UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Fiona Bruce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Fiona Bruce – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent UK companies profiting from North Korean labour; and what steps he is taking to ensure that UK companies are compliant with international law on human trafficking, slavery and forced labour in their contracts in North Korea.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK is the first country to publish the Implementation Plan of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which states the Government’s expectation of business behaviour both in the UK and overseas. In October 2013, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills amended the Companies Act 2006 to introduce mandatory reporting requirements for all UK listed companies to publish information on human rights issues. At the EU level, the UK in April this year secured agreement to impose further reporting requirements on companies across Europe. In particular, all large listed and public interest undertakings will be required to disclose policies, outcomes and risks relating to areas such as respect for human rights and, if relevant, linked to their supply and subcontracting chain.

    Current trade between the UK and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is minimal and covered by an overarching provision that any activities should satisfy existing UN and EU sanctions. These refer to restriction in the export of goods and financial assistance, which may contribute to the development of the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. There are currently no plans to introduce a general restriction on trade, as such a broad measure could adversely affect ordinary North Koreans.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Stephenson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fixed penalty notices were issued to drivers of vehicles registered in another country that should have been but were not registered in the UK in each of the last five years.

    Stephen Hammond

    Failure to register a vehicle following the six-month exemption period is not an offence for which a fixed penalty notice can be issued. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency instead writes to keepers of these vehicles offering them an out of court settlement where it appears that an offence has been committed, so that the matter may be resolved without court proceedings. The table below shows the amount of these out of court settlement letters issued in the last five financial years.

    YEAR

    NUMBER OF OCS ISSUED

    09/10

    108

    10/11

    83

    11/12

    192

    12/13

    59

    13/14

    84

    Since April 2014, 237 out of court settlement letters have been issued.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Kevin Brennan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) dates and times and (b) purpose of all visits to his Department by Dominic Cummings have been since Mr Cummings resigned his post as a special adviser.

    Elizabeth Truss

    This information is not held. Mr Cummings is no longer employed by the Department for Education.

  • Robert Syms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Robert Syms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Syms on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the unit mitigation cost of Navitus Bay in sterling and in US dollars per Kelvin of global warming abated will be as a result of the proposed wind farm.

    Gregory Barker

    The Department does not undertake analysis or hold information of this nature relating to specific developments.

  • Thérèse Coffey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Thérèse Coffey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thérèse Coffey on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many xx-positive cases have been recorded in the UK in each of the last 30 years.

    Jane Ellison

    The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that no Trichinella infection has been found in United Kingdom domestic livestock in the past 30 years. Trichinella infection in food producing animals is controlled by European Union regulations, which are directly applicable in the UK. UK industry routinely tests export pigs as required by their export markets, and all sows and boars, horses and feral wild boar going through approved establishments for Trichinella (which currently amounts to about 3–4 million pigs a year), alongside a FSA programme of surveillance in wildlife.

    Monitoring for evidence of Trichinella infection in foxes has been carried out in the UK since 1999. Foxes are tested because they are a good indicator of the presence of infection. There have been only two incidences of Trichinella Spiralis found in foxes in Northern Ireland, one in 2007 and one in 2009, and just one incident of Trichinella Pseudospiralis in a fox in Great Britain in 2013.

    In terms of human infections, Trichinellosis in humans is notifiable to the Department and any case that occurs is investigated and where possible the source of infection is identified. There have been no human cases acquired from meat produced in the UK for more than 30 years.

    Ten cases of trichinellosis were diagnosed in the UK between 2000 and 2012, including an outbreak of eight cases in England and Wales in 2000. Eight of these cases were associated with the consumption of imported meat products. The remaining two cases were travel related where infection was acquired abroad: one case in 2001, and the other 2010.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Israeli counterpart in favour of the removal of demolition orders from all structures at the Tent of Nations farm outside Nahalin village on the West Bank.

    Hugh Robertson

    We have no plans, at the moment, to raise this specific issue with the Israeli authorities. However, we repeatedly make clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concerns about continued demolitions of Palestinian property and the need to abide by their other obligations under international law. Officials from the British Embassy in Tel Aviv raised the broad issue of demolitions on 28 May with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office.

  • Miss Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Miss Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what future plans he has for community hospitals in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The majority of NHS services, including services provided in community hospitals, are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). Future plans for community hospitals therefore need to be developed locally rather than determined at a national level.

    NHS England expects CCGs’ commissioning decisions to be underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs and to have regard to the need to address health inequalities.

  • Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame M. Morris on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answers given to the Rt hon. Member for Chelmsford of 4 March 2014, Official Report, columns 768-9W, on cancer: drugs, and to the hon. Member for Wells of 19 March 2014, Official Report, column 614W, on National Institute for Health Research, if he will place in the Library the data used to calculate those Answers.

    Norman Lamb

    Prior to April 2013, the Cancer Drugs Fund was administered through clinical panels based in each strategic health authority and the Department collected information on spend and number of patients treated by drug.

    NHS England has had oversight of the Cancer Drugs Fund since April 2013 and publishes information on spend and patient numbers routinely on its website at:

    www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/

    National Institute for Health Research expenditure is reported in the Department’s annual report and accounts.

    Copies of the information used to provide answers to the Rt hon. Member for Chelmsford on 4 March 2014, Official Report, columns 768-9W and to the hon. Member for Wells on 19 March 2014, Official Report, column 614W have been placed in the Library.

  • Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Grahame M. Morris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame M. Morris on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 11 November 2013, Official Report, columns 419-20W, on animals: experiments, when the Animals in Science Committee will publish its review of the Home Office inspectorate’s report and Imperial College’s independent report on the investigation into animal experiments at Imperial College, London; and when this report will be placed in the Library.

    Norman Baker

    A draft of the report will be presented to the Animals in Science Committee for discussion and agreement on 23 June 2014. Subject to any amendments that the Committee may require, it is expected that the report will be published shortly thereafter.

  • Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the policy is of the Passport Office on the passing of information on the status of a delayed passport application when dealing with correspondence from an hon. Member acting on behalf of a constituent.

    James Brokenshire

    Her Majesty’s Passport Office’s policy is to make available the same
    information to MPs and their constituency secretaries as they would
    to their constituents. On receipt of correspondence on behalf of a constituent, it
    is deemed that the constituent has provided authority for their MP to act on
    their behalf. This applies to written, e-mailed and telephone correspondence.