The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-05.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many claimants of (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit have had their claims (i) stopped and (ii) suspended while HM Revenue and Customs processed a change in household circumstances in the last 12 months.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs do not hold the requested data.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to projects that develop opportunities for educational co-operation between Palestinians and Israelis.
Mr Desmond Swayne
Through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), the UK provides support for the ‘Youth Creating Peace On/Line’ project which encourages educational cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis. The project, run by NGO ‘Kids Creating Peace’, uses dialogue and leadership workshops to train participants to become peace advocates in their communities and beyond. The UK is providing £40,000 to ‘Youth Creating Peace On/Line’ for 2016/17.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to facilitate the development of an improved labelling code in the UK.
George Eustice
The Food Information Regulations (No. 1855) were introduced in 2014 and has resulted in better and more consistent labelling of food in a number of areas, including allergen labelling, ingredients labelling and, from the end of this year, nutrition labelling.
Origin labelling is also improved by these Regulations with new rules on origin labelling of meat of poultry, sheep, goat and pigs introduced in April last year. In addition, we look forward to prospective implementing acts on origin labelling of ingredients of foods, including meat and dairy, where this is different from the place that the food itself was made. The Government is fully engaged in these discussions and expects them to result in improved labelling of meat and dairy products in due course.
We have been pressing for mandatory origin labelling on dairy products, in particular lightly processed dairy products such as butter, cheese and cream but have met with some resistance from the European Commission. We will continue to press for these improvements.
.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department has invested in (a) large facilities and (b) other (i) national and (ii) international capital projects managed by the Research Councils in each of the last ten years.
Joseph Johnson
This Government a record £6.9 billion in new equipment, new laboratories and new research institutes across the UK from 2015/16 to 2020/21.
Details of investments in large facilities and national and international capital projects by the Research Councils is held by the Councils themselves, in line with the delivery responsibilities placed on the Partner Organisations that BIS funds. We do not hold this level of information for the period you request centrally, however, aggregate capital expenditure for each of the seven Research Councils is available through their individual delivery plans, which are published and available online.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-04-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent claims by the President of the United States that the UK leaving the EU could cause severe consequences to UK and US trade.
Lord Price
The Government has assessed that the total volume of UK trade with the world would be between 9% and 24% lower after 15 years if the UK left the EU.
If the UK withdrew from the EU we would no longer benefit from the trade agreement the EU is negotiating with the US. Negotiating a replacement agreement would take years as the US would almost certainly want to conclude its negotiations with the EU first before deciding whether to enter into separate negotiations with the UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing public transport infrastructure for people with sight and hearing loss; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Jones
Accessible public transport is vital in enabling people who are visually or hearing impaired, as well as other disabled people, to live and work with independence and dignity.
The Department has committed to publishing an accessibility action plan to improve access to public transport and contribute to halving the employment gap between non-disabled and disabled people.
Throughout its development we are working with the Disabled Persons’ Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) and organisations representing the interests of disabled people, including those who are visually and hearing impaired, helping us to understand what works well, and what barriers still remain.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to retain current inward investors in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.
Greg Hands
The UK remains the most attractive place in Europe to invest in. As well as attracting new projects, this Department already focuses substantial effort on retention of our existing investors and supporting them to grow and remain in the UK to maximise wealth creation. On 5th September 2016, the Directorate General within DIT responsible for inward investment moved to a new, more focussed operating model to deliver inward investment, which will push this agenda and provide more focussed support than ever before to retain our inward investors.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to alter the terms of reference of the Expert Working Panel Group Inquiry into Primodos.
Nicola Blackwood
The terms of reference of the Commission on Human Medicines’ Expert Working Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests were reviewed by the Group at their first meeting on 14 October 2015, endorsed by the Commission on Human Medicines and formally adopted by all members, invited experts and observers of the Expert Working Group at their second meeting on 4 December 2015.
On 13 October 2016 at a Backbench Business Committee debate secured by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hormone Pregnancy Tests, the Government committed to respond in detail to the concerns raised by the APPG, which include the terms of reference of the Expert Working Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests, and to then meet with the APPG to discuss these concerns.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-10-28.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial support is in place to help local authorities to resettle Syrian refugees.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Under the expanded Vulnerable Persons scheme, local authorities costs for the first year of a Syrian refugee’s resettlement are funded from the Official Development Assistance budget. To ensure that local authorities can plan ahead we will also provide additional funding to assist with costs incurred in future years (2 to 5). The Government is working closely with the Local Government Association and individual councils on the details of how funding arrangements for years 2 to 5 will operate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rushanara Ali on 2015-11-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees from Syrian have been accepted into the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme to date.
Richard Harrington
The Government has committed to resettling 20,000 Syrian refugees in the lifetime of this Parliament. The Prime Minister has said that we want to see 1,000 refugees brought to the UK by Christmas.
The first charter flights arrived earlier this month and represent a significant upscaling of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme. We will not be giving a running commentary on numbers. Details are published in the regular quarterly immigration statistics. The statistics published on 26 November include the number of arrivals from July to the end of September 2015.