Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to help to prevent military action being taken against Syrian civilians by the Assad regime.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The British Government has been clear in its condemnation of regime attacks against civilians in Syria, including the appalling chemical weapons attack on 4 April in Khan Sheikhoun which killed over 70 people and wounded hundreds. We supported the US action against the Shayrat airbase on 7 April. We hope it will deter further use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime. By destroying up to 20 strike aircraft, this operation will have reduced the regime's ability to bomb civilians.
The UK also continues to support the UN mediated negotiations on a political settlement. Only a transition away from Asad can deliver sustainable peace.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what effect the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive has on the ability of the recent appointment of the Northern Ireland representative to the UK-wide Covenant Reference Group to carry out her role.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Northern Ireland Assembly agreed to nominate appropriate representatives to the national governance bodies of the Armed Forces Covenant on 6 December 2016. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has urged all parties to make appropriate nominations to the Covenant's national governance bodies a priority for the devolved Government once reconvened. In the interim, Northern Ireland's interests on the national governance bodies of the Armed Forces Covenant are represented by Ministers and officials from the Northern Ireland Office.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure schools have policies in place to look after children with medical conditions.
Answered by Edward Timpson
We know how important it is that children with medical conditions are supported to enjoy a full education. That is why we introduced a new duty to require governing bodies to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions and have provided statutory guidance outlining schools’ responsibilities in this area.
We continue to work with Ofsted, and organisations such as the Health Conditions in Schools Alliance who have experience in supporting children with medical conditions, to help raise awareness of the duty.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Government is gathering and monitoring the views of UK citizens who live in non-UK EU countries on the process of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
We are working with our embassies across the EU to listen to any concerns and ensure that we understand the priorities of UK nationals living in EU countries. This work has been particularly sustained in countries with large British expatriate populations such as France and Spain, as well UK nationals in Ireland who benefit from the Common Travel Area.
Securing the status of, and providing certainty to, EU nationals already in the UK and to UK nationals in the EU is one of this Government's early priorities for the forthcoming negotiations.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will assess the potential merits of exempting hot sandwiches that are made to takeaway from VAT.
Answered by Jane Ellison
There are currently no plans to alter the VAT treatment of hot sandwiches that are made to takeaway.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of increased revenue from oil production in Libya on the effectiveness of economic sanctions imposed on that country.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The increase in Libya's oil production is a welcome development and should provide additional government revenue to enable the delivery of public services. As production increases, it is important that the international community remains vigilant to ensure the effective enforcement of the sanctions reaffirmed under UN Security Council Resolution 2278 against any attempts to divert oil revenue from legitimate channels, including by parallel institutions that claim to be the legitimate authority but are outside of the Libyan Political Agreement. UN Security Council Resolutions 2259 and 2278 highlight the importance of the Libyan State financial institutions, including the National Oil Corporation, the Central Bank of Libya, and the Libyan Investment Authority, continuing to function for the benefit of all Libyans.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take to learn lessons from the ban on microbeads in the US; and if she will make an assessment of the merits and effect of the US measures.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The US ban has not yet come into force, but we will continue to monitor its progress and look to learn any lessons from its approach.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce the use of microbeads in products that are not included within the scope of her Department's proposed ban on microbeads.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
We ran a consultation between 20 December 2016 and 28 February 2017 on proposals to ban microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products. The consultation also sought to gather evidence on the extent of the environmental impacts of microplastics, including microbeads, found in other products. We are now reviewing the responses to the consultation and any new evidence will be used to inform future UK actions to protect the marine environment.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the exclusion of Northern Ireland from the Warm Home Discount Scheme on (a) the environment, (b) fuel poverty and (c) pensioner health and well-being.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Warm Home Discount scheme does not apply in Northern Ireland as the primary legislation for the scheme only extends to Great Britain.
Fuel poverty is a devolved matter and therefore it is for the Northern Ireland Executive to decide its own fuel poverty objectives and policies.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the uptake level has been of the Defence Discount Service in each region and constituent part of the UK since its introduction.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The Defence Discount Service (DDS) is operated by Blue Light Card Ltd on behalf of the Ministry Of Defence. Blue Light is responsible for all marketing and promotion of the DDS throughout the United Kingdom and uses a variety of initiatives to engage both locally and nationally.
As at 3 March 2017, the DDS scheme had approximately 386,000 members. A regional breakdown of membership is unavailable. However, the following table provides a breakdown by constituent part of the UK:
England | 316,400 |
Scotland | 29,700 |
Wales | 23,200 |
Northern Ireland | 5,800 |
Outside UK | 2,300 |
Opted not to provide location | 8,700 |