The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to conclude its consultation on changes to the fixed penalty notice and penalty points for the use of a hand-held mobile telephone whilst driving.
Andrew Jones
The public consultation closes on 15 March 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with representatives of sports governing bodies on the option for Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence Pathway Two learners to study additional qualifications funded by the Education Funding Agency.
Nick Boles
My officials have held discussions with a wide range of sports organisations including governing bodies on Apprenticeships in Sporting Excellence. A decision will be made on these alternative apprenticeships after further consideration of the extensive evidence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch on 2016-05-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the proportions, by value, of British exports of goods to EU member states invoiced in (1) sterling, (2) US dollars, and (3) euro, in 2015.
Lord Price
The data requested is not available. HM Revenue and Customs collects data on the currency of invoice for trade with non-EU countries but businesses are not required to declare the currency of invoicing for trade with EU member states.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of variation in the availability of plastics recycling facilities in different local authorities in England.
Rory Stewart
The Government works with local authorities and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to provide advice and promote best practice on waste and recycling. The UK Recycling rate has increased from 11% at the turn of the century, to 44.9% in 2014. This progress is thanks in large part to the hard work of local authorities and householders towards recycling more.
For 2015/16, local authority spend on waste services was approximately £3.5 billion, of which nearly £600 million was spent on recycling. In addition the Government, through the Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme, has allocated some £3 billion in grant funding to a number of local authority waste infrastructure projects. This funding has helped authorities to build waste treatment infrastructure including energy from waste, mechanical biological treatment, anaerobic digestion and material recovery facilities, as well as to implement household recycling collection services and communal recycling centres for plastics and other recyclable materials.
Local authorities are best placed to decide on their waste recycling services and the range of materials collected, taking into account local circumstances such as geography and population. WRAP’s best understanding of collections being operated by local authorities in England as of June 2016 shows us that 99% of English local authorities offer a collection of plastic bottles while 72% offer collection of plastic packaging, pots, tubs and trays.
I have asked WRAP to work with the waste sector, to look at the benefits and opportunities there are from having more consistency in the materials collected for recycling and in collection systems. This will help local authorities to identify value for money and to help householders recycle more and put the right materials in the right bin. This not only includes opportunities for local authorities, but also what others can do to support greater consistency and increased recycling.
I am expecting WRAP to publish a framework for greater consistency in the summer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what meetings she has had with those non-governmental organisations which receive funding from her Department since she took up office.
Rory Stewart
The Secretary of State has met a range of non-governmental organisations, including during her overseas visits. Information on Ministers’ meetings with external organisations is published as part of DFID’s quarterly Transparency return.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Quirk on 2015-11-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the press release by HMRC on 25 June, what initiatives HMRC have put in place to improve performance in respect of relieving public frustration at being able to make contact by telephone.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) recognise that their customer service has not been good enough, and have taken major steps to improve, including recruiting 3,000 new staff into customer service roles, available outside normal office hours when many of their customers choose to call them. The process of recruiting and training the new staff is now complete. These improvements have started to make a difference. This month, HMRC have answered more than 80 per cent of calls, and average queue times are now around 10 minutes.
HMRC also recognise that some customers have been waiting too long for a response to their complaint. HMRC have recovery plans in place and their performance is improving week on week.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fabian Hamilton on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how the £1 billion Ross Fund will be spent.
Mr Nick Hurd
The £1 billion Ross Fund, announced in November 2015, will target infectious diseases including malaria, diseases with epidemic potential, neglected tropical diseases which affect over a billion people globally, and antimicrobial resistance which poses a substantial and growing threat to global health. The goal of the Ross Fund is to develop, test and deliver a range of new products (including vaccines, drugs and diagnostics) to help combat these diseases in developing countries. The finer details about the Fund are currently under development
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether parity of esteem is applicable to terrorists who operated in Northern Ireland and resided in the Republic of Ireland.
Lord Dunlop
I have nothing further to add to my earlier responses on parity of esteem.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on developing proposals for implementing the Youth Obligation; and what organisations his Department are consulting to inform that process.
Priti Patel
The detailed policy design is still under development. We will set out our policy design for the Youth Obligation in due course.
We will be conducting a stakeholder engagement exercise with organisations and employers shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse was of the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information.
Matthew Hancock
The total expenditure of the Commission will be published in due course.