Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the security of electricity supply in Wales.
Answered by Guto Bebb
The UK’s electricity supply remains the most reliable in Europe. Wales plays an important role in contributing to our diverse energy generation mix.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average referral time for doctors seeing patients was in each NHS trust area in the last 12 months.
Answered by Philip Dunne
NHS England publishes data on the median waiting time in weeks for patients admitted to hospital and non-admitted outpatient pathways each month. The table attached shows the data for each National Health Service trust that submitted data in the last 12 months.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from the Kurdistan Region in Iraq (a) applied for and (b) were refused entry clearance to the UK between October 2015 and September 2016.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
I am sorry but this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the effect on the household income of UK citizens of increasing insurance premium tax from 10 to 12 per cent.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Insurance Premium Tax is a tax on all general insurance. It is paid by insurers and it is up to insurers to decide whether to pass on any tax paid.
If insurers choose to pass on the full cost of the rate rise this would increase the average household’s spending on insurance by £18 per year. This is calculated using data from the Office for National Statistics. This takes into account the fact that only a third of households have two cars and only 11% of the population have medical insurance.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2016 to Question 53935, on which occasions since his appointment he has discussed reducing air passenger duty with the Northern Ireland Executive.
Answered by Jane Ellison
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not routinely disclosed.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to halt the proposed business rates increase for commercial solar installations.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
Business rates policy in Northern Ireland is devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly. In England, business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. We will put in place a £3.6 billion transitional relief scheme for England to ensure that no ratepayer is unfairly penalised by the 2017 revaluation.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the National Crime Agency on its investigations into allegations of political influence on the operations of the National Assets Management Agency in Northern Ireland.
Answered by James Brokenshire
As this is an operational matter for the National Crime Agency, I have not discussed this issue with them.
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 plans to take to ensure that the £40 million compensation for Chagossian people will be effectively distributed.
Answered by Alan Duncan
I refer the hon. Member to my response to PQ 53323 of 24 November.
Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received from the Northern Ireland Executive on reducing air passenger duty in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The Chancellor discusses matters of interest with his counterparts in all devolved administrations on a regular basis, including APD where relevant.
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 her policy is on a temporary ban on the commercial netting of sea bass.
Answered by George Eustice
Bass have been in serious decline due to fishing pressure and an earlier succession of winters with poor reproduction. The latest proposals for measures to apply at EU level in 2017 are due to be agreed at December Fisheries Council.
I recognise the level of challenge the restrictions on bass catches in 2017, as proposed by the European Commission, would present for both recreational and commercial fishing sectors. We are considering the Commission’s proposals carefully, including the absence of any provision for sea bass caught in nets to be landed. We will be seeking to secure a balanced package of measures which builds on the progress to date to continue to bring bass catches down to a recommended level while the stock recovers. This is a UK Government priority, to secure sustainable fishing for bass in the long term