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427606

registered interest
date	10/11/2015
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department has taken to assess the impact of hydraulic fracturing in (a) national parks and (b) other environmentally sensitive areas.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	15971
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2015 answer text <p>The Government issued guidance on its planning policy on unconventional hydrocarbon development in National Parks, the Broads, AONBs and World Heritage Sites in July 2014, which clearly sets out the high level of protection accorded to these areas in respect to development.1</p><br /><p>In addition, in July 2015 the Government laid draft regulations that define protected areas in which hydraulic fracturing will be prohibited. These regulations ensure that the process of high volume hydraulic fracturing cannot take place at depths above 1200 metres in National Parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, World Heritage Sites and areas that are most vulnerable to groundwater pollution.2</p><br /><p>We have also separately committed to ensuring that fracking cannot be conducted from wells that are drilled in the UK’s most valuable areas and are minded to apply these in Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Ramsar and Natura 2000 sites, as well as the areas covered by the draft Protected Areas regulations.3</p><br /><p><em><strong>[1]</strong></em><em><a href="http://planningguidance.communities.gov.uk/blog/guidance/minerals/planning-for-hydrocarbon-extraction/determining-the-planning-application/" target="_blank">http://planningguidance.communities.gov.uk/blog/guidance/minerals/planning-for-hydrocarbon-extraction/determining-the-planning-application/</a></em></p><p><em>2]</em><em><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-defines-protected-areas-for-shale-developments" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-defines-protected-areas-for-shale-developments</a></em></p><p><em>[3]</em><em><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas-licensing-rounds#surface-development-restrictions" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas-licensing-rounds#surface-development-restrictions</a></em></p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 16/11/2015 15:25:42 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

427856

registered interest
date	10/11/2015
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Employment and Support Allowance: Cancer
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to mitigate the effect of changes in employment and support allowance for those diagnosed with cancer who have been placed in the Work-Related Activity Group.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	15969
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/11/2015 answer text <p>No existing claimants, including those diagnosed with cancer, will be affected by the change to the work-related activity component and we have already committed to providing £60m a year from 2016/17, rising to £100m a year by 2020/21 in new, practical support for claimants with limited capability for work to help them move closer to the labour market and, when they are ready, into work.</p> answering member constituency Witham answering member printed Priti Patel question first answered 17/11/2015 14:40:54 answering member 4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

424868

registered interest
date	29/10/2015
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	Homelessness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has made to ensure that the homelessness prevention grant is being used effectively.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	14099
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2015 answer text <p>We have made available over £500 million to local authorities and the voluntary sector to tackle homelessness and since 2010 this has helped local authorities to prevent 935,800 households from becoming homeless.</p><p>Since 2010, local councils have had more flexibility over how they spend the money they receive from central government.</p><p>The allocation of Homeless Prevention Grant has developed over many years to take account of different kinds of pressures, including rough sleeping and statutory homelessness. We supported the establishment of the National Practitioner Support Service’s ‘Gold Standard’ programme to help improve the effectiveness of local authority homelessness prevention services.</p><p>Decisions on funding beyond 2015/2016 will be subject to the forthcoming spending review.</p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones grouped question UIN 14097 14098 question first answered 11/11/2015 16:44:49 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

424869

registered interest
date	29/10/2015
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	Homelessness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to allocate the homelessness prevention grant in proportion to the level of need in each local authority.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	14097
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2015 answer text <p>We have made available over £500 million to local authorities and the voluntary sector to tackle homelessness and since 2010 this has helped local authorities to prevent 935,800 households from becoming homeless.</p><p>Since 2010, local councils have had more flexibility over how they spend the money they receive from central government.</p><p>The allocation of Homeless Prevention Grant has developed over many years to take account of different kinds of pressures, including rough sleeping and statutory homelessness. We supported the establishment of the National Practitioner Support Service’s ‘Gold Standard’ programme to help improve the effectiveness of local authority homelessness prevention services.</p><p>Decisions on funding beyond 2015/2016 will be subject to the forthcoming spending review.</p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones grouped question UIN 14098 14099 question first answered 11/11/2015 16:44:48 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

424870

registered interest
date	29/10/2015
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	Homelessness
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to safeguard the size of the homelessness prevention grant in the period up to the 2020 spending review.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	14098
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2015 answer text <p>We have made available over £500 million to local authorities and the voluntary sector to tackle homelessness and since 2010 this has helped local authorities to prevent 935,800 households from becoming homeless.</p><p>Since 2010, local councils have had more flexibility over how they spend the money they receive from central government.</p><p>The allocation of Homeless Prevention Grant has developed over many years to take account of different kinds of pressures, including rough sleeping and statutory homelessness. We supported the establishment of the National Practitioner Support Service’s ‘Gold Standard’ programme to help improve the effectiveness of local authority homelessness prevention services.</p><p>Decisions on funding beyond 2015/2016 will be subject to the forthcoming spending review.</p> answering member constituency Nuneaton answering member printed Mr Marcus Jones grouped question UIN 14097 14099 question first answered 11/11/2015 16:44:48 answering member 4024 label Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

