test and Evaluation Range requires interaction between three local radar systems. A technical upgrade of one radar system was undertaken earlier this year including capability to potentially mitigate the detection of aircraft type targets from possible interference from wind turbines. In the next few years it is also planned to replace a second radar system, although on current plans this will not include capability to mitigate wind turbine interference. There are no plans to replace the third radar system which is not susceptible to interference from wind turbines.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of efficiency savings arising from his Department’s digital strategies in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.
Mr Edward Vaizey
DCMS has made significant savings by working with the Government Digital Service to streamline it’s IT services, in line with other Government departments. Cabinet Office and DCMS now share a technology platform for common technology systems, which has allowed the Department to reduce its annual running IT costsfrom £3.79 million to £1.75 million – a saving of over £2 million per year (this does not include capital costs or costs associated with DCMS specific business systems or projects.) Due to costs associated with adapting to the new system, savings in 2014-15 were approximately a third of that.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Chinese government on the imprisonment of Liu Xiaobo.
Mr Hugo Swire
We pay close attention to the human rights situation in China, and consistently raise the range of our concerns with the Chinese authorities. We did so in detail at the most recent UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, held in Beijing in April. We raised the case of Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia immediately prior to the Dialogue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2015 to Question 12217, on judicial co-operation with Saudi Arabia, when those discussions took place.
Dominic Raab
Discussions are ongoing. No work has yet been undertaken by the Ministry of Justice as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-10-26.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time equivalent staff in the Tax Credit Office were allocated to deal with representations from hon. Members relating to constituents’ concerns about tax credits on 1 October (a) 2011, (b) 2012, (c) 2013, (d) 2014 and (e) 2015.
Damian Hinds
HMRC do not hold the requested data.
HMRC requires many of its staff, as part of their roles, to contribute to dealing with tax credits enquiries from Members.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the apprenticeships levy rate will be.
Nick Boles
My Rt hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce further details of the apprenticeship levy at the Spending Review, including the scope and rate of the levy and how it will operate with respect to the Devolved Administrations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many sites are approved for fracking in England and Wales; what the location is of each such site; and if she will make a statement.
Andrea Leadsom
Licensing and consent of onshore oil and gas activities in England is now a matter for the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA). Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences are not specific to shale gas. They grant exclusive rights to extract hydrocarbons, including shale gas but also other hydrocarbons, within a particular onshore area. A separate consent from the OGA is required before any drilling or hydraulic fracturing (fracking) can take place, as well as planning permission, environmental permits and review of the well design by the Health and Safety Executive.
The OGA does not have any undetermined consent applications.