Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

167191

	registered interest
	date	26/11/2014
	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	Commonwealth
	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 steps the Government has taken to promote trade within the Commonwealth.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	906383
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/12/2014 answer text This Government is committed to working to increase trade across the Commonwealth. Most recently, the Government has provided financial and public support to the new Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council so it can fully establish itself as the leading business representation and trade advocacy organisation in the Commonwealth. answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 02/12/2014 15:17:44 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

583143

	registered interest
	date	14/09/2016
	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	Diego Garcia: Military Bases
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the outcome has been of recent discussions with the US administration on renewal of the military base in the British Indian Ocean Territory; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	46439
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2016 answer text <p>​The Government welcomes the US presence on Diego Garcia and as such, we continue to discuss with the US Government their continued use of Diego Garcia. US presence on the island of Diego Garcia is governed by a series of agreements, called Exchanges of Notes, of which the overarching agreement sets out that the whole Territory should be made available for UK and US defence purposes for an initial 50 year period of 1966 to 2016. If neither side object during a two year window of December 2014 to December 2016, the agreement will continue as it stands until end December 2036. An announcement on the outcome of discussions will be made to Parliament and the public in due course.</p> answering member constituency Rutland and Melton answering member printed Sir Alan Duncan question first answered 12/10/2016 16:21:53 answering member 343 label Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

982704

	registered interest
	date	08/10/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2018 to Question 173559 on Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes, what proportion of that £196 million spent in September 2017 on Caribbean hurricane relief was used to support British Overseas Territories.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	176229
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2018 answer text <p>£72m was committed to help the Overseas Territories. This funding delivered the UK Government’s immediate response and support for early recovery priorities in the three affected territories of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. Further to this, the Prime Minister committed a further £70m for reconstruction efforts and up to £300m of UK Government loan guarantees.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 15/10/2018 14:33:29 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

174802

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Railways: Crawley
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department provided to upgrade railway stations in Crawley constituency (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	221384
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/01/2015 answer text <p>£53 million was spent on a project at Gatwick Airport Station in the Crawley constituency over the period from 2010-11 to 2013-14. Network Rail completed work in January 2014 on the scheme, which was designed to improve reliability and punctuality of journeys and increase capacity with a new seventh platform. The project was jointly funded by Network Rail as part of their Railway Control Period 4 plans, and Gatwick Airport Limited.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Access for All small schemes programme provided funding of £116,000 for three new height adjustable ticket office windows 2012/13 and £47,400 for a number of accessibility improvements in 2013/14.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Stations Commercial Projects Facility provided £559,023 towards a Southern Railway and Network Rail project to enhance the retail environment at Three Bridges station. This work was completed in 2012.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Devizes answering member printed Claire Perry question first answered 27/01/2015 15:09:11 answering member 3974 label Biography information for Claire Perry
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1058949

	registered interest
	date	11/02/2019
	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	Non-native species
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Natural England plans to consult on the implementation of the Invasive Alien Species Order 2019 to create species action plans that allow a flexible and risk-based management approach to licensing the release of (a) grey squirrels, (b) muntjac deer and (c) other widespread species where their release poses no threat to native wildlife.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	219390
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2019 answer text <p>While the rescue of wildlife will not be illegal under the Order, the re-release of listed invasive species that have been taken from the wild will not be permitted.</p><p> </p><p>Neither grey squirrel nor muntjac deer are protected in the UK and both are highly invasive species which cause significant impacts on domestic ecosystems and protected species. Grey squirrels also have a negative impact on our forestry.</p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to allow the release of widespread invasive species listed under the EU Invasive Alien Species Regulation 2014, except as part of a specific licenced activity aimed at supporting the control of the species.</p><p> </p><p>The UK is committed to reducing the impacts of invasive non-native species within our borders. The Invasive Aliens Species (enforcement and permitting) Order 2019 is part of fulfilling these commitments, as laid out by the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan. The Order also fulfils our obligations under the EU regulation to manage our widespread invasive non-native species.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 19/02/2019 13:42:00 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

