Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department is undertaking sectoral analyses of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on different sectors of the economy.
Answered by David Jones
The Secretary of State's oral statement on 5 September 2016 explained that his officials, supported by officials across Government, are carrying out a programme of sectoral and regulatory analysis, which will identify the key factors for British businesses and the labour force that will affect our negotiations with the EU. They are looking in detail at over 50 sectors and cross-cutting regulatory issues.
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations at the meeting of the UN Security Council on 26 July 2016 that MINURSO must be enabled to fulfil its original mandate.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We continue to make clear our expectation that MINURSO be returned to full functionality in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2285.
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations at the meeting of the UN Security Council on 26 July 2016 for the establishment of an independent human rights monitoring mechanism in occupied Western Sahara and the refugee camps in that country.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The purpose of the UN Security Council meeting on 26 July is to assess whether MINURSO has returned to full functionality in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2285 of 29 April 2016, rather than to seek to alter the mandate of MINURSO. The UK does not therefore plan to raise human rights monitoring at this meeting, given that the current MINURSO mandate does not include a human rights element.
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to further progress on bringing about a referendum in Western Sahara since the renewal of the MINURSO mandate in April 2016.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
It is for parties to the dispute to agree a resolution of the final status of Western Sahara. The UK encourages both sides to cooperate with the United Nations process to reach a mutually acceptable solution that provides for the self-determination for the people of Western Sahara.
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether local planning authorities can only grant hydraulic fracturing consent for a well after an environment impact assessment directive compliance assessment has taken place.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Infrastructure Act 2015 makes clear that my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will not grant consent for associated hydraulic fracturing unless the environmental impact of the development, which includes the relevant well, has been taken into account by the local planning authority.
We will expect operators to complete an Environmental Impact Assessment in order to fulfil condition 1 in section 50 of the Act.
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her Department's policy is on restricting the import of cheap, inferior-quality coal to the UK.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The decision of where to source coal is a commercial decision for companies. Through our efforts to decarbonise our electricity system, we are increasing the diversity of our energy mix and reducing our reliance on unabated coal.
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will raise with the Moroccan ambassador to the UK the death of Brahim Saika in Gulemin police station on 15 April 2016.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The British Embassy in Rabat raised the case of Mr Brahim Saika with Morocco’s National Human Rights Commission, CNDH, on 18 April 2016. The Commission had been following the case closely and is preparing its report on his detention and death. We will consider any further action in the light of the Commission’s report.
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which projects in Wales have received European Commission funding in each of the last five years; and how much each such project received in each year.
Answered by Anna Soubry
A list of all projects financed by the European Structural Funds in the 2007-13 period can be found on the Welsh Government website under ‘Funding’, ‘European funds in Wales’, ‘Previous European Structural Funds programmes’, ‘Approved project database 2007-2013’.
Implementation of the 2014-2020 European Structural Funds programmes is at an early stage. A list of projects to be financed in Wales by the Structural Funds for 2014-2020 can be found on the Welsh Government website under ‘Funding’, ‘European funds in Wales’, ‘European Structural Funds 2014-2020’, ‘Approved projects and ideas under development’.
The Seventh Framework Programme 2007-2013 has provided grants to research and innovation projects across the EU. The European Commission’s figures show that the total value of grants awarded to organisations in Wales under this programme was €145,243,199 (up to and including 11 November 2015). For 2014-2020, the Horizon 2020 programme (the successor to the Seventh Framework Programme) has awarded grants with a total value of €39,932,431 to organisations in Wales (up to and including 23 February 2016).
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what value of dairy produce was imported from each country of origin in each of the last five years.
Answered by George Eustice
The HMRC data has been provided on a ‘country of despatch’ basis, rather than the requested ‘country of origin’ basis, as ‘country of despatch’ trade data is considered a more accurate representation of actual levels of trade.
The table below shows the value of dairy produce imported into the UK, for the last five years, according to HMRC trade statistics:
£/million | |||||
Country | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | *2015 |
Irish Republic | 689.1 | 662.6 | 767.3 | 702.6 | 594.1 |
France | 484.2 | 510.0 | 559.5 | 568.4 | 392.0 |
Germany | 286.3 | 283.5 | 336.5 | 345.1 | 241.4 |
Netherlands | 169.2 | 237.2 | 277.2 | 252.1 | 187.3 |
Belgium | 216.3 | 209.5 | 239.4 | 196.0 | 142.0 |
Italy | 174.1 | 162.4 | 168.5 | 174.5 | 111.9 |
Denmark | 214.1 | 195.1 | 153.1 | 160.0 | 70.7 |
Greece | 44.8 | 44.9 | 53.7 | 60.7 | 70.2 |
Poland | 28.4 | 31.9 | 42.0 | 43.4 | 41.2 |
Spain | 31.8 | 36.8 | 44.3 | 39.6 | 31.9 |
Cyprus | 16.3 | 17.2 | 20.4 | 26.6 | 22.2 |
Others | 96.8 | 95.9 | 102.6 | 134.7 | 91.9 |
Grand Total | 2,451.4 | 2,487.0 | 2,764.4 | 2,703.6 | 1,996.9 |
Source: HM Revenue and Customs. Data prepared by the Food & Trade Statistics team, Great British Food Unit, Defra. |
*2015 data are subject to amendments. Totals may not add up to the sum of their components due to rounding. |
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications for emergency authorisation for the use of neonicotinoids have been received in 2016; and how many of those applications have been granted.
Answered by George Eustice
No applications have been received in 2016 for the emergency authorisation of neonicotinoids.