Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the food chain of microplastics in the sea.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been monitoring the scientific evidence concerning the occurrence and effects of microplastics in seafood. On the basis of current information, the FSA considers it is unlikely that the presence of the low levels of microplastic particles that have been reported to occur in certain types of seafood would cause harm to consumers. The FSA will continue to monitor and assess emerging information concerning microplastics in food.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress is being made on providing sanctuary for refugee children currently in France, Greece and Italy.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
In 2016, we transferred over 900 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK from Europe, including more than 750 from France as part of the UK’s support for the Calais camp clearance. Approximately 200 of these children met the criteria for section 67 of the Immigration Act.
More eligible children will be transferred from Europe, in line with the terms of the Immigration Act, in the coming months and we will continue to meet our obligations under the Dublin Regulation. In addition to our long standing secondee in Italy, we have seconded an expert to Greece who has been working closely with UNHCR, IOM and the Greek authorities to identify potentially eligible children under section 67 of the Immigration Act and support transfers under the Dublin Regulation.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will commission a study into the viability of a rail link between Oxford and Witney.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
A study into the options for re-opening the rail route from Witney to Yarnton to connect with the Oxford to Worcester has already been carried out by Oxfordshire County Council to inform its “Investing in the A40 - Long Term Strategy Consultation Report” published in May 2016.
We believe that local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are best placed to carry out further studies and consider whether a rail re-opening is the best way to meet local transport needs.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in how many cases in 2016 was the allegation that a proxy took an English examination on behalf of another person the basis for (a) deportation and (b) detention in an immigration removal centre.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
We do not hold this information in a format that allows us to provide the specific information requested.
All published information relating to ETS is in the UKVI Transparency Data which was most recently updated in November 2016.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/Temporary and permanent migration data: November 2016 - Publications - GOV.UK
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many letters were sent to migrants during 2016 alleging that a proxy had sat and passed their English examination for them.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
We do not hold this information in a format that allows us to provide the specific information requested.
All published information relating to ETS is in the UKVI Transparency Data which was most recently updated in November 2016.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/Temporary and permanent migration data: November 2016 - Publications - GOV.UK
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the proportion of known fossil fuels which need to be left in the ground to prevent global temperature change above two degrees centigrade.
Answered by Nick Hurd
In 2013 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated that to have a 50 percent chance of limiting global average temperature rise to below 2°C, the remaining permissible carbon emissions were up to 305 billion tonnes of Carbon for the period 2011 to 2100. According to the latest estimate of cumulative emission by the Global Carbon Project in 2016, this figure has reduced to 255 billion tonnes of Carbon.
In 2011 the IPCC estimated the amount of carbon within existing proven reserves of coal, oil and gas to be 1,053 billion tonnes.
Based on these figures, between 70-75 percent of known fossil fuels would have to be left unused in order to have a 50% chance of limiting global temperature rise to below 2°C.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deportation decisions were made against non-EEA nationals from July 2012 to July 2014.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The number of deportations of non-EEA Foreign National Offenders can be found in table: ‘rt_06_q: Returns of foreign national offenders’ at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2016/returns
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many section 94B decisions were made against non-EEA nationals from July 2014 to July 2016.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Our records indicate that approximately 900 such decisions were made between the dates requested. Due to the operational nature of this data it can be subject to change.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals lodged in cases where section 94B decisions were made for non-EEA nationals were allowed by the Tribunal from July 2014 to July 2016.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
HM Courts and Tribunal Service publishes appeals data on a quarterly basis which can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/550952/tribunal-and-gpc-stats.pdf
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many appeals in cases where section 94B decisions were made for non-EEA nationals were lodged from outside the UK from July 2014 to July 2016.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
HM Courts and Tribunal Service publishes appeals data on a quarterly basis which can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/550952/tribunal-and-gpc-stats.pdf