Asked by: Adrian Sanders (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the review of the Nursery Milk Scheme, what assessment officials of his Department have made of the potential effect of claiming subsidies for school milk under the EU School Milk Scheme on the UK's EU rebate.
Answered by David Gauke
The size of the proposed budget for the EU School Milk Scheme is €80 million per year. The exact Member State allocations have yet to be finalised.
The net monetary impact on the UK and the impact on the UK's rebate from the EU budget of claiming subsidies for school milk under the scheme will depend on both the actual take-up by Member States of available funds and other technical factors that determine the UK's contributions to the EU budget.
For any given level of EU expenditure under this scheme, the marginal impact of every €1 drawn down by the UK would be a reduction in the UK rebate by approximately two thirds of this figure.
Asked by: Adrian Sanders (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many visits were made by Ministers of his Department to Torbay constituency in the 12 months to 14 October 2014; whom the invitation for each such visit was issued by; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit.
Answered by Jo Swinson
No official visits have been made to the Torbay constituency by the Department’s Ministers during the period 14 October 2013 to 14 October 2014.
Asked by: Adrian Sanders (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many visits were made by Ministers of his Department to Torbay constituency in the 12 months to 14 October 2014; whom the invitation for each such visit was issued by; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit.
Answered by Helen Grant
The Secretary of State visited the Torbay constituency on 17th September 2014. His visit was to Kents Cavern, part of the Geopark in Torbay. The invitation came from the local Conservative candidate for Torbay, Kevin Foster. All travel was provided by the Conservative party with no cost to the public purse.
Kevin Foster also passed on an invitation to visit Torbay to the previous Secretary of State, Maria Miller. This invitation came from the Torbay Tourism Association and was taken up on 5th March 2014. She attended and spoke at a lunch event hosted by the Torbay Tourism Association marking their Annual Open Day/Exhibition. The minister took the train from Paddington to Exeter St David’s and returned via the same route. The cost of three return tickets (including officials) was £192.75, so £64.25 per person. The minister was driven to Torbay from Exeter at no cost to public purse.
In both these cases, the Secretaries of State were driven by Kevin Foster, with the costs borne directly by him.
Asked by: Adrian Sanders (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many visits were made by Ministers of his Department to Torbay constituency in the 12 months to 14 October 2014; whom the invitation for each such visit was issued by; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Details of Ministers’ visits are published quarterly and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
Asked by: Adrian Sanders (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many visits were made by Ministers of her Department to Torbay constituency in the 12 months to 14 October 2014; whom the invitation for each such visit was issued by; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
There have been no official Ministerial invitations or visits to the Torbay constituency in 12 months to 14 October 2014.
Asked by: Adrian Sanders (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many visits were made by Ministers of his Department to Torbay constituency in the 12 months to 14 October 2014; whom the invitation for each such visit was issued by; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The following visits were made to the Torbay Borough Constituency in the year since 14 October 2013 alongside the direct cost of the minister’s attendance at the visit:
Date Minister Visit Location Cost
14 November 2013 Earl Howe Watcombe Children's Centre* -
15 November 2013 Earl Howe Torbay and Paignton Hospitals, £201.14
Torbay*
* These were a series of visits which were organised to coincide with the minister attending a meeting in the South-West region; therefore we have provided an overall cost of the three visits.
Invitations to undertake visits can come from a multiple range of sources and organisations or can be organised proactively as a result of Ministers being made aware of best practice and wanting to familiarise him/herself with it in more detail.
Asked by: Adrian Sanders (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many visits were made by Ministers of her Department to Torbay constituency in the 12 months to 14 October 2014; whom the invitation for each such visit was issued by; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
There were no DFID visits to Torbay by ministers in the last 12 months.
Asked by: Adrian Sanders (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many visits were made by Ministers of his Department to Torbay constituency in the 12 months to 14 October 2014; whom the invitation for each such visit was issued by; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit.
Answered by Claire Perry
No ministerial visits were made to Torbay constituency in the specified period. As is the convention, however, Members of Parliament would be notified in advance of any Ministerial visits to their constituency if they were to occur.
Asked by: Adrian Sanders (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many visits were made by Ministers of her Department to Torbay constituency in the 12 months to 14 October 2014; whom the invitation for each such visit was issued by; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit.
Answered by Nick Gibb
I visited Torbay constituency on 17 July 2014, at the invitation of my hon. Friend, the Member for Newton Abbot, Anne Marie Morris. The visit was part of a wider trip to schools in Devon which cost £427.82 in total.
Asked by: Adrian Sanders (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many visits were made by Ministers of his Department to Torbay constituency in the 12 months to 14 October 2014; whom the invitation for each such visit was issued by; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit.
Answered by Steve Webb
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the ministers of his Department have made no visits in the 12 months to October 2014 to the Torbay constituency in a ministerial capacity.