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348261

registered interest
date	03/06/2015
answering body	House of Commons Commission
answering dept id	18
answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
hansard heading	Parliament: Asbestos
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Mole Valley representing the House of Commons Commission, what recent progress has been made on the operation of Parliament's Asbestos Management Plan; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
uin	1032
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2015 answer text <p>Owing to its historic nature, asbestos deposits are present within the Palace of Westminster. The Parliamentary Estates Directorate operates an Asbestos Management Plan which it uses to safely manage asbestos across the whole of the parliamentary estate, in full compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.<br><br>During the successful installation of new, modern equipment in the plant room that supplies the Chamber and adjacent offices, a series of asbestos reassurance tests have been carried out. Traces of asbestos were recently found in the ventilation trunking, but extensive sampling at the vents has provided very high confidence that it is not becoming airborne.<br><br>Professor R J Willey, Managing Director of ACS Physical Risk Control Ltd has undertaken an urgent review of the evidence, and concluded: “It is my considered Opinion that, after the discovery, proper procedures were timeously followed. Detailed investigation of the results of air tests taken, over a considerable period following the discovery, show quite conclusively that there was negligible risk to any persons supplied with air from the duct system. Providing current conditions are maintained, there will be negligible risk to any persons supplied with air in the future from the duct system.”<br><br>The Commission and the House authorities regard the safety of Members, staff and the visiting public as their highest priority. Steps have therefore been taken to ensure that the ventilation system is not disturbed in any way. Steps will also be taken to eradicate the asbestos in the trunking by the end of 2015, but in the meantime we are content with this authoritative advice that there is no reason to stop using the Chamber, or the adjacent offices and spaces.</p> answering member constituency Mole Valley answering member printed Sir Paul Beresford question first answered 09/06/2015 12:44:37 answering member 103 label Biography information for Sir Paul Beresford
tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin

348262

registered interest
date	03/06/2015
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Pets: Imports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions were brought forward for (a) the illegal import of pets under the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 and (b) knowingly presenting fraudulent information in relation to the import of pets under the Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011.
tabling member constituency	Tiverton and Honiton
tabling member printed	Neil Parish
uin	981
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2015 answer text <p>The Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011 and the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulation 2011 are enforced by Local Authorities.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In line with obligations under Section 80 of the Animal Health Act 1981 information is provided by Local Authorities to the Animal and Plant Health Agency on proceedings under this Act. This includes information on the number of prosecutions secured under the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 and the Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Details of the nature of the offences are not recorded centrally.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The number of prosecutions is set out in the table below.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Prosecutions for illegally importing pet animals for sale may also be brought under legislation governing consumer protection, the sale of pet animals and the importation of rabies susceptible animals.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals Order 2011</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>N/A</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>2</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 09/06/2015 12:58:42 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4072 label Biography information for Neil Parish

348263

registered interest
date	03/06/2015
answering body	House of Commons Commission
answering dept id	18
answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
hansard heading	Members: Travel
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the hon. Member for Mole Valley representing the House of Commons Commission, what proportion of hon. Members travel from their constituency address to the House in (a) less than one hour, (b) more than one but less than two hours, (c) more than two but less than three hours, (d) more than three but less than four hours and (e) more than four hours.
tabling member constituency	Isle of Wight
tabling member printed	Mr Andrew Turner
uin	955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2015 answer text <p>The House does not collect information on which it could base an answer to this question. Responsibility for repayment of Members’ costs for travel between their constituencies and Westminster transferred to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in 2010.</p> answering member constituency Mole Valley answering member printed Sir Paul Beresford question first answered 08/06/2015 15:58:27 answering member 103 label Biography information for Sir Paul Beresford
tabling member	1426 label Biography information for Mr Andrew Turner

348265

registered interest
date	03/06/2015
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	China: Christianity
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Chinese government on the promotion of Christianity in China.
tabling member constituency	North Antrim
tabling member printed	Ian Paisley
uin	977
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2015 answer text <p>Freedom of religion or belief is a human rights priority anchored in the Government’s manifesto. We regularly urge governments around the world to protect the right of all individuals, including Christians, to practise their religion or belief free from persecution or discrimination. <br><br>We remain concerned by all restrictions to freedom of religion or belief in China, including restrictions against Christianity. We are aware of reports that some church members have been harassed or detained, and that a number of churches in Zhejiang Province in particular have been forced to remove their crosses, close or be destroyed. <br><br>We raised these, and our broad range of concerns around religious freedom, directly with Chinese officials during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April this year. We have also highlighted them publicly in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy (<a href="http://www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk/" target="_blank">www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk</a>).</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 10/06/2015 14:00:07 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
tabling member	4129 label Biography information for Ian Paisley

348266

registered interest
date	03/06/2015
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
hansard heading	Welfare State: Northern Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of progress in implementing welfare reform in Northern Ireland.
tabling member constituency	North Antrim
tabling member printed	Ian Paisley
uin	978
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2015 answer text <p>The failure to implement welfare reform jeopardises the entire Stormont House Agreement and could have a seriously damaging impact on front-line public services in Northern Ireland.</p><p>I continue to meet the Northern Ireland political parties regularly to seek a way forward and to urge them to press ahead with implementing all aspects of the Stormont House Agreement.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chipping Barnet answering member printed Mrs Theresa Villiers question first answered 09/06/2015 10:00:55 answering member 1500 label Biography information for Theresa Villiers
tabling member	4129 label Biography information for Ian Paisley

348267

registered interest
date	03/06/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Abortion: Costs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of NHS abortion services from May 2010 to April 2015.
tabling member constituency	North Antrim
tabling member printed	Ian Paisley
uin	1015
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2015 answer text <p>Information about expenditure on termination of pregnancy services is not collected centrally.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Battersea answering member printed Jane Ellison question first answered 09/06/2015 11:56:55 answering member 3918 label Biography information for Jane Ellison
tabling member	4129 label Biography information for Ian Paisley

348272

registered interest
date	03/06/2015
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Employment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to promote the completion of full and detailed references by employers for their former employees.
tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
tabling member printed	Toby Perkins
uin	949
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>There is no statutory obligation on an employer to provide a reference; although an employee may have a contractual entitlement to one if their contract of employment contained an express term to this effect. The Government does not think it would be right to intervene to require them to do so.</p><p> </p><p>Employers who do provide references are under a duty both to the employee and to prospective employers to take reasonable care in doing so. If evidence did come to light about misleading or inaccurate information - not merely unfavourable or critical of someone’s performance in a previous job - the prospective employee would have the option of taking legal action in the civil courts against the source of that information.</p> answering member constituency Grantham and Stamford answering member printed Nick Boles question first answered 09/06/2015 09:51:25 answering member 3995 label Biography information for Nick Boles
tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

348275

registered interest
date	03/06/2015
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Modern Greek Language: GCE A-level and GCE AS-level
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that Modern Greek continues to be available to students to study as A and AS-levels after 2017.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	957
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Education is currently considering what further support and encouragement can be provided to awarding organisations to enable as wide a range of languages as possible to be maintained at GCSE and A level, including Modern Greek.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The government has been clear that it wants to see all pupils provided with the opportunity to take a core set of academic subjects, including modern foreign languages. The number of pupils entering for a modern language GCSE has increased by 20% since 2010 due to the introduction of the English Baccalaureate. There are considerable benefits to learning a second language and the government is keen to see the range of languages at GCSE and A level preserved. To this end, the Secretary of State for Education wrote to exam boards during the pre-election period in April to express her concern about their decision to stop awarding qualifications in some languages. She asked awarding organisations to work with Ofqual on the future of these qualifications and committed, if there is no further action, to launching a consultation on how best to secure the future of these qualifications.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 08/06/2015 16:15:22 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

348277

registered interest
date	03/06/2015
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Wetlands
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many representatives of her Department will attend the Ramsar Conference in Uruguay in June 2015; what steps she is taking to protect UK wetlands; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Bridgend
tabling member printed	Mrs Madeleine Moon
uin	961
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2015 answer text <p>Defra has sent two representatives to the 12<sup>th</sup> Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention in Uruguay.</p><p>The UK is a party to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and has designated 172 Ramsar sites. This is more than any other Contracting Party and includes 24 sites in the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. In Great Britain, Ramsar sites cover an area of almost 700,000 hectares. Detailed site information is available on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee’s website at: <a href="http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=161" target="_blank">http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=161</a>.</p><p>In Great Britain, Ramsar sites are not afforded statutory protection but as a matter of Government policy receive the same protection as European sites designated under the EU Wild Birds and Habitats Directives. For example, in England the National Planning Policy Framework (2012) states that listed or proposed Ramsar sites should be given the same protection as European sites. In regard to the broader protection of wetlands, this is mainly delivered through national implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and the Birds and Habitats Directives. Defra takes a strategic approach to ensure that the implementation of these Directives is complementary to deliver common objectives.</p><p>Information regarding Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Office.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 1011 question first answered 09/06/2015 09:00:37 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	1490 label Biography information for Mrs Madeleine Moon

348278

registered interest
date	03/06/2015
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Wetlands
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many wetland sites there are in the UK; what area those sites cover; what statutory protections have applied to each such site in each year since 2005; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Bridgend
tabling member printed	Mrs Madeleine Moon
uin	1011
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2015 answer text <p>Defra has sent two representatives to the 12<sup>th</sup> Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention in Uruguay.</p><p>The UK is a party to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and has designated 172 Ramsar sites. This is more than any other Contracting Party and includes 24 sites in the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. In Great Britain, Ramsar sites cover an area of almost 700,000 hectares. Detailed site information is available on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee’s website at: <a href="http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=161" target="_blank">http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=161</a>.</p><p>In Great Britain, Ramsar sites are not afforded statutory protection but as a matter of Government policy receive the same protection as European sites designated under the EU Wild Birds and Habitats Directives. For example, in England the National Planning Policy Framework (2012) states that listed or proposed Ramsar sites should be given the same protection as European sites. In regard to the broader protection of wetlands, this is mainly delivered through national implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and the Birds and Habitats Directives. Defra takes a strategic approach to ensure that the implementation of these Directives is complementary to deliver common objectives.</p><p>Information regarding Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Office.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 961 question first answered 09/06/2015 09:00:37 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	1490 label Biography information for Mrs Madeleine Moon