424882

registered interest
date	29/10/2015
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Broadband: Bristol West
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has taken to improve the broadband speed in the Bristol West area.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	14100
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/11/2015 answer text <p>Over 1,450 businesses in Bristol and the surrounding area have taken a broadband connection voucher to improve their broadband connectivity. In addition, through the Super Connected Cities Programme, my Department has provided £1.56m to Bristol City Council to install general purpose ducting which will provide broadband connectivity to businesses in the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone. This funding has also enabled over 70km of ducting to be made available to two commercial suppliers to provide ultra-fast broadband across the city.</p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 12/11/2015 16:38:41 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

424904

registered interest
date	29/10/2015
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	Timber: 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, what steps the Government is taking to prevent illegal timber entering Europe.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	14056
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2015 answer text <p>Defra is committed to tackling the trade in illegal timber. We implemented the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which makes it an offence to place illegally logged timber on the EU market for the first time, and the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulation, which aims to combat illegal logging and improve the supply of legal timber to the EU. The EU FLEGT Regulation establishes Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) between the EU and timber producing countries. Once VPAs have been agreed, timber producing countries will issue exports with a ‘FLEGT licence’ which verifies the timber’s legality.</p><p>The Government’s Timber Procurement Policy also requires Government Departments, Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies to procure timber and timber products that are both legal and sustainable.</p><p>Domestic forests provide about 20% of the UK’s timber needs. They are managed in accordance with the UK Forestry Standard, the reference standard for sustainable forest management in the UK. Moreover, about 85% of UK timber production is independently certified, providing additional assurances of sustainability. We are strongly supportive of initiatives such as Grown in Britain, which create new sustainably managed woodland to increase the supply of British timber destined for use by local people and businesses. Timber and wood products labelled with the Grown in Britain logo are from trees and forests assured as compliant with the UK Forestry Standard.</p><p>I welcome the fact that UK companies and other bodies are making similar commitments to trade in both legal and sustainable timber by signing up to WWF’s Forest Campaign.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 14101 question first answered 04/11/2015 09:14:25 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

424905

registered interest
date	29/10/2015
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	Timber: Sustainable Development
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help achieve a 100 per cent legal and sustainable timber trade in the UK by 2020.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	14101
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2015 answer text <p>Defra is committed to tackling the trade in illegal timber. We implemented the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which makes it an offence to place illegally logged timber on the EU market for the first time, and the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulation, which aims to combat illegal logging and improve the supply of legal timber to the EU. The EU FLEGT Regulation establishes Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) between the EU and timber producing countries. Once VPAs have been agreed, timber producing countries will issue exports with a ‘FLEGT licence’ which verifies the timber’s legality.</p><p>The Government’s Timber Procurement Policy also requires Government Departments, Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies to procure timber and timber products that are both legal and sustainable.</p><p>Domestic forests provide about 20% of the UK’s timber needs. They are managed in accordance with the UK Forestry Standard, the reference standard for sustainable forest management in the UK. Moreover, about 85% of UK timber production is independently certified, providing additional assurances of sustainability. We are strongly supportive of initiatives such as Grown in Britain, which create new sustainably managed woodland to increase the supply of British timber destined for use by local people and businesses. Timber and wood products labelled with the Grown in Britain logo are from trees and forests assured as compliant with the UK Forestry Standard.</p><p>I welcome the fact that UK companies and other bodies are making similar commitments to trade in both legal and sustainable timber by signing up to WWF’s Forest Campaign.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 14056 question first answered 04/11/2015 09:14:25 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

423016

registered interest
date	21/10/2015
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Developing Countries: Gender
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking at UN summits to ensure strong commitments are made to eradicating gender inequality.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	12840
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2015 answer text <p>Promoting the rights of girls and women is a top priority for my Department, including at UN Summits. The UK was a leading voice in international negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for a strong stand-alone goal on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, as well as gender-sensitive targets throughout the SDG framework.</p><br /><p>My Department and I will continue to make every effort to push for gender equality at other global events, such as the African Union Girl Summit in November 2015 and the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2016.</p><br /> answering member constituency Putney answering member printed Justine Greening question first answered 28/10/2015 14:03:10 answering member 1555 label Biography information for Justine Greening
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire

423021

registered interest
date	21/10/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Procurement
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 ensure the value for money of its contracts with the private sector.
tabling member constituency	Bristol West
tabling member printed	Thangam Debbonaire
uin	12770
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/10/2015 answer text <p>As part of improving the MoJ’s overall commercial capability a Contract Management Improvement Programme has been running across the department since early 2014, in order to implement and embed best practices in contract management. As part of this programme we have established new governance committees to strengthen our assurance of major contracts.</p><p>We have also renegotiated or retendered a number of our significant contracts to improve value for money from our private sector contractors.</p> answering member constituency Hemel Hempstead answering member printed Mike Penning question first answered 29/10/2015 15:29:42 answering member 1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning
tabling member	4433 label Biography information for Thangam Debbonaire