750684

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2017
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Prisons: Unmanned Air Vehicles
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to restrict drone access over prisons; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	4266
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2017 answer text <p>We take a zero tolerance approach to smuggling of contraband into prisons and work closely with the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ensure those caught are prosecuted.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, a range of methods to counter the threat posed by drones are being trialled and evaluated for their effectiveness across the prison estate.</p><p> </p><p>We have already introduced new legislation to further strengthen our powers, making it illegal to land a drone in a prison or to use a drone to drop in contraband.</p><p> </p><p>We have had successful prosecutions due to intelligence led operations and working closely with the local police forces to prevent the use of drones to smuggle contraband into prisons.</p><p> </p><p>To date, there has been a total of 35 arrests and 11 convictions of criminals involved in drone activity – resulting in those convicted sentenced to a total of more than 40 years in jail.</p> answering member constituency East Surrey answering member printed Mr Sam Gyimah question first answered 19/07/2017 15:33:53 answering member 3980 label Biography information for Mr Sam Gyimah
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

576924

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2016
	answering body	Department for Transport
	answering dept id	27
	answering dept short name	Transport
	answering dept sort name	Transport
	hansard heading	Railways: Franchises
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the size of (a) rail franchises and (b) the Govia Thameslink rail franchise on the efficient delivery of rail services.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	45089
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/09/2016 answer text <p>We take a very large number of factors into account when determining the most appropriate way forward when franchises are due for renewal. We undertook just such an assessment when considering options for the most appropriate approach to providing passenger rail services during the delivery of the Thameslink Programme infrastructure and the introduction of new rolling stock. This included balancing the size of the franchise against the need to ensure effective coordination of all the services on the lines affected by Thameslink during the construction period. We of course always take into account lessons learned from practice when looking at similar decisions in the future.</p><p> </p><p>Regarding the size of the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise, as I made clear at the Transport Select Committee, it is unlikely the Department will wish to let such a franchise in the future. The size of the franchise is a factor in this assessment. However, I believe that with the measures recently announced this franchise should deliver a better passenger experience in the future.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 13/09/2016 09:54:47 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1023809

	registered interest
	date	12/12/2018
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Loneliness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle loneliness.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	908187
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/12/2018 answer text <p>We recently published our strategy for tackling loneliness. This set out a raft of cross-government measures to take the first steps in tackling loneliness and takes forward recommendations from the Jo Cox Commission.</p><p> </p><p>DCMS specifically is providing up to £1.8million to increase the number of community spaces available. This follows the announcement this summer of more than £20million of new funding for projects that bring people and communities together.</p><p> </p><p>With the Office of National Statistics, the department has developed the ‘loneliness measure’ (to enable consistent analysis and build the evidence base), and will be piloting better use of open data around facilities and accessibility with local government. The department is launching an awareness campaign and including loneliness in internet safety.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies grouped question UIN 908183 question first answered 13/12/2018 17:17:15 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

638059

	registered interest
	date	16/11/2016
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Non-domestic Rates
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on 100 per cent business rate retention; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	53475
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/11/2016 answer text <p>We recently conducted a consultation on our approach to the implementation of 100% Business Rates Retention. There were over 450 responses from local authorities, businesses interests and other organisations. My officials are currently considering these and we will publish a summary of the responses and our proposed way forward in due course. In the meantime, we will continue close collaboration with local government in taking this work forward, including through the Business Rates Retention Steering Group, which is jointly chaired by the Local Government Association and the Department for Communities and Local Government.</p><p>The Steering Group was established to consider the mechanisms needed to set up and run the new business rates system, as well as the timetable and implementation of the reforms. It oversees the work of a set of technical working groups, each looking at particular aspects of the reforms. The Group meets on a regular basis and has done so on 6 occasions since April 2016. All papers for meetings are published here: <a href="http://www.local.gov.uk/business-rates" target="_blank">http://www.local.gov.uk/business-rates</a></p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones question first answered 24/11/2016 16:42:17 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

785118

	registered interest
	date	06/11/2017
	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	Animal Breeding: Licensing
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish draft regulations on single animal establishment licences.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	111822
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2017 answer text <p>We intend to lay draft regulations on animal activity licensing schemes before Parliament early next year. Since the end of the public consultation last year and the publication of the Next Steps document setting out the way forward in February 2017, Defra has been working closely with key sectors and stakeholders to refine the regulations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 16/11/2017 16:17:34 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith