The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 April 2016 to Question 33817, what the Joint Intelligence Committee’s current estimate is of the number of non-extremist opposition fighters in Syria.
Mr Oliver Letwin
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her on 21 April 2016 to UIN 33817.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelly Tolhurst on 2016-06-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his Department’s policies of the conclusion of the report by the Local Plans Expert Group, published in March 2016, paragraph s15, that local plans in the South East may not enable the full scale of housing need to be met.
Brandon Lewis
The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to identify and plan for the housing needs in their area. Planning guidance is clear that Green Belt and other constraints may restrict the ability of an individual authority to meet its need.
The Framework is clear that the supply of new homes may be delivered by larger scale development, such as new settlements or urban extensions, and the Government is supporting new locally led garden towns and villages in places where communities want them.
The Local Plans Expert Group published their report on 16 March 2016, and this was open for representations until 27 April. The report and representations are receiving careful consideration and a further statement will be made in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on proposals to ban the use by Russia of the SWIFT banking system related to Russia’s military action in Syria.
Sir Alan Duncan
The UK is not considering SWIFT sanctions at this time. Sanctions are one tool in the international community’s wider strategy for resolving the crisis in Syria. We are committed to doing all we can to keep the momentum on the political process so that we can find a long-term solution to the conflict in Syria.
We remain deeply concerned about Russia’s role in Syria. We continue to urge Russia to use their influence to restore the Cessation of Hostilities and enable humanitarian access to all those in need, as stipulated by the UN.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what overseas visits she has made since her appointment.
Priti Patel
The Secretary of State has visited a range of countries overseas since her appointment. Information on Ministerial Travel is published as part of DFID’s quarterly transparency return on www.gov.uk.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions, on what dates and by what medium he has had with Volkswagen about the reliability of carbon dioxide emissions data for its vehicles; and what response he has received from Volkswagen in those discussions.
Andrew Jones
The Government takes the unacceptable actions of Volkswagen (VW) Group extremely seriously. As we investigate what went wrong and what we can do to stop it happening again, the priority of course remains to protect the public. We expect VW to take every step necessary to protect its UK customers, but it is right that the Government carry out their own thorough and independent investigation.
A written statement was made today (10 November) informing the House of the latest developments on the Department for Transport’s vehicle emissions testing programme, following the revelations that VW had fitted defeat devices to some of its vehicles.
The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) is working to confirm that this issue is not industry wide. They have tested two VW group vehicles known to contain a defeat device and will rerun laboratory tests on popular cars sold in the UK to compare real world driving emissions against laboratory performance. This will include measuring CO2 .
The Secretary of State spoke to Dr Herbert Deiss of VW on 4 November to discuss CO2 emissions, seeking information on those vehicles affected in the UK and the extent of the discrepancy. VW have stated that they are working hard to clarify the situation and are liaising with relevant approval authorities.
The Secretary of State has written jointly with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to VW seeking clarification on several issues. Separately, officials from the Department for Transport, and its Agencies have held a number of discussions with VW regarding the recall of affected vehicles.
The Department for Transport has not made a specific assessment of on road emissions in relation to type approval requirements, but officials are aware of the findings in published reports suggesting significant differences.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2015 to Question 16871, what the budget allocated to the Specialist Fraud Division was in each of the last six years.
Robert Buckland
The budget allocated to the Specialist Fraud Division in each of the last six years was:
2009/10 – £7.3m
2010/11 – £23.4m
2011/12 – £22.1m
2012/13 – £26.8m
2013/14 – £25.6m
2014/15 – £23.6m
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much of his Department’s planned £8.4 million expenditure on armed forces veterans’ mental health services will be spent in Scotland in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20; and in which areas of mental health services that funding will be spent in each of those years.
Alistair Burt
The funding and provision of healthcare in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Government. The additional £8.4 million announced in the 2015 Budget will be used by the National Health Service across England to enhance mental health and support services for vulnerable veterans.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development on the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, 12 January 2016, Official Report, column 248WH, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the Global Fund is addressing concentrated epidemics among key populations in middle income countries.
Mr Nick Hurd
The UK is a key supporter of the Global Fund and pledged up to £1 billion between 2014 and 2016, subject to a 10% donor share cap. Approximately 50% of Global Fund resources are directed to Middle Income Countries (MICs) and the UK has asked the Global Fund to focus more heavily on marginalised groups in MICs where they do invest.
The UK is working with the Global Fund and other partners to encourage MICs to develop their own self-financed programmes to combat concentrated epidemics, ensuring that investments are effectively reaching key populations and holding national governments to account so that vulnerable groups are not left behind.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of the powers available to the devolved administrations and local authorities in England to tackle homelessness.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Government has committed to work with local authorities, homelessness organisations and across government departments to consider options, including legislation, to prevent more households becoming homeless. We will look to learn from other countries who have innovated in the way they deal with homelessness.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-26.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what support the Government plans to provide to working parents who wish to claim tax-free childcare but who are unable to access the internet; and if he will make a statement.
Damian Hinds
Tax-Free Childcare is being designed to be as straightforward as possible for parents. It will be quick and easy to apply online for the vast majority who are able to do so. However, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs will ensure that assistance is provided to families who cannot access the internet so that they do not miss out on the support available via Tax-Free Childcare.
Once the scheme is fully open, we estimate that up to 1 million families may take up the scheme in ‘steady state’.
The Tax-Free Childcare system will be extensively tested before the scheme is launched.