The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many trade deals the UK has with other Commonwealth countries.
Greg Hands
The EU has trade agreements in place with 23 Commonwealth countries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of (a) long-term skills and employment needs of the digital economy, (b) the role apprenticeships could play in meeting those needs and (c) the role alternative forms of professional training and vocational education could play in meeting those needs; and whether he plans for alternative forms of digital skills development to be supported by the Apprenticeship Levy.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Research from the Tech Partnership, estimates over a million new recruits are needed for digital roles across the workforce by 2023, including in growth areas such as cyber security, data analytics, cloud and mobile computing skills.
Apprenticeships have a key role to play in meeting the UK’s digital skills requirements. As part of the commitment to reach 3 million apprenticeships starts by 2020, Government is supporting the growth of apprenticeships in digital industry occupations at a range of levels, including the Digital Degree Apprenticeship. Employer-led apprenticeship reforms continue to improve quality and provide the high level skills that employers need.
Planned reforms to technical and professional education will introduce a new system of clear progression routes, from school to skilled employment.
The Chancellor will announce further details of the Apprenticeship Levy at the Spending Review, including the scope and rate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps the Government is taking to promote Northern Ireland as a destination for meetings, events and conferences.
Mr Ben Wallace
Measures to provide a further boost to tourism were included in the economic pact, Building a Prosperous and United Community, which was agreed between the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. This includes a UK-Ireland visa system, which means that people from China and India can visit both countries with a single visa, thus encouraging tourism, business links and inward investment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a comparative assessment of the (a) cost of construction, (b) environmental effects and (c) construction time of High Speed 2 and a conventional electrified rail line along the High Speed 2 route.
Mr Robert Goodwill
A comparative assessment of the costs of construction and environmental effects of a High Speed and conventional electrified line was presented in the November 2013 HS2 Ltd report; London – West Midlands environmental Statement, Volume 5, Alternatives Report. The comparative assessment with a conventional line can be found from page 23 of the report which can be accessed online via
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on potential links between taking antidepressants in pregnancy and autism in children.
George Freeman
Studies looking at the use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants in pregnancy have found conflicting results on a potential link with autism in children. The European Medicines Agency is evaluating any possible link between taking SSRIs in pregnancy and the risk of autism and related conditions in children. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will consult its expert advisory body as necessary as part of this review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department’s (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.
Mr Desmond Swayne
DFID has 88 Senior Civil Servants (SCS) of which 45 (51%) are based in London. DFID has 225 roles designated as having a policy element of which 139 (62%) are based in London.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Cashman on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to ensure that the UK is represented at ministerial level during the Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference in Uruguay from 13 to 15 July.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
As I set out to the House on the 21 March, and in my answers of 5 April, and the noble Baroness Verma’s answer of 31 March, the British Government will send a delegation to the Global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and/or Intersex (LGBTI) Human Rights Conference taking place in Montevideo in July.
The Government is clear in its belief that human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people everywhere. We are opposed to all forms of discrimination and work to uphold the rights and freedoms of LGBTI people in all circumstances. We support the key objectives of the conference: to provide an important opportunity to share information, best practice and lessons learned with partners and to discuss how to better coordinate international efforts to support the promotion and protection of the rights of LGBTI people worldwide. We are committed to working with those countries that will be represented at the conference, and others, to better coordinate work to combat discrimination and violence against LGBTI people. This forms an important part of our wider international human rights work.
Precise composition of the UK delegation to the conference remains to be confirmed. With the exception of the co-hosts, the Governments of the Netherlands and Uruguay, we judge it likely that countries will be represented at official level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Answer of 14 April 2016 to Question 33419, what the next steps are and when she expects to come to a final position on the UK and French tiering proposal for Phase IV of the EU Emissions Trading System.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government supports the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) as a market-based approach to achieve least-cost decarbonisation and maintain a level playing field across the EU. Negotiations to reform and strengthen the EU ETS for the next phase of the system are still in the early stages. Following the joint UK-France proposals on tiering of EU ETS free allowances in February, officials have continued to discuss this in greater detail with counterparts in other Member States, as well as with members of the European Parliament, the European Commission and industry representatives. EU ETS negotiations are at an early stage and we expect to develop our thinking further over the coming months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37122, on variations in access to transcatheter interventions for heart valve disease, whether the next iteration of the NHS England service specifications and policy for the surgical and interventional treatment of heart valve disease will take into account (a) the need to commission for a growing patient population, (b) anticipated doubling in the over-65 population in the UK by 2050 and (c) lower levels of transcatheter interventions performed in the UK compared to European comparator countries.
Nicola Blackwood
NHS England’s policy development process includes assessment of current published evidence nationally and internationally and will review population projections for up to five years.
Decisions to set commissioning criteria for which patients will most likely benefit from the intervention will be based on a range of clinical, academic and financial information and a proposition will be put forward through the NHS England prioritisation process. Within the transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) development process, NHS England accepts that there is an ageing population and it will review all available evidence including the encouraging results of the TAVI trials and consider the options around the best use of National Health Service resources. A policy proposition will be produced as part of the 2016/17 work programme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-09-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to ways to prohibit British citizens from travelling to China for the purpose of obtaining an organ transplant until the practice of forced organ harvesting ceases.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
I refer the noble Lord to the answer the Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Mr Sharma) gave on 14 September in response to Written Question 45143 from the Hon. Member for Strangford (Mr Jim Shannon), copied below for ease of reference:
“As My Rt Hon. Friend, the former Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Hugo Swire, stated to the house on the 12 July 2016, we have raised concerns about reports of organ harvesting, as well as about the torture and mistreatment of detainees, during the annual UK-China human rights dialogue. We will do so again at the next round. My officials also raised the issue with their Chinese counterparts on 1 September 2016. However, despite the fact that UK physicians always advise patients against, it is very difficult to prevent UK citizens travelling to less well-regulated countries to seek an organ transplant. Although numbers are not known, it is thought that very few patients in the UK choose to do so.”