<p>UK Export Finance records spending on all activities associated with the promotion
of UK Export Finance, including advertising, marketing, attendance at exhibitions
etc, as Business Promotion or Marketing.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The table below
shows the amount spent by UK Export Finance on these activities in each financial
year since 2010/11. Spend has increased in recent years as UK Export Finance seeks
to raise awareness of its services particularly amongst smaller businesses following
the introduction of products targeted at the smaller exporter in 2011.</p><p> </p><p>
</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2010/11</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2011/12</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012/13</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2013/14</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014/15
to date</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Spend (£)</strong></p></td><td><p>19,395</p></td><td><p>41,915</p></td><td><p>27,958</p></td><td><p>377,434</p></td><td><p>801,341</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
<p>As part of our long-term economic plan this Government announced that we had saved
an unprecedented £14.3 billion last year alone compared to the spending in the year
before the last General Election. There's more to do and in the Autumn Statement the
Cabinet Office and HM Treasury jointly laid out plans to save a further £10 billion
by 2017-18 through efficiency and reform.</p><p> </p>
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 41 of the Road
Investment Strategy: Investment Plan, published on 1 December 2014, and the proposed
study of a scheme to be developed for improvements to the A45 from Thrapston to Stanwick,
(a) when that study will begin, (b) which body will undertake the study, (c) what
the timescales for the study will be and when the study will conclude, (d) what public
consultation will be involved in the study, (e) who will evaluate the study, (f) what
funding has been allocated to undertake the study, (g) whether the announcement of
a study is a guarantee that road improvements will take place in a future road period,
(h) what the earliest year would be in which improvement work could be undertaken
on the A45 Thrapston to Stanwick following the study, (i) what submissions about the
A45 from Stanwick to Thrapston were received from the Highways Agency in connection
with the development of the Road Investment Strategy and (j) what cost estimates were
considered in relation to dualling from Thrapston to Stanwick.
<p>The Government is committed to upgrading the A45 from Thrapston to Stanwick which
is why the scheme is named in the new Road Investment Strategy. The previous administration
failed adequately to improve Northamptonshire’s infrastructure when they had the opportunity,
despite holding a number of parliamentary seats in the county for all or part of the
13 years from 1997.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The proposals to improve the A45
between Thrapston and Stanwick will be developed by Highways England during the first
Road Period, which runs from 2015/16 to 2019/20, but may not enter construction until
the next Road Period as the environmental sensitivities of the site are recognised
by the Department for Transport. It is important that we get this right.</p><p> </p><p>
</p><p> </p><p>Evidence gathered as part of the Route Strategy process was used to
inform the development of the Road Investment Strategy (RIS). The investment commitment
in the RIS provides funding for the development of a scheme to upgrade the existing
single carriageway section of the A45 between Thrapston and Stanwick so the A45 can
provide a continuous Expressway between the A14 and the M1.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p>In committing to develop schemes for the next RIS period we have been clear
that the design of the proposal may be complex, and in relation to the A45 scheme,
it will be necessary to ensure that the proposal carefully manages the interaction
of the road with the Stanwick Lakes SSSI and the wider Nene Valley. While it is too
early to set out the detailed arrangements and a timetable for development of the
proposal, we do know that delivery will require the successful completion of the necessary
statutory planning processes, which include public consultation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p>By naming the A45 in the first ever Road Investment Strategy this government
has shown its commitment to Northamptonshire and will continue to press ahead with
improvements to this important artery. This comes on top of the £20.5 million investment
towards the cost of the the A43 Corby link road which opened in 2014 and up to £25
million that has been allocated for improvements to the Chowns Mill roundabout as
part of the RIS.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>By contrast the previous administration
dropped several schemes in Northamptonshire from the national road building programme
in 1998 including the A43 Moulton-Broughton improvement; the A43 Geddington bypass;
as well as the A45 Weedon, Flore and Upper Heyford bypass.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p>At the time of the publication of the RIS the Department set out the expected
cost category for each of the investment commitments, with the A45 Thrapston to Stanwick
scheme falling in the £100 to £250m cost category.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much his Department
spent on works to, and refurbishment of, offices allocated to Ministers in the last
12 months.
<p>There was necessary move and building works to relocate the Department from Eland
House to 2 Marsham Street. This will reduce the Department's running costs by £9 million
a year from 2015-16, and save taxpayers £220 million over the lifetime of the building's
lease commitments.<br><br>I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 18 November
2014, <em>Official Report</em>, PQ 213772, on the broader savings we have made from
the retionalisation of the departmental estate.</p>
<p>In October 2012, the Food Standards Agency assessed the risk to human health from
exposure to lead from lead bullets and shot used to shoot wild game animals.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The FSA concluded in its risk assessment that frequent consumption
of game meat could increase exposure to lead. This increased exposure would be a concern
in the case of toddlers, young children and pregnant women because of the neurotoxicity
of lead to the developing brain.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This risk assessment
is available on the FSA’s website:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.foodbase.org.uk/admintools/reportdocuments/776-1-1354_Risk_assessment_for_lead_in_wild_game_-_Final_5_October.pdf"
target="_blank">http://www.foodbase.org.uk//admintools/reportdocuments/776-1-1354_Risk_assessment_for_lead_in_wild_game_-_Final_5_October.pdf</a></p><p>
</p>
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment
he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the National Audit
Office report, Financial sustainability of local authorities, published on 19 November
2014.
<p>The Government will publish a formal response to the Public Account Committee's
consideration of the National Audit Office report; this will be presented to Parliament
in due course.</p>
<p>Advertising of e-cigarettes is subject to controls overseen by the Advertising
Standards Authority, who are the United Kingdom's regulator of advertising across
all media, including marketing on websites. The Committee of Advertising Practice
and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice, who are the bodies responsible
for writing and maintaining the advertising codes, recently issued guidance to the
advertisers of e-cigarettes to help them fully comply with the current rules.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Revised Tobacco Products Directive will come into force
in May 2016. From that time it will be illegal to advertise e-cigarettes, other than
those licenced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, on television
in the UK.</p><p> </p>
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference
to paragraph 9 of the summary of the National Audit Office report, Financial sustainability
of local authorities, published on 19 November 2014, what assessment he has made of
the effect on the ability of local authorities to meet their statutory duties of the
reduction in government funding to local authorities between 2010-11 and 2015-16.
<p>The Government will publish a formal response to the Public Account Committee's
consideration of the National Audit Office report; this will be presented to Parliament
in due course.</p>
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with representatives
of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the Guideline Development
Group working on the draft partial update to Clinical Guidance 43 on the prevention,
identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity.
<p>Ministers have had no such discussions.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The National
Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and as such
it would be inappropriate for Ministers to intervene. NICE is responsible for the
methods used to develop and update its guidance and reviews its published clinical
guidelines in order to take account of the latest available evidence.</p><p> </p><p>
</p><p> </p><p>NICE consulted on its draft updated clinical guideline on the prevention,
identification, assessment and management of overweight and obese adults and children
in July and August. NICE will take the stakeholder comments from the consultation
into account in developing the final guideline, which is currently planned for publication
in November.</p><p> </p>